!Viva La Mexico! The Ride

[KEV95GS]

I've been on Mexico time and after updated any mileages or my feelings on the end of the day as with the first 3 days. The all kinda rolled together.

We're currently on the 8th day, Friday, viernes, 13 Enero, 13 January.

Day 4, Lunes, 9 Enero. From Creel to Batopilas. 92, BMW, miles and it was the BEST DAY YET. !EL MEJOR DIA TODAVIA!

Day 5, Martes, 10 Enero. From Batopilas to Hacienda San Miguel. 0, BMW, miles, but probably a few on foot, and it was the !EL MEJOR DIA TODAVIA!

Day 6, Miercoles, 11 Enero. From Batopilas to Satevo, back through Batopilas and on to Creel. 102, BMW, miles and it was the Hardest day yet. Muy dificil Dia todavia.

Day 7, Jueves, 12 Enero. From Creel to El Divisadero to San Rafael (should've stayed on that road ) back to Creel and on to Basaseachi. 212, BMW, miles and it was A Squiggly Day. (Don't even think I'll try to figure that one out in Espanol. I would guess it contains the word "curvas". I learned this from the Federale (sp), the tall one in the picture, he wanted to know how fast in the "curvas y recto", curves and straight.

That should catch everything up. We are headed back down the Squiggly road to Cuauhtemoc.

[KEV95GS]

Middle of Day 8 we ran into the Polici in Cuauhtemoc.



We head on to Chihuahua and get in around 3 or 4 and fill up at the Pemex. Lt Dan gets direction to El Diario while we're there and we head off to the newspaper. Remember on page 4, Domingo, where the reporter took pictures. We're going to find the article.

We finally realize we need help, it is a large, crowded, busy city at 4 on Viernes, Friday. Lt Dan, hes always up front, I'm always in the back, (you get to see the show from the back) asked a delivery guy on a scooter to show us where. First he points, knows that want work and takes us a few blocks, points again, nah, still gotta show us, goes a few more blocks, points, we get split up and he just takes us. We tip him and off we go into El Diario. Himmy stays with bikes on the sidewalk and calls his Diane, his wife.

The senoritas at the receptionist desk spoke no English, however they were quite attractive, but we finally got them to understand. Un foto on Domingo, 8 Enero, en El Diario on Lunes, 9 Enero. I saw the light go on and one starts to tell us to go sign in, the other shakes her head and says "No" and motions that she will just take us. Chicks dig bikers.
PS my wifes heard this story pretty much the same way.

She took us to a Security guard that spoke English and we thanked her profusely. He took us to the archives and asked the lady to help find the article. They looked through everyday and couldn't find it. He tells us that he rides an 883 and remembers reading the article. He asked us to wait a minute... COOL, riders always help other brother riders.

He came back and started thumbing through the front page section and produces this....(see attachment at bottom)

The translation is probably a little loose. Someone that works with my wife translated it and she typed it up.

We got three copies and headed out of town after muy, muy, !Muchos Gracias mi amigos!

[KEV95GS]

We got out of Chihuahua pretty easy and head on to Aldama.





It's mostly brown, desert and mountains again and has been since Cuauhtemoc.

When we got to Aldama we could only find one Hotel, the lady says it was the only one becuase Chihuahua is so close. We got un cuarto con tres camas for 450 pesos and started our last night in Mexico.

There wasn't much around and we had a nice courtyard.



We met Malco, 8...



and his sister, Sarah, 6...



They conned Himmy into a ride around the courtyard.




They were cute kids and they were learning English in school so we practiced some with them.



I have 2 daughters 7 & 4 and all the kids made me miss mine.

It's our last night in Mexico and our last night with Himmy. Tomorrow, once we cross back over the border, Himmy becomes Jimmy again and heads back to Nashville.

Lt Dan and I are to meet up with our buddy Sonny, who's already in Presidio and had came over from Austin, and we plan to spend tomorrow night in Big Bend then ride the River Road on Domingo and then head to Austin.

We rode about... I guess I didn't write down my mileage that day, but I think it was about 335, BMW, miles and it was a Tres Aventureros Dia.

[charleshickman]

Great report. Great pictures.

I did the road to Batopilas last year on an unloaded DR650 (other than my ample self), and left some pucker marks on the seat. My admiration for doing it on fully loaded GS's.

[KEV95GS]

Thanks Charles. I really loved that place!

Wait till you see some of the Big Bend stuff. I will try to wrap this thing up in a day or so.

Kevin

[RIDERR1150GSADV]

Thanks again for sharing!!

[KEV95GS]

Thanks again for sharing!!

Thanks Rider,

Thanks, for letting me know.

The dichotomy of the rest is killing me.

Kevin

[Ab544927]

Great report Kevin,thanks for the pics and taking the time. I showed them to my wife and she says I can have a hall-pass in the future to go down there...awesome!

[KEV95GS]

Great report Kevin,thanks for the pics and taking the time. I showed them to my wife and she says I can have a hall-pass in the future to go down there...awesome!

!VAMOS! !VAMOS! !VAMOS!

When do you want to go?

Acutally, I think this will be my curtain call for a while. I realized how much I was missing and how unfair it is to "mi Esposa", Peggy, to be gone so long.

I can't think of a better way to hang up the "Big Spurs" than on a trip like this!

I will, however, NOT, be hanging up the weekend "SPURS"!

[KEV95GS]

Ya'll wanna go to Big Bend?

[Ab544927]

!VAMOS! !VAMOS! !VAMOS!

When do you want to go?

Acutally, I think this will be my curtain call for a while. I realized how much I was missing and how unfair it is to "mi Esposa", Peggy, to be gone so long.

I can't think of a better way to hang up the "Big Spurs" than on a trip like this!

I will, however, NOT, be hanging up the weekend "SPURS"!

Kevin that sounds great! I get a tour guide and your wife and mine gets a trip to buy some fresh tortillas and sangrias...lol. Muy Bueno!!!

I'll leave the spurs thang alone for now as we have just met...lmbo

[KEV95GS]

Day 9, Sabado, 14 Enero.

We got up before the Sun and pack up to head for the States.

Aladama is on the north side of Chihuahua so we get a nice Sunrise.



We head on toward Ojinaga and stop for breakfast. My last day there and I have Hot Cakes. Someone other than me has had them everyday since we have been in Mexico so I figure I better have em' before we leave. They were good but I wish had Huevos Rancheros.

The Mexico border takes about 20 minutes and the US border takes about the same after they open up 2 more lanes.



As I mentioned, Himmy has to head to the corral so we bid our farewells and Jimmy heads to Pecos for burritos.



We called to see about Sonny and got a message he was right down the street. We started to suit up and he pulls in the parking lot. Not 10 mins from when Himmy leaves.

He didn't see us, but we saw him. Lt Dan takes the stern and I take the starboard. We scared the crap out of him, he just about dropped the bike. Later that night he told us we almost met "Thunder & Lightning" (motioning to his biceps)... How corny is that?

Jimmy, Dan & I had met a couple, Bob & Joanne, at the RV campground the first night camping in Presidio. They had matching KLR's and were the camp hosts.

They wanted us to tell them how the trip went when we returned so we stopped to let them know. They claimed they were going in March when their committment was up at the Loma Aloma.

We take off south east down TX 170...

WOOOOOO WHHHHOOOOOOO!!!!!!!
Compress, decompress, right, left, right, compress, decompress.... On and on.

Sorry no pictures but if you have to ask... you wouldn't understand.

The road follows the terrain along the Rio Grande and you go through washes and back up (all on asphalt and concrete) up hills, down, around, up, down.

I've ridden Top Thrill Dragster at Cedar Point

http://www.cedarpoint.com/public/ins...pecs/index.cfm

and..... OK, Top Thrill was better, but not by much...

We stopped for a photo op.

Here's Sonny.



In front of the Rio Grande
Mexico to the right, USA to the left.





We head on to Study Butte and Big Bend!

[KEV95GS]

Terlingua & Study Butte are pretty much the same place. IN THE MIDDLE OF THE STICKS. Big Bend was 'bout 2 miles past that so we were officially "BEHIND THE STICKS"

What a fantastic place!

We had just come from an incredible experience in Mexico where all our senses were assaulted from every possible angle. Sound, color, language, smell, food, culture...

Now we were in the middle of nowhere with nothing other than God's Glory assaulting us. !Dios es Grande!

I told you it was a dichtomy.



This place was almost as far away from the other as it could be... yet it was right across the border no more than 400 miles, as the crow flies, from Batopilas.

We camped on the western side of the park at the entrance to the Chimney's West trail.





Sonny and Lt Dan discuss the finer qualities, and best screen set up of the Garmin V...



as the Sun went down over Mexico.





Looking east.



and back to Mexico



After the Sun went down, and before, it was overcast. There was a full Moon behind the clouds and we had a little hole over us for a while. Ozone?

But it was mostly overcast and you could still see like this.





When we went to bed there was COMPLETE & UTTER SILENCE. No kidding. (Some may have experienced this before or may be suprised by my reaction. I have never experienced this kind of solitude.) No insects, no wind noise, no roosters, no dogs, no automobiles, no airplanes, no windchimes, no cell phones, no radios, no refrigerators, no central heat, no TV, no trains, no interstates, no clocks, no fans, no computers... you get the picture, ABSOLUTE SILENCE.

Except for the occasional snore or

I honestly have never experienced a place quite like this and I went to bed in complete AWE!

I'm still not sure about mileage because I had left a day off in Aldama but it was the end of day 9, Sabado, 4 Enero and it was a Very Quiet Night.

[BRADFORDBENN]

Tell me again what I am doing at the office

[KEV95GS]

You are investing your time now, so you may have your own time later to spend as you will.

Sorry, I don't mean to be a smart..., I come by it naturally.

Kevin