OUCH COBRE !
So heading north to Copper Canyon or Barrancas del Cobre (it's bigger than the grand Canyon y'know). I'm in a pretty town called El Fuerte...
but in order to get to the popular view point El Divisadero, the sat nav gives a 800km round-the houses ride. Surely there is a more direct route?
Well the gps is useless, it doesn't show any tracks at all.
Google maps does...
Looks... interesting, got to be dirt roads... what the hell I can all ways go back right?
Passing the town of Choix, the cops ride atop big trucks, heavily armed and grim faced. Well, I'm sure they would be grim faced if they weren't all wearing masks. I don't want to take photos...
but this one gives an idea, (taken is a different town later)
There are lots of clay ovens by the road, but I've heard the cops often pull you over for a bribe, so I keep to myself... still not happened yet though!
I buy corn on the cob from a tiny kid maybe 7, he brings his girlfriend over and she has the rolls from the ovens, its like brioche. The kid points at an empty wrapper asks how much my snickers bar was, I tell him I don't know and give him and friend a hand fulls my trail mix (with chocolate).
Following google maps I'm about to enter the Sierra Madre Occidental! Turning off the tarmac gives a real buzz of excitement... A dusty dirt road, it's always a thrill when you start a trail, you have no idea whats to come.
This was the first few minutes in... it goes on, you get the idea, its just climb climb climb...
...then its downhill, a bit more tricky.
gets even more tricky - for me that is!
finally i have to stop, I'm knackered, arms aching from sawing around for what feels like ages...
Its hot btw!
Great view, I check the odometer and I've only done 15 miles! Oh Fiddlesticks... I'm not used to this!
I'm not going back that way though, I don't want to ride what I just rode again!
As ever, some of the really tricky stuff is hard to get on camera, too busy on the job at hand. Anyway another 10 miles and a patch of deep sand gets the better of me. Bike goes down and I kind of jump off and body plant a bank of sand.
Taking a break I discover both my bags of water have worked their way out the rucksack... I got a photo of empty puncured bag...
then my phone suffered heat stroke and died. NO photo, but crucially NO google maps to follow either...
Switched to back up phone, but it has no reception and no google map memory to follow (if y'get me)...
This is not the plan, being in a mountainous desert type region without water. Bike overheats for a moment, then starts... phew. Eventually the road widens and I pass this pretty little 'hamlet' ?, happy it means this road is used and lived on...
road gets better
more nice views appear
Then I come across this man...
and I know there is food and water near by! Unless he eats the horses after.
He waved me on to a town below laughing, knowing full well how this photo would look. Sure enough, on the edge of a seemingly deserted town this little shop appears.
I almost missed it, just spotted a shelf of cans through a window as I passed...
the lady here tells me there is no next town and just waves over the mountains like its another planet far far away... I buy lots of water and she lends me her spoon to eat a can of tuna...
Another man rode up on this pony/horse thing, its tiny...
anyway I guess i've some 80 miles to get through if i want a real bed, I just don't fancy sleeping out here in a tent.
Abd yet I reach a valley and a river! Running water!
Then its more trail, not too difficult, but still nothing marked on the gps.
some descent...
Soon I meet a truck! Two miners, they tell me I'm on the right path, I want to a town called Cieraoga.
I can commit this to memory with the visual of Sarah (Hazelhurst) driving a ford Ka in a film by wong KA wai... SarahKaWai is how it sounds...
I'm now in a mining area and the roads are churned up with the top 4 inches of this fine dust and after being sprayed.... its slippy!
Still I'm on the right road and at every junction there are these young dudes telling me the way.! They look pretty 'street' to be hanging around in the middle of nowhere. Whatever, they are funny and one lad even waved me back from a wrong turn... Offered me a smoke too!
Sun is beginning to sink..
Anyway 60km are almost up , this lovely man has stopped his truck by a Jesus shrine and was sweeping off the thick layer of road dust.
He managed to make me understand its now only 4km to the town...
Dudes with a harvesting of something by the road...
All of a sudden I'm on the other side of the last mountain. It's that coolness, that smell of pine everywhere, dark, green.
and thank goodness tarmac!!!
If there is nothing more thrilling than setting off on a dirt track, there is nothing more relieving than getting back onto a tarmac road... then a village., a hotel... a vineyard-come gastro hotel no less!
10 hrs of riding with tracks reaching heights of 7500ft / 2200 meters, arms n legs about to fall off but... bloomin' great. Hotel is best $60 ever spent, I happily drink my glass of Merlot.
rest now Hondi...
