EAST COAST OF MEXICO 2009

Day Twenty Three – The Emerald Coast, to Anton Lizardo, VC, Mexico

Road Trip Photos

Hwy 180 from the Emerald Coast to just outside of Veracruz is the worst one we've been on so far. Every time I saw a change in the color of the pavement ahead I hoped it would be an improvement. Wrong!! It just kept getting worse. We never got above 35 miles/hour until we reach the 4 lane divided north of Veracruz. The Veracruz bypass worked just like the Church's said it would until we got to the intersection of 180 and 150. They are installing an overpass and cloverleaf to try to improve this 5-way corner. However, if you bear left on the detour when you are approaching 150 you will be able to navigate through smoothly. We didn't figure this out until it was too late, (we thought the left lane was one-way coming at us) we ended up having to make a right onto 150, go under the new overpass, then jump two curbs (all part of the detour) and make a 180 and come back onto 150, where traffic was merging from 3 different directions onto a single lane that took us right past where we had been. Anyway, we got through that OK and headed for Boca del Rio. But we weren't out of trouble yet. on the outskirts of Paso de Toro, they are putting another overpass in and you are forced onto the lateral alongside of the new overpass. Narrow but doable, ..... until the truck hauling a load of bricks breaks down in front of us! We had no choice but to try to squeeze between the concrete wall of the overpass and the brick truck. We both made it but we both also screwed up a mirror; my left one and Kat's right one. So we stopped and tried to straighten them out. With the help of a small brass mallet, I succeded, but Kat's was still a little out of whack.

On to Boca del Rio, where they have put in a new overpass/cloverleaf. If you just bear right, you'll be ok. I think the sign says something about Hwy 150 and Anton Lizardo, which is the town just south of El Rey park. This will send you south past a bunch of new gated communities and into another detour. You will be in the ditch alongside of the new highway for a short time, then on to the regular Mexican 2 lane road the rest of the way to El Rey park. This road is Hwy 150.

The park is a disappointment and IMHO it's not worth $20 US, which is what they were charging. The pool is empty, but the showers are clean and water pressure is good. The hot showers are unusual in that the heater is in the shower head. You just turn it on and then regulate the temperature by regulating the flow. The faster the water flows the cooler is is. There is a major problem with the power. Our two sites, 1 & 2, along with sites 3 & 4 are all on the same 40 amp breaker, which was tripped when we got here and tripped after we went to dinner. We called the owner (who also owns a big resort in Anto Lizardo) and he sent out his repairman. The kid that showed up was trying but it was obvious that he didn't have a good grasp on electrical stuff. Every time he would reset it, it would trip again. With my help, we figured out that the salt air had gotten to the breaker and it was useless. The only other 40 amp breaker in the panel not in immediate use was also useless. So I suggested that, for the night, we should try a 30 amp breaker, which we could swap out from a receptacle circuit. That should allow us to have lights and electric blankets. Well, that worked, and I informed Robin and Kat that we were on limited power and they should not use the microwaves or coffee pots or toasters. I also convinced the handyman to leave the breaker panel unlocked for the night. The guy that lives on site was pretty useless in that he didn't even know that there was a breaker panel in the Womens bathroom that controlled all the sites power, among other things.

Tomorrow we continue on to Catamaco and a real RV park, Tepetepan! Where we will probably stay for a few nights.