Hello Arizona!

Yep, we crossed the border yesterday afternoon. Sherman has never been to Arizona before! Can you imagine, we've been traveling in a motorhome on and off for eight years now, and we've never explored Arizona...the winter RV'ing destination of the world.

So, that's why we're here...to explore Arizona (and maybe some of California and Nevada) over the next couple of months.

We left Hermosillo at around 10:30am. We knew we didn't have a really long drive even if we did make it to the border, so we weren't in a rush. But the more we drove, the more we thought that we're this close that we should just go for it. We had thought about stopping in to see Edgar and Anna, a couple who run a little RV park in Santa Ana. Not that their RV park is great, but we had read that they are just a nice couple. But by the time we got there we had already made the decision to cross the border so we didn't want to waste any time even if it was to stop in and say hello. So, it will have to wait for another time.

Parts of highway 15 heading north are in really bad shape. They are doing repairs though, and we did get 10 minutes of nice driving on this brand new stretch!

Starting to see lots of saguaro cactus...must be getting close to Arizona!

Made it to the border at 3:00pm. There were quite a few cars in the lineup, but we were directed to the bus lane where we were first in line. Had to sit for a couple of minutes while the border guard moved a van that was blocking the lane, and then it was question and answer time. Not many questions! Then he came on board and shined his little flashlight on a few things, and handed our passports back to us. Nice and smooth border crossing!

I had purposely run Sherman's gas tank dry. And I mean it was reading empty! But I had done the math and figured out that we should still have a gallon or two sloshing around on the bottom of the tank! But with gas prices here being nearly half of what they are in Mexico, it was worth seeing the tank empty at the border!

Last time we put fuel in was at Creel. So we got about 850 kms (530 miles) out of that tank of gas. That's about 9 miles to the gallon, which considering the type of mountain driving we were doing is not bad!

First stop...the huge Walmart supercenter in Nogales, Arizona. Fruits and veggies are noticeably more expensive. Especially when we add in what is now a 25% exchange rate to the Canadian dollar. That makes it tough to find real deals versus what we would pay in Canada. The only real deal even when you factor in the exchange rate is gasoline. Oh, and of course booze.

Sherman also needs an oil change. So I picked up the stuff to do that as well. And a couple of those small propane bottles for the Weber grill. And a few other miscellaneous items. In total, we spent $200 ($250 CDN)!

We could have stayed in the Walmart parking lot for the night, but Walmarts are a definite last resort for us. There is always somewhere better. 

So I spotted the new Home Depot up on the hill and I walked up there to see if they would let us park for the night. Spoke to the manager, and he said no problem. We have a nice view overlooking the town, and with one blind closed, we have a better view out our side window than we would have in most RV parks! Nice.

Oh, and of course free wifi, courtesy of the Home Depot.

Sherman, parked up at the Home Depot overlooking Nogales, Arizona. 

Yesterday's drive, 287 kms (178 miles).

Today, we're going laptop shopping. They actually had a nice little laptop on sale at Walmart for $218 ($272 CDN), but they were out of stock. I guess we're not the only ones who love a deal.

Speaking of deals, don't forget to check out today's deals at Amazon.com. Remember, if you buy through our links to Amazon, we make a small commission on anything you purchase...and you pay the same price you would anyhow.

Some great "lightning" deals today at Amazon.com