A FEW HELPFUL HINTS BEFORE YOU GET STARTED

This drive log contains distances that are not necessarily accurate, so please use any numbered distances as no more than a reference. Be aware that things in Mexico can change rapidly and not necessarily for the better.

-The best places to stop and use the bathroom are at the toll booths and the Pemex stations. Quick, convenient and clean (most are kept up nicely; some are still pretty dirty...). At these same stops, you can also pick up a snack or a drink. This one multi-purpose stop saves lots of time!

-Mexico loves 'topes' (speed bumps). Most are signed, some are not. Some are mellow, some are brutal! Keep your eyes open and be prepared! You're shocks will thank you for it.

-Speed limits...we have always said that these speed limits are just 'suggestions'. That said, 'highway patrol' police surveillance has increased in recent years and they do pull people over.  Drive at speed you are comfortable with. Be aware of the 'policia'. Watch those big trucks and no shoulders...Enjoy the adventure of driving in Mexico!

-The 'Green Angels' is Mexico's equivalent of a roving roadside assistance program. These green and white trucks can be spotted now and then and they are out there to help travelers in need. Beyond the Green Angels, Mexicans, in general, are very helpful in these situations and will stop to see if you are okay or need help.

SUGGESTION: It is easier to fill up on gas before you cross the border.  In Mexico the red label is premium, green is regular, black is diesel. If you get gas in Mexico, the guy will let you fill your own bike; good idea to fill all bikes and pays one bill for all.

South on I-10 from Tucson, I-19 to Nogales.

Mariposa truck route exit, to the right.

(When you intersect the main road, you can turn left go under the underpass and you will see a Safeway store on the right. Don Smith’s Mexican Auto Insurance is just to the right of Safeway, as well as other places in Nogales, AZ that sell insurance.  Ask at the insurance place where you can get dollars changed into pesos for the road. It’s a good idea to have a couple of hundred dollars in pesos for road spending money.)

After you get insurance and changed some dollars, head back to the west on the Mariposa truck route, and cross the border.  Not a good idea to go through down town Nogales.

Get an All of Mexico Federal Permit for your bikes, and your visa at K-21 so you don’t have to stop further south. After you get past K-21, and hit the road you will be good to go.

Cross the border and enter Mexico.  Bienvenidos!

In about 5 miles you will come to the first toll booth.  Just down the road, you will come to the border inspection area. Be aware of a fairly low hanging metal bar; if you have bikes on your roof or have a very high vehicle, pay attention. Go through the 'Nothing to Declare' lane (unless your carrying over $400 dollars worth of items not including personal effects), and wait to see if you get a green or a red light.  If you get a green light, keep on going. If you get a red light, you will be waved over to an inspection area, asked a few questions, and the officer may want to look in the car and the trunk. (No big deal, as long as you’re not a gun smuggler....or have lots of stuff of value that you didn't declare.)

A couple more miles, and the big new road hooks up with the big, older four lane Highway 15. Merge, and continue to head south towards Hermosillo or Magdalena de Kino.

A few more miles down the road, you come to the 21km (12.6 miles from the border) crossing and park in the big parking lot.

First stop will be at the Immigration Building at the end of the parking lot, where you get your Tourist Visa.  Be sure you have your passport or a certified copy of your birth certificate and a photo ID.  You must get your tourist visa first or the guys that do the federal car permitting will send you back there after you've waited in line for too long.

After getting your visa you will do one of two things...If you are only going to travel within Sonora, get back in your car and head south (see below for more on this)

If you are going to travel beyond Sonora into Mexico, you must get a federal car permit here. Exit the Immigration building and go to one of the copy machine booth which you will see as you step outside. You will make copies of your tourist visa, driver's license and title or registration. Copies are 25 cents per page. The copy guys are aggressive sales people and very friendly. Then go to the federal car permit building (called Banjercito) and wait in line (which can sometimes be long and slow...bring patience). Proceed to one of the open windows and get your permit. They will tell you where to place the permit on your windshield...Off you go back to your car and head south.

(More about travel within Sonora...If you are traveling as far as San Carlos/Guaymas and no further...you don't need a car permit. Just go. If you are traveling further south than that, like to Alamos, you need a 'Sonora Only' permit which is now issued at a new place just south of Guaymas in Empalme. See below for more info on this very unintuitive car permitting program!)

As you leave the parking lot here, turn right to head south and drive through the 'Nothing to Declare'. Same as before, if you get a green, go. If you get a red, stop.

Right as you leave customs, you'll see a sign for 'Alamos-654k', so that's you're goal!

38 mile mark - Imuris, Sonora, where Highway 2 comes in from the east, continue straight and south on Highway 15. There are several taco stands here on the right side of the road that serve up some tasty treats.

52 mile mark - The outskirts of Magdalena de Kino. It is possible to avoid the toll by going through the town (following signs for 'Hermosillo Libre'), be we recommend continuing on the main highway (following the signs for 'Hermosillo Cuota'). Easier and faster. Soon you'll come to the toll booth. The toll here is 19 pesos (as of 10/07). Keep heading south towards Hermosillo as the 'libre' road joins back with the highway.

62 mile mark - Santa Ana. There is a major intersection where Highway 2 heads west to Puerto Penasco and Mexicali. Stay to the left and keep heading towards Hermosillo. It is a rather poorly set up intersection, but the signage is good if not erratic As you head out of town be careful of the two giant speed bumps after the big down hill. Lots of time they are selling random things at the bumps...or asking for donations for the Red Cross or the like.

There is sometimes a strange fiscal police check point just south of Santa Ana, (maybe 3 miles) but they never seem to do anything. I have never been stopped there, and I have never seen another US car pulled over there. Just be aware that there may be cones on the road and a couple of guys with clipboards standing around doing nothing. This can be a common occurrence in Mexico.

87 mile mark - The police check point at "Benjamin Hill" out in the middle of nowhere. You'll see lots of signs. Most likely there won't even be anyone checking cars heading south, and if there is, they will probably just wave you through. But be sure to slow down, and at least pretend that you're paying attention.

Now there's a long stretch with nothing but wide open road...From Benjamin Hill to Hermosillo there are few towns (no large ones), but several spots to get gas and drinks. This stretch is about 75 miles long and there is one more toll booth before you get to Hermosillo - $59 pesos. Good time to put on a fresh CD and pop a cold soda. (At some point in this stretch, before the toll, there is a turn off for 'Hermosillo Libre'. Just stay on the main highway, following the 'Hermosillo Cuota' signs).

162 mile mark - Hermosillo. The road into Hermosillo is kind of fast and hectic. You will go through a couple of stop lights on the road into Hermosillo. After the second or third light, you'll want to be in the left lanes. You will be looking for the light that leads you onto the Periferico Este road that takes you around the downtown part of the city and towards Guaymas. Landmarks at this light are a defunct Chevy dealership in front of you as well as a Fiesta Americana hotel. You are following signs for the 'Periferico Este' towards Guaymas. At the stop light, be prepared to have your window washed by rather aggressive street boys, you will probably need a wash by then anyway. Give them some change (50 cents or 5 pesos is plenty. Don't give them "Won Doughlar" as they will suggest, and say "Muy amable". Turn left. (If you are interested in spending the night in Hermosillo, continue straight at the light for two blocks and look for the Hotel Bouganvilla, a comfortable and convenient place to spend the night).

You will be driving through a combination of residential and commercial areas and the streets are really bad, poorly signed, and the traffic will be moving faster than it should. Take it slow! Lots of topes and potholes. Sometimes there are a couple of detours to keep things interesting. Just stay with the flow of traffic (there is plenty). Eventually, you will come to a stop light, continue straight past "La Sauceda" park (on your right), the Rio Sonora reservoir (dam) on your left. As you go by the giant grassy field on your left that used to be a lake, full of water from the Rio Sonora. . . pray for rain!

2 more miles and you pass a big prison on the right and soon after the road veers to the right at a big new intersection (thanks to the Ford plant that is just south of this spot and the brand new mall on your left...) There is a confusing series of signs around here...Stay right and follow signs to Guaymas.

170 mile mark - 1 more mile and you intersect Highway 15. Turn left toward Guaymas (there's a big sign).

As you leave Hermosillo, there are several gas stations if you need gas before the next stretch of long open road towards Guaymas...Enjoy the scenery. From Hermosillo to Guaymas it's little over an hour of driving.

243 mile mark - The main landmark at this junction is the 'El Valiente' Pemex. Good place to get gas if needed. Just past the gas station, there is a Y in the road. Veer left to stay on the main toll road, following signs for 'Obregon Cuota'. If you go straight, you'll go towards the turn off for San Carlos and eventually into the city of Guaymas. We often times take the main road into to town at this point, as it is typically about lunch time, and there are a lot of good places to eat in Guaymas. Guaymas, is, however, a bustling and busy place.

253 mile mark - The toll road intersects the main highway 15 that went through Guaymas. If you went into Guaymas, this is where you hook back up with the main route south. They have been working on a new bridge in the north bound lanes...Mexican highway construction at work...Follow the signs south towards Ciudad Obregon. You'll see the signs 'Ciudad Obregon 106 km, Navojoa 171 km'.

A few miles from this merge you will see a huge new parking lot with no cars in it and a new office. This is the 'Sonora Only' office.

This is about a 60 mile stretch from the above intersection to the toll booth on the north side of Ciudad Obregon. There is a military check point in this stretch at about the half way point, by a town called Potam. They don't typically stop cars coming from the north. After several more miles you'll go through the town of Vicam, otherwise know as 'the tope town'.

313 mile mark - Toll booth on the north side of Ciudad Obregon.  After the toll booth it's a busy stretch of road as you enter Ciudad Obregon with lots of little stop lights.

315 mile mark - Just past the Walmart/Sam Club/Home Depot on the right, there is a stop light and a fancy statue. Go through the stop light, and take a left on the next street, it is a one way headed south. It's another weird intersection. There is a small sign that says 'Navojoa/Los Mochis'. This is a stretch of road with feeble lines and most of the time you have the right of way with the interesecting streets.  Eventually you should be in the left lane, ready to rejoin the main Highway15 that runs through the center of town. You will come to an intersection where you must go left (the street you are one turns to one way coming from the opposing direction...a good motivator to not go straight...). Landmark at this interseciton is a brand new Nissan dealership on your left before you make the left turn. You are now back on Highway15, heading towards Navojoa and Los Mochis.

About 8 miles south of Ciudad Obregon, you'll pass Ciudad Obregon Airport on the right.

335 mile mark - Toll booth at Fundicion.  After about 20 miles you'll see a 'Bienvenidos a Navojoa' sign. As you enter Navojoa you will cross a big bridge that once used to span the Rio Mayo. Just after the bridge is the Hotel Del Rio on your right. Great place to stay if you plan on heading further south, or just can't make the last 35 miles to Alamos.

After going through several stop lights on the main road through the 'lovely' city of Navojoa, be looking for an American looking pizza joint and a grocery store called VH at an intersection. At this stop light, you'll want to be in the left hand lane. You'll see a small-ish sign that says 'Alamos 50 km'.

Turn left and start heading east. You'll be driving through the outskirts of Navojoa for a while, the road is 4 lane. Watch for poorly marked topes. After several miles, you leave Navojoa and start on the newly improved highway to Alamos. It's smooth, there's a huge shoulder, fancy painted lines and one of the better roads in all of Mexico...The road gains elevation gradually, traveling through rural areas. After the curves and the town of Minas Nuevas (watch for two topes) you have the final stretch and you arrive in Alamos! Bienvenidos!