Days 28-30
Dia 28: La resolana to Rodeo, 118.5 kms.
I finished the straight section on the map. Must have been 100 miles w-o a turn! Pretty flat, too. Always with mountains in the distance. Today I got to these distant mtns. Went over a pass and descended many thousands of ft into a beautiful greenish valley w live water! The straight, flat part was a high plateau w desert vegitation. Nice and cool on the pass, but hot as hell in the valley. They grow peaches here, as well as pecans and produce in general. Above was all grazing. Staying at the hotel Garcia in Rodeo. More apparently nice people, although the man seems drunk or high or something. Not sure he's trustworhty as I heard him arguing with his wife about charging me too little for the room 100 pesos. The room didn´t lock and I felt like I had more $ than I left with.... On the way, I had a nice chat w the proprietor of the little tienda in LA UNION. He told me it's been very dry for many years. Most of the people in the pueblo have left for los Estados Unidos for lack of work. Also, their cattle have been quarenteened for some kind of non existant disease, according to him. Anyway, most of the casitas there looked empty and abandoned. I think I´m about 175 km from the city of Durango. Not gonna make it tomorrow as I have a few mtns in the way. I like Durango, the people are very laid back and interested in my trip. One guy told me that sometimes, cycling tourists like myself pass by here, but all are euros or Canadians. He said I´m the 1st United Statesian. They don´t call us Americans cause they are AMERicans, too. How embarassing to be so close to the US, but our cyclists don´t arrive there! Arrived in Rodeo, it´s a pretty old pueblo. I need to take some pix in the AM.
Dia 29: Rodeo to Medina, 98.1 kms
Today, I had to overcome my 1st feelings of doubt about this trip. Headwind, the invisable foe was out in force. Also, doubts about the man at the Hotel GARCIA..... Woke up with visions of making the city of Durango after a good sleep. The wind changed my visions to dred... Started flat in the Nazas valley w interesting small pueblitos along the way. One, named Leandro Valle had the ruins of a huge old church and numerous deteriorating houses. Obvious it´s heyday had passed long ago. Then, I climbed... into a strong wind. No one warned me about that! I gueass I was going better than I thought as I was making descent kms. The weather was unsettled, looked like rain. The clouds were welcome to escape the heat. Had lunch in Roche and after that, everything changed... for the better. I met Jose Rivas, the bikin´aluminum recyclist. I have his pic. We talked and then sailed, he lives in San Juan del Rio. Later, passed a forest of huge prickly pear or Nopal. The locals eat the leaves and the fruit. Met a vaquero and asked to take his pic, which I DID. I need to figure out how to send the pix....... Much of the traffic in Durango is on horseback. Vaqueros riding their fences. Bought dinner supplies in Donato GUERRA. The tienda had some stuff, but no beer or meat. So I rode on to the Ëxpendio where they sell only one brand, Modelo. Talked to the guys there and they directed me to the carnicaria. Only problem was that there was no sign... So I missed it and had to return. A local man told me which house and to knock on the door. An old gruff looking butcher answered and looked bothered, but he opened for me. Bought some excellent beef and rode on to find camp. Found an inviting doubletrack and then it turned to singletrack w a bike track on it. It felt like home! Decided on a spot, only to look up and see a vaquero riding toward me at a gallop. I rode over to him to ask permission to camp there. He said he had a better place for me, an abandoned adobe. He directed me w his permission, I accepted his offer to stay there. His name is Oscar Guerrero and he´s a proud campesino who told me his life´s work is on the side of that mountain, and he pointed toward the beautiful mtn to our east. I´m writing this from the old adobe. It´s perfect! Incredible sunset, nice fire out back and my own humble house for the night! The moon is building toward full, I´ve been out for a full cycle now. Keeping time by the moon, this is my new pace....
Dia 30: Medina to Durango, 71.4 kms.
Sketchiest section of road yet! Same type of road as I´ve encountered all through Mexico so far, only now there´s a lot of traffic. Big trucks and such. 2 lane, narrow w NO SHOULDER. thankfully, there was a horse-bike track that paralels the road and I used it wherever possible. Whenever 2 trucks arrived at the same moment as I, I had to literally dive off the road to avoid instant death or dismemberment. Just like working on a Campi chain!!! The great Elliot knows what I´m talking about!! I dove at least 2 dozen times today. At times to save my own skin and sometimes as a courtesy to the driver´s, who really don´t want to slow down.... I now know why there´s so many roadside shrines! I´m gonna re-evaluate my route as I care not to continue on this type of road. Anyway, last night was awesome! To be offered to stay in a house for free, by a stranger, in his country... especially after my experience in my own Durango, where I´m priced out of the market by 2nd, 3rd, 4th home owners who don´t contribute to the community... It´s all coming clear now. Still in the desert here. It´s low and warm. This Durango is a large city w very old churhes and public buildings. Gonna go look for an internet cafe......
I finished the straight section on the map. Must have been 100 miles w-o a turn! Pretty flat, too. Always with mountains in the distance. Today I got to these distant mtns. Went over a pass and descended many thousands of ft into a beautiful greenish valley w live water! The straight, flat part was a high plateau w desert vegitation. Nice and cool on the pass, but hot as hell in the valley. They grow peaches here, as well as pecans and produce in general. Above was all grazing. Staying at the hotel Garcia in Rodeo. More apparently nice people, although the man seems drunk or high or something. Not sure he's trustworhty as I heard him arguing with his wife about charging me too little for the room 100 pesos. The room didn´t lock and I felt like I had more $ than I left with.... On the way, I had a nice chat w the proprietor of the little tienda in LA UNION. He told me it's been very dry for many years. Most of the people in the pueblo have left for los Estados Unidos for lack of work. Also, their cattle have been quarenteened for some kind of non existant disease, according to him. Anyway, most of the casitas there looked empty and abandoned. I think I´m about 175 km from the city of Durango. Not gonna make it tomorrow as I have a few mtns in the way. I like Durango, the people are very laid back and interested in my trip. One guy told me that sometimes, cycling tourists like myself pass by here, but all are euros or Canadians. He said I´m the 1st United Statesian. They don´t call us Americans cause they are AMERicans, too. How embarassing to be so close to the US, but our cyclists don´t arrive there! Arrived in Rodeo, it´s a pretty old pueblo. I need to take some pix in the AM.
Dia 29: Rodeo to Medina, 98.1 kms
Today, I had to overcome my 1st feelings of doubt about this trip. Headwind, the invisable foe was out in force. Also, doubts about the man at the Hotel GARCIA..... Woke up with visions of making the city of Durango after a good sleep. The wind changed my visions to dred... Started flat in the Nazas valley w interesting small pueblitos along the way. One, named Leandro Valle had the ruins of a huge old church and numerous deteriorating houses. Obvious it´s heyday had passed long ago. Then, I climbed... into a strong wind. No one warned me about that! I gueass I was going better than I thought as I was making descent kms. The weather was unsettled, looked like rain. The clouds were welcome to escape the heat. Had lunch in Roche and after that, everything changed... for the better. I met Jose Rivas, the bikin´aluminum recyclist. I have his pic. We talked and then sailed, he lives in San Juan del Rio. Later, passed a forest of huge prickly pear or Nopal. The locals eat the leaves and the fruit. Met a vaquero and asked to take his pic, which I DID. I need to figure out how to send the pix....... Much of the traffic in Durango is on horseback. Vaqueros riding their fences. Bought dinner supplies in Donato GUERRA. The tienda had some stuff, but no beer or meat. So I rode on to the Ëxpendio where they sell only one brand, Modelo. Talked to the guys there and they directed me to the carnicaria. Only problem was that there was no sign... So I missed it and had to return. A local man told me which house and to knock on the door. An old gruff looking butcher answered and looked bothered, but he opened for me. Bought some excellent beef and rode on to find camp. Found an inviting doubletrack and then it turned to singletrack w a bike track on it. It felt like home! Decided on a spot, only to look up and see a vaquero riding toward me at a gallop. I rode over to him to ask permission to camp there. He said he had a better place for me, an abandoned adobe. He directed me w his permission, I accepted his offer to stay there. His name is Oscar Guerrero and he´s a proud campesino who told me his life´s work is on the side of that mountain, and he pointed toward the beautiful mtn to our east. I´m writing this from the old adobe. It´s perfect! Incredible sunset, nice fire out back and my own humble house for the night! The moon is building toward full, I´ve been out for a full cycle now. Keeping time by the moon, this is my new pace....
Dia 30: Medina to Durango, 71.4 kms.
Sketchiest section of road yet! Same type of road as I´ve encountered all through Mexico so far, only now there´s a lot of traffic. Big trucks and such. 2 lane, narrow w NO SHOULDER. thankfully, there was a horse-bike track that paralels the road and I used it wherever possible. Whenever 2 trucks arrived at the same moment as I, I had to literally dive off the road to avoid instant death or dismemberment. Just like working on a Campi chain!!! The great Elliot knows what I´m talking about!! I dove at least 2 dozen times today. At times to save my own skin and sometimes as a courtesy to the driver´s, who really don´t want to slow down.... I now know why there´s so many roadside shrines! I´m gonna re-evaluate my route as I care not to continue on this type of road. Anyway, last night was awesome! To be offered to stay in a house for free, by a stranger, in his country... especially after my experience in my own Durango, where I´m priced out of the market by 2nd, 3rd, 4th home owners who don´t contribute to the community... It´s all coming clear now. Still in the desert here. It´s low and warm. This Durango is a large city w very old churhes and public buildings. Gonna go look for an internet cafe......
posted by Bicycle Bob at
6:08 PM
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