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The temperatures and humidity are getting unbearable, so we make the decision to head to Santa Rosalia, and then cross the Sea of Cortez to Guaymas for a haul-out until November. Guaymas/San Carlos are just above the 'hurricane line' where our insurance company insists we stay above from July through the end of October.

Santa Rosalia is a beautiful town. Unlike the other cities and villages we visited, Santa Rosalia was built of predominately wood frame construction. Not surprising, considering the town's history. It was developed by a French comoany (El Bolero) as a mining town. Wood was imported to construct the industrial and residential buildings. It has a very interesting history.

The weather was hot and humid... so like the locals, we usually ventured out in the evening after the temperatures cooled. That's when the town came alive. We'd visit the sidewalk vendors (the deep fried hot dogs are great) and sit in the town square. Families would be visiting, kids riding their bikes with training wheels, and teens playing basketball.

We visited our first fire station here after we saw the town fire truck returning from a training exercise. We visited with the firefighters (bomberos), and were given a 'tour' of the fire truck... they were quite proud of a new 'jaws of life' that they purchased via donations.

We visited 'Eiffel's Church' in the town square. Though the origins might be a bit of dispute, it's said that this church was designed by Eiffel for the 1889 Paris World's fair. The story relates that Eiffel was given awards for the design of this church and his famous tower. The church was then moved to Brussels, but the French mining company wanted it in Santa Rosalia. So, it was purchased, dismantled, and brought to this town via sailing ship. The church is quite simple, yet beautiful.

After a few days, we decided to head across the Sea of Cortez to Guaymas to have the boat hauled for the rest of the season. The trip across was quite choppy. With the duration of the waves so close together, we pretty much 'hobby horsed' for 8 hours or so. We were treated to the display of a lightning storm in the distance for several hours.

After arriving and getting settled in Guaymas, we opted to rent a car and travel to Tucson to purchase a pick-up truck and travel trailer, which was intended to be our home for the next few months as we traveled the US visiting friends.

We prepared the boat for haul-out, which meant removing the sails and anything above decks, removing all the food, greasing window gaskets (so they don't stick in all the heat), and other preparation. Our intent is to return in October to do some work on the boat and then head out again in November.