Our
super deluxe (not) motel last night was by US standards a shit hole but
it was the best in town. This pic reflects its best side (and a fresh
coat of paint) but does not represent the spartan insides. Its just
totally different down here as this IS considered ok.
It smelled
musty, echoed inside (good for farting sound effects though). The shower
was concrete with a drain, well let's put it this
way, neither of us would use it. The bed sprung down an inch and then
hit solid wood. When getting into bed you had to ever so gently slide
in. Do not sit down like you normally would otherwise you will be
jarred.
There was no heating which would've been nice tonight as it
is a bit chilly. We slept fully clothed, yes in our clothes we've been
wearing for days (now come to think of it the same clothes since we
departed Bisbee). None of the motel doors lock and the lady owner said
its safe. Hmmm really??? But it was. We had dinner with some mining guys
who regularly stay there and they also said so. Cool dudes and very
helpful on our next days travel plans. STAY OUT OF THE SIERRA MADRE
MOUNTAINS. REALLY BAD SHIT HAPPENS THERE. We changed our next days plans
1st
Gringo we've seen in 6 days, Nate from Mich. All of the gas stations
are Pemex which I believe are Gov owned. All are staffed as full service
and the attendants require tipping.
Back
in the USA. 1st complete oil change since leaving the US 8 days ago.
Finally after 8 days a change of shirt and pants. Undies and sox got
changed a bit more regularly. Everywhere in Mexico is gravel and dirt as
its their everyday environment so why bother to change regularly was
Greg and my thoughts. We got plenty of airing out on our bikes anyway
This
is the shit you deal with on Mexican roads. You have to be a defensive
rider and be prepared for the unexpected as there are no warnings.
Chihuahua state especially as there r pot holes anywhere, sometimes all
the way across the road. Jam on the brakes and hold on. We are always on
edge. Worst part about it we've been caught riding into the dark for 2
hrs again tonight to make it to a safe area.
Riding in the dark here is a big no no. You can't go fast, maybe 40 as
the roads are super twisty with super sharp bends and mountainous. This
is no walk in the park plus its so remote. Towns are far and few to find
let alone find gas and a hotel. Scenery is great. This is an adventure.
This
is Basassachi Falls. Its a bit of a let down since I walked down a
trail 1-1/4 miles just to see this. Yes that's all you will see. Its
supposedly the highest falls in North Anerica, if not then Mexico.
Couldn't really give too much if a shit really. This is a very very
dangerous town. We had our gut feeling riding in but found out way later
on how bad it really was. Skip it.
Just another obstacle to deal with in the roadway. We came around a mountainous sharp corner to find this.
Beautiful scenery but our main focus is the road. Pot holes appear suddenly.
Ascending Copper Canyon.
Had
to climb this rough as guts switchback too.It's the only way out. A lot
of roads have been washed away so temp. passage were made for much of
the 30kilometers, about 20 miles. Temp & wrought. No maintenance at
all.Copper Canyon, Mexico, It's one Awesome & humongous canyon.
We
have arrived at Divisadero?? Which over looks the whole canyon.
Excellent room right on the edge of the canyon. See the fog, that's our
view. Bummer. This nice little girl wanted her dad to take a pic with
our cool bikes. People are blown away when they find out we rode to the
bottom of Copper Canyon on them. The Mexicans are so nice. And yes it is
NOT derogatory to call them that here as that's what they call
themselves and WANT to be known as.
The
1st rickety bridge in Copper Canyon Mexico we had to cross. This one is
safe, it had guard rails Luckily we took the left wheel track as
it was the better choice if there is such a thing.
Our
luggage bags and trunk are made by Jesse Luggage Systems in AZ. They
are the best, strong, crash proof, leak-proof and very secure (excellent
locking system). They are the best by far. Love em lots.
Wooden bridge with no safety railings, in Copper Canyon, Mexico
Our hotel for the night. It's literally but on an
edge of a canyon 2000 feet to the bottom from the balcony. In Creel,
Mexico. Thank you to our sponsors, Ivan & Yolanda wonderful hosts
for arranging this on short notice.
Changing
my flat tire 1/2 way down into Copper Canyon Mexico on the good section
of road. Its about a 12% steep down hill grade. Around the corner ahead
it gets even steeper. Ya just fix shit where it stops in these parts.
We were back rolling in 45 mins. NASCAR tire changers ain't got nothing
on us lol.
Towards
the upper end of Copper Canyon Mexico past Creel. Copper Canyon is
& times bigger than the Grand Canyon. Imagine riding into that. Wow.
It even gets better.
The people of Mexico
Greg
negotiating one of the Hilly bits. Its rough as guts and you gota hang
on for dear life. You can start out with your line but it goes all to
here after hitting the 1st rock poking out or bump.
To
the left we go over the bridge. This part coming down the steep grade
to this point was extremely challenging on our bikes. The road is pushed
out fresh unstable rock by the bulldozers. Very little control at all.
The bridge has 2 wheel tracks made up of 3 boards each side totaling
about 12" wide tracks. It seems easy but there's a pothole before each
bridge entrance that screws up your line. To
make matters worse the boards aren't in alignment so you gota change
your line 1/2 way along. Holy crap captain. This bridge has rails. I was
so focused on the 2nd bridge pot hole and mis aligned boards that I
didn't notice it had no safety railings at all. One mistake and its over
the edge. Incomprehensible. We are in raw heavy construction territory
on WWII era Indians. Wow crazy Gringos
Yes
that is me kissing the black top. My lip marks were left in it. Happy
to see a decent road again would be a severe understatement. 10 miles
took 4 hours to cover. 1 section was 1 mile in 1 hour. And for the
record the black top had no taste.
We got a lot more than we bargained for today
in Mexico as we came across 2 Cartel shootouts with bodies still on the
road. We had about 75 Federal Policia with full auto rifles upon us.
Things settled down when we said we were Americans. The
1st scene was 5 vehicles burned to a crisp. The 2nd scene we dare not
film as the Policia were still swarming the scene and looking in the
trees. These guys make US cops look like pussys. They meant business.
Vehicles spread all over the road and more bodies. Prob happened 2-3 hrs
before we got there. These guys WILL make u shit your pants. We finally
got to our motel but we r still trembling. This stuff you only see on
TV.
