October 2011 Cover
I write my Editorial, every month, mostly about the positive things in and around Rocky Point such as the great sandy beaches that surround our town, the many fine restaurants here in Puerto Peñasco, the taco and hot dog stands, snorkeling, fishing, riding jet skis, horseback riding, exploring the desert off road, visiting CEDO, the Pinacate Biosphere, Gillespie’s Mine, etc. There are definitely many varied things to do during your stay here in Rocky Point. I have always said that my favorite thing about living in Rocky Point is the friendliness of the people and its overall laid back atmosphere.
Last month Sandy and I had a visit from our son, Robert, his wife, Marja and our grandkids, Mak and Eila. They flew into Phoenix from Wisconsin, rented a car, and joined us down here for their vacation. They have been coming to Rocky Point since 1991 and this time decided to stay in a beautiful roomy condo at the Sonoran Sky Resort. It was a busy 10 days for them as they snorkeled
and kayaked off Sandy Beach, chartered a boat for a day trip to Bird Island to go snorkeling with the sea lions, spent many an afternoon eating at almost all of the taco and hot dogs stands, eating at the various restaurants on Sandy Beach and in the Old Port, enjoying a round of golf at Laguna Shores, exploring the beach and tidepools, shopping, and lots of rest and relaxation sunning poolside at the resort. Overall, it was a great vacation for all of us. But, they did have a few questions about Rocky Point that I didn’t have answers for. One was why is it that they can buy some things cheaper in the U.S. than they can here in Rocky Point? Namely, Tecate, Pacifico and Corona beer. The same goes for some of the restaurant prices. (I didn’t have an answer then and I still don’t.) Another question was about the night time street lighting along the way to and in front of the Sandy Beach Resorts – it is very dark and some entrances are almost impossible to see as are stop signs, pedestrians and animals. I didn’t really know what they were talking about because Sandy and I normally do not drive at night, but we got a rude awakening when we went to meet the kids at the condo for a 9pm dinner.
We left the Ranchito and turned west on Samuel Ocaña, heading to the Sandy Beach resorts. Well, we almost ran two stop signs because they are in the median, hidden behind trees and barely visible at night. (Not to mention the very narrow road littered with pedestrians and animals.) After we crossed the railroad tracks the road becomes very curvy. There are no street lights and it is very dangerous when the headlights of oncoming traffic shine in your eyes – most people (I’ve been told) don’t shut their brights off – most likely because they can’t see either! Besides the curviness and oncoming
traffic, it is narrow and not striped. (I told Sandy I’ll never drive this again at night). I know, at one time, there was a scenic master plan for that area which is why the road is so curvy, but it just seems like a hazard now. Every month I drive all over town, and to all the resorts, to deliver the Rocky Point Times Newspaper, but when we left the kids condo that night for dinner I completely missed the turn for our restaurant. There are no lighted signs, and if I hadn’t already known where Chef Mickey’s Place was at Las Palmas, we probably would have given up looking. I feel sorry for first-time visitors trying to find their condo resort rental at night. There is definitely room for improvement on the
road to the resorts. And I’m sure a lot of you are already aware of this – I just haven’t driven at night for so long. So many great improvements have been made to the town, but we definitely need some street lighting along Sandy Beach and Samuel Ocaña needs some help. I have found out since our experience that a lot of folks take Calle 13 to the resorts instead of Samuel Ocaña, which seems
to be a safer choice at night.
It appears that we have received a break in the weather earlier than expected. Sandy insists that the weather does not “change” until the second week of October, which seems to be true for the last few years. However, this year, I think that Mother Nature has taken pity on us – as she should
since it got really hot and humid really early this year. Right now we are enjoying crisp cool mornings, late evening weather in the low 70s, and daytime temps hang right around 90°, but with very low humidity. What a relief it is! So, if you are planning on coming to Rocky Point this month, you might want to bring a light jacket for those early morning beach walks or the night time events
around town.
Speaking of events, October is packed full of an eclectic mix of events from our first ever Sprint Car Races to the Jazz and Art Festival to JJ’s Cantina’s One Club Open. There will be softball and volleyball tournaments as well as beach bashes and dinner fundraisers. Along with the Spring Car Races on Sandy Beach, another first for Rocky Point will be the Peñasco Palooza 2011 Concert which will feature Steve McCarty, formerly of the Steve Miller Band, as well as 6 others (The Hitmen All- Stars) – all from great rock-and-roll bands like The Moody Blues, Aerosmith and Tower of Power – performing their great hits. And, of course, Mark Mulligan and his gang will be returning for the annual Parrot Mafia Concert and we will head out at the end of the month for our bi-annual El Golfo Run. There will also be local cultural events such as the Cervantino Festival and Fiestas de Agua y Sol. So, grab a pencil and paper, check out the Calendar of Events on Page 4 of this edition, and map out your days because you won’t want to miss a thing! November is shaping up to be just as busy as this month with the 11th Annual Rocky Point Bike Rally, the Taste of Peñasco and Iron Chef Competition as well as the Rocky Point Fly-In which will see pilots from Mexico and the U.S. enjoying three days of fun activities. For last minute events, or reminders about current
events, be sure to visit our Facebook page (Sandy made me write that!).
So, come on down, have some
fun in the sun, and enjoy our
fantastic weather.
