side trip to Alamos

After we left Mazatlan, we traveled north to Navajoa and took a side road 51 km to the town of Alamos, a "Pueblo Magico".   The town is at an elevation of 1360 ft and has a current population of about 17,000.

Alamos was originally founded in 1685 due to the mining in the area.  Getting into town was a mighty struggle as the only way in was under construction and there were no detour signs. What a mess! Even the hospital and fire department was blocked. We followed the local traffic, bumping and heaving along the shoulder of the road. Then along came a cop on a junky little motorcycle who led us the rest of the way, moving construction barriers as needed. He even held up traffic so we could enter the campground. We stayed at the Dolisa Hotel and RV Park.  A beautiful little spot within easy walking distance to the Main Square.

lyre shapes in metal trim as well as on the ceiling

We walked along the cobbled streets admiring the old buildings.  Most of the old buildings were single story.  The town is in the midst of replacing their cobblestone streets with pavers.

an original wooden door -- unusual design

Many of the original buildings have been bought and restored by Americans and Canadians but you can still find many buildings that are in near ruins. Eventually they will all come back into use after extensive renovations in keeping with the style of the period.

We took a tour through the town museum

an unusual electric spinning wheel

Then found an English tour guide who took us on a 30 minute ride around the town. Juan was very nice and did a good job of showing us the highlights of the town. His english was very good.

Our tour guide was a retired teacher with a unique vehicle

Originally municipal building, this is now a theatre

peeking in the doorway at the theatre as we drove by

Theatre ready for performance tonight

Narrow streets and classic styles typical of Alamos

A very nice hotel.

sample of the narrow streets

This place was in the midst of renovation -- next project, the car!

Vic stopped by later in the day to take a selfie!

Needs a lot of work to return to original condition.

Our guide pointed out the home of  Rip Torn, plus former homes of Carrol O'Connor, Rita Hayworth, Hershey (chocolate) and a few other famous people.

Hershey's Casa de Chocolate

We enjoyed fruit in the campground. There are several small trees that are loaded with miniature oranges. Tasty they were. The locals eat them whole, with out peeling them.

Mini orange

Loaded with fruit.

There was another tree loaded with oranges of regular size but they were very bitter, sour and had little orange flovour. On another tree, we found nice size limes...but they were not limes. When you cut them open they looked like a lime but tasted more like an orange. Unique!

An unusual sight outside our campground...this pickup truck had recently been in a roll-over. The box was missing from the back and the headroom was reduced. The mirrors were hanging off the side. Two guys were driving it around town. It looked fairly new so someone wanted to preserve his investment.