Halfway between Rocky Point and the Arizona border lies a vast volcanic field of over 400 cinder cones created from fiery eruptions 2,000 to 1,000,000 years ago. Magma still roils deep below dormant volcanoes and cooled lava slopes in this moon-like landscape of sunken craters,…Read More

Halfway between Rocky Point and the Arizona border lies a vast volcanic field of over 400 cinder cones created from fiery eruptions 2,000 to 1,000,000 years ago. Magma still roils deep below dormant volcanoes and cooled lava slopes in this moon-like landscape of sunken craters, jagged rocks, spatter cones and lava tubes.

Gnarly half-dead desert plants add an eerie, otherworldly feel to the surroundings. Across the 600 square mile Picante, vegetation changes as plants thrive or die depending on the moisture content of composite soils. Few species survive the sandy plains at low elevations like creosotebush does. Driving across the arid core of the Sonoran desert we couldn't help but notice the low-lying creosotebushes lining the sandy road as we bumped along toward the Cerro Colorado crater. Perfectly spaced, they looked like green landscaped shrubs bordering someone's narrow driveway.

Soft mounds of thick sand suddenly clogged our speed, redirecting our attention to our vehicle which we quickly floored to keep momentum. A guide at the park entrance had warned us about the roads, which are not signed, maintained or monitored. All are sand, volcanic ash or cinder, and only a few are passable with a two-wheel drive. If you get stuck, good luck. It's a remote place with few visitors. Those who do venture here are expected to bring their own shovels and auto parts should breakdowns occur. No fear here, we were driving a van! And I'm sure we could scrounge up our daughter's plastic sand shovels should the need arise...

Creosotes gave way to chollas. Their dark scraggly trunks branching upward–some void of prickly tops–looked rather creepy contrasted against the light sand and shadowy mountains in the background. Skies were gloomy and gray, and the air tasted dusty.

Twenty minutes later we reached Cerro Colorado, one of nine giant "maar" volcanoes that draws volcanologists here to study their perplexing origin. Formed by violent steam explosions, rather than a fiery fountain, the crater rim has a ring of rock carved into older lava rock which is topped by tuff, or compressed volcanic ash. Scientists are trying to determine why these cinder cone eruptions changed into steam explosions. We stood on the tuff and peered in. Hiking down into the craters is not allowed as the biosphere is highly protected.

Heading toward another crater, the sandy road changed to cinder. Fine black cinder covered the soil which supports palo verde, ocotillo, senita and saguaro plant life. Rainfall is sparse, maybe five inches a year, but cinder soil retains moisture well. We came across a jumbled mass of black rocks and stopped to explore the massive lava flow wall.

Ill-prepared to hike lava rocks in walking sandals, I cautiously followed Scott's lead but climbed a gentler slope up the rubble. The surface texture felt extremely rough, porous and sharp against my skin. And sandals! The rubbery soles gave way to the rocks, shredding bit by bit. Later that night, I sadly realized it was time to retire the sandals that had endured the Inca Trail, the Routeburn, ten years of hiking...

I couldn't tell if the lava was old or young, but it certainly matched the description of what's called "aa" lava, a crusty mass of jagged rocks that date from younger flows. I didn't see any "pahoehoe," the other type of lava at Picante which is smooth, swirly and resembles fudge frosting. Instead the lava felt like pointy limestone, it's surface covered in tiny bubbles that had splattered and froze in flash time.

Back down on cinder soil, I wandered around the cactus filled terrain. An organ pipe, a mass of prickly arms that resembled jumbled arms and legs interlocked in Twister, dwarfed my daughter. And nearby, a large bird, judging from the size of the nest, had built a home in the arms of a saguaro.

We drove onward to Elegante crater, another giant maar volcano. The winds picked up as we walked up to the rim. The impressive crater was impossible to capture on film even with a wide angle lens. We followed a trail along the rim and passed a worn cross dedicated to the memory of Father Kino, a Jesuit priest who visited the hardy Pinacatenos inhabitants back in 1698 and climbed Pinacate Peak twice during his stay.

According to historical records, the Pinacatenos, lived in this volcanic field for 7,000 years. They lived through volcanic eruptions but met their demise in 1890 when an organized posse attacked them on the Camino del Diablo. Archeological artifacts indicate that an earlier hunter-gatherer group, known as the San Dieguitos, lived here for 12,000 years. They left stone tools, sleeping circles, petroglyph-like geometric figures called intaglios, and trail shrines behind when they fled from a severe drought. These traces are visible to the public, but we did not get to see any of them as they are located on routes that necessitate rugged four-wheel drives. Next time...

Teddybear chollas, limber bushes and spindly ocotillos lined the rim trail around Elegante. As we made our way back toward our van we heard the distinctive high-pitched warning shake of a rattler. My four-year-old jumped into daddy's arms and clung to his neck while the rest of us inched closer toward the hissing noise. There he was!

Coiled under a limber bush, the Arizona black stared at us from behind scraggly branches with beady gold eyes. His rattler was a blur. I had never seen a rattlesnake in the wild. When I bent down to see if I could take a photo, my daughter cried out, "Mama, don't let him strike you!" But we stayed a safe distance away and just watched him. He looked more afraid of us and never made a move.

Winding back to the park entrance, it began to rain. Rain! Big drops plopped against our windshield, then developed into a steady horizontal stream for a good thirty minutes. Some parts of the Picante hadn't seen rain in seven years, and we hurried through the desert, wary of what water would do to the sand. There was definite risk of encountering impassable roads. We could easily get stuck in muck. An intense smell filled the air. Burning rubber. Now what had we done to the van?

Scott laughed. Nothing. The burning rubber smell was coming from the creosotebush. We were experiencing something rather rare. The distinctive desert odor--wet creosotebush--is produced only when it rains.

To get here: The main entry point for cars is the southeast entrance located 32 miles southwest of the border town Lukeville, off Route 8. A park ranger in the Centro Ecologico of Sonora building will provide maps and information about the region, including advice about which roads your vehicle can handle safely. Admission is $3. You must sign in and out of the park.

Dining options in this seaside resort feature seafood, of course. Shrimp boats flocking the harbor allude to the regional specialty. Restaurants wedged between souvenir shops lining the malecon all offer shrimp prepared this way and that: foil-wrapped, boiled, breaded, coconut fried, Hawaiian-styled, steamed in fruit…Read More

Dining options in this seaside resort feature seafood, of course. Shrimp boats flocking the harbor allude to the regional specialty. Restaurants wedged between souvenir shops lining the malecon all offer shrimp prepared this way and that: foil-wrapped, boiled, breaded, coconut fried, Hawaiian-styled, steamed in fruit juice, brandied, and on and on. And if you like shrimp, then great for you. You'll be in gastronomic heaven during your stay. The shrimp is reportedly fresh and delicious. Even the shrimp cocktail, served in a sundae dish with fresh tomatoes, garlic, cilantro, and onions, is to-die-for!

If, however, you don't care for shrimp or happen to be allergic to shellfish, like me, then your choices are somewhat more limited. Most restaurants do offer one fish dish (tilapia, flounder), one chicken dish, and a sampling of traditional Mexican fare: enchiladas, quesadillas, nachos and tacos. Being in Mexico, and a huge fan of Mexican food, I was disappointed with the generic fare most places served, apparently in an attempt to tone down their selections for an American palate. Where were chilis, flavor, complexities, spice?

Bored with their bland Mexican food by day three, I ordered a chicken entree at The Point. Everyone else at my table gushed over their shrimp concoctions while I bit into my chicken all santos. Succulent breast meat stuffed with spinach, cheese and almonds and wrapped in bacon melted in my mouth. How ironic to admit poultry was my favorite meal on the coast.

I did enjoy a similar entree at Lily's across the street–stuffed flounder, minus the bacon. Sides were broccoli and rice. Both restaurants advertised their use of purified water in all food preparation. Dining with our young daughters, we played it safe and only ate in those establishments. Kid's menus were nonexistent. Prices were high ($9-$14 per entree), food was generic, but nobody got sick.

So, Lily's or The Point?
Menus were fairly similar. As far as service went, Lily's won hands down. Our waiter promptly brought us chips and salsa while we perused the menu, quickly replenished margaritas, beers or lemonades, and brought us our food in half the time it took at The Point. Prices here were less expensive, and the bathroom sanitary and clean! We sat upstairs quite comfortably on the covered porch in this bright pink building facing the sea.

Across the street, a wooden boardwalk leads to a orange structure cantilevered over the ocean. Inside The Point diners can sit inside or outside on a wide covered porch on the second level. Views of crashing surf and brown pelicans are great. Just be prepared for a chilling wind, and a wait. Lunches both days took two hours each. Our waiter brought us one small basket of chips to serve six people, and never bothered to refill them or our drinks. He only had three tables, yet took forever to take our order, bring us our check...I won't elaborate on the disgusting toilet that hadn't been flushed in days. Apparently a lot of people used the sole basin during impatient waits.

Next door, the Fish Market restaurant buzzed with activity, and plenty of people were eating in snazzed up versions of street-side taco stands. Next time I'd venture out of my safety box, especially now that I've learned there's a book Gringos Guide to Rocky Point to consult. Just maybe I'll get lucky and find an equivalent to Obregon's El Contijo. One can always hope.

Our first trip to Puerto Penasco about 6 years ago, was in June. The heat and humidity didn't deter us from this vacation destination. We just avoided summer, and especially enjoy the Spring and Fall.I'd been looking to be anywhere but home this summer, so…Read More

Our first trip to Puerto Penasco about 6 years ago, was in June. The heat and humidity didn't deter us from this vacation destination. We just avoided summer, and especially enjoy the Spring and Fall.

I'd been looking to be anywhere but home this summer, so when the opportunity arose to spend 4 nights in Rocky Point, we took it! I knew an air-conditioned condo on the beach would make the trip bearable.

When I first got out of the car to register at the Sonoran Sun Resort, my eyeglasses immediately fogged up. The humidity was stifling!

After we lugged all of our stuff from the car and unpacked, we headed for the beach. The ocean water was so warm, we could walk in without hesitation. In fact, it was almost grossly warm. Remember how there are warm spots and cold spots when swimming in the ocean? We especially noticed at low tide, the cold spots were warm and the warm spots were hot! It was quite eerie.

A couple of storms on Friday and Saturday night cooled the water quite nicely. It was still very warm, but a little more refreshing. The lights went out for about 1/2 hour on Friday night and I was very glad I had remembered to pack a flashlight.

We enjoyed sitting on the balcony watching the fascinating lightning show. No rain arrived until after we'd gone to bed, and had stopped by morning. The waves were nice for body surfing, which is unusual, at least during other times of the year. Normally, the waves are very small on the beaches of Puerto Penasco.

We ventured into town a couple of times for Chino's especial quesadillas and a little shopping. It was too hot for much wandering around downtown, but it was quite crowded nonetheless. Most restaurants have air conditioning, but the shops are mostly open-air.

If you're not used to the heat, I'd suggest going to Rocky Point anytime but June-August. The beach and pools were busy and the topic of conversation in the elevators was always the heat!
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Playa Bonita was expensive, dirty, and a waste of time. I guess my beef isn't entirely with the hotel itself. It was one of the better hotels in the stink hole of Rocky Point. We went in high season and paid $150 per night. They…Read More

Playa Bonita was expensive, dirty, and a waste of time. I guess my beef isn't entirely with the hotel itself. It was one of the better hotels in the stink hole of Rocky Point. We went in high season and paid $150 per night. They lost our reservation, so thank God we had the confirmation page, because they were sold out, and good luck trying to find something decent in Rocky Point!!

Think of Rocky Point as Tijuana with a beach, not exactly paradise. We tried to make the most of the trip because accidents are bound to occur. We wanted to try the hot tub, but there were always at least 10 kids in the hot tub, which was bubbling due to the urine overload. The food was okay but fairly cheap. The rooms were pretty worn. The staff were polite, though, and helpful. There was decapitated baby seal on the beach, too.

I just think there are so many other beautiful places in Mexico to spend $150 per night. Don't waste your time and book another city. I don't get what all the hype is about!

Maybe in a few months we'll be laughing about it, but it was unnerving being held against our will in Mexico! Conservationists want to make part of the north end of the Sea of Cortez a sanctuary and disallow fishing there. The fishing methods used…Read More

Maybe in a few months we'll be laughing about it, but it was unnerving being held against our will in Mexico! Conservationists want to make part of the north end of the Sea of Cortez a sanctuary and disallow fishing there. The fishing methods used are harming the sea floor and endangering some aquatic life. Of course, the fishermen aren't happy about the idea of taking away their prime fishing spots, and to get attention, they staged a protest. They barricaded the main road leading to the border and chased and threw rocks at anyone trying to get past.

Most of us gringos aren't aware of any smaller side roads that would have gotten us past this barricade so we were stuck. We tried to leave taking a dirt road along the railroad tracks, recommended by some people on quads. Some advice: don't try it! After an hour, the sand started becoming too soft even for our 4-wheel drive, so we had to turn around.

Now, I don't blame the fishermen for being upset. This is an extremely poor country. They can't just go to the local unemployment office and ask to be trained for a new career! A compromise and some tools for changing the way they fish is the only solution here. However, there were at least 1000 Americans stuck, many with few options for decent places to sleep. Many had checked out of hotel rooms and the rooms were already rented to incoming guests. Some slept in their cars or RVs on the road, waiting for the border to open again. Luckily, our friends who own condos at the Sonoran Spa were more than happy to take us in and give us a comfortable bed for the night. They own quads so the men rode out to the barricade every few hours to see if there was any progress. There were rumors that this protest could go on for 4 days, so I guess we were fortunate it was over in 28 hours!

The resort is up and running. The staff is fantastic -- it felt like we were home with family. The daily poolside activities were great for the kids. The various pools were a brilliant idea (they all connect, but have different depths).…Read More

The resort is up and running. The staff is fantastic -- it felt like we were home with family. The daily poolside activities were great for the kids. The various pools were a brilliant idea (they all connect, but have different depths). My two-year-old loved the kids’ pool (or the one that wasn't as deep; it came to his armpit), which has a fountain shooting water in the center. The pool is a common gathering area for families. The daily activities consisted of water aerobics, volleyball/ping pong, bingo for prizes, dance lessons, etc.

The resort then had daily evening activities planned (usually free) and some activities had prizes (i.e. free drinks for winning the dance content, etc).

Our family had a great time there. The town is worth exploring. It’s not the prettiest place, but they are trying. We bought fresh shrimp down by the marina -- they were incredible and the price was fantastic (they'll even clean them for you).

We were told that this was a brand new resort, meaning that it was new and really cool. They left out the part about it not being finished and still under construction. There is NO golf course, water skiing, wind surfing, elevator, playground area, auto…Read More

We were told that this was a brand new resort, meaning that it was new and really cool. They left out the part about it not being finished and still under construction. There is NO golf course, water skiing, wind surfing, elevator, playground area, auto rental, medical facility, or snack bar. The gym was nice but they charged RCI members $10 per day to use it. The indoor pool was not heated, nor were the Jacuzzis working.

The "deli" sold cereal but no milk. The road in/out was very bad and when it rained we were held captive and unable to leave due to road conditions. Those of us that had hotel rooms had to eat at the moderately expensive restaurant. There were no nearby activities.

The "hotel" rooms were very small and frequently did not have the heat working. The beds were hard. The lobby was a "wind tunnel", and during bad weather the visitors needed to wear overcoats. The indoor bar opened at 5pm. The sales people that were trying to sell more timeshares were very "hard sell" more than at other times.

We would not recommend this timeshare until it is completed. The staff were very nice and tried to make it nice, but it was not worth a trade from a completed facility to this one.

On our first trip to Rocky Point, we were excited to take our new Dodge Durango and go 4-wheeling in the sand dunes. Of course, it's even more exciting to go at night, right? So we loaded the three kids in the Dodge and headed…Read More

On our first trip to Rocky Point, we were excited to take our new Dodge Durango and go 4-wheeling in the sand dunes. Of course, it's even more exciting to go at night, right? So we loaded the three kids in the Dodge and headed out to the dunes at Playa Bonita around 11 at night.

After a half hour of thrills and fun, the engine whined as the tires spun in the valley between dunes. Uh oh. Now why didn't anyone think to bring a flashlight and a shovel? We got out and tried to see what we were stuck on. We tried rocking it, lodging driftwood under the wheels, everything we know of. No luck. We were going to have to hike out.

Let me pause here to mention that all day my husband had been telling the kids about the legend of Chupakabra (spelling?), a beast that inhabits Mexico and South America. It is known for sucking the blood out of goats and other animals and leaving the carcasses. Now it's midnight, very little moon to help us see our way through the dunes and we have to hike to the motel we know is close by to get help. With one very scared, trembling, teary nine-year-old and one visibly nervous teen, we started walking.

Our oldest daughter had been out in these dunes with another family several times and knew exactly where we were, so was not frightened. Between her memory and my husband's inner GPS, we topped a couple of dunes and saw the lights of the motel. The security guard called a cab for us. The cab driver had a cousin who would pull the Dodge out if we met him back there early in the morning. Between the cab ride and the tow, by a small Toyota pickup, it was an $80 4-wheeling excursion. And if we'd had a flashlight, we could have seen we were only high-centered on a small tuft of grass.

The resort was wonderful, we only were able to enjoy it for about three days until I went into labor seven weeks early. Luckily there was a resort doctor, but unfortunately the action plan was not ideal (as we came to find out). There was…Read More

The resort was wonderful, we only were able to enjoy it for about three days until I went into labor seven weeks early. Luckily there was a resort doctor, but unfortunately the action plan was not ideal (as we came to find out).

There was a more appropriate clinic I should have been taken to (that had ties with helicopter EVAC services and American doctors/hospitals), but I ended up in a Mexican Naval clinic and my baby was sent to the US by ambulance. Be prepared to pay! At the end of all of this, we ended up shelling out an additional $5,000! Not an ideal place to be if you are an American citizen and need emergency care!