Visa's have been issued

So me and the family (wife & 3 kids) have just gotten our permanente visas. House should close on Friday. We will be leaving Portland on June 15 driving thru Laredo and should be a permanent fixture lakeside around the 20th (I hope the BS dies down by then for our trip). I am looking forward to seeing those of you we have already met and meeting those of you that we haven't, especially the under 50 crowd.

Well let us know when you arrive and perhaps we can put together a little gathering or lunch swarm.

I am also tagging along on this drive with Tictoc and his precious family! Got my permanent Visa as well which I was surprised about! Just four weeks to go before we hit the road! I am blessed to have met this adorable family who has welcomed my dog and me to join them on this trip! Feeling very grateful!

tictoc wrote:So me and the family (wife & 3 kids) have just gotten our permanente visas. House should close on Friday. We will be leaving Portland on June 15 driving thru Laredo and should be a permanent fixture lakeside around the 20th (I hope the BS dies down by then for our trip). I am looking forward to seeing those of you we have already met and meeting those of you that we haven't, especially the under 50 crowd.

Safe journey and welcome to Lakeside.

I hope you won't be too disappointed if you find that the "under 50 crowd" of other expats would all fit around a good sized dinner table.
However, some of the old farts can be quite entertaining, too.

Best wishes for a safe trip down ! We are making the move to Joco end of August from Seattle. We have family members scattered around lakeside and have been visiting for years. Just curious why not crossing at Nogales or Lukeville ?

Hell, I'm under 50 and I can fit around a dinner table all by myself.

I have a fair amount of under 50 friends but most of them work during the day.

almost all my mexican friends are under 50-actuall most are under 40.

I hope tictoc is driving a car with Mexican plates, since he is now Residente Permanente and is prohibited from driving or temporarily importing a foreign plated car into Mexico.

Thanks all. We are going through Laredo because I don't want to make an overnight stop in Mexico. I figure we will it the border first thing in the morning and be able to do the 12 hrs (14-16 with kids...). I'm also looking forward to meeting the over 50 crowd as well but with two young kids and a teenager, it will be nice to find some similar families...

tictoc wrote: I am looking forward to seeing those of you we have already met and meeting those of you that we haven't, especially the under 50 crowd.

If you don't limit yourself to foreigners, there are far more people around here under 50 than over.  Even if you aren't proficient in
Spanish, a lot of the younger generation Mexicans speak good English and are hip to the same stuff that the same generation from the US and Canada are into, be it music, movies, food, sports, and an assorted lot of other activities that are bi-national.  Your kids will have no problem making friends with the Mexican kids and you will wonder why you even thought about it.

Old gringos aren't the only game in town. 

tictoc wrote:Thanks all. We are going through Laredo because I don't want to make an overnight stop in Mexico.

My worst fear would be an overnight stop in Texas.  

Hola tictoc... 42 years old from Washington State with 3 kids living close to Chapala. Look forward to having you down here!

tictoc wrote:Thanks all. We are going through Laredo because I don't want to make an overnight stop in Mexico.  <snip>  

Oh yikes, That's a long haul.. aren't you pulling a trailer as well ?  We drove down in 2003 from FLA, pulling small 14' cargo trailer and crossed at Laredo-Colombia Bridge. Dang sure glad we stopped at Matehuala as planned!  Had a great meal and restful night sleep. This time we are driving down from Seattle and I'm thinking about crossing at Lukeville, AZ. No Trailer this time but same '99 Isuzu Rodeo. She runs perfect!

Tictoc: Do you really have Residente Permanente visa approvals? If so, you can bring your car (and trailer?) into Mexico, but only with a 30 day temporary importation permit. The Catch - 22 is that you have 30 days from crossing the border to visit INM and begin the process to actually get the visa card. Meanwhile, you would need to buy a special exit letter to get your vehicle (& trailer) out of Mexico before your card is issued, at which time the vehicles would become illegal and subject to confiscation and large fines for you to pay with no hope of seeing the vehicles again.
Use caution. Oh, please do stop for the night on your way down. It is safe and you will be more likely to arrive in one piece.

Woody wrote:

tictoc wrote:Thanks all. We are going through Laredo because I don't want to make an overnight stop in Mexico.  <snip>  

Oh yikes, That's a long haul.. aren't you pulling a trailer as well ?  We drove down in 2003 from FLA, pulling small 14' cargo trailer and crossed at Laredo-Colombia Bridge. Dang sure glad we stopped at Matehuala as planned!  Had a great meal and restful night sleep. This time we are driving down from Seattle and I'm thinking about crossing at Lukeville, AZ. No Trailer this time but same '99 Isuzu Rodeo. She runs perfect!

There's a nice motel in Matahuala where you can park right by your room, if memory serves. Decent food and a pool.

Thanks for the suggestions on Matahuala. If things don't go as planed, We will seriously consider stooping. Yes we have Permanente. We planed on the wife getting temporal (sp?) but they gave her Permanete (small hitch but nothing I can't handle I don't think). We actually have a couple of options at this point but I didn't know about the temp permit for the van and 16' trailer. So thanks.

There are quite a few of us older than 50s who act younger than 50.  Some in a good way; some not so much.

When coming via Laredo, be sure to download a current set of instructions on how to negotiate the various city bypasses and tricky areas on that route. Many regulars who drive the route to do American shopping have pointed out all the places where the signage is missing or you have to go where you don't logically think you should go, not to mention any current construction with poorly marked detours. (Search for these posts on here or chapala.com.) I've never driven that route myself being from Phoenix, but I can vouch that the straight through drive on 15 from Nogales to here is easy and all cuotas (toll roads) so in basically good shape and safe. Only one portion is two lane through the mountains in Nayarit. The big truckers will put on their left turn signal while driving to let you know it's safe to pass them. There are great places to stay with the kids in Obregon, Navajoa, and Mazatlan with secure parking for your stuff. Take it easy and get off the road before dark or getting too tired. I wouldn't count on getting here from Laredo before dark as you have to build in time for getting lost and finding your way back on to the various numbered roads. You'll save yourself a couple hundred miles and at a minimum 4 driving hours. Have fun on your new adventure whichever route you choose and welcome to the community!

phxfunguy wrote:When coming via Laredo, be sure to download a current set of instructions on how to negotiate the various city bypasses and tricky areas on that route.  Many regulars who drive the route to do American shopping have pointed out all the places where the signage is missing or you have to go where you don't logically think you should go, not to mention any current construction with poorly marked detours.  (Search for these posts on here or chapala.com.)  I've never driven that route myself being from Phoenix, but I can vouch that the straight through drive on 15 from Nogales to here is easy and all cuotas (toll roads) so in basically good shape and safe.  Only one portion is two lane through the mountains in Nayarit.  The big truckers will put on their left turn signal while driving to let you know it's safe to pass them.  There are great places to stay with the kids in Obregon, Navajoa, and Mazatlan with secure parking for your stuff.  Take it easy and get off the road before dark or getting too tired.  I wouldn't count on getting here from Laredo before dark as you have to build in time for getting lost and finding your way back on to the various numbered roads.  You'll save yourself a couple hundred miles and at a minimum 4 driving hours.  Have fun on your new adventure whichever route you choose and welcome to the community!

Thanks, Actually, Google maps is a great thing! Other than the actual crossing, I have already done the whole thing several times virtually. So I think that I pretty much have it down, including a stop for peso exchange. I'm not completely counting on making it before dark. In actuality, I have planed for not, I have installed an LED light bar on the van and they are quite bright... I am also kind of counting on one of my other two drivers to take some of the easy driving so I should be fully rested. But, "best laid plans..." so I am ready to adjust if I need. all and all, IMO 4 hrs really isn't that much so I'm still thinking Laredo is the best choice for our situation. But thanks again for any and all advice you might have.

In the last 6 weeks I drove from Lakeside to Nogales 3 times and to Laredo once. I don't see any benefit at all driving from Portland, OR to Laredo to Lakeside over crossing at Nogales. Your route seem to add days and hundreds of miles to your trip. Why???

What is wrong with stopping for a night in MX Do you really think the hotels in Mexico are worse than hotels in the States?

Call it a security blanket but some people would rather do most of their driving in the U.S. Especially if carrying kids, pets and towing a trailer.

Don't forget the kids, pets and trailer. Funny how those influence your thinking. I also did a lot of driving in Mexico in my day. Used to be wife, kids, pets all crammed in an 1968 MGC and later on in a van towing a 21 foot trailer home. This was every year for about 20 years. But I am sure playa boy knows all about that

"I have installed an LED light bar on the van and they are quite bright..."

Now, that certainly won't attract any of the wrong kind of attention.

But nice to have if you do get stuck on the highways after dark. If the "wrong element" is in the area I don't think LED lights are going to make a difference either way. I regularly drive to/from the airport/Guadalajara after dark and wish I had these too.