One of the problems with writing for the Rocky Point Times is this column is submitted a month, more or less, in advance of publication. This makes writing about things that haven’t happened yet problematic. Fortunately, some topics can be correctly anticipated no matter how far in advance the column is written.
We here in Puerto Peñasco have just muddled through the longest, coolest (coldest??), wettest, windiest winters I can remember in the past 35 years. There have been monster tidal surges, storms with extremely high, sustained winds of over 50 mph (some over 60 mph with gusts of over 85 mph according to my weather station). Rain, in quantities not usual for our town, came in on numerous occasions.
One thing the visitor might want to know is that the rain we get is not always the same in town as it is on the playas. A light rain shower out on the beach can be a deluge in town. If you’ve ever driven in from the Mayan Palace, or points east, after a light shower there you might be surprised to find “Lake Las Conchas,” at the corner of Blvd. Fremont and Josefa Dominguez, full. Conversely, a light sprinkle in town can translate to a huge downpour out on the playas.
When that happens, most of us who live on the playas and have ‘been there…done that’ know to stay home to wait until the road dries out, because trying to ‘get out’ to go to town is an exercise in futility. You’ll just end up slipping and sliding in the muddy caliche, and probably having to be pulled out by a large truck that is too heavy to slide off the road, but even they have a hard time. Best to put on another pot of coffee and work on your email correspondence, read or work on a hobby.
All of the preceding is to say that, even though this is being written over a month before publication, I can confidently state that by the time you read this piece, the warm weather, sunshine and cool breezes will have arrived in Puerto Peñasco. Spring will have sprung, the days will gravitate from deliciously cool, dry mornings to afternoons that almost, but not quite, get to be uncomfortably warm (sunscreen is highly recommended). The nights will be clear and balmy and, in many cases, punctuated by music from various venues around town. The water is refreshing and not too cold although visitors from places in the mid-west such as Illinois, Wisconsin and Minnesota will think it feels like bathwater.
For a number of reasons, this year’s spring break was not as frenetic as it usually is, but I’m willing to go out on a limb here and say you will not be disappointed in the ‘vibe’ you get from being here in May…arguably the prettiest, most beautiful month of the year. Semana Santa will be in the rear-view mirror. Revelers who came from all over Mexico will depart, leaving our town reeling from their visit. All the excitement that the Easter season brings will still be around though so you, dear reader, can take advantage of it.
Whether you are coming here with your family, significant other or as a singleton I guarantee you will be enchanted by Peñasco in May. Find that cozy little restaurant (Chef Mickey’s leaps to mind) to snuggle in a quiet corner with your lover. Make a reservation with Del Mar Charters for a catamaran sunset cruise with Captain Oscar (complimentary Margaritas included). Schedule a fishing trip with one of the many small charters (Martin…pronounced MARteen…and his boat, the Margarita is a good one) or hang out, beach and poolside, at Diego’s Tiki Bar on Sandy Beach sipping a specialty cocktail and munching on appetizers.
Too, there is world class shopping to be had at places like Su Casa on Rodeo Drive or Mercedes’ on Route #3 when leaving the Malecon (the one-way road back to town that blends with the two-way traffic near Jessie’s). Stop in at Grapes and Barley for an early cocktail, play some cornhole or have a bottle of excellent wine at their upstairs wine bar while you are there. You, quite simply, cannot not have a great time in our fair city in May (or most other times of the year either).
If you are reading this, it will be in May and, hopefully, relevant to your stay here. Go ahead…try something new and exciting! Check out our town, because it doesn’t get any better than May in Puerto Peñasco.
