Guaymas | Mexico

Guaymas is about 10 miles from San Carlos, and is the "mother" city to San Carlos, sometimes shown on maps as Nuevo Guaymas - new Guaymas.

There are many churches in town, some quite eye-catching.  Off to the side, there was a nativity scene.

Across the street was a very ornate gazebo.

 

 

 

Garland was wrapped around palm trees for Christmas decorations near the waterfront.

 

There are many old buildings in this area, this is one of them, abandoned now.

 

 

The waterfront is a big bay which looks quite industrial.

 

This lighthouse seems surrounded by hills, so I'm not sure if it's for decoration or if it can been seen from the Sea of Cortez.

Fishing in Guaymas has been a tradition for centuries, this memorial stands looking out to sea.

 

Fishing boats are very simple and this is how they get seafood to the many restaurants in the area.  The little island out in the bay was totally covered with cactus.

 

 

 

 It looks like sea birds are the only ones who make use of this old dock. 

 

 

Pelicans and seagulls follow the fishing boats in, hoping that one of the fishermen will toss them something.

 

And back in San Carlos, a short hike with a friend on Christmas Day.  We found multiple trees that had been decorated with shells, shiny balls and other items.

 

 

It was a sunny day, but the Tetakawi, the mountain on the left, had clouds over the iconic peaks.

 

San Carlos | Mexico!!

When I drove to San Carlos a few days ago, this new sign greeted me.  I knew when I left last spring that they were planning to put up a sign, similar to other towns in Mexico.

A friend followed me in her RV, since she had never been here before.  To get her acquainted, we did a quick tour of the town.  She still has more to see.

Below is the newly created town square, we just missed the celebration of the "opening".

 

The church is right there and is a very unique looking church.

 

 

 

 

This is the first time I have seen the inside.

 

In front of the church on the patio is a nice mosaic.

 

 

Last year, I drove up to this old building sitting on a hill overlooking the water.  I just love the scenery here, and of course, I'm intrigued with abandoned buildings, so we had to take more photos.  The window on the left shows the famous Tetakawi, a familiar landmark in town.

 

 

 

They have redone the overlook near the Tetakawi and we had to check that out, great view.

 

Of course, a visit to the beach had to be included!

 

 

San Carlos Skydiving and Other Scenery | Mexico

San Carlos has skydiving down to the beach.  They fly from Guaymas, about 10 miles away (by road) and then turn you loose at 10,000 feet.  The two I saw come down both had two people, so they must have been first-timers.

 

This is a chute that's ready to be packed up.  You just hang in the sky, it actually takes quite a bit of time to come down to sea level.  Looks like it might be fun, and I'm adventurous, but I really don't think I want to jump out of an airplane that's running perfectly.

 

It's rare to see this type of vehicle in San Carlos, a 1953 Dodge pickup.  The owner told me that it was used back in the 60s to pull boats out of the water to take them to a storage yard.  I had not seen it around town until a few weeks ago.

 

 

I love this kind of fencing.

 

 

There are free range animals here, even though they may belong to someone.  This particular road is not lit at night and sometimes you'll find cows wandering in the road.

 

 

Most Mexicans are Catholic, and are quite religious.  There are all sorts of shrines in the country.

 

 

I'm not sure how this boat got way over here......

 

 

Most Spanish towns I've been in have plazas, a park-like area in the city somewhere.  San Carlos has not had one, so they are now making one, with an ornate fountain and lights that run off solar.

 

 

This is the community church where the plaza will be located.

 

La Manga is the fishing village on the outskirts of town. 

 

This view of the Tetakawi is coming down the road from the overlook, which has been getting a facelift and opened right after I left.

I like this area and visit this little tree and the island each year I'm here.

 

Seaweed adorning rocks along the beach.

 

From the desert to the conifers.....

 

When I left Tucson, it had been 115 degrees for more than a week.  My AC was not keeping up and my fridge was having a hard time also.  I was so glad to get out of town!  I made a beeline for higher elevation and cooler temperatures!

 

 

I ended up in northern New Mexico, which was not where I had planned to be, but plans are always written in the sand at low tide.  I ended up in a state park near a small town,  with scenery like this.

 

 

 

 

This store has amazing wool items, wall hanging rugs, blankets and all sorts of other items.  Beautiful work, which is done right on the premises.

This town might be small and older, but their church is not - it looks relatively new and is very well kept.

 

On a nearby road going out of town is a shrine built onto a rock wall.

 

 

Like quite a few places in the southwest, there are abandoned buildings, as well as old antique vehicles. 

 

 

 

 

This truck is for sale, in case anyone is in the mood for a restoration project! 

 

We had lunch at this place in a nearby town, and even in July, they warn us of snow dangers!