Hildago del Parral, Durango, Mazatlan

I'm in Mazatlan on the pacific. It's a dramatic change from the mountains and canyons of the Sierra Madres.
I'm covering less ground then I imagined I would. I wonder how that will affect the plans, and where I will return from? Two weeks of my sabbatical are consumed and ten weeks remain. I still can't get my head around it.

Wednesday March 5^th, Guachochi to Hildago del Parral: Well the Hotel in Guachochi was a little rough but I only paid 150 pesos (~$11 US) and they had WiFi. The City of Guachochi is the capital of the Tarahumara and sits at 8000ft elevation; it’s not exactly a tourist destination though. I had frost on the bike in the morning and by the time I packed and got riding the temp was above 60 degrees, at this high altitude the temp swings dramatically.  I arrived in Parral in the early afternoon and with the help from a couple guys at the Pemex station found the historical city center. Parral was a center for silver mining and is also the place where Francisco “Pancho” Villa was assassinated in 1923. There is a small museum near the city center commemorating him.

There was a massive sculpture of cranes(?) in the park behind the hotel in Guachochi. I stuck the camera lens through the chain-link fence to get the picture.

There were a pair of chihuahuas that lived on the roof of the hotel. This was the rear entrance, the front was equally charming.

one of the cathedrals in the Parral city center

This building was a home to one of the wealthy silver mine owners from Parral's heyday 

a view of Parral from one of the river crossings

Thursday March 6^th. Into Durango: I got off to my usual mid-morning start and headed south for Durango, Durango, Mex. I crossed out of Chihuahua into Durango early in the ride and spent most of the day crossing high plains. Dry golden grass, juniper trees and, in some places, huge prickly pear cactus dominated the landscape. I had been riding through these wide open spaces most of the day so it was a huge adjustment when I entered the city of Durango with its big city congestion, narrow roads and lots of pedestrians. It felt claustrophobic and frantic. I had arrived late in the afternoon and had a hard time locating the Hotel I wanted to stay at. After circling around a few blocks I stopped, feeling a bit frustrated and overheated. At that moment, another gringo walked up and said hello… Turns out he was from California and traveling on a ‘08 KLR. He had spent the last 2 months in Mazatlan.  He helped me get some directions but in the end, I didn't find the place I was looking for. I did find a good little place near the city center but by the time I got the bike unpacked the sun was setting. It didn't leave much time for exploring.

I had some Tacitos and Nescafe for lunch at this little roadside stand on the way to Durango

These little Italika motos are everywhere. Turns out, they are made entirely in mexico. this one was for sale in a rent-to-own store. 18k pesos or ~1400 USD

There was a small orchestra playing on this pagoda in the central plaza

More Scenes from the historical center of Durango

Friday March 7^th, The Devil’s Backbone: The route between Durango and Mazatlan is a legendary road. Espinosa Del Diablo, Rt40 is 300Km of fantastically serpentine asphalt through the Sierra Madres and ends near the beaches of the pacific coast. The route exceeded all expectations! In the last week I’ve driven the most awesome miles of my life. This is in no way an exaggeration; the riding has been Incredible! Durango is at a pretty high elevation to start, 6000ft+, and I climbed from there. At one point, I got above 9100ft and had to stop to put warmer clothing on. I had lunch at a little roadside comedor; scrambled eggs with machaca beef, frijoles and the best handmade corn tortillas I have ever had. I crossed two borders today, from the state of Durango into Sinaloa and maybe more interestingly, I crossed the Tropic of Cancer. I wish I could better convey the goodness of a day like today… I don’t even know where to start… maybe it can’t be done. Cool crisp pine scented air, sheer cliffs covered in moss and fern, altitude yawns, logging trucks and lumber yards, little villages clinging to the sides of canyons, Jaw dropping mountain vistas, furry brown burros, dappled light through the trees, turn after turn, brake and clutch, shift and throttle, and then the mania of Mazatlan traffic, the touristy beach and finally the sun setting into the pacific with shrimp tacos and a cold cervesa. Some days, life is very VERY good.

Awesome!

Such a dramatic change from the mountains!

The KLR parked in the lobby of Hotel La Siesta

Another Candian from BC

There are bronze sculptures all along the seashore, this one seemed to get a lot of attention :-)

Sunset on the Pacific

Saturday March 8th, Second day in Mazatlan: Today was an easy day! I had a nice breakfast and a good cappuccino at the coffee shop down the street then rented a beach cruiser bicycle and pedaled all around Mazatlan for 3 hours. I had a nice siesta in the afternoon and I'm getting ready to grab a bite to eat; fish tacos sound good. On a much sadder note, I just learned that my Aunt Karen is in the hospital. I'm sending all my love and big hugs to her and Uncle Ray and Chris and Bethany and their families. My thoughts are are with all the Caggianos right now.

Scenes from Mazatlan:

Two things I love about Mexican culture: their Love of bright color and music

I just missed Carnivale