Wandering down to the local boat ramp in Cholla Bay, we found a fisherman cleaning buckets of fresh sea scallops. At $8 a pound for cleaned bite-size scallops, you can guess what we had for dinner that night.

Puerto Peñasco is full of cute restaurants and gift shops. We had to stop at El Sombrero for a few fish tacos. Later we scored kilos of fresh fish, shrimp and clams in the local seafood open market. Punto Peñasco is a dune buggy friendly town, no special license required.    

Beach combing along Puerto Peñasco Bay, we spotted this turtle shell. It’s drying on the roof of Neil’s house in Cholla Bay. When it stops smelling, he’ll hang it on the wall.  

On a side trip around Puerto Peñasco Bay, Neil Johnson showed us the dunes and the long beaches along the estuary. Even his 330-horsepower buggy was tested in the soft sand. Backing back down, he made it the second try.  

As the sun set over the Sea of Cortez, we watched other dune buggies and four wheelers climb Competition Hill. Neil Johnson’s 330-HP 2.5L Subaru-powered four-seater had no problem rocketing up the soft sand.  

It had been many years since we visited Puerto Peñasco, Mexico, just south of the Arizona border. It has certainly grown, with hotels and condos sprouting up everywhere. We stayed with friends in the nearby community of Cholla Bay. There was a good view from Competition Hill sand dune just outside of town.