Los Algodones

November 13th, 2024

Today, I made my first trip of the season to Mexico. The drive started at 7 a.m. and took me down Highway 95, past the Kofa National Wildlife Refuge, the Yuma U.S. Army Proving Grounds, and through the northern edge of Yuma, Arizona. After crossing the Colorado River, in this area more a series of canals, I passed through the farthest south corner of California and rolled up to the border with Mexico.

Going to the town of Los Algodones is a ritual for many snowbirds who spend the winter near Quartzsite. The small Mexican town is also known as Molar City. There are dozens of dentist offices within a short walk of the border. They provide cheap dental service for retirees on Medicare who don’t have dental insurance. Many people leave their vehicles at the large Quechan Indian operated parking lot just across the street from the U.S./Mexican Customs crossing gate. They can then walk across the border, through the “Border Wall”, and down the main street lined with Dentist Offices. You can take your pick.

I made an appointment two days prior at SANI Dentist Group. The only difficulty is figuring out what time you have for an appointment. Did they set you up at 9:30 a.m. Mountain Time, Arizona Time, or California Time. You might also have to figure out whether Daylight Savings Time will be an issue, as Arizona does not observe DST. My 9:30 times was actually Arizona Time, even though the town is on Pacific Standard Time. Your time keeping device might play into this also, as many now automatically adjust to you location. My iPhone adjusted, but my watch waited for 10 minutes after the iPhone did. My Ford Truck just stayed on Mountain Time. Chaos!

Your time at the office goes quickly and similar to an assembly line. You walk in and write your name down. You sit down. They call you back. You fill out paperwork. You sit down. They call you for X-rays (you stand inside the machine and the camera rotates around your head). You sit down. They call you to see a dentist who asks you what you want done. You sit down. They call you to a tiny cubby hole of a room where you pay the cashier. You sit down.

I was then called in to have a loose crown re-glued. Then they cleaned my teeth using hyper sound. This took about 10 minutes. I like that way better than the hammer and chisel they used back in Michigan. Lastly, they tell you to go home. You wend your way through the ubiquitous street vendors as you head back to the border crossing. Total cost was $145 U.S. for X-rays, glue, polish, and 20 minutes of labor. I am guessing that is about 1/3 of what your insurance would have to pay back in the U.S.

It took a few minutes to wait in line and get my passport checked as I stepped foot back into California. The only question I was asked was “what are you bringing back?” I replied “clean teeth”. I quickly walked to my truck and drove the shortest and fastest route, using I-8 back across the border into Yuma, Arizona and the good old U.S. of A.

I stopped at the Target in Yuma to replenish my supply of T-shirts and then grabbed lunch at the Chick-fil-A (it helps get rid of that clean teeth aftertaste from your mouth). The 90 mile drive through the desert was just enough to slow my heart rate back down, and flush the adrenaline from my body before I arrived back at my campsite.

I went through California, visited Mexico, and visited a dentist all in one day. That is the most dangerous thing I have done since I ran into the Grizzly Bear out on the trail in Montana back in July. Except, I at least had Bear Spray for that.