As I was working on my book about my nomadic hippie childhood, I unearthed a travel journal that covered two trips to Mexico in the late 80s. The odysseys included research for “The People’s Guide to RV Camping in Mexico,” extended stays at Tenacatita, and my first visit to Guatemala. We also drove some Huichol friends on a pilgrimage to their sacred lands in Central Mexico. I’ve chosen a few excerpts for your amusement. You can read the first installment here. Dec 26, 1988 […]
David writes: Hello Felisa Churpa Rosa Rogers, At the People’s Guide website I found your name with the invitation to share Mexico stories et cetera. I mainly just wanted to thank Carl Franz and his companions for opening up a world to which I probably would never have had to courage to visit without first getting familiar with The People’s Guide to Mexico. In Dec. 1974, I was in Ocean Beach San Diego CA and stumbled into a bookstore where […]
We recently received an email from a reader, who politely requested to use an original illustration from The People’s Guide to Mexico in a blog post he was writing about his 1981 motorcycle trip from Canada to Mexico. Carl wrote back and told him “sure” and asked him to send us a link to the post. I must admit that I didn’t expect to have my mind blown by an awesome trove of photographs. As some of you […]
editor’s note: When I was in high school, my mom got a job and an apartment so I could go to school in town. Those winters, my dad, Steve Rogers (co-author of People’s Guide to Mexico) went down south on his own for the first time since he and my mom got together. In 1995, my mom gave him a journal to record his travels for us. I know other people out there miss Steve as much as I do, […]
Dec 31-Jan 10, 1992 Tenacatita, Jalisco (age 13) We traveled through the dessert (which was kind of boring) and then we crossed the border. We then drove down to visit our friends the Huichols. Guillermo had just left for the sierra! Too bad. We had an OK time with the Huichols and I once again tried tortilla making and failed. I can do it with a press, but patting it out by hand is beyond me. (Mine always are full […]
Gentleman rancher Hugo Granados is opening a contemporary art museum, the Casa Museo de Arte Contemporaneo, on former ranch lands just outside San Miguel de Allende, Gto. Described as a “handsome international playboy with a great eye for art, ” Granados combed local galleries and museums to create a standing collection of art by San Miguel artists, including work by Mario Cabrera, Jeffrey Brown, Martin Cramer, and Keith Keller, as well as 26 paintings by our own Jon Schooler. Schooler, […]
The venerable garage band Dead Moon has a song called “Don’t Speak Ill of the Dead.“The last verse opens strong: “Some of my friends are gone forever/Paled into the light/Things I wish I could have said/As they passed into the night.” But that’s not the part that gets me. What gets me is the next line, almost an aside. The singer’s voice dips lower into speaking tone, and, in a three word phrase, distills the pain of loss: “Oh, I […]
Since reading Churpa’s post on Rivers in Mexico vs. the US, I’ve been thinking about the The Copper Canyon River system. This area not only has dramatic scenery and the fascinating Tarahumaras and their culture, but is a wonderful playground. One of my favorite articles that Carl has written takes place in the Copper Canyon: I was feeling restless this morning, so I decide to explore the mesas and canyons to the _____ of us. It took less than 30 […]
Dane Pikkola: Hello Carl and Lorena…I was just listening to your interview with Rick Steves, and really wanted to connect on the air. But, alas, I couldn’t get the number. In fact, the program was probably pre-recorded anyway. Just the same, here’s my story. I was sitting at the bar in the Fairhaven Tavern in Bellingham, Wa. when you two came in with a stack of fresh off-the-press editions of your brand new travel guide. I happen to be on […]
