Back Again in Cd. Valles, Mexico

Hello Everyone,

We left Colorado only about two weeks ago — oddly, it seems much longer.  We are happily settled in our favorite campground in Cd. Valles, San Luis Potosi, Mexico — south of Monterrey and straight west from Tampico.

We have a golf course across the road where we walk for 45 to 60 minutes every morning.  Mike looks for birds; photographs some.  After our walk and breakfast, we go to the larger, warm-water pool and exercise for 30 minutes.

We use “noodles” and foam “weights”.  Both my shoulders and legs are really tired from the workout I gave them yesterday.  This is GOOD!  Unlike last year, I don’t have the stamina, or shoulder strength (after all my surgeries) to swim laps yet.  I’ll get there. . . 

When we left it was nice in the Arkansas valley where we live — 31 degrees.  We went over Poncha Pass to the south to the San Luis Valley and darn near froze to death — 3 degrees!  We had the Tracker, a “ragtop” and the heater wasn’t working as well as it should.

At a small town in the valley, we stopped for hot coffee.  And wonderful: They had a wood-burning pot-bellied stove!  I took off my boots and warmed both the boots and my feet on the stove.  An old fellow (Mike reminded me he was about our age!) was in there and we had a great time visiting with him for half an hour.  Reminded me of my dad going to the cafe in our small home town in Iowa.  

Sangre de Cristos in the San Luis Valley, CO

Back in the Tracker, it took nearly another hour before the car warmed up enough to be comfortable.

Our trek to Galveston, TX was uneventful, arriving on a Wednesday afternoon having NO idea how, where, when, or who to contact to get our pickup and camper out of hock after being shipped in from Cartegena, Colombia, South America.  The next morning:  two phone calls, a visit to customs, then to the dock and we had our pickup!!  Amazing.




I loved the colorful houses in Galveston and we spent part of an afternoon driving around so I could take photos.

We spent a few days in McAllen rearranging and resupplying, then headed for Cd. Valles — all in the rain. We were in for quite a shock when we pulled into our campground, “El Banito”.  The campground was FULL!  There were huge moterhomes everywhere we looked.  We had to park beside the restaurant for the night.  This was a caravan of French Canadians, some who spoke English.  They had been here for three days and were leaving before daybreak the next morning.

We had a chance to visit with several of them that rainy evening.  They seemed to be nervous about the pools, so we demonstrated they were fine.  Visited with one couple, Paul and Heather,  who had traveled by themselves previously in Mexico.  However, this year she became nervous and wanted to go with a caravan.  The sponsors hired a Federale police escort for the caravan from the border (Reynosa) to here.  Paul commented that he thought it was mainly for show.  We told them, oh no, you came down through Cd Victoria and Mante.  WE won’t do that, nor are the locals here willing to drive through those towns.  We go around the long way.

The full campground at El Benito 5 miles south of Cd. Valles

One day we drove about an hour from here to the Santa Maria River below Tamul Falls.  We hired a boat and we three adults and the guide’s 8-year old son paddled upriver to the falls.  It was about an hour and a half of paddling.  Impressive falls.  We had been up there one other time, several years ago, but it was lovely to see again.

Small riverside springs on the way. . .

to the BIG falls -- Tamul, about 350 feet high.  West of Cd. Valles

At the market in town.

And to sign off:  A colorful display for your viewing pleasure.