Days 55 Through 59: Creel

I don't think any of us intended on staying in Creel so long, but it was a welcome and refreshingly cool respite from the twin furnaces of Urique and Batopilas.  The weather in Creel reminds me a bit of the perfect alpine summer days that draws outdoor lovers to Colorado.  Boasting a population of around 6000 people, Creel feels like a small mountain town with a developed tourist infrastructure for exploring the Copper Canyons.  It's clearly the low season as people flock here after the summer rains when the canyons are a verdant green and the waterfalls are at their peak, however, I'm enjoying the relative quiet of this time of year.

The museum in Creel has an eclectic but well done history of the town, history of the Raramuri, local craft exposition, and a gorgeous black and white photography exhibit.  I picked up a used copy of The Silver Magnet by Grant Shepperd in the museum store.  Grant Shepperd is the son of the man who basically ruled the mining industry in Batopilas in the late 1800s and it promises to be a fascinating read, especially having explored the mining company's ruins!

Gonzalo had a stack of work he needed to get through, so I took the opportunity to do some exploring with Emmanuel who found himself stuck in Creel with a bum bottom bracket waiting for a replacement to be sent from Chihuahua.  Although I had promised Gonzalo that I would save the 20 km dirt road loop that covers the main attractions of the area, the Valleys of the Mushrooms, Frogs, and Monks as well as the San Ignacio Mission and Lake Arareko for our ride out of Creel, there were plenty of other things to do.  So off Emmanuel and I went to investigate the Cave of the Lions and then out to camp at the Recowata hot springs.

Emmanuel and a local cyclist Ricardo chat in the Cave of the Lions.  We met Ricardo at the workshop of the Poncho, the bike mechanic helping Emmanuel with his bottom bracket.  He showed us how to get to the Cave of the Lions and hung out for a while.

Emmanuel and Ricardo take a minute to pose for a glamour shot.

The rock formations in this area are amazing for bouldering, as Emmanuel demonstrates an excellent starting technique in his sandals.

We locked the bikes down at the Cave of the Lions and hiked up to get a better view of Creel.  We sat and talked about how we could both live somewhere like Creel.  Emmanuel hopes to find work in Creel building thermally efficient earth and pine houses one day.

We stumble on a zip line project.  This stairwell which leads to an additional line.  Later, we would find out that Enrique Parra, a local outdoor adventure fanatic and bike mechanic, has a ton of mountain biking, climbing, zip lining, and other projects in the works for both the local kids as well as tourism.

Creel is a cyclist's paradise, with everything from smooth fast dirt roads to cross country singletrack to technical mountain bike trails.  I chatted several times with the incredibly knowledgable Ivan of Amigo Trails about what to do in the area.  Despite the clouds looming overhead marking the beginning of the summer rains, folks in town assured us that it only rains for a few hours in the afternoon, so Emmanuel and I decided to bike the 20 km out to the Recowata hot springs where we would camp overnight.

On the smooth dirt road to Recowata hot springs.

The smooth dirt road turns into a rough steep cobblestone road.

We get to the little toll booth (caseta) where we were told by Ivan they would lock up our bikes for the night.  Just as we arrived, it started to rain, so we took the opportunity to wait out the rain a bit.

Oh wait, did I say rain?  It was actually hail for the first couple of minutes.

Bike pannier goes into overnight backpacker mode.  It's a 3 km walk down to the hot springs down a cobblestone road that no cyclist in their right mind wants to ride up (or push their bike up).

The rain let up and we had a mystical hazy hike down to the hot springs.  There weren't many folks there, just a group of four local Creel-ians, and a couple who decided later on that camping in the rain wasn't their cup of tea.

The sun peeks out for just a minute and lights up the Tararecua canyon with amazing colors.

The sun gives way to clouds and mist.

The skyline becomes an intricate silhouette of trees against the clouds.

And rock.

Windows of sky blue peek through every so often.

We got to the hot springs and decided to set up camp first since it was just barely sprinkling.  Then off we went to jump into the hot springs and relish the water, which was not so much hot as warm.  The hot springs are actually a series of different pools of varying depths and size designed to capture water pouring down from natural waterfalls and spring sources.  They are designed to drain so the water is always refreshed.  The only shame is that the pools are painted a bright unnatural blue... it would have been neat to maintain the color scheme of the rock formations of the area.

Emmanuel set up his hammock under a basic covered structure and I opted to set my tent up under a tree on the rock floor in hopes of better drainage. 

We awoke to gorgeous clear sunny skies and the first order of business was a morning dip.  Emmanuel enjoys our favorite pool which features a huge jet of "warmer than the other pools" water.

Spring water feeds into the pools down the rock.

View from one of the hot spring pools.

After a leisurely morning allowing gear to dry and enjoying the nearly empty hot springs, it was time to tear ourselves from the water and head back to Creel since Emmanuel's replacement part was supposed to arrive that morning.

The hike down to the springs is worth the trip alone.

A group of local Creel-ian kids head down for a picnic at the hot springs.  We saw several large groups walking down as we hiked out.  We felt lucky to have the springs in relative solitude the night before.

At long last, Emmanuel's bike was ready to go and it was time for us to say goodbye after nearly two weeks traveling together.  He was heading north and we were heading southeast, though our paths may cross again in Durango and Xalapa where he lives.  Gonzalo and I decided to stay one more day so he could get a little more work done and so I could explore some local mountain bike trails.

The trail to the (currently dry) Rukiraso waterfall is a lovely mix of dirt road, singletrack, and narrow ATV trails... nothing too challenging but just enough technical parts to make it fun for cyclists of all abilities.

The trail takes you through Raramuri farmland... a mother and daughter watch their livestock at the stream.

A man prepares his fields for the summer rains.

Some of the Raramuri live in caves year-round.

A few travel notes for cyclists:

• We stayed at the Casa de Huéspedes Peréz for 100 pesos a person per night with access to their kitchen, which is a nice quiet family run establishment with homey rooms that boast wood burning heaters, couches, and just enough room to store bikes inside.  The driveway area is a nice secluded area to do bike maintenance.  Luli, the woman in charge, is warm and welcoming, but don't underestimate her... she is a shrewd businesswoman who wants to know exactly how long you are staying in case someone else comes... even during low season. While access to the kitchen is provided, this is Luli's kitchen so you need to work around her family's mealtimes.  She does, however, provide a nice laundry service for "whatever you think is fair" and her husband has a van for area tours.

• I highly recommend Ivan at Amigo Trails for area advice and free maps just down the street.  He knew I was not going to be renting a bike or any of his gear, and still spent the time to go over all my various options for things to do in the area and provided me free maps.  He was also extremely honest about whether it was worth it for me to try to join a tour to Basaseachi waterfalls, which currently has very little to no water, and is a pricey full day trip.  Amigo Trails also boasts a nice book exchange, two-for-one or one plus 20 pesos.  I also noted that he has several fairly recent copies of the Mexico Lonely Planet.

• The trail to Rukiraso waterfall was well marked with kilometer markers and rocks painted white.  Without them, it would have been very easy to get lost!  There are also some trail maps on public signs in the main square.

• If you cycle to the Recowata hot springs, note that there are two toll booths... the first is to enter the area, the second is for the camping.  The second one is after a short section of steep cobblestone road and they will lock your bike in the booth overnight, but you need to get there before they leave.  Normally they leave between 5 and 6 pm.  Note that the guy at the booth tried to charge us 60 pesos a person to camp, whereas we were told in town it only cost 20 pesos.  We ended up paying 25 pesos per person after arguing with him a bit. 

• If you need a bike mechanic in Creel, you can either ask for Poncho at the llantería on the edge of town heading towards the roundabout, or for Enrique Parra.  Both are very knowledgable, but Emmanuel found Poncho to be more responsive (to the point he even offered to swap out parts from his girlfriend's bike).