Erich’s Journal -- Leg 07 – Northern Mexico – Agua Prieta, Sonora, Mexico to Gral Pánfillo, Zacatecas, Mexico – September 23, 2001 to October 12, 2001 – 20 Days.

Sunday, September 23, 2001 – Day 101 – Primative Camping – near Nogales, Chihuahua, Mexico – cycled 68 miles / 110 km (See Sonora / Chihuahua Map)

After a great breakfast at the street café entrance to the Gadsen Hotel (See photo 633) we crossed in to Mexico (See photos 635 and 636) Due to the recent events in New York, the US was actually checking people that left the country. It was the first time I’ve ever been checked leaving the country.

Crossing into Mexico was a little easier than I had been anticipating. During the morning I was a little nervous. Although I had crossed many times into Mexico and at least 6 times in Agua Prieta, I had never crossed with a bicycle. I had so many questions I was trying to work out in my head such as “Do we need to pay for the bond on our bicycles like someone who has a car?” and “We plan to stay in Mexico longer than the 30 days which is on their typical Permiso. Can we still enter Mexico?” and so on…

The nervousness went away as soon as we got up to the building that had the sign that said Migracion. There was no line, which is why I like crossing at A. P. rather than Nogales. Two officers who did not speak any English helped us and were quite fascinated with our journey. They asked many questions about our trip so far and many questions particularly about Alaska. As we were finishing up with visas, they indicated we needed to pay $20 each for a bond on our bicycles and would need to present proof of ownership. Shoot. We have to pay.

We were going to dig through our bags to find the receipts for the bikes, but decided to hit the bank window first to see if they really needed to see it. When the man behind the window discovered we were on bikes, he told us we didn’t need the bond. Great day! We had now entered Agua Prieta (which means Dark Water), in the state of Sonora. We were on our bikes and headed south to the intersection of highway 2. (See photos 636, 637, 638 and 639)

Agua Prieta, a city of about 100,000, is a typical border town, which has a reputation in both Mexico and the U.S. as being full of criminals, drug traffickers, and banditos. We were quite interested in moving through as quickly as possible. We had stocked up on groceries and water in the U.S. It was 100 miles to the next services, so we knew we were going to camp in the desert.

We did stop however at a bank machine to get some Pesos. We each got $1,500 (Pesos) to start with. The bank was closed, but our ATM cards gave us access to the lobby where the machine was. We assumed the exchange rate was about 10 to 1. Our budget would be 200 pesos per day on the average.

Highway 2 is an east-west highway that is just south of town. We headed east. This stretch of road is a favorite spot of mine. I really appreciate very rural places. This is one of the most rugged, least populated areas of Mexico. Brian and I compared this road frequently to the Dalton Highway. Instead of crossing the Brooks Range, we crossed the Sierra Madre. We hit bad weather and high winds crossing the pass just like we did over the Brooks Range. (See photos 640, 641, 642, 643, 644, 645, 646 and 647)

The route took us to high elevations, in which the vegetation switched from Yucca and cactus to juniper and oak. Cool rains were falling on the surrounding mountain ranges and behind us. The rains really didn’t hit us until we went over the pass. The temperature probably dropped 30 degrees. It was an awesome site as you could see 50 miles in any direction. To the northwest, you could see the Chiricahua Mountains in Arizona where Cochise fled and hid from the US Calvary for many years. To the Northeast, you could see Antelope Wells, New Mexico where the Continental Divide cycling and hiking trail ends at the Mexican border. To the south, you could see the Sierra Madre near the community of Bavispi where Cochise’s grandson, Nino hid from the US and Mexican officials until the early part of the 20th century. To the west, the valley is filled with oak and natural prairie grass which was quite common in southeast Arizona as well before the introduction of cattle to the area. To the east, where we were heading you could see rolling hills and cattle country that go all the way to Texas.

As I stated earlier, this has always been a favorite place of mine due to the rugged, wilderness feel that it has. Unfortunately, since the US border patrol has fortified the border in California and Texas a bit better, the illegal immigration and drug smuggling has made this once peaceful area now one that has a great deal of trafficking to the US.

The truckers and motor tourists have been very friendly since our crossing. There is basically no shoulder on the road, but the motorists have been respectful of us for the most part. Most honk to say hey. I don’t remember waving as much during any part of the trip as I did today. We visited a couple of Mexicans at the top of the pass over the Sierra Madre (6,300 ft). They offered us water and traveling advice. They do see on occasion some cyclists on the road, but it is rare.

We dropped down the east side to about 4800 feet elevation out of the oaks and back into the mesquite filled desert. The top of the pass also marks the state line between Sonora and Chihuahua. (See photos 647, 648 and 649) We passed a sleepy little community named Nogales (which means Walnuts). Don’t confuse this little town in Chihuahua to the larger border crossing in Sonora. This Nogales is not on most maps. In fact it is just a few dozen adobe homes and lots of cattle. (See photos 650 and 651) We camped in the desert just a few miles from there. We had a beautiful sunset as the rains continued a while all around us. We were dry though. What luck! (See photos 652, 653, 654, 655, 656 and 657)

Monday, September 24, 2001 – Day 102 – Hotel – Nuevo Casas Grandes, Chihuahua, Mexico – cycled 73 miles / 118 km

Although a beautiful spot, last night’s camp should go down as one of our worst. It started out OK, but after we climbed into our bags, the cows came out of the mesquite trees and seemed to be upset that we were in their turf. Between the cows mooing and the coyotes yipping, I’m sure all we needed to do was snore and it would be a regular unheard orchestra.

It wasn’t that annoying until I heard one cow urinate next to the tent, which sounded as though someone’s faucet was running on high. That was enough. I put on my headlamp, shoes and socks. Then I stepped out of the tent. In the darkness my headlamp revealed several sets of eyes in front of me. I screamed and waved my arms. Nothing. Again. Nothing. Then I made the sound as though I was running. I started the stampede.

Back to bed, but not for long. More cows made their way to our site. We must have been on the path from the pasture to the feed trough. I don’t know. This time a cow was bellowing right in my tent door. I through a plastic Gatorade bottle out the door and hit her. She ran and her friends ran too. Let’s just say it was a long night.

It had gotten a little cool that night. The morning dew which dampened our tents soon dried shortly after the sun rose. The storm clouds were gone. The wind was calm.

After a dry breakfast, we got on the road shortly before 9:00 a.m. We had been looking forward to the day’s ride, because the terrain was flat. Shortly after we got going, we ran into a 30 mph head wind. It did not let up. Our direction changed only a few degrees the entire day. Quite discouraging as we averaged only about 10 mph all day on a road where we really could have made some time.

Other problems that day included my two flats that occurred at nearly the same time. Both front and back tire had been punctured. It took a while to fix both. The bolt on Brian’s seat post that holds the seat to the bike post had also broken, We searched the road for a missing part that had fallen off the seat. After 10 minutes or so we had found it. So all together, the day was not one of fast travel. (See photos 660, 661 and 662)

We made it into Nuevo Casas Grandes just as the sun was setting. It was one of our hardest cycling days in some time. We were sound asleep shortly after eating some groceries purchased across the street from the very nice motel where we stayed. We slept hard.

Tuesday, September 25, 2001 – Day 103 – Motel – San Buenaventura, Chihuahua, Mexico – cycled 52 miles / 84 km

We slept in this morning. As Brian had stated the night before… “I think we deserved this motel room.” So we slept in a little. With the recent cooler temperatures of about 80 degrees or so, leaving at the crack of dawn was no longer necessary. Although we can’t seem to prove it or care to prove it, it has come to our attention that we may have lost two hours since Arizona but we really didn’t notice until today. We lost an hour when we crossed in to Mexico because Arizona does not follow daylight savings time but Sonora does. Then when we crossed into Chihuahua, we entered Central time zone. This works better for us, because the sun was setting at 6:00 p.m. or so we thought. Now we have a few more hours of light each evening.

The morning was spent looking for a bolt for Brian’s seat. At first we thought a ferreteria (hardware store) but then our hotel clerk suggested the bike shop in town. We didn’t even imagine there was a bike shop in town, but Nuevo Casas Grandes not only had one but two. The owner of the hotel insisted on showing us where they were. We followed him while he drove his car. The first one we tried was closed. After weaving around the downtown area, we came across the other one. (See photos 663 and 664)

The owner of the bike shop was quite helpful. We poked through a box of bolts until we found one that fit. No charge. Great deal.

Afterward his son guided us out of town. We gave him a generous tip of 10 pesos each (we didn’t intend to) so he was quite happy with us. We grabbed breakfast / lunch at a burrito stand on the way out. We tried burritos con borrega and burritos con chicharron. (At least that’s how I think they’re spelled). The borrega was lamb and the chicharron was pork skin. Brian didn’t care for that one too much. I didn’t either but wasn’t about to throw it away.

The ride was uneventful again. Brian got the flat today on his trailer. The wind wasn’t as bad as the day before too, but still blowing against us.

We did pass through a community of fair-skinned blonde people; we thought was a little unusual for Mexico. It was named Colonia Le Barón.

For the most part as we’ve traveled through Northern Mexico, the people are very friendly, inquisitive and polite on the road. (see photo 658)

Wednesday, September 26, 2001 – Day 104 – Motel – Gomez Farias, Chihuahua, Mexico – cycled 52 miles / 84 km

This morning, we slept in somewhat. The alarm went off at 6:15, but the sun didn’t come up until 8:00 a.m. or so we thought. The time question finally was answered when we had breakfast. We were an hour ahead. Apparently Chihuahua did not follow daylight savings time. So we are on central time. The alarm went off at 5:15 and sun came up at 7:00 a.m. We were out the door by 8:00 a.m. After a nice breakfast of burritos de juevos y chorizo we turned off and headed along highway 5. The climb began. Sixteen miles later we had climbed close to 3000 feet, putting us at our highest elevation close to 8000 feet. The Sierra Madre was beautiful. It reminded me so much of the high elevations in the Navajo Nation and southern Colorado. There were large Pinons, Junipers, and Ponderosa Pines. The sun was direct but the temperature was less than 80.

The rule I need to follow closely is “Never pass an opportunity to fill your water bottles” I was hurting for water during the climb. Although it was only 28 miles to Zaragoza, the 16 mile climb took 3 hours. I was very thirsty when I finally bummed some water from Brian. (See photos 665, 666, 667, 668 and 669)

The climb was awesome. It made me realize that we are in pretty good shape. We stopped once during the climb and stopped again once we reached the top of the pass. The drop down the other side was long and gradual, but we only dropped about 1200 feet or so. (See photos 670, 671 and 672)

Zaragoza was a sleepy little town. I realized that the road we were on was not a main road like the one out of Agua Prieta. This one had very little traffic. People in Zaragoza just stared at us as though we were from another planet. One old man finally spoke to us as we ate our lunch in the town plaza. (See photo 673, 674, 675 and 676)

We ended our day in the larger town of Gomez Farias, nestled in the evergreens and farmland. We got a room for under $18. With hot water and a TV, one can’t complain. Dinner tonight was Burritos de desebrada y tacos de barbecoa. The desebrada which we’ve had for two nights now, is pretty tasty.

Thursday, September 27, 2001 – Day 105 -- Primitive Camp – near Bachiniva, Chihuahua, Mexico – cycled 60 mles / 97 km

Today I was dragging. The headwinds were strong again. We cycled off of the plateau that we were on dropping down about 1000 feet into a valley. There we cycled through the towns of Peña Blanca, Soto Maynes and Bachiniva. We camped in some oak and juniper trees just on the east side of Bachiniva. Beautiful spot to kick back and read, write and cook. Brian made some ramen. I’ve got some rice, peas, and carrots. Early night tonight. (See photos 677, 678 and 679) We may take a couple of days in Ciudad Cuautémoc. We are thinking of taking the train to Copper Canyon for the day. Also we need a day of internet and laundry.

Friday, September 28, 2001 – Day 106 -- Hotel – Ciudad Cuauhtémoc, Chihuahua, Mexico – cycled 46 miles / 74 km

The wind can be quite demoralizing. We managed to run head into it every afternoon since we entered Mexico. Always blowing from the Southeast which is the direction we are heading. The pace drags some.

Today we biked through some rather wealthy farming communities. The homes were rather nice. The crops looked good. I noticed corn. But mainly I noticed lots of apple trees. Lots of farmers taking wagon loads of apples down the highway.

One thing we read about, which matched what we saw, was that the people here were primarily white and blonde. According to our Mexico handbook, the area is settled by Mennonites from Germany and Holland over 100 years ago. One person approached us and spoke German at first until he realized that we were from the United States.

We had lunch in a small town of Alvaro Obregon. Brian had a hamberguesa y papas and I had some bistec y frijoles y tortillas. Very delicious. So far neither of us have been sick, but we have been drinking only purified water and taking peptobismol each day to coat the stomach. We are drinking our fair share of coke and pepsi too.

We got a very nice room, downtown, near the centro plaza, called the Hotel Plaza. For 230 pesos, we got a very nice room. We still don’t know the exchange rate but think its about 10 to one.

We will probably take the day here tomorrow but want to check on the train schedule for Copper Canyon.

Saturday, September 29, 2001 – Day 107 – Hotel -- Creel, Chihuahua – Rest Day

There have been some unexpected beautiful, adventurous days that have occurred on this trip that I have sat back and said – “This is why I am doing this trip!”

Today was one of these days. It was a break from the cycling routine. It was a twist that I could not predict. Last night, while calling his parents, Brian met an American woman who lived in Mexico. She overheard Brian talking about the Mexico trip so far and how we were contemplating traveling to Barranca del Cobre (Copper Canyon), but couldn’t work out the logistics. It was after he had hung up that she approached him and offered to take us to Creel, the heartland of the Tarahumara Natives and gate to Barranca del Cobre.

The next morning, we after interneting our latest stuff to the webmaster and arranging to stow our bikes for a few days we met up with Kirsta (the American Woman) and her cousin Pancho who was driving.

Kirsta, who appeared to be well off, was vacationing frequently. She owned houses in Cuautéhmoc, Chihuahua, and Puerto Vallarta. She also had a home near Creel, a place she referred to as “The Ranch” If you walked out to far to the edge of her property you would walk over the edge of the canyon.

Now Copper Canyon, if you don’t know, is deeper than the Grand Canyon but not as wide. It is also not as developed and as visited by tourists, but that is beginning to change. The common way to get there up until a few years ago was by taking the train that runs between Los Mochis and Chihuahua. Now, however, car is becoming more popular since they resurfaced the 4-wheel drive road into a windy two-lane highway.

The area, being up around 8000 feet was quite cool this time of year. Add a little rain to the weather, and we discovered quite a change from cycling across the Imperial Valley a few weeks back. In fact it was the first time in over a month we needed our fleece and rain gear. (See photos 679, 680, 681, 682, 683 and 684)

The conversation was interesting. We learned so much about the area, the politics, the people when we were in the car with Pancho and Kirsta. We discovered some wealthy people as well as poor. I had heard in years past that gringos typically didn’t want to travel far from the train car while visiting Barranca del Cobre because there were many well guarded marijuana farms in the high sierra country of the Tarahumara. It had confirmed by our host of the day that this may still be true today, but more turistas are coming to Barranca del Cobre each day.

At one point we were pulled over by the transit police. Apparently Kirsta had expired plates on her vehicle. Of course the officials wanted money on the spot. Kirsta and Pancho travel together frequently and know each other’s manners and the way each other deals with various situations. Kirsta, who likes a fight, in this situation, wanted to argue with the cops and insisted they write her a ticket with her name on it. This way she could bring the ticket to her “high ranking official” friends which would in turn deal with the two cops in their own way. Pancho, who likes to get along as unobtrusively as he can, just wanted to pay the cops their bribe and be on their way. The cops didn’t want to write a ticket. They just wanted money. They ended up just dropping it and letting us on our way. Pancho did go back and give them a little money. I guess he didn’t want trouble in the future.

Creel was unlike most Mexico cities that I have visited in my many years of traveling throughout Mexico. (see photos 703 and 704) The fact that the temperature was in the 40’s and everyone was wearing jackets was the main difference. Many buildings were made out of logs and wood rather than adobe. We visited a real live tiger that used to belong to Kirsta. Now is in a cage in Creel. (See photos 685 and 686) We had lunch at Restaurante Victoria. (See photo 687) Brian and I checked in to hotel across the street named Cabañas Bertis. It was very nice with a fireplace, two big beds, artwork on the walls – the works. All of this was $200 pesos.

After a little driving tour of Creel, Pancho drove us to a place called Divisidero. This was a vista point where one could look over the edge and see the canyon. There was a train stop there along with various little shops and an expensive hotel. The views and terrain was just spectacular. (See photos 688, 689, 690, 691, 692, 693, 694, 695, 696, 697, 698, 699, 700, 701 and 702)

After about a half hour or so there was not much else to do. We headed back to Creel, where Pancho and Kirsta had dropped us off.

At some point we found out that Kirsta and Pancho were not going to the ranch, which we had assumed but were making a special trip to Creel just to show us around. It was a generous gift that we cannot express enough gratitude. It was our best day since entering Mexico. Barranca del Cobre is definitely a place I would like to come back to some day. The high sierra country of Mexico is a unique experience that I recommend highly.

Sunday, September 30, 2001 – Day 108 – Hotel -- Ciudad Cuauhtémoc, Chihuahua, Mexico – Rest Day

Monday, October 01, 2001 – Day 109 – Primitive Camp – near San Onofre, Chihuahua, Mexico – cycled 61 miles / 98 km

After a bus ride back to Cuautéhmoc, and another motel night, we got up with the intent of getting on the road early. We needed though first to send some pics and documents to the webmaster in Aniak. The internet connection was slow to say the least, and we had run out of time last Saturday when we tried to send the pictures then. That combined with having to transfer things from a floppy,.(the floppy was bad) tings didn’t work out too well. The internet place was supposed to open at 9:00 a.m., but no one showed up until 10:00 a.m. Needless to say, we didn’t get on the road until about 11:15 or so.

We tried our luck at traveling the toll highway. It was rather nice, because the road was new and it had a shoulder. We heard and read that it was illegal for cycles to travel on the toll road, but the guy in the booth waved us on through..

Again with the headwind today though. Strong winds. We understand after talking to friends and family at home that there is a hurricane going on somewhere out off the shore of Mexico. It may explain these high winds and cool weather. It’s been nice traveling in 60 to 70 degrees again.

Dinner was mac & cheese and ramen. Also day-old pastries and bread which we bought in the town of Gral Trias, which was the last major stop. I’m also still eating on some jerkey that we originally purchased in Anchorage before we left. Yum!

Breaking spokes again. Not good. I guess I must be fat or incredibly hard on the bike. One broken frame and three new wheels (2 on the hand made wheels on the back and one on the front) since the original pair have been purchased. I don’t know what to do. No matter who I consult or what I buy, the spokes keep breaking.

Tuesday, October 02, 2001 – Day 110 – Hotel -- Valle de Zaragoza, Chihuahua, Mexico – cycled 63 miles / 101 km

Got up early to watch the full moon set this morning at about 6:30 a.m. Pretty awesome sight. Last night’s camp was pretty uneventful – not even any morning dew on the tent. I think that hurricane has passed our way. (See photo 705)

We got some mileage done by leaving at 7:45 a.m. It is early but we were trying to get going before the wind hits us which has been in the late morning.

We stopped and got some breakfast and lunch groceries at a little town of Satevó. We got into an interesting conversation with an old man in the central plaza, who was obviously a burn victim. He spoke of Bush. He spoke of New York. He spoke of God. He spoke of God. He spoke of God. He even sang us a pretty little song about San Francisco. It didn’t seem to bother him that our Spanish language skills were limited. He kept right on talking and singing. It was great because he was willing to come and visit with us, where most in the small towns just stare and are too afraid to come out of their way and talk to us. (See photo 706)

Our terrain is back to desert with mesquite trees and cactus. The winds never really did take hold, which was a relief. We quit at the small town of Valle de Zaragoza. We took a cheap room for $10. What a deal. It has hot water too. It was a good day!

Wednesday, October 03, 2001 – Day 111 – Hotel – Hildalgo, de Parral, Chihuahua, Mexico – cycled 42 miles / 68 km

(See photos 707, 708, and 709)

The land of Mañana

We can never figure out what time it is. According to our map, Chihuahua should be on Central Daylight time. We have discovered though that in some places the time is an hour earlier than we have thought. We will ask some people the time and would get an expected response. Then we would see a clock in some restaurant in the same city only to have it display an hour earlier. This has happened frequently since we have been in Mexico and we still have no clue as to why. I remember reading an article about a controversy in Mexico a few months ago. They had recently adopted the Daylight savings time concept nationwide. All estados would follow it. It has much opposition, however, because it is felt that this was only adopted to be more like the gringos. Could it be that some establishments are following it and some are not? Does anyone know the answer to this one? We decided a few days ago, to keep our watch on a particular time and stick to it. I guess when you get up and bike each day; it really doesn’t matter what time it is. The few times it did affect us was when we tried to catch the bus from Creel to Cuautehmoc and when we tried to go to the internet place right after it was to open.

This morning we were stopped by a borracho as we were leaving. It was tough to get away from him. However it was good practice for our Spanish. He didn’t seem to mind when we messed up or couldn’t get our point across.

We cycled 43 miles – a short day in to the city of Parral or the long version-- Hidalgo de Parral. Got in before noon (or shortly after depending upon which time zone you are using. This town is famous for two reasons. It is an old mining town that was established over 350 years ago. It is also where Pancho Villa was assassinated while crossing the street. (See photos 710, 711, 714, 715, 716, 717, 718, 719 and 720)

Although we haven’t seen that kind of violence here, we have found this place to be a cool place to hangout. We had lunch, dinner, surfed the internet, hung out in the plaza to watch the people. We also went to a movie- the first one on this trip. Our hotel that we stayed at was the Acosta. Pretty cool room -- one of our best since Creel. (See photos 712 and 713)

Thursday, October 04, 2001 – Day 112 – Primitive Camp – near Revolución, Durango, Mexico – cycled 66 miles / 106 km (See Durango / Zacatecas Map)

We had a long climb out of Parral, this morning. Then we had a nice gradual descent. Highway 45 south of Parral for the most part is a windy mountain road. There are lots of juniper, piñon, and other evergreens similar to what one would find in the southwest. We’ve run into a few English speakers today. One owned a restaurant in the pueblo Villa Matamoros where we had a very delicious, filling, but expensive breakfast. (see photo 722) The other owned a restaurant in the village of Las Nieves (The Snow) who owned a lunch counter. It was also in this particular town we had many beautiful señoritas gawking at us when we rode by.

It was a little difficult finding a place to camp tonight. We rode for many miles looking for an open or unlocked gate into the neighboring fields, but could find none. They must have a lot of problems with cattle rustling here. (At least that it what I think). We eventually hopped the fence and camped in the evergreens a few hundred yards in to the trees.

We’ve had some rains in the afternoon and it is raining currently while I am typing in the tent. It was a good day. (See photos 721, 723, 724, 725, 726 and 727)

Friday, October 05, 2001 – Day 113 –Primitive Camp – near Mápimi, Durango, Mexico – cycled 78 miles / 126 km

A very remote terrain today. There were very few services. We cranked on the miles. Completed 78 today. Dropping out of the Sierra Madre. Camped out in the desert. (See photos 728, 729, 730, 731, 732, 733, 734, 735, 736, 737, 738 and 739)

Saturday, October 06, 2001 – Day 114 – Residence – Gómez Palacio , Durango, Mexico – cycled 66 miles / 106 km

Shortly after we woke, we cycled about 10 miles or so to the town of Mapimí. Had a refresco there. (See photos 740 and 741)

Although the ride throughout Mexico has been quite comfortable, we did have a little stall at a federal road check point coming in to Gómez Palacio . We turned off Highway 30 south on to Highway 49 at Bermejillo. This was a four lane road. One of the very few we have been on in Mexico. In fact the roads we have been on in recent days have had little traffic. Anyway the soldado at the check point was drilling us with questions and was not about to let us pass quickly as we have at the others to date. He went ahead and waved cars on through, but wanted to go over our passports and visas with much concentration. He was not too happy about our lack of Spanish speaking skills as well.

He was scolding us about traveling in Mexico on bicycles. I don’t know what changed his mind, but it may have changed after I had told him that I was a teacher and Brian was a university student. His eyes had shown surprise. I may be mistaken. He did let us pass shortly after, however.

What I find uncomforting is that most of these soldados that we have encountered in Mexico are very young and don’t seem to be so bright. As they talk to us wearing an automatic rifle hanging over their shoulder, it is not a sight that allows reason and friendliness to prevail. It is however a lot better than it was when I first traveled Mexico many years ago. I also want to express that our encounters with drivers and the general population in Mexico has been better than in Canada and the United States. We have been made to feel quite welcome and that we are not just an obstacle on the road.

We arrived at the home of Jaime & Marta Vargas, our hosts for a few nights at around 3:00 p.m. It was a welcome that was most enjoyed by us. After camping for two nights now without a shower, we looked pretty dirty and undesirable, but we were welcome with open arms.

This is a home that I have visited many times in the past 12 years. Jaime and Marta have 5 children (Imelda, Saul, Ana, Herón, and Julian) and since I have known them, there are 6 grandchildren to add to the list now that Herón and Saul are married, each having three kids(but don’t ask me their names, yet). This family has helped me learn so much about Mexican culture over the years and I am glad that Brian is able to meet them as well. They are a very lively and loving family and it is fun to sit and visit, even though the language can sometimes get in the way. (See photos 742, 743, 744, 745, 746, 747, 748, and 749)

I’ve only visited once before since moving to Alaska so much has changed since my last visit. The afternoon was spent looking at photos of our trip and reminiscing about old times. I also showed the grandkids the different gadgets that we had such as the digital camera, the GPS, the computer etc. We were fed quesadillas, tacos, frijoles, arroz, sopa and muchas tortillas. It was a great afternoon. The only one that wasn’t present was Julian, who now currently lives and works in Tehuacan which is a few hundred kilometers away, just east of Mexico City in the state of Puebla. We may try to visit him, if our route permits.

In the evening Herón took us to get some tacos from a local taqueria in Gómez Palacio. What a way to end the evening. Ana apparently called the local paper and television and told them about our passing through the area. They may come and interview us tomorrow. What a day!

Sunday, October 07, 2001 – Day 115 – Residence – Gómez Palacio , Durango, Mexico -- Rest Day

Monday, October 08, 2001 – Day 116 – Motel – Cuencamé, Durango, Mexico – cycled 68 miles / 110 km

We’ve gotten a first glimpse of the news since we entered Mexico a few weeks ago. I see that yesterday the US has started bombing Afghanistan. Again, Brian and I wonder how this is going to affect our trip.

So far, we have seen a lot of US support from the people we encounter. Although some have stated they are a peace-loving people, they understand why this needs to happen. I didn’t realize how much Mexico’s economy has been tied to ours. Apparently the September 11th catastrophe has caused much unemployment in Mexico since the borders have been restricted. These events have been horrible for the people of the US. They have been bad also for the people of the rest of the world. I hope they bring these terrorists to justice. I guess we will see what happens in the months ahead.

Brian and I left Gómez Palacio this morning. We took an alternate route that eventually turned to gravel. It brought back memories of the haul road. We were definitely the center of attention as we passed through small towns. Dozens of people would flock around us and ask us questions, we’ve come to be very good at answering in Spanish. The two most common are “¿Donde van?” (Where are you going?) and “¿Donde vienen?” (Where do you live?). One guy bought us some cokes. We had just gotten off of a 12 mile gravel road, that was very hot and dusty. We realized later the extent of his generosity after he explained that most of the people around there earned about $10 per day wages. (See photos 750, 751, 752, 753, 754, 755 and 756)

We began to climb out of the lower deserts again into the cooler sierras. The winds also picked up and as usual, we had a strong headwind. We made it to the town of Cuencamé minutes before dark. It was a long day.

Thursday, October 09, 2001 – Day 117 – Motel –Juan Aldama, Zacatecas, Mexico – cycled 51 miles / 82 km (see photos 757, 778, 759 and 760)

Wednesday, October 10, 2001 – Day 118 – Residence -- Fresnillo, Zacatecas, Mexico – cycled 88 miles / 142 km

The past few riding days have been somewhat uneventful. We’ve climbed out of the low desert valleys and have reached the plateau in the Sierra Madre. The temps are somewhat cooler as we are now close to 7500 feet elevation. The mornings have been clear. The afternoons have been stormy. In fact on Tuesday, we quit a little early, because a storm with heavy rain hit as we were cycling through a small town called “Miguel Auza.” We decided to get a room instead of camp as originally planned. It rained frequently throughout the night )

We’ve encountered no problems at all-- not even a flat tire to mention. Yesterday we cycled our longest day since we entered Mexico – against a strong headwind I might add. We ran into some lengthy road construction, where we were detoured with many cars, along side the road in the ditch for several miles. It brought back memories of the haul road – causing some stress, wear and tear on our bikes. We also crossed the Tropic of Cancer. I remember there used to be a road stop and a sign here about 10 years ago. Probably due to the construction, the sign no longer exists. So much for the photo opportunity. (see photos 761, 762, 763, 764 and 765

We wanted to make it to the city of Fresnillo, an old mining town that dates back 450 years. I have some friends there--A man named Victor Vargas (Brother to Jaime). I was not exactly sure where he lived in this city of 200,000 but I remembered that he owned a restaurant on the main drag through town. We found it. It had been 9 years since I had seen him.

I walked in to his fine seafood restaurant, where he was at the cash register. I was pretty dirty from the long ride. He did not recognize me of course. After I told him who I was, we were welcomed enthusiastically and fed a delicious shrimp dinner. It was the best meal that we had since we entered Mexico. (See photo 766)

Victor and his wife have 4 children, who have all left home now for college or work, except the oldest one, who is getting married in a few months. (See photos 783 and 784) It is this daughter, Marcela, who took us out last night to see the sights of Fresnillo. Of course I had to have my usual plate of taquitos at the end of the evening. (See photo 767)

Tomorrow we are taking time to drive to Zacatecas to see the sights there.

Thursday, October 11, 2001 – Day 119 – Residence -- Fresnillo, Zacatecas, Mexico – Rest Day

Today Brian and I drove to Zacatecas to play sightseeing tourists. The Vargas’s gave us their truck to use for the day, which was a very generous gift indeed. I was a little reluctant because I don’t feel very comfortable taking responsibility other people’s vehicules especially in a foreign country, but they were very insistant and we were very gracious.

Zacatecas is a city that is very colonial European. (See photos 768, 769, 770, 771, 772, 773, and 774) It was quite a beautiful city that dates back about 450 years ago. It is noted in our guide book to have the largest silver mine in the world.

Overlooking the city is the Bufadora which is a fortress that rests on a mountain. To get there, Brian and I took the teleferico, which is a sky tram that costs 20 pesos each. Cool ride. We had lunch at the top. Nice view of the city (See photos 775, 776, 777, 778, 779, 780, 781, and 782) Cool statue of Pancho Villa at the top also. We didn’t go to the museum though.

In the afternoon we drove back to Fresnillo. Great day.

Friday, October 12, 2001 – Day 120 – Primitive Camp – near Gral Pánfillo, Zacatecas, Mexico – cycled 70 miles / 113 km (See Central Mexico Map)

I can honestly say of the three countries we’ve been in so far, this one has the most courteous drivers we’ve come across so far but the worst roads. We’ve had no one flipping us off or screaming obscenities at us out the window. Many will slow down to give us room and about 30% to 40% of all drivers will honk or shout to cheer us on. It is great for our morale.

A few comments about the ride today – we were given some free cokes at a very nice restaurant just short of Victor Rosales between Fresnillo and Zacatecas (City). (See photo 785) We had also been swindled (overcharged) at a restaurant in Zacatecas. I wish we would have made a scene at the latter, but did not. It was just a few dollars.

We also climbed to our highest elevation of 8150 feet with the cycles along the highway that bypassed the city of Zacatecas.

After leaving Zacatecas, we headed due east. The winds, which usually come from the Southeast, had switched to come from the Southwest, so we actually had our first tailwind since we entered Mexico. We completed 30 miles in less than two hours.

We camped in the desert just before the San Luis Potosi state line. Lots of rain out on the horizon in all directions and a beautiful sunset made our evening cooking quite enjoyable. (See photo 786)