Ok...first the afternoon update. I wrote this next part while waiting at Nissan in Phoenix. Enjoy....
So it is now 315pm and we are in Phoenix. Did I mention it was going to be 40 degrees out? Feels hotter.
At Flagstaff Nissan, we were told it was not the thermostat, but a sensor with loose connections. Need the sensor replaced and they did not have one in town. The service tech (nice guy but using the word “service” loosely) told me 3 days from Denver. I asked if there was a part in Phoenix and he gave me a printout with a list of dealers that had the parts. It was going to be up to me to call the individual dealers but no…I asked the other service tech to call for me.
I had googled Nissan dealers in Phoenix, just in case and the one that was right off the highway, Midway Nissan, had the part. So off we went. Left at 1235pm and arrived at 3pm.
On the way to Phoenix, the temp gauge did not act up at all. Of course it didn’t!! Now I am thinking… “is the sensor really broken?” so we stopped at Starbucks, I set up Magic Jack and we called my Nissan guy in Burnaby. He was busy and needed the car to make an educated guess, so no help from him.
The service tech at Midway took me to talk to a mechanic and he explained how the connection works and yes, it could be working for now, but will most likely shake loose again. Our call on whether or not to replace, and we are going to play safe vs sorry.
Hopefully this is just a one hour speed bump as we have Nogales 3 hours away still…and rush hour through Phoenix to deal with.
The trip from Flagstaff to Phoenix was nice. It started off slow due to all the road work (economic stimulus I read somewhere) but it picked up and we saw very green pine forests as we drove along. We spotted a few animals sleeping on the side of the road, including many coons and a full on dear with big antlers. They were just napping!!
About 100 km out of Phoenix we started to see more agriculture that we felt reflects Arizona…cactus.
Will finish today’s update of the blog tonite, from Nogales.
So the truck was fixed and we left Phoenix at 415pm. It could have been another "esto es gratis" day from Nissan, as the gal at the counter sent Bex out with the key and invoice, but I had not paid yet. Must always side with Karma and I paid the bill. $95 in Flagstaff and $210 in Phoenix...must find casino tonite....lol
Bombed down the HOV lane through Phoenix and as we hit Tuscon, saw the big storm clouds. Also saw Pinal Air Park....a big slab of concrete with about 100 jumbo jets just being stored there. Then we saw someone headed North who had been pulled over and had the drug dog going around her car. welcome to Arizona!! As we came within 100 km of Nogales, the big storm let loose. VERY heavy rain and lightning made for a nice drive. It was also getting dark, but it is easy to get around so we were not worried about getting lost.
85 km or so from Nogales, the mileage markers turned to metric (for the Mexicans), but the speed signs stayed at m/ph. Hilarious.
At 730pm or so we found our "6" and checked in. Huge puddles as this must have been their month's rain in one shower. We unpacked and headed out for gas and dinner.
The town is small and we did not see much at one end, so we decided to turn around and head back the way we had entered off the highway, as we saw a mall and the usual fast food joints. We had driven past our hotel and were at a red light when...we got hit from behind. We did not know what happened at first. I thought I had stalled the truck and it had just lurched forward. But no, we had a drunk driver behind us that had decided not to stop.
I get out and see he is drunk and flag down a car to call the police. The dispatcher was all confused ("you hit what officer?") but she sent the law. Meanwhile the driver is trying to drive away. I am reaching in the car grabbing for keys, yelling in both English and Spanish that he needed to stay. Bex hears the commotion and comes out to see if I am ok and give the drunk a piece of her mind.
An armed guard stops by and grabs the keys and we both wait in the pouring rain for 10 minutes (only the drunk driver stayed dry...of course) for the police. We are sent to our cars as a second unit arrives to conduct the field tests and ultimately arrests the driver. Our officer takes 25 minutes getting our info, taking photos and telling us what border crossing to take!!
The damage? I have a bit (hee x 3) of a sore neck and currently Bex feels fine...we will see tomorrow. The truck has some bumper damage, but nothing drastic and nothing we can get fixed before we leave tomorrow. Argh...all we were trying to do was eat dinner. And they warn you about driving in Mexico at night? How about Nogales AZ?
So dinner was late, but KFC tastes yummy anytime. So far, our only "bad" meal of the trip...feel good about that. Also picked up some more Diet Coke to replenish the stock!!
We are booked into Playa Mazatlan (my Mazatlan haunt) for 2 nights (Weds and Thurs)...now we just need to get there.
Two words of the day. I am told by my Padre, that Nogales comes from the word "walnut"...these trees used to grow in abundance between Nogales AZ and Nogales Mexico. Thanks Dad. The other word of the day is simple..."policia"...just dial 911 in Arizona or 066 in the Mexican state of Sonora.
It is 10pm and we are about to conduct our research for tomorrow's leg of the adventure...so good night to all.
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