The crossing at Tecate was quick and easy. Very little traffic through town. I really enjoy the toll road to Mexicali -- well worth the $6 fee. Not much of a change on the roads from Mexicali to San Felipe and on to Puertecitos. Still really rough starting at about km 35.

The wait was about 50 minutes at the old crossing to the U.S. at Mexicali. Although there is not much difference in wait time the new crossing does eliminate the panhandlers and sellers from converging on your vehicle.

Everyone was in a celebration mood for the New Year! Javier and Lydia at campo El Zimarron served birria to a large group at the site of their new house. It was delicious!

Emilio and Francis hosted a delicious buffet and dance at the Junta Mejor. Lots of good music, friends and fun! It was nice to see so many of our American Neighbors in town.

Of course, the "morning after" was made much easier by Ricky, Cecelia and Modesta Osuna at Bahia Christina ... menudo was just what the Doctor ordered and it was wonderful. Ivan and Demaris were enjoying riding around on the new atv Santa brought.

Marion and Don hosted their traditional "chili pot" on New Year's Day which was delicious as usual.

Enjoyed a lovely breakfast at "Maria's" restaurant at Campo Cesar. Cesar and Maria are doing well with their family and welcome new addition "Arlet".

Sara at the conasupo was in town during college break. She's excited about her new work assignment and the fact that she only has about a year left to complete school!

Congratulations to Panama and his garage cleaning effort. It's sometimes amazing what you find after collecting for a number of years. Also a big thank you for repairing my laptop computer while preparing a gourmet meal ...

I received the "unconfirmed" word that Luis (of the Papa Fernandez family) will be the new Delegado. More information to follow.

Just a reminder ... Virginia has sent a letter out stating that there will be a 5% interest charge monthly on rent that is not paid by the 15th of February.

COWPATTY is closed Mon-Tues and probably Wednesday through the winter months. Richard's bartender "Memo" has headed of on his bicycle towards Cabo for a couple months of vacation. Richard is feeling much better after his recent illness.

There had been reports of machorro during the time I was there. The fishermen didn't seem to be knocking them dead ...

Next trip is late February ... Happy New Year!

Traveled across the Tecate border November 29th about 11:00 A.M. with no delay. The toll road is in great condition with very little traffic. Arrived in San Felipe about 2:00 P.M.

Unfortunately there were several accidents on the San Felipe - Puertecitos highway over the Thanksgiving holiday which resulted in at least two American fatalities. My sincere condolences to family and friends of the victims.

The road south of San Felipe to Puertecitos gets very rough after kilometer 40. The "vados" or dips have been rutted out by heavy vehicles. If your speed is too high when you drive though it is easy to lose control of the vehicle or damage your rig. Please drive cautiously and be sure your equipment is in excellent working condition.

There is some road construction (resurfacing) that is ongoing between Mexicali and the Ensenada turn-off - be on the look-out for flagmen directing the traffic through the one lane portions.

Crossed back to the United States on Tuesday, December 4th at the new truck crossing. Experienced about a 45 minute wait at 3:00 P.M.

The Americans have been celebrating the Christmas Season with the usual festivities. Lots of dinner parties. Traditional rum balls were distributed by Marion and Don. The school held their annual Posada. The Browns have been in town for almost two months. Corky's kids have really given their place a face-lift. Corky is doing well at an assisted living home. Not to be outdone, my parents and I added a coat of "Cozamuel Aqua" to our place.

Panama Jay is doing well and responding to a lot of road-side mechanical emergencies. He has taken a side hobby of rehabilitating old personal computers.

The Deneweths are looking forward to moving to their new home in the Palm Springs area this month. Nice to see the Dotinga's back in town! Connie is working with the ladies on some beautiful quilting projects.

Huerfenito was the host to a beautiful wedding for the Avila's daughter. Pete officiated in front of his beachfront palapa -- perhaps a trend for "weddings in paradise"????? Congratulations!!

Thanks to Lee and Ray for a special visit with Panama and me. We watched an old video from the Smother's Brothers show spotlighting the song "Cowpatty". Nice to visit with some of our long-time Puertecitos residents. A special toast and salute was shared for their son Veron. He truly had a unique talent with the classical guitar.

There was very little good fishing news as far south as Cinco Islas. Quite a few windy days and really nothing notable on the good days.

Still no word from Scott Parker. Please contact me by email if you have any information on his whereabouts.

The Cowpatty has been doing great. A new cantinero, Memo has given Ricardo a little break to work on some overdue projects. Thanks to everyone for making the business so popular and successful! Yes, it will be open more days in the future. At this time there is still a lot of travelling required to keep the paperwork moving and supplies coming in. We are in a very remote spot! Richard is recovering nicely from his recent illness.

Bahia Christina is serving some great meals. They have campgrounds, showers, liquor and beer as well as fishing guide services. Congratulations to the Osuna family for a great place.

There was gasoline in Puertecitos.

The new Delegado will be appointed in December. More news on that next report.

Sorry for the long time between reports. I ended up in Utah for about 10 days because of the airport closures. As a pilot I'm usually not a nervous flyer but I must admit the tension ran high that week.

My Dad has just returned from a week in Puertecitos. He reports there was a lot of water from the storm. The road is pretty rough but not washed out. It took him 1 1/2 hours in the old Chevy Pickup to get from San Felipe to Puertecitos. Road repairs have started but the crews have only made it to the Percebu area. Richard reports the road to Ensenada is fine.

Dad had a 20 minute wait at the Mexicali II crossing. I imagine it is still wise to avoid the work traffic hours because of the increased security for entry to the U.S. Panama crossed back and forth several times during September at the TJ crossing and reported no abnormal delays or problems. My friend Jose in Tecate said it's a 2 - 3 hour wait in the mornings to cross in to the U.S. Many are parking and riding bicycles.

The Cowpatty reopened in September with Richard's annual birthday celebration.

If anyone has seen "little Scott" (Parker?) it is important he get in contact with me or Richard. He seems to have disappeared. Any info would be appreciated.

There have been some break-ins reported. Please be sure to let the local delegation know right away if you have problems.

The Deneweths left their homestead of 40+ years in Garden Grove and are in the process of moving to a new home in the Desert Hot Springs area. They are recuperating in Mexico while their new place is completed.

Sawman and Foxita had an extended stay in the U.S. My condolences to Margie and the family on the loss of her mother.

I am sad to report that Julius Werle passed away last week. He had a long struggle with Alzheimer's. Jacque has an email address if you'd like to contact her directly: msjaqi760@cs.com

Please feel free to email me directly with any news you'd like to share. I'm having to stay close to home this month. cowpatty@cts.net

Travel safely and enjoy the fall!

Hasta luego

There is some road work in progress between Mexicali and San Felipe. A couple of potholes near El Chinero popped up out of nowhere. There is also a major detour and lots of traffic congestion on the road to Garita Oriente (just past Costco).

No sign of road repairs on the Camino Estatal between San Felipe and Puertecitos. I recommend good tires, low air pressure and a light foot on the accelerator. If you love your vehicle, trailer, RV, boat, etc., go slow. If you need help repairing road damage to those items contact Panama on the VHF radio or at the Conasupo in Puertecitos -- he's usually around. There are a lot of "midnight gringo mechanics" around, but Panama is legal to work in Mexico and well known for fixing just about anything that breaks and leaving your wallet intact.

The weather is Hot!!! Lots of hot west wind days. Bahia Christina restaurant, Puertecitos restaurant, and all others I checked on were closed. The Cowpatty closed July 1 and will reopen mid-September. Richard thanks everyone for their support of this new enterprise and invites everyone to join him for the re-opening in September. There was gasoline in town.

Many thanks to Harry Lewellyn and Ecological 4 Wheeling Adventures for making the Cowpatty part of their itinerary and recognizing our part of the world in his publication. The locals enjoyed the "Tire Pressure: Part 2" class was held "on site" at the Cowpatty Laboratory.

There was an unfortunate incident on the VHF radio -- just a reminder that freedom of speech is not a constitutional right in Mexico and there can be legal problems if communication regulations are violated.

Special thanks to all those concerned with the Willie and Lupe Amador family. I helped Lupe and the 6 kids relocate to Tecate where the "older" daughter (18) has taken them in and will try to help them start a new life. I'm sure Mari would appreciate any continuing support the community can provide. Contact me by email for more information.

Everything is pretty quiet. Lots of people headed for cooler country. The conasupo is now selling liquor.

A new delagado is in the process of being appointed. Some new faces on the police staff . . . more on that after the dust settles!

Pete in Huerfenito reports his new baño is a classic! Where did he find a red toilet?????

Best wishes to Frederico Prieto (Huerfenito) on his recuperation from his recent health problems.

My daughters Marci and Terri made a tandem freefall in Ogden, Utah in June. Can't wait to follow in their Papa Lee's "parachute" and jump in to Puertecitos Bay . . . .

The road is getting worse all the time. There are a lot of pot holes in the San Felipe to Puertecitos road. I don't see any signs of repair work.

The west wind decided to blow on the holiday weekend. There was some overcast which helped keep the temperatures down. There were a lot of campers on the bay and a lot of boats on the ramp -- the sea was not very favorable for fishing.

We've had several groups come down and spend time at the "Cowpatty" bar and reported that they had a great time. The locals were still talking about the horse-shoe tournament and other activities.

There is some buzz about the airplane landing fees/visa procedure changing. Baja Bush Pilots have some interesting info on their site. The Puertecitos airport was "temporarily" closed -- be sure to check with San Felipe or Mexicali before flying in.

We were saddened to learn that our friend "Pancho" Borquez passed away. Sincere condolences to his family.

I crossed the Tecate Border at 6:00 AM. As usual there was no wait and very little traffic. The toll road is in excellent condition. There is still construction the last 10 to 15 miles into Mexicali. The road from Mexicali to San Felipe is in good condition. I had no trouble in making the trip in a little less than 2 hours.

The road south from San Felipe is starting to deteriorate again. There are some real rough spots around Santa Maria and from Playa Cristina south to Puertecitos.

Had a report from Puertecitos locals that their trip from the pavement through Coco's Corner and Bahia San Luis Gonzaga north to Puertecitos took 3 and 1/2 hours. The road has some rough spots but is in pretty good condition.

Lots of Americans returned to town for the Easter holiday. The "Bomberos" made their welcome trip with toys for the children. Everyone sincerely appreciates their efforts to make Easter a really special holiday for the kids. Many thanks to all the firemen and families who support this annual event.

The Orozco family provided many activities throughout the week. The local church also had many special programs planned.

My favorite adopted nephew Nick had some great stories about an American dancing girl at Bahia Cristina. Could it be spring fever accompanying spring break?

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I couldn't have picked a worse day to travel out of San Diego than Friday morning. The snow level was down to 3000 feet. Interstate 8 had one lane freshly plowed over the top of the mountain. The wind was blowing and cold. The road was fine from Mexicali to San Felipe. There has obviously been some rain over the past few days. The desert is beginning to bloom and the colors of the flowers are incredibly intense and beautiful.

The road south from Puertecitos has been graded and is in the best condition it has been since Hurricane Nora left her calling card. I drove my Ranger to San Luis Gonzaga. The trip down was great. No road problems until we turned in to what we thought was a driveway at Alfonsinas. It wasn't. The ranger rested nicely in the sand for the night. Nice friends on the beach fed us a wonderful dinner and generously offered overnight sleeping accommodations. On the return trip my BFG's decided to pretend they were Firestones. I made it back to Puertecitos Sunday afternoon with a Firestone spare and Tonto's (from Huerfenito) boat trailer tire and rim. Thank goodness for friends in the desert. My inattention to periodic maintenance resulted in quite an adventure. Luckily I had Taller Panama along to share in the fun of changing tires in the dark and the rain. Pete from Huerfenito was a gracious overnight host. After all these years ....

We were all sad to learn about Papa Fernandez passing on. He will be missed and never forgotten.

Shrimp season ended on Sunday. There were a few more people in town for the holiday weekend and Carnival in San Felipe. Not much news from the American fishermen.

Locals report the weather was good the weekend of the 17th. Everyone has been staying close to their heaters the last few days.

I've been getting a lot of questions about immigration. It is important to be a "legal alien" while visiting Mexico. I hope everyone is aware and respectful of the laws regarding visiting, living and working in Mexico. There is a lot of information available and specific requirements so don't be afraid to ask questions and take action before you have problems. I have to deal with this on both sides of the border and know how important it is to comply with each country's requirements for entry and stay. I am aware of several formal complaints that have been submitted to the immigration authorities regarding foreigners working and receiving income without having the appropriate immigration papers.

There was one less check point between Mexicali and San Felipe.

There is a new PEMEX opening on the Airport road towards the GARITA ORIENTE (II) in Mexicali.

Angelica in Puertecitos had premature twins. Clara Orozco hosted a baby shower for her in February.

Dale Marschke's birthday party in January was a great success. His daughter flew in from Florida to surprise him. All that and he got his boat motor parts so he could go fishing again-life is good. Connie put together quite a show! The cast of many kept everyone amused for hours. In fact, the COWPATTY stayed open 2 hours too long and had to pay a fine!!! It was well worth the good time had by all. Next time we'll make sure we get the hours extended!!!!