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jcwst

Mar 9, 2008, 8:31 AM

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experience crossing border from SE (Fl)

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We are traveling to San Miguel De Allende in August for two months. We will be driving from Tallahassee, Florida. Would it be best to cross border in McAllen or Laredo. Thanks for any advice.

Brian

Mar 9, 2008, 9:27 AM

Post #2 of 7 (1494 views)

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Re: [jcwst] experience crossing border from SE (Fl)

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It is a tossup. Driving distance is the same and trip to Laredo is one hour less than to McAllen. Pharr is a better place to cross than McAllen/Hidalgo because it is easier to find the Banjercito modulo for your car permit. Both routes feature expensive toll roads most of the way to SMA. Taking Pharr bridge route down Hwy 97 and then around Ciudad Victoria via corto San Luis Potosi is scenic and only one small toll at SLP parador. A first-timer should probably stick to the toll roads but after that it doesn't make much sense to use them.

Brian

(This post was edited by Brian on Mar 9, 2008, 9:38 AM)

bournemouth

Mar 9, 2008, 11:32 AM

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Re: [Brian] experience crossing border from SE (Fl)

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Brian - could you expand on your idea that using the toll roads makes sense for first timers but not after that. Are you writing about these particular tolls roads or toll roads in general? Enquiring minds would like to know.

esperanza

Mar 9, 2008, 11:44 AM

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Re: [Brian] experience crossing border from SE (Fl)

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Here's another opinion.

My partner and I traveled this route from Morelia to McAllen in late January 2008 and couldn't have had a simpler, more peaceful trip. It's free road all the way, no tolls at all, and the roads are the best I've traveled in Mexico during the last 15 years. They're better than the toll roads.

The crossing at McAllen is a snap. The Reynosa, Mexico street that leads to the government buildings for temporarily importing your car is clearly marked and easily accessed, and the route out of Reynosa via the roads we traveled is equally easy to find.

Take a look at this post and you'll see how we did it. Once you're in central Mexico, the exits for San Miguel de Allende are also clearly marked.

http://mexconnected.com/...iew_expanded;#114821

http://www.mexicocooks.typepad.com

Brian

Mar 9, 2008, 1:16 PM

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Re: [bournemouth] experience crossing border from SE (Fl)

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In Reply To

Hi

Yes, I was addressing specifically the routes from the border to SMA. I have made the trip numerous times and always was looking for the best route to take considering factors such as total time, availability of services, road conditions etc. Like most folks from SMA we initially made our shopping forays "al otro lado" to Laredo. Then we discovered the Valley with better shopping and medical facilities. For awhile the route around Ciudad Victoria had bad patches of road during construction but now it is very fast..all without paying the expense of tolls. Now if someone was intent on going between Laredo and SMA, the toll road would make sense and be more enjoyable than the free road. I am suggesting to the original poster that the route from Pharr (or Los Indios) is just as fast, has plenty of gas stations, restaurants and other vehicular traffic. That said, I don't see the point in paying for the same thing I can get for free.

Brian

Bloviator

Mar 10, 2008, 7:31 AM

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Re: [Brian] experience crossing border from SE (Fl)

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I appreciate your comments about the free roads. Since the roads from Mazatlan to above Culiacan are on coastal plain, I have considered taking the free road just to find out if it is a good alternative. However, having taken the free road from Tepic toward Guad - and getting off as soon as possible, due to winding hilly conditions and beater sugar cane trucks - and having 1,500 miles to travel, I have not done so. I think I will go ahead and try next time I'm traveling that stretch. The cost of cuotas has gone up considerably recently - but it is a good thing as it has gone up due to new roads that make the trip much easier. If I can find a good free road to offset the increases, I will have the best of all possible worlds.

I suspect that the free roads from Maz to Guamuchil are likely to be easy roads to traverse. There don't seem to be any parallel free roads north of that point for quite a distance. Am I wrong?

Brian

Mar 10, 2008, 9:17 AM

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Re: [Bloviator] experience crossing border from SE (Fl)

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All my driving experience on the west coast of Mexico was well before the construction of the autopista. At that time there were no alternatives and my recollections of Mex15 between Nogales and Tepic are of a decent road passing directly through the towns. The negative side was the difficulty in finding safe places to pass, particularly the ubiquitous cargo trucks. My suggestion of using the free roads between SMA and the Rio Grande Valley is specific to that trip. Most, but not all, free roads are still pretty much OK throughout the republic.

(This post was edited by Brian on Mar 10, 2008, 9:37 AM)