Sea of Cortez ???'s (Phoenix, Tucson: car insurance, house, shop)

[6 FOOT 3]

Just wondering if Tucson is closer than Phoenix to the ''Sea Of Cortez'' and secondly is there hassle driving into Mexico going to the coast...

[horacewayne]

i have been twice the past year and was not even stopped going in, or searched coming out.....get insurance online, though......if you can afford a plce south of town, playa encanto FE, it is worth it for beachlife......

[Idaho]

By Sea of Cortez, if you mean Rocky Pointe, then yes, Tucson is closer by about an hour and a half to it than Phoenix.
USA customs laws changed as of January 1, 2007 and a passport is required now to go back and forth across the border - no more 'just' a photo id and birth certificate.

And, as horacewayne said, you must carry Mexican car insurance. It is available for just about as short a duration or long as you want.
Ask your personal USA auto insurance agent for recommendations.

"hassle driving into Mexico?" you asked - Well, it's a two lane road, so patience is sure needed.
Getting into Mexico is easy. Can be another story to get out - example: a couple years ago,
Rocky Point fishermen blocked the roads for a few days, so some Americans had to stay longer than they planned.
Carry US dollars and they'll love you - worth more than Mexican cash, so Rocky Point business people have it all figured out.

[6 FOOT 3]

Thanks for the info Horacewayne and Idaho....Could you explain the best route to travel there and about how many hours of drive time (average)....

[Steve97415]

I wouldn't recommend Puerto Peñasco (Rocky Point). It's just not that interesting. As I remember it, it's about the same distance traveling from Phoenix (AZ 85) as it is from Tucson (AZ 86). Both routes connect at Why, AZ and then head south to the border. The port of entry is through Lukeville. It's been a long time since I've driven it, but I seem to remember it being in the vicinity of 5 hours.
I would enter Sonora through Nogales instead, and drive down to San Carlos/Guaymas or at least Bahia Kino (Kino Bay). It's a much nicer area.

[atlaw]

no passports if driving as yet.

[michael krotchie]

Originally Posted by atlaw

no passports if driving as yet.

As of this summer you will; I mine now anyway. I don't like carrying my birth certificate around anyway.. On a side note, the SENTRI passes are well worth it at the border.

CURRENTLY:
U.S. citizens need to present either (a) a passport, passport card (scheduled to be in full production beginning in July 2008), or WHTI-compliant document; or (b) a government-issued photo ID, such as a driver's license, along with proof of citizenship, such as a birth certificate.

Western Hemisphere Travel Initiative

I haven't seen a two year old post in awhile..

[ZonyPony]

Originally Posted by michael krotchie

I haven't seen a two year old post in awhile..

Yep... almost to the day...

These old dead posts continue to get resurrected somehow, and then are given new life more often than not, aren't they? Must be a buncha thread miners out there!

[KarmaPhx]

Rocky point is a blast if you are looking to party or do some shopping. My girlfriends parents own a house on the beach down there just outside of the town about 10 minutes.

Tucson is closer to the border, but is actually a longer drive than it would be from phoenix. You need to head west first before you can head south, it may be possible to follow roads from nogales but I wouldn't trust it.

I was in RP about two months ago, and from North Phoenix it took just over 4 hours to get to the house, there was two accidents on the way which slowed us down, and getting through the first small city took forever, lots of traffic.