Day 4 & 5
I’m writing this on the morning of Day 5 - sitting on the balcony of my very nice room overlooking the large manicured grounds of a Mexican hotel/resort.
Before I go on though, I have to clarify that on a trip like this the bike isn’t just a form of transportation. It’s not like hopping in a car to get somewhere. For me, the bike IS the vacation - it’s the journey I love, just as much as the destination. Otherwise, four days of riding just to spend a week somewhere and then do it all again to get home makes no sense whatsoever. I’m just lucky enough that Rosi is willing to come along. I’m not stupid; she doesn’t feel the same passion for it as me but she doesn’t just tolerate it either. There’s times she loves it too. It’s unfortunate that this area of Northern Mexico isn’t the most picturesque - and it’s often a LONG way between cities of size - but hey, we’ve seen things few others have.
Which brings me to yesterday. I don’t like to ride more than three days without a break and I like to keep it to ~ 500 klm but this time that just wouldn’t worked out. So far we’ve been averaging >600 klm and we pretty much had to ride another day to get to some warmth.
Because we’re starting to feel a little road weary we didn’t get an early start. By the time I got up and pulled the bike out of the lobby and loaded our gear it was after 8:00 before we left our little town. We then pulled into the first Pemex/Oxxo we came across for our obligatory breakfast of coffee and muffins so it was close to 9:00 before we really started to make tracks.
After that it was more of the same. Miles and miles of miles and miles - all of it at close to 120 kph but good roads and light traffic. Approx 1 ½ hours south we picked up the Autopista and I was able to average 140 kph again. The Autopista is the Mexican toll freeway system. All the roads are four-lane divided freeways in fantastic shape and are patrolled regularly by the Green Angels in case of breakdowns etc.
We wizzed through Zacatecas on a freeway by-pass and continued down the road to Aguas Callientes. According to my map there should have been another ring road in AC but for whatever reason we missed it. Instead we knew we were in trouble as the divided freeway became just four lanes, then two and then regular city roads in an ever increasing amount of traffic. AC is a large Mexican city of approx 1,000,000 and it brings new meaning to the terms hectic and chaotic. It’s BUSY, especially when you’re two-up on a loaded bike and you’ve been spit out in the very centre of town. The main town square was on one side, the main mercado on another and traffic and people were closing in fast. And poor Rosi, who doesn’t like Mexican traffic at the best of times, was panicked and more than willing to let her displeasure be known through the intercom. I actually didn’t know she knew some of the words she used - and I’m REALLY happy the Mexican drivers couldn’t hear her or we’d still be there trying to explain that we really didn’t mean it when we said the things we did
:-)
And here’s the other thing: like the previous three days, up until AC the temperatures ranged from cold in the mornings and at higher elevations, to cool during the day, but when we descended into AC it got hot. REAL hot, REAL fast - and here we ere, stuck in chaotic Latin American traffic and unable to peel off the rain gear we’d been using to add a layer for warmth. So now, on top of worrying about traffic we were both approaching heat stroke. OK, even I had to admit , Mexican motorcycle adventure or not, a nice flight into a resort for a few weeks was looking really good at this point.
But all things good come to those that deserve it - or maybe God truly does favour the brave - all I know is we eventually made our way through the maze of downtown and got spit out the other side and were able to pull over. We got off the bike, peeled off our rain gear and took a minute to decompress and get our bearings. I was able to ask a man on the street walking by for directions and it turns out he was right. (you sometimes have to ask three different people for directions and then use the average. They either don’t know and don’t want to admit it or they don’t understand because of the language barrier) He told us to take an immediate left at the next light and follow that road all the way out of the city until it hooks back up with the Autopista. We did and it did, and an hour later we were back on track and rolling down the freeway.
But….. and I have no idea how this is possible but we’re in the central highlands so it may have something to do with the elevation and mountains…..within minutes the temperature plunged and huge thick clouds rolled in. We knew we were in trouble so we pulled into the first Pemex (have I mentioned that we LOVE Pemex stations? They’re often our comfort zone and home away from home) and put all our rain gear again. We could see a HUGE storm rolling in but I asked one of the attendants which way it was to Guadalajara and it looked vaguely clear in that direction so we decided to chance it.
And for those of you now thinking “Poor Rosi. what a bastard for putting her through that”, I offered to stay the night and avoid the storm but it was only 2:30 at that point and we really wanted to get here. So we bundled up and headed off into the wilds. And what a wild ride it was!
For the next 45 minutes the winds ranged from hard to horrendous: we had heavy rain and sometimes hail so hard it actually hurt through all our gear and in the distance forked lightening, which only added to the pucker factor. But heads down and a look of grim determination on our faces, and with the promise of a slightly lighter sky in the distance, we pressed on.
Our perseverance eventually paid off because we hit clear blue sky again and had to finally pull over and peel off layers.
Our next bit of excitement was hitting Guadalajara at rush hour. The freeway into the city is eight lanes wide and BUSY. Guadalajara is Mexico’s second largest city with a population of six million, all of whom seemed to be out driving when we arrived. But all’s well that ends well. We only had to stop and ask for directions once and only had to perform two U turns before we made our way to the road out of the city to Lake Chapala.
Which is where we are now. We found a really nice large hotel type place right on the shore of the lake. It’s a resort, but not in the North American way you probably think. Instead, try to imagine the family vacation type places that were popular in the fifties - kind of like the place in the movie, Dirty Dancing - and you’ll have a better idea. First, it’s huge, with lot’s of rooms, and a restaurant, a large ballroom and an absolutely HUGE outdoor dance floor. It’s right on the shore of Lake Chapala with beautiful manicured lawns and two pools - but no disco, no bar and no loud crass tourists. As a matter of fact, it’s not popular with gringo’s at all. Rosi and I are the only white faces here, which is just how we like it.
There’s only one wrench in the works. We’d really like to stay for three days but they’re fully booked starting tomorrow so we may have to push on. If there’s a cancellation we’ll stay but otherwise we’ll head to the coast in the morning. And from looking at the preparations underway for a major fiesta it may not be such a bad idea.
More to follow
Viva La Mexico!
Tuesday, February 16, 2010
Day 3 follow up
Day 3 started wonderful. We stayed at a Holiday Inn Express the night before and enjoyed a VERY nice king-size bed with high-end linens, a nice continental breakfast and some great service. And even better, it was chilly - around 5 degrees - but there wasn’t a cloud in the sky and we could feel the warmth in the sun even before we began. WooHoo!!
With firm directions in hand on how to leave the city we hit the road around 7:30 and by 8:00 or so we were on a good road heading south. We stayed on a secondary road through the mountains for an hour or so and then we picked up the Autopista and really made some great time.
And here’s where I have to put in a plug for Mexico in general and Mexican’s in particular; at no time have we felt threatened or put out because of the language barrier or the fact we’re tourists - sometimes the only tourists these parts have seen for a very long time, if ever. Instead we’ve only met warm welcoming smiles and anytime we’ve stopped to look at the map or to get out bearings someone ALWAYS materialized to ask how we’re doing of if he or she could help in some way.
Anyway, all day we made great time and saw a lot of northern Mexico. An area by the way, that would put northern Manitoba to shame for remoteness and desolation. We saw miles and miles of miles and miles - and not much else.
We eventually ended up at the outskirts of a city called Gomez Palacio around 2:30 and here’s where me made our mistake. It was really 3:30 because we’d crossed in to Mountain time without realizing it. It’s no big deal because we’re not on any schedule but it meant we had an hour less of daylight than we thought. We looked at the map and decided 2:30 was too soon to stop so we’d push on. We could see that the next city was still >200klm away but there were lots of small towns on the map so there must be a hotel. Right. Wrong! Once we started on the next stretch there was nothing! By then we’d changed our clocks ahead and realized an hour or so later that we were quickly running out of options. We were now on a secondary road again and as the day wore on we noticed a real increase in heavy truck traffic. They must run at night. Anyway, long story short, we eventually stopped at a truck stop and got directions to this place about 5 klm off the highway. It’s a very quaint, typical small colonial town with a main square, large cathedral and an older hotel right on the square. VERY small but the kind of place we love.
We’re now firmly ensconced for the evening in a small room with 20 foot ceilings and just enough flavour to make it unique, that is if 150 year old buildings with electricity and plumbing retrofitted in the fifties turns you on :-)
My bike is now put away in the lobby and I’m just finishing up a few notes before we head out to a lovely Valentines dinner in the lobby/restaurant cooked by the owner/manager/chef. Afterwards we’re going to join all the families in the main square and just hang out and soak up the vibe.
Cheers!
With firm directions in hand on how to leave the city we hit the road around 7:30 and by 8:00 or so we were on a good road heading south. We stayed on a secondary road through the mountains for an hour or so and then we picked up the Autopista and really made some great time.
And here’s where I have to put in a plug for Mexico in general and Mexican’s in particular; at no time have we felt threatened or put out because of the language barrier or the fact we’re tourists - sometimes the only tourists these parts have seen for a very long time, if ever. Instead we’ve only met warm welcoming smiles and anytime we’ve stopped to look at the map or to get out bearings someone ALWAYS materialized to ask how we’re doing of if he or she could help in some way.
Anyway, all day we made great time and saw a lot of northern Mexico. An area by the way, that would put northern Manitoba to shame for remoteness and desolation. We saw miles and miles of miles and miles - and not much else.
We eventually ended up at the outskirts of a city called Gomez Palacio around 2:30 and here’s where me made our mistake. It was really 3:30 because we’d crossed in to Mountain time without realizing it. It’s no big deal because we’re not on any schedule but it meant we had an hour less of daylight than we thought. We looked at the map and decided 2:30 was too soon to stop so we’d push on. We could see that the next city was still >200klm away but there were lots of small towns on the map so there must be a hotel. Right. Wrong! Once we started on the next stretch there was nothing! By then we’d changed our clocks ahead and realized an hour or so later that we were quickly running out of options. We were now on a secondary road again and as the day wore on we noticed a real increase in heavy truck traffic. They must run at night. Anyway, long story short, we eventually stopped at a truck stop and got directions to this place about 5 klm off the highway. It’s a very quaint, typical small colonial town with a main square, large cathedral and an older hotel right on the square. VERY small but the kind of place we love.
We’re now firmly ensconced for the evening in a small room with 20 foot ceilings and just enough flavour to make it unique, that is if 150 year old buildings with electricity and plumbing retrofitted in the fifties turns you on :-)
My bike is now put away in the lobby and I’m just finishing up a few notes before we head out to a lovely Valentines dinner in the lobby/restaurant cooked by the owner/manager/chef. Afterwards we’re going to join all the families in the main square and just hang out and soak up the vibe.
Cheers!
Sunday, February 14, 2010
Day 3 - Long, tiring and a real sense of accomplishment
Hey everyone
Too tired and not a great internet connection to post much. Suffice to say we zigged when we should have zagged and, 675 klm later, we're in a VERY out of the way, small Mexican colonial town, WAY off the beaten track. Lov'n it!
And Rosi is a FANTASTIC co-pilot and a real trooper. The last few klm were nip and tuck whether or not we'd find a place to call it quits before it got dark - and you NEVER want to be out on a bike after dark.
Anyway - once I finsh here the restaurant in the lobby will be closed and I'll pull my bike in to get it off the street.
More to follow tomorrow from Lake Chapala
Cheers!
Too tired and not a great internet connection to post much. Suffice to say we zigged when we should have zagged and, 675 klm later, we're in a VERY out of the way, small Mexican colonial town, WAY off the beaten track. Lov'n it!
And Rosi is a FANTASTIC co-pilot and a real trooper. The last few klm were nip and tuck whether or not we'd find a place to call it quits before it got dark - and you NEVER want to be out on a bike after dark.
Anyway - once I finsh here the restaurant in the lobby will be closed and I'll pull my bike in to get it off the street.
More to follow tomorrow from Lake Chapala
Cheers!
Snow, Ice, Screeching Tires and Squeeling Brakes
Snow, Ice, Squealing Brakes and Screeching Tires: this CAN'T be good!
Well, we're well on our way into the Mexican heartland and so far the trip has been fantastic! I can't believe it's been just two days!
We arrived safe and sound in Phoenix and I took a day to prep the bike and take care of a few things and we had a great time going out for dinner with Dad and Carol (who were fantastic as always, and REALLY patient with my last minute goings on to get ready), Ward and Bonnie and Mick and Sharon. On Friday morning I still had some last minute prep because I had to complete the wiring for Rosi's heated vest but we finally hit the road at 9:00. A little later than I'd originally hoped but that was due to my over optimistic plans, not anything else.
The ride to the border was longer than last year because this time we crossed at Douglas rather than Nogales. Along the way we had a great lunch at a historic old hotel in Bisbee and a quick tour through downtown Tombstone. The snow on the side of the road at the top of the pass overlooking Bisbee was unexpected but by then it was just after noon so it had warmed up a bit and wasn't too bad.
We pulled into Douglas around 2:00 and decided to play it safe. The next town of size was a good 200 klm away and we still had to clear customs so rather than chance arriving in the dark we crossed into Mexico, checked into a nice hotel and walked back to Customs to take care of our tourist visa's etc. I'd like to say we then had an exciting first night in Mexico by partying until dawn but that would be just a wee bit of a fib. Instead, we had a great dinner at the hotel restaurant and, thanks to fresh air, too much excitement and 425 kilometers on the first day, we were both sound asleep before 9:30!
The next day(today) was a bit of a shock. We knew Northern Mexico is cold due to the elevation but we weren't prepared for quite how cold. Last year, south of Nogales was cold, this morning however was freak'n freezing!
It was right at zero when we took off at 7:30. We're riding in our mesh gear because we expect it to get hot at some point and we're using rain gear and long johns to layer up and cut the wind. This is an OK compromise when it's cool but today it was woefully inadequate. It warmed up a bit as the sun rose but just as we thought, OK, that's not so bad, we started to climb over the continental divide between Agua Prieta and Janos. I have no idea how high we were but I'm guessing 5,000 feet(?) and the temperature gauge on my bike dropped to minus five. There was hard crusty snow all around us and the mud puddles in the ditch were frozen solid. Who would guess that we'd travel to Mexico and our biggest worry wouldn't be the drug war but instead was black ice?!
The rest of the trip this morning was fairly uneventful. We picked up the Autopista half way to Chihuahua and were able to make some great time. And yes, my bike will still do 140 kph fully loaded and two-up! The autopista, gotta love it!
The only mishap - more like a VERY close call - was arriving into Chihuahua around 3:00, just in time for rush hour. The Mexican traffic light system is confusing at the best of times but it's even worse when you start to pull an illegal u-turn and then decide to abort and pull back into traffic at the last minute. But hey, the other guys brakes apparently worked really well, at least from what I could hear, and we finally arrived safe and sound, if not a little shaken after another 525 klm.
Total so far = 950 klm
The only other thing of note is our plans have changed quite a bit. The five day forecast for Veracruz is highs of 12 -13 and a 30% chance of rain and thunderstorms. There have been some wicked storms down here and it's been unseasonably cold in some areas so we're going g to stay further west. Our plan now is to head to Lake Chapala for a few days and then dogleg down to Cuyutlan just south of Manzanillo where it'll hopefully be hot and sunny.
That's it for now
Cheers!
Friday, January 29, 2010
Just a short update
Nothing new or terribly exciting to pass on - just a brief up date on what's happening.
First, although Rosi is able to temper it quite well, I'm REALLY freak'n excited about our upcoming trip! I've now bought all the gadgets and gizmo's that Rosi will allow so the prep is all done. We leave on the 10th for Phoenix where I'll pull the bike from storage and get a service done and install all the gear that's been shipped and waiting for me at Dad's. The plan is to be on the bike and rolling by 7:00am on the 12th because it's like last year. There's not a lot to see in Northern Mexico so we'll have three fairly long days in the saddle before we make out first major stop in Saltillo, just outside of Monterrey.
The last few weeks have been a real whirlwind of activity. I was away for a week in Kamloops conducting an audit, got home on Friday night and by noon Saturday we were heading to Vancouver to attend David's fiftieth birthday party. It was a great time and we're glad we could be part of it. On Sunday Tami and Rosi drove back together and I caught an early flight to Winnipeg where I was for three days teaching a course. And just for the record, I'll NEVER complain about the weather here in Summerland EVER again. Not now that I've experienced 20 below with 80kph winds and a windchill of minus 30! Thanks, but not for me!
I'm back home again for a few days and on Monday I leave again for another week to conduct an audit in Clearwater. So far it's been great. I'm busy and having a ball!
Rosi is well and holding down the fort and has her game face on for the trip. It was scary for a brief time because the weather in the area we're going to was unseasonably cold - but it's great again and we're looking forward to some hot hot days. And more important - it'll be great to see the sun again. The Okanagan may be mild in the winter but sunny it's not.
Anyway, that's it for now
Cheers
First, although Rosi is able to temper it quite well, I'm REALLY freak'n excited about our upcoming trip! I've now bought all the gadgets and gizmo's that Rosi will allow so the prep is all done. We leave on the 10th for Phoenix where I'll pull the bike from storage and get a service done and install all the gear that's been shipped and waiting for me at Dad's. The plan is to be on the bike and rolling by 7:00am on the 12th because it's like last year. There's not a lot to see in Northern Mexico so we'll have three fairly long days in the saddle before we make out first major stop in Saltillo, just outside of Monterrey.
The last few weeks have been a real whirlwind of activity. I was away for a week in Kamloops conducting an audit, got home on Friday night and by noon Saturday we were heading to Vancouver to attend David's fiftieth birthday party. It was a great time and we're glad we could be part of it. On Sunday Tami and Rosi drove back together and I caught an early flight to Winnipeg where I was for three days teaching a course. And just for the record, I'll NEVER complain about the weather here in Summerland EVER again. Not now that I've experienced 20 below with 80kph winds and a windchill of minus 30! Thanks, but not for me!
I'm back home again for a few days and on Monday I leave again for another week to conduct an audit in Clearwater. So far it's been great. I'm busy and having a ball!
Rosi is well and holding down the fort and has her game face on for the trip. It was scary for a brief time because the weather in the area we're going to was unseasonably cold - but it's great again and we're looking forward to some hot hot days. And more important - it'll be great to see the sun again. The Okanagan may be mild in the winter but sunny it's not.
Anyway, that's it for now
Cheers
Saturday, January 16, 2010
Busy Times Indeed
Just a quick update to let friends and family know we're alive and well. Not much new to report I'm afraid - just same ol, same ol.
In the past few weeks we've concentrated on getting things back to normal after Christmas and I've continued on my prep for the trip. Nothing too exciting there either. I don't want to say it's old hat, because that implies we're not excited, but it is a lot easier now that we've done it a few times. I've ordered a few more things for delivery to AJ (thanks Dad!) and there'll be a flurry of activity just before we leave but at this point the prep it's pretty much done.
The next few weeks will just fly by because we're really going to be busy. I'm leaving this Monday for a week in Kamloops to conduct an audit. When I get back I have two more assignments out of town and then we leave on our trip. And between business trips we're making a quick trip down to Vancouver to attend David's 50th birthday party. Wow - who would have thought, 50? Yikes, that means I'm not far behind!
Business wise things are really cooking. The three assignments I have this month are all repeated to some degree every month we get back until the end of June. July and Aug are always slow for training and audit and then it'll all start back up in the second half of the year. When we're on the trip I'll be working most evenings. (What can I say? Work is the necessary evil that pays for the trip so I guess it's a fair trade) I signed up as a mentor for an on-line cohort for two different credit union courses which take about 10 hours/week each and I'm working with a marketing consultant and a website developer to rebrand my business. Very soon Dexco Training Consultants will officially be Dexco Consulting to better reflect the other things I'm doing besides training. I'll be dealing with this during the trip too so that I can launch my new website as soon as I'm back. I guess it's true, there really is no rest for the wicked :-)
That's it for now
Cheers
In the past few weeks we've concentrated on getting things back to normal after Christmas and I've continued on my prep for the trip. Nothing too exciting there either. I don't want to say it's old hat, because that implies we're not excited, but it is a lot easier now that we've done it a few times. I've ordered a few more things for delivery to AJ (thanks Dad!) and there'll be a flurry of activity just before we leave but at this point the prep it's pretty much done.
The next few weeks will just fly by because we're really going to be busy. I'm leaving this Monday for a week in Kamloops to conduct an audit. When I get back I have two more assignments out of town and then we leave on our trip. And between business trips we're making a quick trip down to Vancouver to attend David's 50th birthday party. Wow - who would have thought, 50? Yikes, that means I'm not far behind!
Business wise things are really cooking. The three assignments I have this month are all repeated to some degree every month we get back until the end of June. July and Aug are always slow for training and audit and then it'll all start back up in the second half of the year. When we're on the trip I'll be working most evenings. (What can I say? Work is the necessary evil that pays for the trip so I guess it's a fair trade) I signed up as a mentor for an on-line cohort for two different credit union courses which take about 10 hours/week each and I'm working with a marketing consultant and a website developer to rebrand my business. Very soon Dexco Training Consultants will officially be Dexco Consulting to better reflect the other things I'm doing besides training. I'll be dealing with this during the trip too so that I can launch my new website as soon as I'm back. I guess it's true, there really is no rest for the wicked :-)
That's it for now
Cheers
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