Slide talk and our first trip to Progresso Nuevo Mexico

It’s all downhill (applies to rain and midsections)

So we kicked 2013 out the door a little over a week ago. 2014 came with a bit of a weather attitude at first (who in the North didn’t know that?) but things started to get drier and warmer this week (75F today). Good thing since our bedroom slide revealed a shortcoming during the spell of nearly continuous rain for a couple of days after Christmas. Cold, water soaked carpet on MY SIDE. I took it well and approached the problem like a brave little girl. Yes there were tears. Norene, however, was fine.

Holiday Rambler (HR) made a couple of mistakes in the exterior design of the slide and the previous owner ignored a bit of maintenance as well. Both parties have my gratitude for the free foot wash. Slides are an imperfect beast at best – imagine having a part of your house moving in and out frequently and then driving said house down the highway. Now imagine how hard it would be to make that big hole completely waterproof.

Bedroom slide out. Looks innocent.

So it’s a challenge met best by gaskets, slopes, and hopes. I believe that HR uses the slide topper (a small awning over the slide) to satisfy the “hope” aspect (as in “I hope the rain doesn’t come down sideways and go under the topper and get inside where the gasket is too small and the top of the slide slopes TOWARD the interior”).

Topper over the FLAT roof. If all rain were vertical this would work.

You probably guessed how this worked out. The fix was a bead of silicone on top of the slide to direct the badly behaved rain toward the exterior plus a relocation of the lower deflector so it meets the inner flange. 

The deflector. Now that it goes all the way inside and is glued fully it will work

At the bottom of the slide there was already some damage from lack of sealing which allowed water to get between the exterior fiberglass and the material to which it was supposed to be glued. Cleaned that out, dried it up and resealed it. Then I screwed (with stainless screws) a piece of flat bar aluminum (1/8” x 1”) on the slide bottom to hold the fiberglass up. Since there is a little clearance where the slide bottom goes in this extra 1/8” did not affect the slide operation.

Before installing the aluminum strip.

After. Still some leftover silicone to remove.

Success? Who knows? We’ll only find out during the next rain. There’s no rush on our part.

Making Progresso

Senora from Canada.

Lots of stories out there about the dangers of going to Mexico including some of the nearby border towns such as Reynosa. Progresso Nuevo, however, enjoys a reputation for safety as long as you stay in the very touristy main drag just over the border. About 30 miles away from our resort, it’s a bit of a hike but worth the trip if you are on the hunt for souvenirs, cheap dental work, or just a good authentic meal.

Dos touristas from Canada at the border on the bridge.

Best approach is to walk over since you need extra insurance for your vehicle in Mexico and quite frankly your car makes you a bigger attraction. Don’t worry – you (actually your wallet) will get lots of attention.

Rio trying to look grande.

It’s a lot like Algodones (below California). Continuous hawking from the Mexican end of the bridge southward. And multiple opportunities to buy stuff you don’t need.

Crowded and noisy. Beverage outlets on every corner (and from a lot of pharmacies).

It's OK Honey - you're safe with me she said.

 

 

We got lucky when we decided to head in for lunch.

 

Artuo’s has been in operation since 1956. Waiters in black jackets providing fast efficient service and excellent food. Full and wobbly (dos marguerites each) we wandered up repetition alley (and even reshopped a few stores). Turns out my tolerance for stores increases directly in proportion to tequila consumed. Too bad Wal-Mart hasn’t picked up on this. 

Sobered up and walked back to Texas. It's good to be home.