While those of us who live in, and love, Puerto Peñasco like to shout about how great our town is, living here. Taking into consideration unexpected things that pop up, from time to time, can sometimes be funny, sad, interesting or any combination of those emotions. When you have grown up in the states, there are certain things that you take for granted which are not universally available in other countries. Things like reliable mail service, really good Chinese food or, until recently, UPS or Amazon delivery options. Those minor inconveniences are so heavily outweighed by the joy of living here that I actually had to think hard about what I was missing, or if it even was worth mentioning. Then there was this…
During the fall and winter months, before spring break and the onset of our spring and summer seasons, Peñasco is a quiet and tranquil place to live. Out on the playas, the pace of life slows way down, and days are taken up doing things like walking the dogs on the beach, taking care of the never-ending small repair or maintenance projects on the casa, reading, writing, and enjoying living here.
So it was, during this tranquil time, that my bride decided to drive back to Arizona for a few days to visit some friends and family and go to Costco…naturally. Since she would be using our truck to make the journey, I was left to use our UTV side-by-side for forays into town or to go to happy hour or wherever.
It happened that, on a quiet Tuesday morning, I decided to drive into town for some groceries, shrimp and cervezas. Those of you who own off-road vehicles know that factory settings are for wimps…right!? One of the first things I did when I got my side-by-side was to install a ‘chip’ to allow the engine to produce more horsepower and RPM’s than the factory models…because…(channeling Tim Allen) more power!!! This modification worked out great for short sprints and desert romping. It did not, however, do so well for long rides at highway speeds.
Some off-road vehicles have chain or drive shaft type drive trains, mine had a belt…sort of like a fan belt or bicycle chain but made of rubber. Do you know what happens to rubber when it drives a vehicle at high speeds for too long? It snaps…on the road…halfway back to home…with no one around…for a long way…
Sitting on the side of the road with the heavy smell of burnt rubber wafting in the breeze, and realizing that I was, indeed, stuck, I began to make phone calls for help. Did I mention that during this time of year things are really quiet around here? This occurred just before Thanksgiving and I discovered that most of my calls for assistance either went directly to voice mail or, in one case, was answered by my friends who were at that moment in Oregon for the holiday! Seems like everyone thought that it would be a good idea to go someplace else…just when I needed them!!! What nerve!
No worries, I’ll just call a tow truck, right? Wrong! While there are several towing operations listed in Peñasco, none of them seemed to be operational. In fact, a couple were listed as serving our town but came out of Tucson! Once again, finding out that one other thing that we might take for granted from our stateside lives is not being able to get a dang tow truck!
After exhausting my vocabulary of four-letter words, I called a Mexican friend who I knew was in town, hoping he had his phone on him. As it turned out, not only was he in town, but he was working out on Playa Miramar, a few doors away from my home. Within about an hour, I had been rescued and was sitting in my easy chair contemplating the wisdom of messing with ‘factory’ settings on my UTV.
After my wife picked up a duplicate drive belt (two, actually) on her return trip, I installed the new one and made up a “rescue kit” that included a new belt and tools needed to change the belt on the spot, no matter where that “spot” might be, just in case. Lesson learned. What did I take away from my misfortune? Well, I’d like to think there was something I could have done differently, like not messing with the factory settings on my UTV, but no. After the rescue, and refilling my friends gas tank for his trouble, I decided to make a list of all the things I take for granted which are not available to me here…but maybe I’ll do that later. Right now, the sun is shining, the breeze is softly blowing, the water gently lapping the sand, I have a Liga Privada cigar that needs attention, and the hammock is waiting…
