Of all the times I have made the trip to and from Rocky Point from the United States, I always chuckled at the “RIO” sign as we crossed through our border town of Sonoyta (pronounced SO-NO-E-TA). I never noticed so much of a drop of water in the “rio”….just jagged rocks, dirt, some old tires and a beer bottle or two. So, on September 8th we thought nothing of the usual trek back to our beautiful beach town of Rocky Point. Arriving at the border, we noticed about 10 cars ahead of us waiting to cross the border and talking to our border agents. Well, by the time we made it to the crossing, we were informed that the road to Rocky Point was closed due to severe flooding and there was no estimated time for reopening the road. Well, being the eternal optimist that I am, we forged ahead determined to navigate a path. We snaked through the side roads of Sonoyta and managed to work our way right up to the yellow tape closing off the road south to the beach.
What we saw next was truly amazing. It looked more like the Colorado River rolling through town! Knowing the bridge was out for repairs and the road was the only way through the river bed, things looked really dim. Scores of chartered buses and hundreds of cars were lined down both sides of the boulevard. Visions of floating down the river in our little convertible literally flooded my mind. Well, that and the Mexican army standing next to the river making sure no one ventured across the road solidified any doubt of getting through. Being pretty proficient in Spanish, I inquired with the army guys when they thought the road would open. The outlook looked grim. They informed me that they were steadily releasing water from the dam to the east and there was no sign of the water subsiding. We then inquired about an alternative route…ugh…two hours drive to San Luis and then another two hours to Rocky Point and the roads were known to be a little rough on the way to San Luis.
Well, reality finally settled in and I realized the best route for me and my family was back to America! Rocky Point was just not in God’s plans for this particular weekend. The drive back was not as painful as I anticipated and it reminded me of a good tool to use when we are “stranded” away from our charmed town, Rocky Point. I allowed my mind to play back all of the relaxing and fun times at the beach. In my head, the waves were rolling onto the beach and the salt air was a welcome refreshment to my senses. I recalled all of the laughs, social gatherings, concerts, weddings and most of all the joy of the amazing friendships that I have made over the years in Rocky Point. I remembered the golf, the deep sea fishing, the night clubs, the family fun, the fireworks, the great restaurants but most of all what kept coming into my mind was the people that truly make our town the home town that it is! Needless to say, I was not sad at the prospect of missing one weekend but rather I was filled with gratitude for all of the fantastic times that I have encountered over the years.
Life sometimes deals us some lemons but it is up to us to peel back the lemon and realize the sweet flavor of life that is right around the corner. We are all so blessed to have Rocky Point…it is one special place! So the next time you find yourself away from your favorite Mexican beach town, just sit back and let the memories come “flooding” back to you. We have already planned our next trip back “home” and I will use the next opportunity to truly soak in the warmth of the beach, the lazy days and most of all the people of Rocky Point!
Until our next time at the beach, please remember to partake in one act of unexpected kindness each day. When we all add this to our daily agenda, the goodness is bound to flow your way! God bless and see you in ROCKY POINT!!! ADIOS AMIGOS!
(Since this writing, the ‘detour’ road has opened, closed with the torrential rains of Sept. 9th-10th and 11th, and opened once again…and is OPEN NOW)