Day 7 February 15th, 2004

Yecora to Basaseachic Falls to Creel by way high moutains on a dirt road

We headed East out of Yecora the curviest twisty blacktop I had ever ridden---high in the mountains. It was a nice crisp morning and there was no traffic at all.

Me and Kenny pulled over to stretch and get a drink when we saw an adventure rider really cooking down the road. I waved them all over and sure enough it was the same bunch of hooligans we met in Urique. They got the BMW welded. They were an ornery bunch and were having the time of their lives. I picked their brains as much as I could as at least some of them had been riding in Mexico for 20 years. They all had their electric vests plugged in and I could tell by looking at their bikes that they were extremely experienced riders.

Hey Asshole !!!!!

Well that's what he goes by---says his wife hollers "Hey Asshole" and he answers. He seemed to be the leader of this bunch of outlaws.

The guys on the BMW are in a catagory I will call "phenominal riders". These guys could bounce their GS's over every rough road me and Kenny had been over with the greatest of ease---although they did do some bike damage--but hey, that's part of it.

They roared off in the opposite direction in which we were going and disappeared as fast as they appeared.

I spied this little restaurante by the side of the road in a town so small it didn't have a name. Smoke was coming out of the stove pipe so we stopped and saw if we could get some lunch.

This very nice lady fixed us the best hamburger and french fries we had ever eaten. Here she is hand cutting our french fries---try to get that done at McDonalds ?---I don't think so !!!

When I first walked in I spied this wood stove just a roaring away and postioned myself as close to it as possible. There was a nice lady backed up to it when we walked in warming up her rear end, but I guess we scared her off.

We were headed South down to the falls when lo and behold we ran into the same jeepers we had ran into in the mountains near the Chinipas river crossing. It was unbelievable to run into them again. They went up by the falls and started fixing lunch and invited us to eat with them, but we had just ate--they were such a nice bunch. They were prepared for anything it seems--their jeeps were extremely modified.

Remember I gave them a map and rollchart to ride the nasty road between Botipilas and Urique that me and Kenny rode?? They got down there and talked to some people and they told them it was too dangerous to go out in the mountains in that area---so they didn't go.

Basaseachic Falls

The falls all over 800ft. tall and were the highest in Mexico untill somebody recently found one a little higher. I've seen jilliions of pictures of the fall but this picture is much better---as we were there !!!

You could hike to the top or bottom of the falls I was told which would be neat---but were motorcyclists.

View point for the Falls

The big guy to the left with the white shirt on was hilarious and kept everybody in stitches the whole time we were there. He was the only one who spoke English and was constantly making jokes---he definitely should be on TV--but we had him all to our self. We all had such a good time together and everybody just put their arms around each other and we got this picture. I don't think I've ever met any friendlier people.

We headed kind of Southeast towards Creel on a one lane dirt road high in the mountains. We ran into a little lingering snow up here and this is the highest elevations we were to be in on our whole trip, at over 9,000 ft.

A friend of mine (Tom Huff) got robbed by gunpoint out here but we had an upper hand. We were telling "Hey Asshole" about this and without one bit of hesitation he just plainly said "he was going to slow". Well, end of problem for us. We hardly seen a soul out here--it was one of the most spectacular rides of our trip. We took this route to avoid riding the highway to Creel.

Life high in the Mexio Mountains
Samuel (left) who spoke good English may be the most memorable person we met. We are in Creel and were checking in to the "Casa Huespedes" motel. His mom and dad are in the picture also. Samuel took us into his house and introduced us to his wife and showed us some pictures of all the neat stuff around this area. Samuel was a very humble young man and I will never forget him putting his hand on my shoulder--looked me straight in the eye, and said "Mark--this is my house--my house is your house". 200 pesos for the night--$20 US

Here is our room--we were on the lower level and had secure parking for our bikes.

I told Samuel that we had been on the road for days and as it was pretty chilly in Creel we just had to have heat tonight as we had not had any the whole trip. He said--yes there is heat in your room. We poked are heads in our room and there was the cutest little homemade woodstove (in which I will refer to now as "the woodstove from hell"). It liked me--but it had it in for Kenny from the get-go. I finally had to just take over. Samuel told me his dad woud start a fire in it tonight for us---but I asked if he could start it now as me and Kenny were a little chilly. In 5 minutes the fire was roaring and it was nice and toasty.

I tended the fire all night as Kenny just snored away. It was so relaxing putting a log on the fire now and then and watching it as it warmed up the room as I listen to it pop and crack--then I would fall back to sleep. Such a peaceful night---and we were to stay here 2 nights as tomorrow was "Kick back and relax" day.

About 5AM was when the stove attacked Kenny. The stove was made out of whatever car parts were laying out back and the legs were re-bar and one was shorter than the other. Now picture this scenario----ready?? I was putting a log in it--it tipped a little--the stove pipe came apart and fell onto Kenny's bed barely missing hitting him in the head. Smoke was filling the room---flames were shooting out of the stove--Kenny was horrified as he had been asleep--and he had a hot stove pipe in bed with him !!!!!!!!

We both were horrified---and couldn't believe what was going on. I looked around the room and grabbed my tennis shoes and gripped the pipe with them and somehow got it back in place---I fell back to my bed and we laughed for at least 5 minutes---or untill Kenny started snoring again!! I really think that the woodstove couldn't take Kenny's snoring another second and just tried to knock him out !!

"Ahhh--Mexico"

See the soot all over Kenny's bed--he rolled over in it while sleeping and got it all over him. In the morning I told Samuels mom and dad what happened and they were so sorry and he immediately got some bailing wire and fixed the pipe. They offered us a different room but I declined as I liked this room---and I liked my woodstove and it liked me.

We had an Enchilada dinner and a hot cake breakfast here at "La Pitos"---I think we ate here 3 times. Nice place----I highly recommend it.

We found an internet cafe while here and me and Kenny tried to send an e-mail home as we had had no contact with our families since we left. It was a mexican keyboard---I can type about as fast as I can talk--but not on that keyboard--things just weren't in the same place I was use to and the shift key would stick ever time you touched it---it took me an hour to write an e-mail as it was very long---I don't think anybody got it--still not sure yet.

Virginia

Me and Kenny will never forget this nice lady. She was originally from China--spoke very good English as she has spent most of her life in Alaska, Canada and the US. She seemed highly educated and was so pleasant to talk to---we became instant friends as she told us she was retired and was in Mexico to find a place to spend her last years in as she loved Mexio--(only if I was a little older)--ahhh--put that out of your head Mark :)

She was talking about the heat in her room and took us up to show us----sure enough--the only heat she had was a 6 inch stove pipe running right up thru the middle of her room which was the stove pipe off the woodstove from the room below hers. If the stove down below wasn't fired up--she didn't get any heat either !!

"Ahhhh---Mexico"

We love it here and are staying another night !!!!!!!!

Day 8