We left El Fuerte and headed back to the coast continuing south. Our guidebook strongly recommended a place called Las Glorias. It’s an hour off the toll road, but we decided to go anyway thinking we’d stay a couple of nights. This is all farming country. Fields of corn, tomatoes and other veggies line the roads for as far as the eye can see.

The campground in Las Glorias has been hard hit by the dropoff in American tourists driving south. When we arrived there seemed to be no one around. There was one giant RV there with some Canadians sitting under the awning watching the waves come in. They said we were the first people they’d seen all day. We picked a spot and set up camp, thinking that someone would show up sooner or later to collect our money.

You could tell the place used to be really nice, with a pool and a restaurant. Without enough customers to support the restaurant it had closed, and the pool hadn’t been cleaned in awhile. But the beach was still nice, and we spent the afternoon playing in the sand.

Beachfront property for sale.

We departed the next morning and drove further south to Celestino Gasco. There we met a family from Winnipeg traveling in an older RV. They had three kids along, including two boys a little older than Quinn. We spent two nights there and had a great time playing in the swimming pool and on the beach.

Walking to dinner

Heading out for an evening of fishing

We had been promising Quinn a stop at a water park we had read about in Mazatlán. Unfortunately when we arrived there on Thursday morning we discovered that it was only open on weekends. We were all pretty bummed, and instead of a day at the park we decided to push south to La Peñita de Jaltemba (just up the coast from Sayulita). It was a long day in the car and we didn’t arrive until nearly 5pm. Happily, though, the family we had met farther north arrived shortly after we did and pulled into the adjacent campsite. During those 300km we passed from the last of the desert into the tropics. Vendors appeared on the side of the road selling watermelon, pineapple, papaya, bananas, and other tropical fruit.

Suddenly there are people – lots of people! This park is populated mostly by snowbirds from the north staying here for the winter. According to one story we heard, not too long ago it was mostly Americans here. But when the drug violence hit the news a few years ago everyone stopped coming. The park is full again, but now it’s mostly Canadians.

The view from the campground

Sunset in the tropics

The kids enjoy a movie on our friends’ camper

There are enough people here that every day vendors from the nearby town set up a market in the park. On one day alcohol and pantry staples are for sale, the next day fruit and vegetables are on offer, as well as some fresh bread. There are lots of fun activities from which to choose (pool volleyball, yoga, sightseeing trips and many social events), and periodically someone drives through in a pickup truck selling fresh fish. We’ve had lots of swimming pool and beach time, and we attended a lively happy hour in the afternoon.