I arrived in Guaymas, Sonora during the winter months and got to see many tourists arriving for their stay around the area. They weren’t coming to see Guaymas, however, they were passing through on their way up to San Carlos.
San Carlos, Sonora, Mexico is located on the northwestern part of Mexico, by Mar de Cortéz (Sea of Cortez). Walking around the area I encountered many older American tourists and expats, all living a very relaxed life by the sea and the desert.
Yes, the desert!
San Carlos, Sonora is still a part of the Sonoran Desert that expands north into the United States (think Joshua Tree National Park in California). The rocks and hills have a beautiful red color.
A Trail Behind the Hills
On this particular day, I was invited to the areas behind the hills right by the ocean. I left in the afternoon, around 3pm and met up with our guide. With all of the winding dirt roads that were sometimes flooded and rocks all around us, we sure as heck would’ve gotten lost. So.. when in RomeMexico: ride in the back of a pick up truck.
And so we began, heading toward the canyons in the winding roads.
We had a pick up truck (where the photo was taken from), and the Ford Explorer that my uncle is driving right behind us. Four wheel drive is recommended, but there’s no one there to check, which is good and bad.. because if you get stuck, you’d have to trek it all the way back to civilization to get a tow truck to haul you out.
We did get to see some wildlife, mostly cows grazing around and some horses too. The mosquito level was low, and saw no creepy animals like snakes or tarantulas. Though cows got creepy sometimes, I walked toward this one and it started pooping while looking over at me. I think it was threatening me. It was in one of these little ponds that one of our cars got stuck. Fortunately, there were no cows around.
Even though a desert is expected to be super dry and hot with sand everywhere, being right by the sea makes the area unlike any other I’ve ever seen. Eventually we reached one of the attractions around here. A film set from where Catch 22 was filmed back in the 70s.
The Catch-22 Film Set
According to our guide, these are known as the Ruins of Catch 22. There are many other locations around the area that have picked up the Catch-22 name, like fishing areas and restaurants.
Very interesting to experience, for sure. The stillness in the area could bring your imagination to think up how things would’ve been back a long time ago when this was used as an armory.
But anyways, as I was saying, not everything around this area looks all dry and stuff.
There is a trail nearby that leads you to an amazing canyon the locals call an Oasis. It is called the Cañon de Nacapule. If you’re around San Carlos, Sonora, be sure to check it out. I’ll get my photos together to show you in a later post.
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