A near miss riding through the Copper Canyon

Last night we were in Cerocahui without any wifi. It was a very dusty ride from Chinipas Del Almada. The road was generally less challenging yesterday, but Michael went down twice, once trying to climb a hill thickly covered in that light, powdery, slippery dust and once when a pickup was passing a dump truck around a narrow corner. Forced off the road, Michael avoided the truck, but ended up on his side in the dirt. A few scratches in the bike, but thankfully nothing more. Oh, and Michael is okay too.

Cerocahui is a seemingly quiet little town. However, we learned that last June two priests from the local mission were assassinated right in the church located in the center of town. It’s not clear as to why, but the primary suspect (who was later found dead) was affiliated with cartel activity.

We’ve seen no obvious signs of trouble, but we do make a point of asking the locals about the current situation.

Two days ago we were baking in 38°C heat and trying desperately to keep hydrated. Yesterday and today it has been much milder. We are now in the Copper Canyon, a popular area for motorcyclists, though many tourists enjoy the scenery from the comfort of the train. At elevations exceeding 2400 m (7900 ft) the temperature is much more pleasant. The scenery has changed, and although there are still cacti, there are now many pine trees lining the road. A/C units are no longer required; last night we buried ourselves deeply under the three blankets on our bed.

Today we spent a couple hours washing our bikes, bags and gear (again!), as we were once again coated top to bottom in a thick layer of dust.

Our evening walk had us make several new friends – we had up to seven of the local dogs walking along with us at one point. One seemed enthused to fetch a thrown stick, while one was content to just saunter along beside us. By the time we returned to our motel we were down to just two. Michael took pity on them and bought a small bag of dog food, and filled a container with some water. These two dogs settled comfortably on either side of our motel room door until some of the local kids ran them off. We wonder if we will see them again…

(See our Facebook and Instagram for photos.)