March 1: The First Few Days in Mexico

So, It's been a few days since I entered Mexico and a few days since I had Internet access. I'm in Creel, Chihuahua tonight and will head to Batopilas tomorrow (it's likely I wont have internet there, either). Below is a recap of my first few days in Mexico.

Feb 26^th, 1^st day in Mexico went well. I crossed the border from Douglas into Agua Prieta and then rode south most of the day. I stopped to take a few pics of the Universidad de la Sierra and then had lunch in Moctezuma. I had planned to travel due south but was advised to avoid that road due to unsafe conditions. The people at the little restaurant were very nice and really helpful.  I rode to Hermosillo in the afternoon and had an amazing ride through the mountains and into the desert. I stayed the night at a “no tell motel” Sol Y Luna Motel but it was awesome because the KLR was in a Garage adjacent to the room; nice and safe, no worries. I was very tired from a long day in the saddle and INFORMATION OVERLOAD  I got a good night’s sleep and even slept in a bit.

 Moctezuma town square

Sol Y Luna Motel

Feb 27^th 2^nd day in Mexico: The most Amazing motorcycling road I have ever encountered! Mex Rt 16, 200+ miles of the most serpentine smooth asphalt through winding desert hills then into and out of deep canyons then up into the mountains out of the desert into the cool pines and now I’m sitting in a little log cabin in a pine forest at 6500ft elevation. Unbelievably mind blowing double plus good riding today. I really regret not buying a go-pro camera right now because some video would have been great. I had a late lunch in this little roadside café that was run by three little old Native American women. Beans and tortillas and a delicious beef stew. I caught up with a group of Canadians on a Moto tour at the Pemex (gas station) and started chatting. They invited me to stay with them at these cabins near Cascada Basaseachi. What good fortune… Tomorrow I’ll go see the Falls and then on to Divisadero and Barrancas del Cobre (Copper Canyon)
Lynn & John  www.RideTheSierra.com  guided moto tours of Mexico and Really Nice Folks.

Thanks to Mike Bell for the great shots of me and the KLR

Mike & Michele

Feb 28^th Basaseachi to Barrancas del Cobre. The falls were spectacular and I wish I had more time to explore (this will be a repeating theme, I’m sure) the day started below freezing with frost on the bikes and by the time I finished the little hike and got the moto packed it was 80 deg. Crazy temp swing. The walk to the falls from the cabin was nice, quiet and intimate; a nice contrast from the back of the motorcycle. I said good bye to our hosts Io & Victor Rodriguez and then rode around to the scenic vista (mirador) of the falls. It was a more dramatic view for sure. I’m met a nice older couple from Canada that were traveling and exploring. The wife was from Mexico. They had just spent one week at Copper Canyon and were traveling west. More beautiful serpentine roads through the mountains and at one point I was at 8800ft elev. I passed through a few dusty windblown little communities and the stark reality of the poverty was starting to set in. Mostly it doesn’t compute… too much culture shock. There is some mining in this area and some logging. I wanted to stop and photograph these villages but I couldn’t bring myself to do it. To be the idiot tourist taking pictures of the poor people in their poor one room cabins so I could show my friends and family “look, I saw poor people” Ugh! Creel is also dusty and wind swept and in some ways reminded me of Silverton CO. It was 2-3 hours before I arrived at Hotel El Mirador. Tired. Hungry. I didn’t eat lunch today (dumb). The place has a spectacular view over copper canyon! Pricey but worth it. I had a nice hot shower and did some laundry then caught up with my new Canadian Moto buddies and we all had drinks and dinner together. One of the interesting aspects of this area is the Tarahumara people are living in the Park the way they have for many generations. So, just below the Hotel were several small shacks with families living in them. It’s such a stark contrast between the people staying in the Hotel and the people living just below it. Earlier as I was arriving at the park, I saw a family walking a path near the road and heading into the canyon; Mother and Daughter in their brightly colored traditional clothing with their goat on a leash and the Father pushing a wheel barrel loaded with provisions. I wanted culture shock… I’m in shock. I’m definitely not comfortable being the American Gringo Touristo. I just feel foolish and out of place, I guess, because I am. Today I feel completely incapable of processing what I've seen. I wonder how I will feel in a week or a month?

Frosted KLR

Victor (owner) and Io (victor's daughter) Rodriguez were wonderful hosts at Cabanas El Rincon

www.basaseachi.com

Cascada Basaseachi

Springtime Blossoms on a tree near the entrance to Parque Nacional Barrancas del Cobre

March 1 (today) Being a Tourist: Today I got up early to catch the sunrise and it was a good one! Then had breakfast with my Canadian moto buddies and afterwards said goodbye. They had a fairly tight schedule to stick with because the tour was for 17 days and they were covering a lot of ground (very cool). They were a great group of people and I'm so glad I met them! Today I embraced the touristy thing. I did the zip line into the canyon and then took the sky tram cable car out. I have to say, it was a lot of fun and I'm glad I did it. I also bought a beaded necklace and a little wrist band from a Tarahumara woman outside of the Hotel El Mirador lobby. Then I had a nice lunch at the hotel, packed the bike and rode the windy mountain road to Creel. The roads in this part of Mexico are just amazing. It took about an hour to arrive and I found a nice little hotel right away. Hotel Paraje Del Indio. The room is nice and comfortable, the room rate is inexpensive, the folks that are running it are super nice, secure parking for the moto and WiFi (hotel_paraje@hotmail.com). Necesito mas Espanol! I need more Spanish and I wish I knew how to type an enya.

 WEEE!

My Zip Line guides Ramon and Yolanda

 The Tarahumara are beautiful and tough people