Reactions from Bystanders When Taking Photos of Signals/Signs

[KEK Inc.]

I might look at you thinking your crazy doing that.

I think the people thought I was suicidal.   The speed limit is 50 MPH, and there's rarely a cop there, so it's a local drag racing hotspot.   

However, I chose a decent spot, since it actually rises to the same elevation as the levee wall.  That way, I was able to see about 2 miles down the road behind me.  I didn't worry too much about how far I could see in front of me since the road ends in 5 miles. 

[Bryant5493]

My brother recently asked me why I video and photograph the roads. I told him I like to see different roads, signs, etc. -- and like to share them with everyone else. Also, it's a neat and interesting hobby.


Be well,

Bryant

[BigMattFromTexas]

I would've had a run-in with the Mexican gang police people if I took a picture of a sign in front of their truck. Details below:

OK, so we were in Acuña, Coahuila, Mexico, and we were on Meixco 57 in Acuña. There was a sign that I wanted to shoot (not literally) but I was behind these two trucks with like 8 dudes in the back, and they were all wearing black like bullet proof vests, and they all had assault riffles (couldn't tell what kind. Maybe a M-16 or something?)  I figured if they saw me with a camera I don't think they'd be too happy. So instead of spending the night in a prison (which who knows? That might be their law, I mean it's Mexico. Ya never know.) But instead of risking a night in jail, I didn't take the picture and I spent the night in the city 4 miles north of Acuña. Del Rio, Texas
BigMatt

[J N Winkler]

They wouldn't have bothered you just for taking pictures of signs, but they would have been very concerned that they themselves were not in any of your pictures.  Not taking the pictures in this context was the prudent thing to do.

On both of my trips to Mexico, I stopped frequently for out-of-car shots of signs and was never bothered by anybody.  But the first trip was in 2001-02 while the second was in 2002-03, and both were well before the current problems with gang warfare.  I would quite like to go back to Mexico but at the moment I don't fancy checking myself for bullet holes.

[agentsteel53]

On both of my trips to Mexico, I stopped frequently for out-of-car shots of signs and was never bothered by anybody.  But the first trip was in 2001-02 while the second was in 2002-03, and both were well before the current problems with gang warfare.  I would quite like to go back to Mexico but at the moment I don't fancy checking myself for bullet holes.

I don't think the problem is nearly as bad as it was about two years ago.  One just has to stay out of the current hotspot border town.  I am planning a trip down to Cabo San Lucas and am not dreading any inevitable shootouts with drug cartels.

[Brandon]

Agreed.  The problem is mainly confined to some border cities (Ciudad Juarez comes to mind), not all of Mexico.  I'm going down to Cozumel the first week of September and renting a car, and it should be even safer than driving around Chicago.

[agentsteel53]

Agreed.  The problem is mainly confined to some border cities (Ciudad Juarez comes to mind), not all of Mexico.  I'm going down to Cozumel the first week of September and renting a car, and it should be even safer than driving around Chicago.

indeed.  for reasons I can't quite figure out, Juarez is the one place where the Mexican Army has been unable to make as much ground as in other places.  Then every couple weeks, there's a rotation among one of the other towns for whose turn it is to flare up.  Currently, it is Nogales.

[BigMattFromTexas]

Go to Acuña, Coahuila. It's a real nice city of about 200,000. Last time I checked it was 150,000 so it's definitely growing. Despite me seeing the scary people in the truck. It's a real nice city. I've stayed the night there once. It's not a big drug trafficking city like other Texas-Mexico border towns/cities.

~EDIT~ I did take multiple pictures of signs and stuff in Mexico. I just didn't get the sign while behind the police people.
BigMatt

[agentsteel53]

Go to Acuña, Coahuila. It's a real nice city of about 200,000. Last time I checked it was 150,000 so it's definitely growing. Despite me seeing the scary people in the truck. It's a real nice city. I've stayed the night there once. It's not a big drug trafficking city like other Texas-Mexico border towns/cities.

sounds a bit like San Luis Rio Colorado, Sonora, which definitely had a more inland feel despite being a border town.  It may be that San Luis, AZ is removed enough from Yuma that it does not feel like a border town either.