JEEPERS CREEPERS NOV 10, 2011 OUTING

Eighteen members and guests in 7 vehicles made the first Jeepers Creepers run of the season on Nov. 10. We met at Dillards parking lot at Superstition Springs Mall and  after introductions set off for Miami for our coffee break in the city park. Our leader, Jerry Grout, claimed that he had arranged for some Gila County trusties to clean up the park for us, and they were hard at work when we arrived.

Thirteen of our our group at the Miami coffee break – Marv Fretwell. Marv’s cousin, Gregory Planting, Skeet and Roxanne White , Arda Fretwell, Jerry Grout, Barbara Williams, Mike Williams, Jo Strong, Nancy Grout, Edna Julien, Elsie Tennant (guest of Grouts) and Gary Mueller.

Look at all of the goodies! Austin and Mary Ellen Hulcher are in center and Rayma and Gary Mueller are at right.

 

Members are enjoying the great views of Lake Roosevelt and nearby mountains at the end of FR 488 off the Young road (AZ 288) . There is snow on Four Peaks at right. Is that Phil Goddard at right?

Here is our lunch spread, with Fretwells and Whites in foreground, Fretwells’ dually pickup and Sierra Ancha Mountains in the background

 

Barbara Williams, Jo Strong, Elsie Tennant and Mary Ellen Hulcher, with some our our vehicles and the Sierra Ancha Wilderness area in the background.

 

Roxanna White and Arda Fretwell while lunching had a great view of the upper reaches of Lake Roosevelt where the Salt River enters the lake are shown in center.

This rugged side canyon defined one side of our plateau

High desert scrub frames our view of the lake and Four Peaks.

 After lunch we drove north on the Young Road and turned east on the Malicious Gap Road, FR 609, to visit the cave close to the road. Unfortunately, although several of us had been there in the past (December 2005), we could not locate it. We headed back to Mesa the way we came. The Fretwell group detoured to Ma’s Kitchen in Roosevelt for fish and chips (highly recommended by Marv), while others ended up having supper at Uncle Bear’s in Mesa.

VISIT TO ALGODONES MX

We make a “drug run” to Algodones MX nearly every year to buy omyeprazol (Mexican Prilosec). A three month supply of the latter in the US costs about $75.00 if you take one a day. The Mexican version of the same drug for the same three month supply is $3.00. Both of us take it for acid reflux, as do several relatives. Other border cities do not sell the medication nearly as reasonably, and we feel comfortable walking around in the downtown area. While it has usual features of a Mexican tourist town with liquor stores, bars and a few strip joints, it is unique for having so many pharmacies and dentists. Here is the pictorial story of our visit on Nov. 3.

Jo and son Jeff next to our Jeep in the parking lot on the US side of the border, a short walk from  downtown Algodones

This is the first view as you walk across the border. The billboards advertise primarily dental services.Our favorite pharmacy (named Guadalajara) is on the far left.

Algodones is a little over 200 miles from Mesa, so our first order of business is lunch at Pueblo Viejo. From left, Tom Holz, Jeff Clyde, Monty Strong, Jo, Elsie Holz ,and Mike Williams. 

Here we are a at lunch. Barbara Williams at far right did not get in the picture of our group outside.

Our next order of business is to buy our medications. Experience has shown us that this store has the best prices!
The meds available over the the counter there include most generics here , some older antibiotics, and  exclude painkillers and those which may be habit-forming. Some specialized meds are not available, and non-generics are available but not with such dramatic savings as on omyrprazol.

One of many signs for dental services. Our acquaintances who have gone to dentists there are favorably impressed with the prices and have no complaints. On the other hand, I have heard third-hand stories of dental patients who are not happy with the work done by an Algodones dentist.

This dental office is adjacent to the Hawaii strip joint

Does your dentist offer all of these services?

Here is an all-purpose building – a pharmacy on the ground floor with many dental offices above, one specifically for Japanese!

Some of the many liquor stores.

There are also many optical stores there, some promising same day delivery of glasses

This display is in a shop specializing in colorful sheet metal sculptures.

A unique cottage industry, on a main street corner, is artists painting designs on pots, lanterns, mail boxes and whatever, using paint from aerosol paint containers, all without brushes!.

This artist, shown in the upper left of the above shot, shows the mailbox nearly completed.