As usual on a border crossing day, I woke up with a mixture of excitement and dread. Excitement at the thought of Mexico and dread at the thought of dealing with customs agents and paperwork. From my late father I inherited a phobia of police officers and other government officials, which means that I work myself up into a state every time we need to cross an international border. As it turned out, my sense of foreboding was not […]
I met some crazy people the other day. They looked normal, but when they said let’s go to Mexico and run practically unknown rivers, I knew they weren’t that in touch with the real world. Sure enough. They live in a world of their own. I’m glad they shared a bit of their “separate reality” with me. The thrust of the undertaking was to start on the Rio Tutuaca near the Dolores mine, and by raft and inflatable kayak navigate […]
Our friend Pilar just returnd from Bacabureachi, Chihuahua, where she and a team of volunteers delivered $1,200 of donated school supplies. The team then embarked on an improvement project at the Tarahumara school, where they re-roofed the dormitories, dug drainage ditches, replaced windows, and installed two washing machines. The school community was much appreciative: the boarding school is home to over 100 students, but receives no budget for maintenance or improvements. The American team worked closely with school officials and […]
Lonely Planet’s first reports from Copper Canyon centered around Creel, and despite decades of tourism most visitors still begin there journey there. Unfortunately, if they arrive in Creel from the coast by train, they’ve already passed the canyon! So instead of backtracking, they go to the bottom of the canyon by bus to Batopilas. Que barbaro! More information would allow visitors to get off the train in Bahuichivo, and get to Urique much quicker than the 2 day connection to […]
editor’s note: PG correspondent Mike Huckaby is a seasoned hiking guide. If you are interested in sustainable tourism and really getting off the beaten path, we highly recommend Copper Canyon Trails. December 12: Dia de la Virgin de Guadalupe The week preceding la Dia de la Virgin brought four days of rain, and promised more. Celebrations in Creel sounded like the Blessing of the Fleet. Big trucks from lumber, mining, construction, tourism, and ranching converged in a cacaphony of horns, […]
While It’s Monsoon Season in the Desert, It’s Mushroom Season in the Sierras. Rain! The water of life! Dry throat-parching dust turns to luscious greasy mud. People who have been lethargic all summer come alive and start to smile. Struggling plants that look like weeds become towering corn plants with fat fuzzy ears as big as your forearm. Tenuous little blue flowers on slithering stringy vines bring forth a bonanza of beans. And underground a quiet revolution is brewing. Overnight, […]
The US State Department recently issued its latest Mexico travel advisory. The preamble is remarkably reasonable, and contains several points that support my own point of view on the subject of Mexico travel: “Millions of U.S. citizens safely visit Mexico each year for study, tourism, and business, including more than 150,000 who cross the border every day. More than 20 million U.S. citizens visited Mexico in 2012.” “The Mexican government makes a considerable effort to protect U.S. citizens and […]
What’s up Down There The paved highway from the junction at Samachique to Batopilas is progressing relentlessly. It has reached the roadside capilla where the 5am bus used to stop to allow folks to give thanks coming up, or where you could climb on top of the school bus for fabulous views of siete pisos going down. That popular capilla is now in the bottom of a ravine. Rubble from the road widening project is being pushed downhill, creating talus […]
Spitting and Sputtering Our Way Across the Dusty Sierra Madre Carl Lumholtz’s description of crossing the Sierra Madre Occidental in 1890 leaves one quaking with fear of the unknown. Not much has changed in 120 years, but the opportunity to try to retrace his route left us shaking with anticipation. Near the beginning of his journey in Sonora, he describes leaving Granados for Bacadehuachi, and Nacori Chico. This extant route is for four-legged foot traffic and vaqueros only. We checked […]
editor’s note: We interrupt the ongoing coverage of The Frank Holton Memorial Road Trip for a much desired update from our favorite Copper Canyon correspondent. The camino real we had been following up and down, and in and out of arroyos and up and over ridges finally ended at a rancho with a corral, a cattle chute and a couple of buildings. The metal cattle chute and trash from store-bought snacks were an indication that a road wasn’t far away. […]