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Hiding out in Creel
By John Altman
Hey all yall keepin track, Ill try again.
Ive already typed another posting, only to lose it to this
mexican computer. Thats a lot of time for me to type.
I think my last posting was from Guanajuato, where I was
still basking in the glow of my new trophy presented by the
bulldogs Moto club. After all the whining ..err.... discussion
about trophys at our races, I get one just for showing up
(Ben). That must say something, I dunno what...
From there we intended to make Durango, and check out the
"old West" Mexican style. There they have filmed
countless westerns and still use some of the abandoned towns
for sets. But Durango will be another time. after a late start
due to a lovely liesurely breakfast in Guanajuato, we were
doing allright until I picked up a nail in my rear tire. as
in Guatemala, flat tires always throw the timing off and we
never made Durango, stoping in Fresnillo instead.
Enough said about Fresnillo.
So Yesterday we pounded the Autopista North, paying the heavy
toll charges ($40) in order to make time.After 400+ miles
together, Mr Magoo and I split up as he wanted to ride the
direct route to Chihuahua, then accross to Hermosillo. I wanted
to investigate the southern route into Copper Canyon, which
is marked differently on each map I check, and decided last
yr to bypass with the van, instead looping north then west,
then south again to Creel, the trainstation jump-off point
to the Copper Canyon. The 2 routes appear to be similar distance,
but maps lie. So he went to Chihuahua, and I went west to
Parral.
Enough said about Parral..
That brings me to today. What a day! Up early as usual Id
heard that Creel was 6 hrs, or 9 hrs or 11 hrs away.! No Mexican
wants to say "I dont know" so they guess.
This ride is what motorcycles are made for! Once out of town,
the 2 lane asphalt was empty! The surface varied from "not
too bad" to "not too good", but I have the
bike for it. The first 100 miles were wide open, winding expanse
and I could see
foreever! All the while climbing, and thankful for the sweatpants
under my jeans that Dad gave me in Palm Desert before heading
accross the border. Just pleasant 3rd 4th and 5th gear riding
with vistas. Things tend to work out too as I had originally
hoped to stay the night in Guachochi, but upon arrival I found
it cold and dusty and generally not inviting. Made Parral
look nice.
The next 100 miles were pura curves por las montañas.
Chilly, my hands and feet were cold, but the ride was so SPLENDID
I hardly noticed. A sign read "Peligro Hielo y nieve"
(Danger Ice and snow) but not today. well at least not on
the road. Plenty of snow on the hillsides.- So the ride was
all pine forrests with little ranches with women in traditional
Tarahuhara dress, and kids running out to see the motorcyclist
And as I neared Creel I was passing along the rim of one of
the many canyons and must have stopped for 20 or more photos.
But even with the photos, it is impossible to convey
the FEELING one gets standing on the rim overlooking an expanse
so vast it cant be processed.(You may wanna do a Copper Canyon
websearch for cool photos).
But today was still something of a near miss as I am 1 day
behind meeting up with Lissa and Marty(Trackstar Minneapolis)
and their crew who left Creel yesterday for Batopilas. So
the road gets higher and colder, but the view increasingly
spectacular and the curves tighter, and the dropoffs deeper
and the speeds slower. Of course at this elevation, the Transalp
barely has enough juice to pull me and my gear. The clouds,
however, are becoming more numerous, from none this am to
some dark ones ahead. As I pull into Creel, sure enough sprinkles.
Of course since I know its the dry season in Mexico, and having
experienced zero rain days last yr, I have no raingear.
In Creel, its straight to the Hostel, Margaritas ($7 includes
dinner and breakfast), and I see the front door is open and
there are 5 BMW motorcycles inside! Now there are 6! I havent
met the riders yet, but it seems I will have a chance to practice
my eeengleeesh tonight.
Its a bit too bad about the weather tho as I pulled into
Creel at 2, leaving many hrs of daylight unutilized. So to
answer my question, the southern route is paved, gorgeous,
and takes 5 to 6 hrs on the bike. 8 or more in the van.
tomorrow will be interesting. Depending on the weather, I
know it will be cold (30s!)early, but if its dry Ill try the
straight west route to Hermosillo, also rumored to be a long
300 mile mountain affair, or of its too wet or cold, Ill roll
Northwest to Agua Prieta and Cross into Douglas AZ Hopefully
Gregs by Friday.
Bueno Juan escondido en Creel
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