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Chasing Summer p.011
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Fast forward to October 18th - San Francisco
After a few weeks here we're going to continue our trip South tomorrow morning. In addition to Teryk there is Andy (Turkish) and the 3 of us will do the whole trip to Patagonia .
Actually the departure tomorrow has quite a different configuration:
- Teryk and Andy are running a few days late and so will meet us after our Copper Canyon loop
- Ron (Lone*Star) is taking a week of vacation and is leaving with us to do Copper Canyon before to go back home.
I'll continue this report, hopefully with the help of my companions. Andy is the best photograph I know so stay tuned!
Oct 19th - San Francisco to Palm Springs
It's always difficult to have to say goodbye to your family for so long but it's also exciting to think about all we still have to see on this trip!
Teryk very nicely shows up to say goodbye.
And here I go with the plan to join Ron in Gilroy at 10 AM. I don't know if that got me distracted or if my head is just not clear with the cold that I started to get yesterday but anyway, I realized 15 minutes later that I forgot my Camelback
. U-Turn and back home...
I hurry on my way to Gilroy and I'm happy to start this ride with Ron and 2 twin black 950.
We didn't want to take the 5 (freeway) and instead we take some of our favorite roads: the 25 to the 198 for a lunch in Coalinga. Those roads are wonderfully twisty and very scenic too. It's funny to realize how 'yellow' California is in this season after the orgy of 'green' we've seen in the Great Northern.
After a wonderful end-of-the-summer on Alaska we had a good Indian Summer in San Francisco and we hope for a great Austral Summer in Patagonia. So far so good: while I had a bit of mist in the Bay Area, soon after Gilroy it became a totally blue sky until the very end of the day.
We continue the 33 South and finally head East via the 155. Hard to beat that one as one of the best twisty motorcycle road. I usually take it later in the season, on my way to Death Valley and it's a blast to use it dry and with a nice weather.
So, Lake Isabella North shore and then the 178 East. The loose plan is to go through the Mojave Desert towards Joshua Tree NP.
On our way to the 195 South, Ron proposes a short-cut through Bowman (dirt) road. As often the 'short-cut' ended up NOT saving time
. Bowman rd is a pretty easy road...
And that's where the danger can be: while you think that the pace can be quite fast you suddenly see at the last moment some pretty nasty ruts in the middle of the trail. I was leading when Ron got surprised by one of those ruts and crashed. Fortunately he didn't hurt himself and only one of those crappy locks on the Gobi bags broke.
It was only 6 PM when the sun set while we were on the 395. There was not really an appealing place to camp in the desert around so we just continued riding. Then we hit the San Bernardino area, crowded and with a lot of traffic. It was warm and we just felt like riding some more so we ended up a 9 PM in a motel in Palm Springs after about 640 miles...
Oct 20th - Palm Springs to Puerto Penasco
Beautiful weather again this morning and we’re looking forward to be in Mexico in a few hours. I love Mexicans: they’re really nice, laid back people and their way of leaving is in some ways close to Spain which I always liked. We decide to wait to be in Calexico to have breakfast for no other reason than me loving the eponymous music band.
On our way, we do a quick halt at the Dalton Sea...
It's really beautiful but the nice light of the Greater Northern is long gone and it's quite hazy...
Calexico is just at the border and really feels like Mexico since all the people look Mexicans and in the stores some are not even speaking English. It’s hot already and we’re not too sure about leaving our stuff on our bikes to walk around.
Being on a bike is quite inconvenient when it’s hot and when in a big city you have to worry about your stuff being stolen.
A mile further we cross the border at Mexicali. Wow, it’s the easiest border crossing I’ve ever seen in North America! We just pick the lane “nothing to declare” and we go through without waiting a bit or even having to show our papers. Well, I guess it was just too easy… To go further South in Mexico we need: ‘Liability Insurance’, a ‘Tourist Card’ and a ‘Vehicle Permit’. We got the insurance on the internet but we need to buy the others here. But where?
We look for the ‘Center of town’ but Mexicali is big and the signs are rare. We stop in a gas station to ask for help. I don’t know why, maybe because of the heat or my cold but I feel overwhelmed by how difficult it is to even start solving the problem. What should we asking for? Do we have an address and if yes how to find it without a plan of the city?
At the gas station I rush to remove my helmet, gloves and jacket. Yes, it must have been the heat because I feel better now. Always nice several Mexicans come to try to help us but are of course not familiar with that kind of papers. We decide to head back to the border and find some official to ask there. But it’s complicated! The border crossings are usually ‘one way’ and it’s difficult to go back there without re-entering the US (and wait hours in line). That’s when I realize that I don’t have my Camelback anymore! Oh no! Not only I really need one to drink often in hot place like here but I also had my brand new spare camera in it. I rush back to the gas station but no one is aware of anything. Did I forget it there? Was it in Mexicali?
In seven years riding with one I never lost it so it seems strange. In the same time I don’t think it was stolen since we were always close to the bikes. I know that kind of stuff is bound to happen on a trip like that but it’s quite frustrating that it happened so early, just an hour after (or before?) entering Mexico.
I call Teryk and ask him if he could bring me my old Camelback - it’s good to have a sweep!
We finally make it to the border office but they tell us that they can’t give us those papers: we have to go to the ‘new’ border crossing 12 kms further West (I imagine it’s the one that was indicated ‘for trucks’ on the US side). We get there via a boulevard that must have a stop sign every 500 ft! We get there ultimately but it’s just impossible to access any office: there is a looong line to enter the US and that’s it. No way to ask anyone for any information. We give up and decide to deal with that later.
We take the 2 going east that will follow more or less the border for many, many miles.
At San Luis Rio Colorado we stop to buy water / Gatorade - it’s hot - and check the map to see our options. We decide to try to reach Puerto Penasco on the cost that has been recommended to us. The place we stopped is next to a gas station but we still have plenty of fuel so we move on. It ended up being a bad idea! I’ve noticed it’s always take some time to get a grip of a scale of a map and the size of the ‘towns’ listed as well as the chance to have a gas station in them. Our experience in Baja made us think that we would always find someone willing to sell us gas from a jug. Well, that was not the case since there was almost no one for 200 kms.
We stop at the only house that had a hand-painted gas sign on it but they are not selling it anymore
. We were in reserve already and considering how far was the next town we get ready to just get stuck on the side of the road. We slow down and cross our fingers.
Quite incredibly we end up making it to Sonoyta after more than 60 miles on reserve! That was a good lesson though and we decide to gas up at every opportunity in the future.
Since Sonoyta is a border town, we decide to try our luck again. It’s a very small one and people are very nice and helpful. We get our Tourist Card but learn that the Vehicle Permit can only be bought in a checkpoint 30 kms further South at San Emeterio. Problem is that we’re not going that way since we’re heading to the coast to Puerto Penasco. It’s late already and we don’t want to ride at night so we give up on the Vehicle Permit for now and head up for the 100 kms road. We’re not fast enough and end up doing the last section at night. Fortunately it’s an easy road and we don’t encounter any trouble. When we arrive at Puerto Penasco though we’re surprised by how big it seems to be.
I follow the signs to the ‘Malecon’ and we arrive to an animated street by the sea. The street is very busy and we stop at the first parking spot available to assess what to do. A Mexican on the side walk starts to as us questions about our trip in English. After a while we ask him for recommendation to eat and of course we then realize that his job is to drag people up to his restaurant upstairs! We follow his recommendation for a hotel, just at the end of the Malecon (even if it’s more expensive than what we want) since we don’t want to be riding the bike for dinner. Then we walk back to the restaurant. There are many others but after all we don’t know how to choose. It’s Saturday night and there are many people sitting and walking on the Malecon and I really like this atmosphere.
The restaurant however is not at all what we were looking for since most of the customers are group of Americans and the menu is in English with prices in US Dollars! We almost left but we were too tired to look for other options. Besides, it seems that the whole area might be the same. Looking at the map it’s easy to understand why: Puerto Penasco is the closest sea access for the Arizona cities of Phoenix and Tucson. Many students in particular come here to party and also drink alcohol since they are not allowed to buy any in the states before being 21 years old.
If it was only for the invasion of party people that would be fine but the real estate promoters also invaded the area and built a huge number of ugly condominiums close by. They even ‘changed’ the name of the city to ‘Rocky Point’. Bottom line is: if you’re not in a ‘Spring break’ mood just avoid that city.
Oct 21st - Puerto Penasco to Yecora
Interactive maps: http://www.gpsxchange.com/phpBB2/download2.php?id=1441
Nice breakfast (Tortas) with a view on the ocean. Very windy however.
Promenade on the malecon, deserted in the morning especially compared to the crowd of last night. It’s a late riser city.
The restaurants are on the top and the fishermen shops at the bottom
Those are the condos just on the other side of town. At least it's not too polluted and they can still fish shrimps right here.
We were hoping that the road South following the Sea od Cortez would be nice. However the wind was even stronger there and the visibility was terrible.
The road was too far from the sea anyway. There were sign selling “paradise-like” condominiums were obscured by the sand. Paradise lost for the developers?
We encounter a check point and ask again to pay for our permit but to no avail: the only places where we could do that are: San Emerterio and Empalme (close to Gaypas). Unfortunately we are not going to any of those. They make it really difficult for us to pay their taxes!
The wind died down when the road went East inland but the road was still uninteresting: flat and straight. We stopped in Caborca for gas and further down in Santa Ana we took the 15 South to Hermosillo. Gas again and a bite to eat. It supposed to be a nice city but I guess we missed the ‘centro’ because we didn’t see anything special. Not sure which bikes those cops are using...
We need to continue anyway and get on the 16 West. The road is narrow and in a nice scenery but still too straight. It continues to be quite hot. 100 kms later the fun starts with some turns and greener scenery. We see some nice small villages, with the central plaza and all. Then it’s turn after turn for what seems to be hundred kilometers!
A real motorcycle paradise
.
Not surprisingly that’s where we see our first motorcycle travelers: first a pair ok V-Strom, then a pair of 1200 GS, then a bit later another pair of them.
As the day got later and the light dimmer the surface got rougher. It was getting late but there was no sign of accommodations or place where we could camp. The pueblos which names we had on the map were just too small. But the scenery was magnificent as the elevation was rising but we needed our full attention on the road.
It was almost night, the reserve light popped on and we were still 50 kms away from what we were hoping to be a town big enough to have accommodations. Once again we had to brake the rule #1: don’t ride in Mexico at night! And this time it was for some serious riding: technical turns, climbing up to the almost 2000 m pass, with rocks, sand, gravel on the road, all things hard to see at night. Of course we also had to deal with vacas in the middle of the road. Pretty scary in complete darkness!
Finally we see lights in the dark, yeah! It’s Yecora and the first building we see is the only hotel in town. 300 pesos? Si senor! Nice room even though there is only one bulb in the room. There is no heater (it’s cold, still above 1500 m) but there is a fireplace. We check the town but there is not much going on there. We have a nice dinner in a family style restaurant.
No beers though but we buy them afterward and enjoy them in the room with a nice fire…
Oct 22nd - Yecora to Creel
Best day so far!
Interactive maps: http://www.gpsxchange.com/phpBB2/download2.php?id=1442
Early and cold morning...
We gas up and have breakfast at the same place we had dinner. The funny thing is that besides the eggs replacing the meat it’s the exact same plate that we had for dinner!
Leaving Yacora we continue on the amazingly twisty 16, but at daylight it’s way more fun. It’s a bit chilly but the light is beautiful, there are wild flowers blooming, the air crisp and it’s just very enjoyable to ride.
Ron having fun...
After a couple of hours of this great ride we turn to get to the Basaseachic Parc and waterfall (the 3rd tallest in North America).
We meet there Grant, an Australian rider on a V-Strom 650 (well prepped for adventure) who’s going to Panama from Vancouver where he’s been living for the last 12 years. The hike to see the top of the cliff is about 900 m and it's really worth it!
But to really see the cascade you need to hike downhill a very steep and rocky trail for more than 1.5 km.
Overall it’s about 2 hours round trip to the Ventana point of view (you can go down further) and even though it was very hot and very steep we thought it was really worth it!
To get an idea of the scale, check out the cows on the right of this picture!
Going back...
Soon after getting back on the 16 we turn on our right (SE) on the 22 towards San Juanito. After a couple of miles it turns into a dirt road.
A Texan couple at the cascade had warned us on that road mentioning how terrible it was, and how there were bulldozers all over the place etc. It turns out to be a wonderful road for us for about 85 kms, going above 2700 m and offering awesome scenery.
Back on the black top in San Juanito, we pass a group of motorcycles. It looks like Creel will be a popular place…
And indeed, when we arrive at the hotel Casa Margarita where we wanted to stay there was a bunch of bikes (mostly GS) in front of it. We found another hotel (Las Valles), cheap and clean and with a place to work on the front. When we passed in front of Casa Margarita, Randy a 950 rider I had met in a KTM rally in Elko (NV) saw me and followed us to our hotel. He’s with his friend Dennis and has been here several times so he gave us plenty of tips, we share beers and they even help us changing our tires.
Bar, restaurant we have a good time together. Unfortunately they just came back from the canyon so they will not come with us tomorrow.
Oct 23rd - Creel to Batopilas
Interactive maps: http://www.gpsxchange.com/phpBB2/download2.php?id=1443
We leave most of our luggage at the hotel since we heard the road back from Batopilas to Urique is really difficult and requires some challenging river crossing. Grant who stayed at the same hotel as Randy learned where we were staying and came to see us on the morning to ask if he could tag along. Sure! We leave around 9:30 AM.
The paved road was 'asphalt ribbon of moto extasy' (copyright Ron
).
The view, the turns, the smooth pavement… and it went on like that for 40 miles.
Grant is also a perfectionist photographer.
Then the road turned to dirt and heavy construction, with huge vehicles not leaving us much space on the side.
Then it became a nice but rough dirt road. Uncomfortable, narrow, dusty, with lot of blind corners but never really difficult. We pass only one or two villages, this one with some kids looking for something different.
Ron had brought some stickers... always a winner with kids everywhere!
The road follows the terrain, on the sides of the cliffs and offer spectacular views.
Look at the twisties, waaay down there...
Ron admiring the view...
While Grant has a look at this strange plant
Blue sky, crisp air... it’s a fantastic ride. We passed no one and we met just a few pick-ups coming from the other way. It’s a good thing by the way because they DO take most of the road!
Yes, we're now on those famous twisties we were seeing from the top
A nice family of donkeys living up there
Shade is good
One more of this amazing road...
We had been told about a restaurant in La buffa but we can’t find it. We also ask in one of the very few houses but they say there is none. What we find however is a very scenic viewpoint...
... and some goats!
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