Hating the wind

The last day of our time in Mexico was ruined by a big wind storm. It came on strong during the night. Janalee woke up to find our shade shelter hooked on top of the van. She came in for help and her and Dad went out and tore it down and were able to rescue the chairs. The brand new shelter we just bought to replace the one destroyed last year was mangled beyond repair.

We decided to pack things up and leave early because it was our last day and we couldn't enjoy the beach anyway. Taking the tent down was an experience. At one point Dad jumped on it to keep it from blowing off down the beach. When we got up the waves were huge and when they crashed onto the beach they almost came up to where we'd had the tent pitched.

We wanted to run downtown and get a few last minute souvenirs and a pina colada. That turned out to be easier said than done. The roads are dirt and the wind was filling them in faster than the grader could work. We finally got downtown and ended up in a huge traffic jam. The locals were out in force to celebrate the Easter weekend. It took forever and by the time we got back to the RV Park it was late and the wind was bad enough that Dad didn't want to risk heading out with the trailer. We spent the night being rocked back and forth and listening to the wind howl. I was grateful for the motor coach parked to the side of us. It blocked a lot of the wind from hitting the trailer.

Here are some pictures showing some of the effects of the wind, but there really isn't any way to show how strong it was. At one point a gust came up while Grandma and I were walking and stopped me in my tracks. It would have knocked Grandma over backwards but I had hold of her. Luckily the wind eventually calmed down enough that we felt we could hit the road and head for home. Once we got on the road the trip home was uneventful with the exception of the 2 hour wait to get across Hoover Dam.