You Can't Get There From Here
Driving to Rocky Point takes the same amount of time from Tucson as it does from Phoenix. I knew I was adding at least 90 minutes to my trip by having to drive back from Tucson on Sunday but I figured I'd still be home by 8 or 9 PM at the latest.
Boy, was I wrong.
We decided to leave our condo at noon, have lunch at Manny's, pick up some shrimp and do some last minute shopping then head to the border. Everything was going well until we got to the border. Or, near to it anyway. Traffic was backed up and it was literally stop and go for 2 1/2 hours until we could get across and back into the U.S.
We amused ourselves by listening to tunes and watching the locals. It was quite the treat to see one of the vendors who was walking up and down between the cars whip out his unit and just start peeing between the cars. Let me add to the picture by saying he was old. Needless to say, we didn't buy anything from him and I hope to high heaven he wasn't selling food. Ick.
Once we got past the border, it was an easy drive to Why. The gas station/store that we stopped at is at the crossroads. One road leads to Tucson, the other to Phoenix. As Russ and I were standing by the van, we saw a fire truck with its lights on coming from the Phoenix direction. Russ started chanting, "Don't turn, don't turn, please don't turn." It didn't help as it turned on to the (one) road to Tucson.
We got into our cars and hoped for the best. Tkay and Russ needed to be back in Tucson by 10 to pick up their youngest from a school trip and it looked like we were in the clear until all traffic stopped. Yep, it was the fire truck that we'd seen along with several other emergency vehicles.
The road was blocked both ways. Russ and his buddy walked up to the accident site to see if they could get any information. They were told the road was going to be closed for at least an hour and another guy told us they were bringing in medivac helicopters. Apparently, it was a double fatality.
We decided to turn around and take the Phoenix route (actually, the road goes to Gila Bend where you can then go to Phoenix or Casa Grande then to Tucson). It was going to add at least an hour but it was the right call. When we got stopped at the allegedly roving border patrol stop (it's supposed to be a mobile unit but it's been set up in the same place for years, go figure), one of the agents told Jim the other road was going to be closed down all night.
We got to Casa Grande a little before 9 and I was sad to realize that I was only an hour from home but that my car was 90 minutes in the opposite direction. Russ and Tkay made it with literally minutes to spare to pick up their daughter but the rest of us had to head into Tucson (actually, we headed to the SE side of Tucson which was clear across town). We unloaded at Jim and Dori's then back to Norene's where my car was.
It was 10:45 by the time I left Norene's. She suggested I stay over but I figured it was better to head for home then sleep in on Monday AM. I'd already sent Sugar Daddy a text telling him I'd be late to work.
After a stop at Wendy's for some dinner, I hit the road. I got home at 12:45 AM. Of course, I woke up at my usual time between 5:30 and 6 but I said, "Hell no" and went back to sleep for a while. I made it into work by 9:45 which I thought was pretty good, considering.
Next time, we're staying over until Monday so we can miss most of the border traffic and avoid the crazy drivers rushing home on Sunday.
Boy, was I wrong.
We decided to leave our condo at noon, have lunch at Manny's, pick up some shrimp and do some last minute shopping then head to the border. Everything was going well until we got to the border. Or, near to it anyway. Traffic was backed up and it was literally stop and go for 2 1/2 hours until we could get across and back into the U.S.
We amused ourselves by listening to tunes and watching the locals. It was quite the treat to see one of the vendors who was walking up and down between the cars whip out his unit and just start peeing between the cars. Let me add to the picture by saying he was old. Needless to say, we didn't buy anything from him and I hope to high heaven he wasn't selling food. Ick.
Once we got past the border, it was an easy drive to Why. The gas station/store that we stopped at is at the crossroads. One road leads to Tucson, the other to Phoenix. As Russ and I were standing by the van, we saw a fire truck with its lights on coming from the Phoenix direction. Russ started chanting, "Don't turn, don't turn, please don't turn." It didn't help as it turned on to the (one) road to Tucson.
We got into our cars and hoped for the best. Tkay and Russ needed to be back in Tucson by 10 to pick up their youngest from a school trip and it looked like we were in the clear until all traffic stopped. Yep, it was the fire truck that we'd seen along with several other emergency vehicles.
The road was blocked both ways. Russ and his buddy walked up to the accident site to see if they could get any information. They were told the road was going to be closed for at least an hour and another guy told us they were bringing in medivac helicopters. Apparently, it was a double fatality.
We decided to turn around and take the Phoenix route (actually, the road goes to Gila Bend where you can then go to Phoenix or Casa Grande then to Tucson). It was going to add at least an hour but it was the right call. When we got stopped at the allegedly roving border patrol stop (it's supposed to be a mobile unit but it's been set up in the same place for years, go figure), one of the agents told Jim the other road was going to be closed down all night.
We got to Casa Grande a little before 9 and I was sad to realize that I was only an hour from home but that my car was 90 minutes in the opposite direction. Russ and Tkay made it with literally minutes to spare to pick up their daughter but the rest of us had to head into Tucson (actually, we headed to the SE side of Tucson which was clear across town). We unloaded at Jim and Dori's then back to Norene's where my car was.
It was 10:45 by the time I left Norene's. She suggested I stay over but I figured it was better to head for home then sleep in on Monday AM. I'd already sent Sugar Daddy a text telling him I'd be late to work.
After a stop at Wendy's for some dinner, I hit the road. I got home at 12:45 AM. Of course, I woke up at my usual time between 5:30 and 6 but I said, "Hell no" and went back to sleep for a while. I made it into work by 9:45 which I thought was pretty good, considering.
Next time, we're staying over until Monday so we can miss most of the border traffic and avoid the crazy drivers rushing home on Sunday.
