gypsyken Posted March 16, 2016 Report Share Posted March 16, 2016 I recall seeing in the Guadalajara Report an ad by someone offering to drive your car to Guadalajara and I think anywhere in Mexico, including to the U.S. border. The ad wasn't in the paper this week or last week. Does anyone recall the ad and how to contact the person who was offering the service? I need to hire someone to at least ride with me to the U.S. next month, as I am uneasy about driving to the border alone, except for my three cats. I would prefer someone who could drive my motorhome if that became necessary, but if I can't find such a person, I would hire a competent person who is more fluent in Spanish than I am just to ride with me. I do not want to drive to the border without overnight stops at trailer parks, as that would require driving more hours than I can tolerate, and also driving at night, which is a no-no. Any information or suggestions will be greatly appreciated. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
RVGRINGO Posted March 16, 2016 Report Share Posted March 16, 2016 You can spend the nights in your motorhome at many of the larger hotel parking lots for a small fee. Otherwise, the larger Pemex stations are an option. There is no need to search for RV parks, or to drive straight through. I do suggest that the cats be in confinement while you are driving, in order to avoid distraction. Having company would be nice, but if you don‘t find someone, just stick to the cuotas and go for it. After all, it isn‘t that far and you can probably do it without ever having to get out of the rig, if you don‘t want to, if going to Laredo. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Cookie Posted March 16, 2016 Report Share Posted March 16, 2016 Something else you can do so that people won't know you're alone is get a mannequin and a cowboy hat. Put it in the passenger seat with the hat pulled down over the face. I don't know if it actually kept nere do wells away, but I do know that it made me feel safer when I drove 2300 miles cross country. I was pulling a 4 horse trailer and was afraid someone would mess with my stallion if I slept in a motel room. I found that rest stops were anything but restful. The big rigs leave their engines going and it gets really noisy. I would find a gas station with a big lot, go to the farthest corner that was still visible to the attendant... climb in the back and let my faithful companion "Slim" stay on "guard duty" in the front. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
francine59 Posted March 16, 2016 Report Share Posted March 16, 2016 Where do I get a mannequin like you are describing? Thanks Cookie. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
cbviajero Posted March 17, 2016 Report Share Posted March 17, 2016 1 hour ago, francine59 said: Where do I get a mannequin like you are describing? Thanks Cookie. Try a clothing store or a sex shop. Just make sure that your mannequin is buckled up. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
francine59 Posted March 17, 2016 Report Share Posted March 17, 2016 Gracias! I shall try to locate a passenger dummy. Francine Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
gypsyken Posted March 17, 2016 Author Report Share Posted March 17, 2016 To RV Gringo: I have traveled in my motorhome in every state in Mexico (as well as every state in the U.S. except Hawaii and every province and territory in Canada except Nunavit, which has no roads), though with only 2, not 3, cats, so I am quite knowledgeable about traveling between Mexico and the U.S., which I last did in my car. I have stayed overnight at Pemex stations, but at one of them, when I was fortunately not alone, two police officers attempted to extort money from me, and there have been more recent reports of RVers encountering much worse at Pemex stations. Therefore, I prefer to stop overnight in established trailer parks such as those in Zacatecas and Saltillo. To Cookie: A mannequin would have been of no help in the Pemex incident I noted above, or when pulled over by police seeking mordida. Absent a live person accompanying you, you have no witness to anything that might occur. Apparently, no one is able to provide the information that I sought in my post. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Lulugirl Posted March 17, 2016 Report Share Posted March 17, 2016 I've gone back several issues online of the Reporter & I can't find this ad. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Canada-Mike Posted March 17, 2016 Report Share Posted March 17, 2016 There is place halfway between us and Laredo, Hotel Las Palmas Midway Inn\nKm 617, Matehuala, Mexico. They have hotel rooms, but also lots of space for RVs, and even a good restaurant. Very secure. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Lexy Posted March 18, 2016 Report Share Posted March 18, 2016 Sounds like GypseyKen is in a tough spot for an old guy. Most of all, he's looking for an experienced driver of a motor home up to the border, at least, and he doesn't want to do it in one long drive. He says on another post that his close friend who did the driving died suddenly in his sleep just a week ago. Where can he find help? I wish I knew, but somebody out there must know where to guide him to the help he needs. Lexy Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Gilligan Posted March 18, 2016 Report Share Posted March 18, 2016 GypsyKen, I can think of 2 people who might be able to help you drive to the border. Francisco Miramontes has been known to do this and you might want to check with Alex Peterson. Both have had many posts on this board so you should be able to find their contact info. Both have very good reputations. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
cbviajero Posted March 18, 2016 Report Share Posted March 18, 2016 Contact Playaboy at (cornking1 at yahoo.com). He does this all the time and has a good reputation. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
JayBearII Posted March 18, 2016 Report Share Posted March 18, 2016 Tim Welch and Jayme Littlejohn were driving cars to the US and Canada and it might be their ad you saw. I think Tim is a bit tied up running Los Cantantes choral group at the moment, and I think Jaime is involved in a theater production. You can probably find both of them on Facebook. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
gypsyken Posted March 18, 2016 Author Report Share Posted March 18, 2016 Reply to Canada-Mike: I have stayed at Las Palmas in Matehuala several times. But the direct route to it is through San Luis Potosi, which I have been through several times and is very congested and difficult--I was once stopped by the police there for being on a highway that I was not supposed to be on--and there is no trailer park there for an overnight stop. The place closest to here with trailer parks is Zacatecas, and getting to Matehuala from there requires a detour in a direct route, so I will skip Matehuala this time. (The direct route from Zacatecas is to Saltillo, where there are also trailer parks.) Reply to Gilligan and cbviajero: Thanks for the suggestions, which I will follow up on. (An earlier attempt to contact Alex Peterson, who had been suggested by another person, has elicited no response so far.) Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Gilligan Posted March 18, 2016 Report Share Posted March 18, 2016 52 minutes ago, gypsyken said: Reply to Canada-Mike: I have stayed at Las Palmas in Matehuala several times. But the direct route to it is through San Luis Potosi, which I have been through several times and is very congested and difficult--I was once stopped by the police there for being on a highway that I was not supposed to be on--and there is no trailer park there for an overnight stop. The place closest to here with trailer parks is Zacatecas, and getting to Matehuala from there requires a detour in a direct route, so I will skip Matehuala this time. (The direct route from Zacatecas is to Saltillo, where there are also trailer parks.) Reply to Gilligan and cbviajero: Thanks for the suggestions, which I will follow up on. (An earlier attempt to contact Alex Peterson, who had been suggested by another person, has elicited no response so far.) Alex is not the most prompt at returning emails due to his schedule. (he may be on a trip to the border as he goes quite often) But he always has always returned my calls / emails. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
gypsyken Posted March 21, 2016 Author Report Share Posted March 21, 2016 I found the ad in the Guadalajara Reporter that I was referring to. I had clipped it and forgotten that I had done so. It was a display, not a classified, ad by "your friend Sergio," offering to "drive you and your car, or you in our car, or just your car, to or from US or Canada," also "personal tours" and other services. My clip is undated, and my sense of when something happened in the past is very poor. But on the back of the ad is an ad for a restaurant advertising Christmas dinner, so it obviously was some time ago. Thanks to all who looked for the ad for me. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
JayBearII Posted March 22, 2016 Report Share Posted March 22, 2016 If it is the Sergio who drove me to the border and back a couple of years ago, I believe he is out of that business and living in the US now. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
gypsyken Posted March 25, 2016 Author Report Share Posted March 25, 2016 to JayBearll: I e-mailed Sergio Alverez and he kindly replied, saying that he has been in the U.S. for nearly two years and no longer does what was indicated in the ad I had clipped. I had no idea that I had clipped the ad so long ago. to Gilligan: Sergio also recommended Francisco Mirramontes and gave me his telephone number, and another person has also recommended him and his son to me, so I will contact him. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mainecoons Posted March 25, 2016 Report Share Posted March 25, 2016 On 3/18/2016 at 9:50 AM, gypsyken said: Reply to Canada-Mike: I have stayed at Las Palmas in Matehuala several times. But the direct route to it is through San Luis Potosi, which I have been through several times and is very congested and difficult--I was once stopped by the police there for being on a highway that I was not supposed to be on--and there is no trailer park there for an overnight stop. The place closest to here with trailer parks is Zacatecas, and getting to Matehuala from there requires a detour in a direct route, so I will skip Matehuala this time. (The direct route from Zacatecas is to Saltillo, where there are also trailer parks.) Reply to Gilligan and cbviajero: Thanks for the suggestions, which I will follow up on. (An earlier attempt to contact Alex Peterson, who had been suggested by another person, has elicited no response so far.) If you took the correct route through San Luis Potosi there are no roads you are not supposed to be on. The SLP police are notorious shakedown artists. It would be a little trickier to drive in an RV. Soon, a new west side cuota bypass will be open from the end of the current improved road around to the north side. This will be a big improvement and bypass that poor south side cuota where the cops run speed traps around the industrial area. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mainecoons Posted March 26, 2016 Report Share Posted March 26, 2016 On 3/16/2016 at 7:44 PM, gypsyken said: I recall seeing in the Guadalajara Report an ad by someone offering to drive your car to Guadalajara and I think anywhere in Mexico, including to the U.S. border. The ad wasn't in the paper this week or last week. Does anyone recall the ad and how to contact the person who was offering the service? I need to hire someone to at least ride with me to the U.S. next month, as I am uneasy about driving to the border alone, except for my three cats. I would prefer someone who could drive my motorhome if that became necessary, but if I can't find such a person, I would hire a competent person who is more fluent in Spanish than I am just to ride with me. I do not want to drive to the border without overnight stops at trailer parks, as that would require driving more hours than I can tolerate, and also driving at night, which is a no-no. Any information or suggestions will be greatly appreciated. Ken, have you found someone? I'm trying to figure out from this what you need. Are you planning on driving a car and a motor home to the border and disposing of one of them before driving back? Or is this a one way trip for you leaving the area? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
gypsyken Posted March 27, 2016 Author Report Share Posted March 27, 2016 To Gilligan: I have sent you a personal message about my trying to contact Alex Peterson. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
gypsyken Posted March 27, 2016 Author Report Share Posted March 27, 2016 To Mainecoons: My trip to Laredo next month, with my motorhome towing my car, will be one-way. Because of my age (88) and the fact that I have no health insurance in Mexico but have Medicare in the U.S. (which I have been paying for but almost never using for 23 years), I have decided that it will be best for me to stay there. (I previously posted about the instructive experience of my friend who, without Mexican health insurance, required emergency surgery in Puerto Vallarta.) I am a member of the Escapees RV Club, and its headquarters RV park in Livingston, Texas, has both a physician's office and a senior day care center, with a nurse always available, on the grounds. It also provides many other services, such as transportation into town for shopping, if one does not want to drive. But my decision is not irrevocable, as I may find myself homesick for San Antonio Tlayacapan, where, for example, I can walk to SuperLake and Walmart. Incidentally, I am originally from N.H., and I have spent a lot of time in Maine, where all of my nieces and nephews, the only relatives I have, live. And I had a cat who looked very much the photo in your posts. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mainecoons Posted March 27, 2016 Report Share Posted March 27, 2016 OK thanks Ken. If you were making a round trip I could help as I was looking for a ride to the border and back to pick up a new home theater amp. I wouldn't recommend driving an RV towing a car on the direct route through San Luis Potosi as there is one stretch now that is pretty difficult for such a rig. Take the longer way around the south and east sides of San Luis Potosi and as always watch out for the speed trap around the industrial park. We are also Escapees members and their facilities in Livingston are excellent. A bit hot there thoughSome, that will take some getting used to. Max the cat is a Maine Coon as you guessed. Not a full breed but he definitely has the personality. Someone here who needs to go out to renew a tourist visa might be able to help Ken here. I might be able to help someone who wants to make a round trip to either Larado or McAllen/Pharr. I'm very familiar with the route to Pharr having driven it 14 times now. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
gypsyken Posted March 27, 2016 Author Report Share Posted March 27, 2016 To Maine Coons: Why don't you ride with me to Laredo? I will cover all your expenses and your return trip, and even provide an honorarium if you want. I am really extremely uneasy about driving to Laredo alone (except for my three cats), and I have not yet found someone to go with me, promising leads having proved to be dead ends. My experiences going through SLP with the motorhome, even with my friend driving it, have been so negative that I will not do it again. So, I will go via Zacatecas, spending a night there (or more if a person accompanying me should want to visit that very interesting city), where there is, as you doubtless know, one elegant and one basic RV park, both conveniently located for through travel (plus a third one difficult to reach in a big motorhome), and a second night at a conveniently located, though basic, RV park outside downtown Saltillo. I have entered and exited Mexico many times via Pharr, going from here to SLP and then Ciudad Victoria. But traveling that route now is far too dangerous for me--and the Ciudad Victoria trailer park, where I stayed many times with Russ and Rosie (then with Rosie and Billy) is no more. (You can see my name in the acknowledgements in Mike and Terri Church's Traveler's Guide to Mexican Camping.) If I could, I would send a photo of my beloved Maine Coon lookalike, abandoned as a kitten in Washington, D.C., whose name endures in the name of my motorhome, who was laid to rest in Acapulco. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mainecoons Posted March 27, 2016 Report Share Posted March 27, 2016 Thanks for the offer Ken but my reason for going to the border would be to bring back a big piece of audio equipment and I would need to do that by car. Keep trying you should be able to find someone who would be willing to go and then fly back. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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