Epic Copper Canyon Adventure - October 2007

Wow! Another epic Copper Canyon Adventure completed. Dave Fulkerson and I trailered our dirtbikes to Creel in Mid October to ride for two weeks and find some new routes. We rode to Batopilas, Choix, El Fuerte, Alamos, Chinipas, Temoris, Urique and back to Creel. Here's the beutiful Lake Arareco where you can camp, kayak, hike and Mtn. Bike.




The Copper Canyon is really a system of five canyons with a combined volume four times bigger than the Grand Canyon. The top sits at 8K feet elevation and the bottom is at 1,700 feet.

We passed by this Tarahumara "ranch" on our hike to the Cusarare Falls.












Cusarare Falls.













Quite a few of the fifty thousand Tarahumaras that live in the Copper Canyon still live in caves.












On the way to Batopilas! What an exciting ride! Dropping from 8K feet elevation to 1,700 feet over 40 miles of dirt road switchbacks is a thrill. You'll see the old "Camino Real" burro trail as you travel down canyon. A hundred years ago, when the big silver mine was operating, the burro trail was the only way down.







The main Plaza in Batopilas! A "Wild West Town" according to the travel brochures. Burros, horses and cows may roam the streets.











Munerachi! A funky Tarahumara village. A road to the village from Batopilas was only made in the last two years. I tried to go there by dirtbike on several trips but never made it. Rolling up to the gates of the community school, the kids all ran out to welcome me and open the gates. I said my one word of Tarahumar for hello and spoke spanish with the teachers and kids. I wanted to hike a 100 year old burro trail a couple of thousand feet of elevation above the village. The Tarahumaras are runners and they seemed impressed when I told them how far up I made it.

Satevo! The Lost Mission! It wasn't really lost but it seems out of place in middle of a canyon with barely any population. Must see!











The Tarahumaras are shy, and wonderfully beatiful people. They live a subsistance life in the canyons. They don't generally want their picture taken but some will accept payment for the right to take a picture as I did. She enjoyed seeing the Pic on my digital camera. A local mexican overheard me talking to her and whispered to me. "Usted es un buen hombre. "






Here's Dave crossing the Urique River. A challenge!












Dave and I were wandering the streets of Choix on Sunday morning looking for a panaderia and coffee when we met a lady who directed us to this house. The lady cooks meals for bus drivers and others in her house. A home cafe! The eating/ cooking area was in back, on the patio. Dave and I enjoyed "hangin'" so much, we stayed for breakfast and lunch.






At our hotel in Chinipas (another town straight out of the old west) we made new friends from Parral who worked for the electric company but are "charged" by the government to distribute election materials for about six months of the year.








Mission at Cerocahui! Many of the tour groups take a side trip from their Copper Canyon Train trip to spend a night here. The train is famous worldwide with 86 tunnels and 38 bridges. It even loops back under itself. It runs between Chihuahua and Los Mochis.








Urique! A few years ago, I ran a race with five Tarahumaras, from Batopilas to here, by going 30 miles and climbing about 6,000 feet of elevation over the mountains you see behind the town. I really trained hard for that run and it took me 10 hours. The Tarahumaras did it in 5-1/2 hours. They're tough!







Here I am in Urique repairing one of the three flat tires I had in as many days.












When I ran that race with the Tarahumaras. I had camped out at Los Alisos on the "Pre-Hike" and ran back thru there during the race. Micah True from Batopilas/ Boulder, CO is the race director and was written up in Runner's World.

I'd been wanting to go back and visit Prospero, the "rancho" owner but tried a couple of years ago and lost my way. There's no road to the "rancho", only a walking trail. You have to hike a couple of miles and 1,700 feet of elevation. This Tarahumara girl is grinding pumkin seeds on a matate. It's used regularly to grind corn to eat.

Here I am with Prospero. I'm the one on the left. He's holding the marzipan and jelly that I took up for a gift. We sat around and drank coffee from the beans he grows and ate peanuts that he grows as well. There used to be about twelve families living there and they had a school on site. Now it's only Prospero and a Tarahumara family that works for him and shares (Korima) the harvest.





Prospero's wife and son are working in Chihuahua to earn some cash and here's the Tarahumara family.











Copper Canyon Train!













Looking out the windows at Divisadero Hotel. I love to stop here for a coffee and cake and look down into the canyon. There are trails near the hotel that lead to the canyon bottom.










Margarita's Guest House! One of several hotels that Margarita owns. This one may be the most fun. On our last night, all the private rooms were booked so Dave and I stayed in a hostel room with about eight bunks. We paid $8 for two people but that included two dinners and two breakfasts that were yummy.

That's not Margarita in the Pic.


MegaMel