Final entry for this trip.

We got back to Puerto Vallarta after a bus ride through the mountains. It all worked out, everyone made it and we did get one good day at the beach.

Thanks for following us on our journey. Mission to Mexico III was another success. Plenty of issues were thrown at us along the way, but when the week came to an end everything had been delivered to all of the towns and villages we originally planned to go to. 

I apologize for not being as up to date as past missions with the blog and photos. The other two missions we had a News Tribune photographer and reporter with us the entire journey who were able to concentrate on our progress. This time it was just us and we were always behind and finding internet connections was challenging.

I know lots of you followed us on twitter and we usually were up to date with that. Thanks to the Nextel / Sprint Blackberries we had with us we could submit the twitter updates (plus that was fun for me to do on the road). Keep following this website as we will be announcing the date for our next Bash for Gas party in the parking lot of El Pueblito. Last year we sold all 400 tickets available for the party so get yours as soon as possible. Next year we will also have another poker tournament and a cook off to raise funds. Everyone is invited to all of these events. All information on  events will be available on this website, twitter and at El Pueblito.

Over the next few months we will be editing the video and photos together, so look for our second documentary and a short story about our past air force trip to Ayutla. Around Christmas time watch for our documentary about this Mission to Mexico III trip. Both will be available on Comcast on Demand.

Some interesting opportunities have presented themselves to us and will be evaluating and deciding when and what our next mission will be. We expect to have a plan in place by the end of the summer.

Thanks again and we look forward to seeing everyone at our fund raisers and at El Pueblito. 
Here is the group at customs minus Jose & Ed who were busy with custom officials inspecting vehicles and equipment

Autlan

This is our final stop on the trip. Here we gave away a fire truck, 2 ambulances, a fire command rig and 3 police cars. When we arrived in town we were escorted in by the fire department. We arrived and found mostly government employees, the fire department and curious on-lookers waiting for us. We only knew the town official who rode down with us from the border and he spoke very little English. We didn’t have previous friends and no one quite knew what to say or do. They all spoke Spanish and very little, if any, English at all.

 

Craig and Kathy saying good bye to the police car they drove 3,000 miles and gave to Autlan.

It was a bit awkward but we managed to put our translators in the right places to start the flow of communication. Once the ball got rolling it easy to see how excited the people were. The entire time the Police Chief had a grin on his face that never left. The fire fighters could not contain themselves. When Phil lifted the boom on the truck you could tell many never thought they would ever own a piece of equipment like this. The fire department is only 7 years old and as you can tell by the photo they are very young. Yes, one kid is only 14! 

The Autlan Bomberos standing in front of their new truck. Look how young they are!

 

 
Gonzo with Fire Fighters in Autlan.



Javier translating for Phil as they teach the Autlan Fire Fighters to use the fire truck.

Fire Truck boom extended in front of city hall.

After we had dinner with the town officials and fire department members took us to the Autlan hotel where we all checked in and handed over the keys to the vehicles. They proudly displayed the fire engine, ambulance and a police car at town square. The other vehicles were driven around all evening by the police and fire fighters. They were waving and honking at citizens. Around 10:00 p.m. the fire truck was rolling around town with 5 or 6 fire fighters aboard. They were blowing the horn and had the lights on. This is a town of about 60 thousand so it is a much larger town than Ayutla.

 

 

Rick Adamson hands off the keys to the patrol car and a department coin to the Police Chief of Autlan.

While in Autlan, Javier, Omar and a few others made it to Carlos Santana Square. This town is the birth and home town of Carlos Santana. They have a street named after him, which the fire department is on and statues and numerous other reminders that Santana was born and raised here. Javier has seen Santana more then 60 times in concert so you know he was thrilled to be in his home town. 

While we were in Autlan, Lauren, Cathy and I got a behind the scenes tour of the town clinic which was built by Carlos Santana. Dr. Martin Sandavol is a good friend of Santana’s and we have been working with him for some time to get the items down here. It was interesting to see and we will talk more about that later. 

  

 

The clinic built by Carlos Santana in Autlan.

Tomorrow we leave at 8 a.m. to make the drive over the mountains to Puerto Vallarta. We will spend one day there and fly home the next day. Everything has been delivered, everyone is safe and we start the final drive tomorrow.

 

 
Jose with town officials in Autlan City Hall as they presented us with thanks.

 

Take Care.

Ayutla

Once again we arrived late into town and almost missed the welcoming party. But the town officials and past friends were there to welcome us with a mariachi band , food and drink. It was nice to see everyone, we had a very short time to hang out with them knowing we were leaving for Autlan the next day. We dropped the bus off Rick brought and gave them lots of handicap equipment and other supplies. We stayed in the hotel in the middle of town and it took every room they had to house us.  There is not much to say, everything went fine and everything worked fine. In the short time we were here we were able to go a few schools and drop off books that Ron and Mike brought down with them to give out. Mike had received a number of cases of Spanish-English dictionaries.

Cathy Carini with school kids in Ayutla.

 

Mike delivering books he brought down to the schools in Ayutla. Mike also left books in other towns we went through. The money to buy the books was raised by students of Aylen Jr. High in Puyallup!

 

Jose with kids in town square showing off new
handicap equipment.

 

Lauren playing with school kids in Ayutla

 

Mayor of Ayutla

 

 

The ambulance that went to Barra Navidad gets blessed.


The ambulance was full of donated medical gear.


The crew that delivered the ambulance to Barra Navidad after Mazatlan.

Blog 3 Mazatlan 

We arrived in Mazatlan mid day and the fire department was waiting for us with their fire truck. They and the Red Cross gave us an escort into town and straight to our hotel. Looking around this town and money you would think they had plenty of equipment. We were shocked that their trucks are handmade, 25-30 years old and they have no equipment.  They were so appreciative of what we brought. 

Kathy Martin of Rotary 8 in Tacoma was at the hotel to meet us. She had acquired tons of donations that we transported down. The Rotary in Mazatlan was there and held a reception for us. The hotel owner heard what we were doing and comped 10 of the rooms. Lots of that equipment.
 

Ed Troyer with Kathy Martin of Rotary 8 in Tacoma who made all the donations to Mazatlan Red Cross possible.

Holly, one of our new drivers who lives in Oregon, is on the board of the Red Cross. So it was no surprise to see her in the outfit that matched the Red Cross uniforms.  We were able to spend the night,  get refreshed and ready to hit the road for our final push into the mountain towns.


Holly with Mazatlan Red Cross

The Fire Department received some ladders from us and tons of other equipment. The Red Cross received lots of rescue kits and the hospitals received lots of medical gear for the clinic. The only thing left to say is if you’re trapped in a fire in Mazatlan above the 3^rd floor you’re not getting out. That town needs to take better care of their public safety agencies.


Donations being distributed to Mazatlan Fire Department.


Donations being distributed to Mazatlan Red Cross.

The Mission to Mexico girls cleaned up in Mazatlan after 4 days of driving.

 

Phil and the kid who fixed the fire engine the first time.

Blog 2 Monday the border,

We went through America customs and had no problems. We were actually complimented on our paper work and were even told our Mexican paper work was excellent. For those of you thinking of trying this, don’t without knowing the full extent of paper work needed. Thanks to the work from Jose our paper work was very solid. We were able to get down to the very last check point before the Mexican form of our IRS taxed two of our vehicles and wanted $6000 for both. It was due to the age of the vehicles or something. Even the customs people and others did not agree but the Mexican IRS was rude about it. So what do we do, pay the fee. This was not fun because we had cleared it and done all the proper paperwork before we left. To add more suffering to the pain it was going to take until the next day until the paperwork would be done for one vehicle.  Jose and a town official had to spend the night.

We got as far south as Hermosillo and spent the night. This was the same town that those 47 kids died in a daycare fire. We didn’t have time to do much with that (as if there is anything we could have) but it would be nice to know if it was a lack of equipment or resources.

The next morning we were up and moving south at a good pace. We ended up on the water at a town called San Carlos where we had lunch. This is the first time we have seen the water and a nicer part of Mexico since we left.  This area is beautiful and looks like it should have a lot of money. Shortly after we arrived and parked  on the side of the road, numerous police officer, fire fighters and even the local media showed up to do a story.  Shortly later we met the president of the fire department. The department is all volunteer and we quickly learned they don’t have a fire engine or to be specific a tender to carry water. They had one but the government took it away. Very complicated how that works down here but we have figured out how to get around that with our donations. Most everything we give away goes to local municipalities or non profits with contracts and agreements that stay in place. So needless to say they are going to stay in touch with us. After we departe, refreshed with a good lunch on the ocean, it was time for another long drive.

We got up the next day and headed south.  Driving all day and part of the night we ended up staying at a hotel just outside of an industrial town that there is no way I can or ever will remember, I don’t think anyone else will either. The good news is that Jose and the other town official caught up with us just before us so we were all together. We went to bed knowing we were only about 4-5 hours away from our first stop in Mazatlan.

Javier and Omar and the infamous mechanic who left
the wrench in the engine.


The group at San Carlos enjoying a well deserved break!

Blog 1, Saturday and Sunday - One very long day

We actually were rolling by 9:00 a.m. and all headed out as a group. When I saw all the vehicles lined up going over the narrows bridge I was shocked at the site of the fire engine, ambulances, police cars and a bus altogether.  So was everyone else that saw us. When everyone saw the Spanish graphics on the vehicles we had tons of double and triple takes. I knew at this time this was much more, and was a huge logistical operation, that was going to require a lot of work. The writing was on the wall, so to speak, and I said get ready for tons of problems and something new being thrown at us daily. On top of that we had a dozen new drivers that did not know what to expect. The biggest fear is we would get into the Arizona Dessert and some would realize we weren't even half way there, bail out and fly home. Especially if there are problems, three times the vehicles and three times the problems, what’s the possibility something could go wrong.

We made our way down I-5 not having any problems until we stopped some place in central California and the fire truck would not start. We sent everyone else on their way while Ed, Phil, Jose and I stayed back planning on waiting for a mechanic in the morning. About an hour later one of us jumped in the fire truck and turned everything on, hit the button and the fire truck started. We got back on the road and 4 hours later caught up with everyone else. Everything was back to good; we were just a couple of hours behind as a group.

We all re-grouped  on the road and the sun came up in the mountains of southern California when all of a sudden it was reported that Javier and Omar had fire and/or sparks coming through their vents in the ambulance. We stopped to find that the air conditioning pump seized up and tore the belt off and the bearings were throwing sparks, so no real fire. That was the good news, after towing it to the shop the bad news was the auto part we needed was nowhere to be found. This time Ed and I stayed back with Javier and Omar and the four of us hit the road in the Bronco going from town to town till we found that part. We brought it back and had a mechanic put it all back together. Everyone else is 8 hours ahead of us at this point. The four of us spent all this time in a hot parking lot staying hydrated. Ed and I got to know Javier and Omar well and like them a lot.  They are an excellent addition to this group.

When everything was done we got excited, put everything together and were ready to hit the road. We started the Ambulance and heard the most hideous noise. All of a sudden transmission fluid poured out all over the parking lot and it sounded like the engine was grinding to pieces. I looked at all the guys and thought we were all going to burst into tears together. But luckily we all just started laughing hysterically, guys way of crying I guess. Turns out the mechanic left a tool in the engine, it got caught in the belt and spun around in the fan tearing the transmission fluid line and fitting off. We lost about 4 qts of fluid. The mechanic was honest about it and it took another two hours to fix. We got on the road and got to Tucson 4 hours before our meeting time to cross the border. After a quick power nap we were all where we needed to be, on time, fueled and heading to the border Monday morning at 8:00 a.m. or so we thought. The Fire Truck did not start so we made the decision to find a shop and fix it right. We all headed to the border and started the day long permitting process while the engine got fixed by a road Mechanic. Phil and Gonzo stayed behind this time. To make a long story short it was a cheap fix that caused major problems. Phil and Gonzo met us at the border about 4 hours later and we were all on track again. We were where we needed to be at the time we needed to be there. Reflecting on all this I thought...We are not even in Mexico yet.

Day 4 - Ed Hauge preparing to get the shot


Day 4 The short cut we took to avoid coolican.


Getting fuel, everytime we do this it costs about 6-7 hundred
dollars, and no these don't get good mileage.


New Drivers Javier and Omar in what will turn out
to be the ambulance ride to hell.

Our Mission to Mexico volunteers have had quite an adventure up to this point.  We are hopeful that Ed will find an internet connection this evening and will be able to submit photos and a blog update.  Until then, check out the website, www.themissiontomexico.com, to find Tacoma New Tribune articles and to sign up for Twitter updates!

Final Entry for this trip

Woke up around 8:00 a.m by Jose pounding on my door, this is the first morning the bombs and bells didn’t wake me up at 5:a.m.. I think by meeting the guys that light and set these things off we’re at peace with each other, and yes the photo of me lighting it off will be the final pictures in this blog. And remember when you see this do not try it at home, this was taught to me by a trained professional (who taught me how to light the cigarette lighter) and is missing his left ear. Guess how he lost his ear…yep and he still lighting them off today. He keeps the left side of his face to the flame in hopes of protecting his right ear. He was able to answer the questions I had for him. Jose will back this up as we have it on video.



We hit the road around 9:00 a.m. knowing it may be a long drive. Our flight left at 4:00 p.m. so that would leave us 6 hours. During the drive we worried about our friends since we had not had any contact with them within the past couple of days.  We were hoping they are looking at the beach and watching Phil surf!

Well the roads were worse than before. We have plenty of photos, here is one that tells the story without elaborating. We got to the airport and heard our names over the loud speaker for the final boarding warning. We had actually made plans to spend another night thinking we would miss the flight.  Well, you know those people that get on the plane at the very last second and you think what a jackass waiting till the last minute to board?  Today that was us. We went to the last row of the plane; seeing everyone we came down with, all safe and sound, was a relief.



By the end of this week everyone in Mexico will have what we brought down for them. The rest of the items will be here when we come back in January or February. We went to new towns, put out a fire and have better equipped the people with the tools they need to save lives, and that’s the bottom line. 

Take care and thanks for keeping up with our adventures. If you have comments, suggestions or would like to get involved drop me an email at missiontomexico@comcast.net.   Here are a few more of my favorite photos that don’t fit in the blog.

We will post information about up coming events and trips.

Pas este con tigo (Peace be with you)

Ed
                                 

No Sugar Coating

After arriving at Guadalajara Airport Customs for the second time at 8:00a.m, we realized very shortly that it was going to be another long day.  Our very best plans are not going to work out due to the town Donkey and Attorney from Guadalajara.

Jose and I are here for the second time and it’s obvious there will be no surfing in the morning before getting on the plane.  The only ocean we will get to see on this trip is out the window of the airplane.

Skipping the whole long and boring story, we were able to get all of the items out of customs that we thought we were going to lose. The problem is they confiscated all of our bunker gear including helmets, boots, fire coats and pants; about 50 sets we thought we were going to keep up until the 11th hour. The items are slightly used and the health department will not let them in due to health and contamination issues without a permit and inspection.  This surprised even the custom officials here at the airport. 

Bottom line, we lost about one third of the toys we brought for the orphanage, which was fine as they had good points on all of it. We lost our bunker gear which was the least expensive of the items we had down here. Everything else got through and we owe a few people at customs gratitude for the extra work, we shipped 12 pallets down and 10 and a half got through, thanks to the customs officials doing paper work in two business days that usually takes 3 months. Check out Jose loading the truck.



All of the items are going to be delivered tomorrow to La Morita, the ranch in Ayutla which belongs to Jose’s dad.  Bill Garrison’s computers and medical gear will be delivered this week to San Pancho by our friends in Ayutla. Autlan is coming Thursday to pick up their equipment and the Red Cross in El Limon will get their items this week, delivered by our new Ayutla friend and partner, Juan Bablo Montes, a very educated bilingual man we met with a big heart and the same beliefs and goals we do (more on him later). We got back to Ayutla around 3:00 a.m. went to sleep knowing we had to be up around 7:00 a.m. to take care of some final business and to hit the road to Puerto Vallarta by 9:00 a.m.  We are expecting at least a 3 hour drive, but potentially 5 hours like last time.

Ed

5:30 a.m. and were in the town van heading towards Guadalajara, there are 6 of us and I’m the only one that does not speak Spanish and I’m riding in the very back seat, it’s going to be a long ride and I’m afraid even a longer day when we get there. We have a few tricks up our sleeves so were hoping to get everything out of customs and get back to Ayutla tonight and off to the coast if we have time. I will post more at the end of the day.

Ed