I initially planned on crossing at Nogales, Arizona and maybe I will down the road but I’d want to combine it with a race in Tucson, which does not fit my schedule this year.
Preliminary Plan:
Day 1 (Friday)- Leave work just a couple hours early and catch an early evening flight from Birmingham to Brownsville, Texas. The logistics are not too bad. It only requires a short connection in Houston or Dallas. I won’t get in until nearly 11 PM so all I can do is pick up my rental car and check into the hotel, which should be within a couple miles of the airport.
Day 2 (Saturday)- Sleep in a bit then head about an hour west to the town of Progreso then cross into Mexico. I can park in a lot on the American side for just $2 then take a pedestrian bridge across the border. The nearest border town to Brownsville is actually Matamoros but word on the street is that it is not very safe and you have to walk about a mile to get to the actual town. No thanks. Nuevo Progreso has a strong police presence and looks much nicer at least according to YouTube. Yes, the town is just across the border.
The footbridge has been described by tourists as a “portal to another world” and that appears to be accurate based on what I’ve seen. I can expect lots of drug stores and denty offices, which offer comparable services at much lower prices than in the USA and perhaps musicians playing on the street. I don’t expect to spend more than a couple hours there. I’d like to browse around the shops, eat a couple tacos or fajitas con pollo (chicken) or carne asada (beef) and of course, have a drink at a bar. I remember a little bit of basic Spanish from high school and though the town is gringo friendly, I’d imagine a few words of Spanish even with a southern accent, will be much appreciated by locals. Getting into Mexico will be no problem. They usually don’t even ask you for documentation. There may be a small line (20-30 minutes) getting back to the USA and I will need my passport card. Mexico will be my 6th foreign country and if I run Detroit in October, I will hit both Mexico and Canada in the same year. Once back in the USA, I will head back east to South Padre Island (1 hr. 20 min) from the border.
Day 3 (Sunday)- I’ll actually arrive by mid-afternoon Saturday and will have all day Sunday and most of Monday on the beach. As far as Texas beaches are concerned, South Padre Island wins hands down. I’ve been to Galveston before and liked it but was underwhelmed by Stewart Beach. Corpus Christi is supposedly clearer but it is not until you hit South Padre Island that the beaches actually rival the beauty of those on the Florida/Alabama Gulf. I can’t take my boogie board on the plane so I could either buy a cheap one down there or order an inflatable board from Amazon or Wal-Mart. I’m leaning towards the latter option because I can use it any time I fly away to another beach destination.
Day 4 (Monday)- Again, I can take a late afternoon flight out of Brownsville so I’ll have most of the day on the beach and get back to Birmingham late in the evening. If I choose a weekend with a state holiday on a Monday, I can do this trip with only a few hours leave from work.
When to do it:
April- will probably visit family
Memorial Day- beach probably will be packed.
Early June- probably the best chance
Labor Day- crowded and the wettest time of year in that area.
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