After the storm | La Curva Restaurant

Monday | 19 January 2007 | Puerto Penasco, Sonora, Mexico:  Do you recall the post of last night about the wind? Well, it didn't stop. As a matter of fact, the wind howled and howled all night. After posting my website last night, worried about the increasing winds, I put the satellite dish down. The wind was hitting our motorhome broad-side and was causing tremendous rocking. DT and I had a difficult time getting to sleep. At about one o'clock in the morning, the winds became so strong the awnings covering the roof of our slide rooms were making quite a racket and we feared they could tear. So, dead-of-night, we brought our slide rooms in. That chore did make things quieter, but we may as well have been in a boat on the sea - we were swaying in the wind.

If we looked out the window, it was easy to see we were not the only campers awake. Satellite dishes were going down, beach chairs were being rescued - stuff was flying around everywhere and pajama-clad people were trying to secure their items. I did not even want to think what the few tent and tent-trailer campers were having to deal with. The motorhomes who were camped in the premium beach-front sites (my parents) were turning on their headlights, shining out to the roaring surf that was quickly encroaching on the RV park. The RV park security guards were shining huge spotlights on the beach. The waves were awe-inspiring, but it was nearing danger. I suppose the campground has a threshold and if the waves reach that point, the guards would start knocking on doors advising people to move. Luckily, this was not necessary tonight.

The waves came within fifteen feet of my parents motorhome.

The beach swept clean this morning

Finally, at about 6 am, the winds died down to a constant gust. You could just get out of your RV to check on things, then try to get back in before the wind slammed the door for you. No one was having a good hair day. The beach was swept clean this morning. It was like we were on a different beach altogether. Yesterday, it was littered with sea shell bits, sticks and seaweed. This morning: nothing but sand. Our RV is filthy and the windows are coated in a sticky film of sand. Our tow car is equally filthy. No one slept. People are grumpy.

Mom and I had plans to tour through the open houses at the nearby condo developments, but it was too windy to venture out. I cooked lunch for the four of us, we watched the weekenders pack up and leave and finally, out of boredom, we drove into the fish market to purchase fish (to freeze) to take home for future use.

DT snapped this great stormy-sea photo, looking south (towards downtown)
to the new condo developments

We couldn't stand it, so did spend some wind-blown time on the beach with our fellow campers. Mom and Dad are camped next to a LDS family - sisters and their husbands - who have a few of their children and grandchildren visiting from Utah for the week. Tents are pitched - kids are everywhere and they are having a blast, no matter the weather or temperature of the water. The oldest grandson is just back from his mission in Brazil and felt sleeping overnight in a typhoon-tent was an adventure. I learned over one hundred years ago, the Mexican government invited settlers to come to Chihuahua. Japanese came. Chinese came. Mormons came. Amish came. To this day, the Amish are largest segment of the Chihuahuan economy with their famous cheese and apple production. Now you know. All week we have been enjoying the Chihuahua cheese. Never did I once even consider it was made by the Amish. Isn't life interesting?

The beach this afternoon

Tonight we dined at one of the most popular restaurants in Puerto Penasco - La Curva. La Curva is named because it was once on a curve of the road. (Now it is a few blocks off the main drag, next to a girly bar.) The food is just perfect, prices are extremely reasonable, the place is definitely popular with locals and is Mexican-owned. La Curva airs US sports on their satellite TV, and the manager brags he once worked at a La Torito in Anaheim. Most nights they have a live mariachi band and tonight the boys were singing up a storm (pun intended). One of the band members (the man in the tan jacket) was celebrating a birthday and drinks were flowing.

La Curva mariachi

 
Entertainment for our dinner of a chicken enchilada, chile rellano and chicken taco


A quiet dinner at La Curva

RV Park: The Reef RV Park at Sandy Beach