Fun in the Sun Tour and Loss of a Friend

WHERE ARE WE? La Penita RV Park, La Penita, Nayarit, Mexico
NEXT DESTINATION? We are here for a while

Carole Thacker who runs the RV Park here arranged to guide a few of us on a tour of some of the sites around here that are not so easy to access.  Brian and JoLynn know a guy close by that rents side by sides by the day for just such a purpose so they lined up 3 side by sides, one for themselves, one for Steve and Julie, and one for Sue and I.    Dale runs a business called Fun in the Sun Rentals and he had them ready for us to pick up at 8 this morning.  He has really reasonable rates for anyone wanting to get out into the back woods and see some of Mexico. You can check him out on the web site https://funinthesunmexico.com or on their Facebook page funinthesunmexico

We had to do up all the necessary paper work before heading out.  It was a bit early for Brian I think because I caught him in a big yawn.

A quick group picture in the park and we were off.  Everyone was pumped!!

This was our ride for the day.  They are not as big as a full size Razor but do the job quite nicely.

We headed out about 9 am and were soon off the highway and up a really rough and sometimes steep road.  We climbed and climbed the mountain and every once in a while we got to look back down on La Penita and the ocean.

We did some pretty nice but rough trails mostly under the canopy of the jungle.  Crossed creeks and had to get down in 4 wheel low for a while.

My co-pilot did a good job of not screaming at any time even when we got the front wheels off the ground once in a while. 

We got an hour or so down the road and stopped for a wee break.  Everyone had a chance to test their driving skills by now so they were ready to relax.

Lots of interesting animals along the way.  The cattle have some Brama in them for sure.

I kept hearing the song "I've Been Everywhere Man" going through my head after seeing this sign.  I bet not a lot of people have been to La Cucaracha in their lifetime!!!  We didn't get a picture of the town but it was just a couple houses if I remember right.  "La Cucaracha" is supposedly a very popular Mexican song which was performed lots during the Mexican Revolution.  It is about a cockroach that cannot walk.  

We stopped by the hot springs nearby and had a look.  This is a whole day trip in itself.  There are 32 hot pools there and for a few peso's you get to rent one and spend the whole day.  Although there is a small restaurant there, I think it is only open occasionally.  The hot pools are drained and cleaned after each use so it is quite sanitary.  We will go back one day and spend some time there for sure.

Another place we checked out were the petroglyphs.  These are ancient Mexican carvings in rocks near a waterfall back in the mountains.  It was about a 15 minute walk through the jungle over rocks and through creeks to get there.  It was nice to see, but just a one time thing.  The waterfall with its smooth worn rocks was impressive as well.  We got pictures of a few people while they were there.  I didn't find a posed picture of P & H?

The day was great and we got to see some of the surrounding country side.   We now have some roads to explore with the jeep sometime when we get the chance.  There is a nice little road that winds its way through the mountains all the way to PV that we will have to explore sometime.   We stopped at Chiquala for a late lunch before heading for home.  Thanks to Carole for leading us and to the whole gang for dragging us along.  Brian lined up the quad rentals from Fun in The Sun RV as well.  We will probably do this again sometime.

George Yates -  Our Awesome Travels

After returning from our adventure we were saddened to hear that George Yates who wrote the blog,  Our Awesome Travels, passed away peacefully with his family by his side this morning.  He had a short courageous battle with cancer.  

I had the pleasure of meeting George and Suzie at Bloggerfest in 2016 and have been at a couple Happy Hours with them after that.  I will always remember Georges magical smile and positive attitude.  He was an inspiration to many of us to head out on our own adventures.  There were not a lot of places he did not visit and there were not a lot of people who didn't recognize him in his "Uniform".  He had a straw hat, vest, shorts and sleeveless T shirt and a pearly white smile.   He cooked everything on his world famous Webber and his culinary accomplishments were an improtant part of his blog each day.   He was the founder of Bloggerfest which will be held at Quartzite again this year on Saturday January 25th at the South La Posa LTVA Pavilion at 1 pm.  If you are near there, please drop by and say hi.  George will be there in spirit I'm sure.  He will be missed!

Bloggerfest 2017 in Quartzite AZ.  George & Suzie far left at back

Suzie and George