This is Valley of the Monks. This spot had a peaceful, spiritual feeling. I'll bet that the Tamaruhua felt this was a spiritual place for centuries before the Christians arrived. It probably had a name that offended the new arrivals enough to rename it.
What happened to the matching pair of BMW 650GS's? When we booked the trip Oscar told me one of the GS's was already rented during the Horizon's Unlimited gathering in Creel but that I could rent this Suzuki DR650, another 4-valve, four stroke single. The Suzuki really impressed me both on and off road. While the street biased tires on my BMW never really felt at home on pavement or in the dirt, the Pirelli dual purpose tires did better on all surfaces. It's counter intuitive, they look more like knobbies than street tires but offered equal grip and were more confidence inspiring when leaned over on the asphalt than the tires that were fitted to my GS (sorry, I don't remember what model tires my BMW had). And off-road there was simply no comparison. With equal riders the Suzuki would eat the BMW for breakfast.
I also preferred the ergonomics of the Suzuki over the tiny and cramped GS. The Suzuki had a better seat, although narrower it was far more comfortable for me. The smoothness and power of both engines were very similar although I preferred the Suzuki's mill because the spread of power was broader (both on the top and the bottom). Both engines were amazing (considering they are singles) but the Suzuki mill was extra good with it's ability to work smoothly at extremely low rpm's on steep tricky trails. And it's a good thing too because it's 5 speed gearbox leaves a first gear that is too tall (much taller than the BMW's) for really technical trails without slipping the clutch. Since I didn't know how much clutch life was left and I didn't want to risk losing it and leaving me bike less for the rest of the vacation, I tackled some of the steeper trickier sections faster than I wanted (around 15 mph) in first gear which translated to somewhere not far above 1000 rpm's on the rev dial (which creates an exhaust note that sounds almost magical on a single). But the engine did this without complaint and without any chain slap. Both bikes had enough power to be fun on the faster off-roads sections but the Suzuki, with it's better tires, 21 inch front wheel and much lighter weight was the one that caused the big hooligan grin to form on my face. Considering the Suzuki gives up little to nothing in road manners, I wonder what the purpose of the BMW is. In case you can't tell, I really enjoyed riding both of these bikes but the Suzuki really amplified the characteristics that make a big four stroke single so much fun to begin with. So much that I think I'll get one of my own.
These roads would go for many miles and were very lightly used. The locals without motorized vehicles would walk many miles to get where they were going. The few pick-up trucks we did see would almost always be full of people in the back. Initially I was surprised that motorcycles were not used more extensively in such a landscape but, upon further reflection, I realize a small truck carrying 4-8 people is probably more cost effective than a motorcycle with 1-2 people.
The area is loaded with interesting geological formations. This is on the road that goes south out of Bocoyna towards Chacarachi.
Catholicism is deeply embedded into the Mexican way of life. Even in areas that are almost entirely native Tarahumaran, roadside religious statues are very common.
There are thousands of acres of green valleys. Although there are grazing animals I didn't see the tell-tale signs of over-grazing.
The few people who live in this area have a good thing going. Clean air, plentiful fuel, comfortable climate (even if a bit cold at night), un crowded wide-open spaces, almost zero crime and clear running streams. I still wouldn't drink the water but I bet the locals do without issues.
Log cabins are not something most people would associate with Mexico but there are quite a few of them here in the high country around Creel where trees are relatively plentiful.
It would have been easy to cover a lot of ground on many of these dirt roads had they not traversed such fantastic scenery that required frequent photo stops.
Our base in Creel was located in this residential area, two blocks from the center of town. It was nice being away from all the noise and activity while still being a quick walk to a variety of food, drink and groceries. Speed bumps (vibradors) were present every couple blocks in virtually every town we passed through. These were a good thing as they slowed the cars and trucks to below 5 mph which bunched up traffic and allowed us to ride right around. Mexico definitely allows lane-sharing (at least in practice). Actually, cars can lane share too. If there is a gap, just squeeze right in. No problema! Even if what you are doing is technically illegal, from a practical perspective it probably is not. For example, if you are approaching a stop sign but you can see there are no cars coming, there is no need to stop. As for speeding, the police do not use radar or laser speed measuring devices. Just be reasonably sensible and stay alert and you probably won't have trouble with the traffic police. The Federal and State police seem disinterested in traffic enforcement while the local traffic police view their job as more in terms of helping and supporting motorists rather than enforcement.
This house was 100 yards off a mountain road in the middle of a rugged mountain range between San Rafael and Mesa Redonda.
This road runs many miles up a narrow canyon/valley between Guasachique and Bahuichivo which it shares with the river that carved it. It was not depicted on our map and was one of the more scenic areas we rode through. I wouldn't want to be caught down here during periods of heavy rain!
This road has a lot of improvements considering many lesser roads were actually depicted on our maps.
No, I was going to take a picture of you.
Same canyon road.
A railroad bridge of the Copper Canyon Railway in Cuiteco.
Jeff photographing an insect on a cactus on the roadside between Cuiteco and Bahuichivo.
Looking SW over Canyon Country.
These big singles are a lot of fun on roads like this. Gotta get one...
A high pass between Cerro Prieto and Bahuichivo that was blasted through the rock. Photo by Jeff Smith
The GPS was a welcome addition to our explorations off the beaten path. I had purchased a digital topographical map set of Copper Canyon Area from www.bicimapas.com.mx/Copper.htm and loaded it onto the trusty Garmin 276C. It had even the smallest named villages, sometimes consisting of nothing more than a lone house or two and "roads" that were so little traveled they were sometimes difficult to follow as they deteriorated into a series of footpaths all heading in the same general direction. The map set also showed the location of footpaths that connected remote villages to the outside world although the maps could not always be trusted. One day, after riding on a logging road for over an hour we could not locate the depicted intersection that was a shortcut home. After riding slowly back and forth I determined the road never existed (at least not as a road capable of being driven on). Closer inspection later revealed the "road" was superimposed upon a footpath that traversed mountain wilderness for 6 or 7 miles before intersecting another dirt road.
A remote ranch nestled against El Arco Mountain.
This road leads to one of many canyon overlooks and had an empty campground with a view.
Looking out over the Copper Canyon Complex directly above Recowata Hot Springs we are about to visit.
Other visitors have carved their names in this plants leaves.
If you don't have a motorcycle you can walk 3 km down an even steeper footpath to get to Recowata Hot Springs which is what most of the locals do. Cars are not allowed as there is no room for them to park at the bottom and the road is not wide enough in most places for two to pass. Jeff can be seen riding two switchbacks below.
The road looks smooth but is actually quite bumpy.
Ah, paradise! The different pools varied in temperature by 5 or 6 degrees F and were the perfect temperature for soaking as long as desired. Not so warm as to cause me to overheat but warm enough that I could stay in for hours without getting chilled. Everyone had gone home for the day so we had the pools to ourselves.
It looks like Jeff is contemplating a dip in the river below.
Ah...Relief!
The pools are filled with the geothermally heated spring water as it runs off the rocky canyon walls.
After a nice long soak we rode back to Creel for dinner and had this view out the restaurant window.
The Creel cemetery in evening light.