The Devil’s Spine

Today we rode Hwy 40 from Durango to Mazatlan, which includes the section of road known as “El Espinazo del Diablo”. Hwy 40D, the toll road between the same two points, handles more traffic and is a faster route between these two cities.
Thought to be one of the most dangerous roads in the world, Hwy 40’s 280 kms twists and turns at elevations exceeding 2800m. Despite its reputation, its surface is in great shape, and was a true pleasure to ride, though we did have to dodge a donkey, a couple cows and a herd of goats.
Angela and I tackled this road today, literally giggling at times amazed at how much fun it was to toss the bikes back and forth through curve after curve, and how jaw-droppingly gorgeous the scenery was.
About halfway through, we spotted a couple adventure bikes stopped at a roadside restaurant. We pulled over to say hi and met three Mexicans from Torreón who ride this route regularly. Our Spanish is coming along – we were able to swap stories and share laughter as we recharged with a couple gorditas. One of the photos is of the “bathroom” available at this stop – definitely not recommended!
Mazatlan is more humid than other parts of Mexico we’ve visited so far, so a cool shower and a change of clothes made us presentable enough for us to hit the streets. We found an amazing vegan restaurant (Mawe), and a board game café (X&O) operated by a guy from our hometown, but Angela has so far struck out on finding carrot cake (she read an article that informed her that the best carrot cake is in Mexico, and she’s been on the hunt ever since).

(Pics on Facebook and Instagram.)