Days 67 Through 69: Guachochi To Parral

Leaving Guachochi felt like we were closing the chapter on the Copper Canyons as we headed firmly into Mexico's cowboy country.  Steep rocky gorges gradually turned into long rolling hills, and tall pines were were gradually replaced by cattle fences and grazing land.  The road between Guachochi and Balleza had a rocky barren beauty and we welcomed the clouds and rain.

Watching the rain come down in the distance...

Our almost view from our almost campsite.  We decided to push for Balleza instead of staying here.

Amazing amazing amazing descent... I hold onto this photo as my reminder why climbing is always worth it.

Gonzalo hadn't been sleeping well lately and so we opted for hotel to avoid a wet night camping.  We made it to Balleza, a strange town that has a few too many beer stores and very little to offer other than two hotels.  We had hoped for a good night sleep in order to tackle a formidable looking climb out of Balleza.  Although various folks had told us that there was a new highway between Balleza and Parral that avoided climbing, we had no way to verify that since the new highway didn't show up on GoogleEarth or the GPS.

As luck would have it, the new highway provided beautiful long rolling hills winding through a picturesque valley.  No tortuous switchbacks impossibly cut into a cliffside.  We were thankful since neither of us had slept particularly well in Balleza and the day started off in a bleary grumpy  haze.  After a morning full of sleepy mental arguments with myself about whether this was all worth it and whether I should just send my bike back to the U.S. and continue with nothing but a backpack, a few friendly construction workers reminded me why I travel by bike.  Their friendly banter and a generous water refill from their icy cooler lifted my spirits.

A big thumbs up from our friendly construction workers.

I love this kind of cycling... easy spinning up and down.

Gonzalo takes in the scenery as he waits at the top of an easy climb for me.

Despite the easy road, the lack of sleep was taking its toll on us and we agreed to start looking for somewhere to camp earlier than usual.  Unfortunately, since we were in cattle land, everything was really exposed or too close to ranches for our comfort.  While we both prefer to wild camp, in populated areas, it's easier and safer to just ask for permission to camp somewhere.  We pulled up to a little village called La Noria, and much to our surprise, there were nearly a dozen cars and trucks parked at the entrance to the village, and a little boy was yelling in English to his father as he ran in front of a crowded little church.  It turns out that the town was the childhood home of a large Mexican family which had since scattered to Phoenix and Denver, among other places, and this was their first family reunion.

The local pastor Antonio, a serious and devout man, gave us permission to camp in the village and invited us to dinner with everyone at the church.  We ended up spending all afternoon and evening socializing with everyone... which proved to be interesting given that most of the family members were evangelical christians.

They generously provided us a spot that was close to the village but with ample privacy.

The view wasn't too bad either.

A clay oven for baking bread recently got a new coat of clay.

Bellies full of the most delicious burritos smothered in a warm chile sauce.  We were exhausted by this point, but we couldn't turn down this opportunity to share a meal with this family.

Nearly 70 family members gathered in this small church.  I like that they decorated the church with pink flowers instead of the typical fancy gold cross look.

The next morning, Gonzalo discovered that he won the prize of first flat tire of the trip thanks to a tiny thorn that had managed to sneak its way between the tread.  After patching his tube, we went to say goodbye to Antonio and thank him for letting us stay the night.  Antonio asked if he could say a prayer for our trip, and after an eloquent and effusive prayer, we made it to the relative metropolis of Parral in good time.

Boiling water on my mini-Trangia stove to make oatmeal for breakfast while Gonzalo fixes his flat.

Another roadside angel stopped and gave us two liters of ice cold water and this pleasant surprise... mineral water!

Chihuahua state is logging country... we were constantly amazed at how the logs were secured to the trucks.

Although we often stay at hotels away from the center of town, we decided to stay at a hotel just off the main plaza, in part because I was too tired to bike back out to the edge of the center, and in part because sometimes it's just nice to splurge a little, especially since we were planning to stay in Parral a few days to explore the museums (Pancho Villo was assassinated here, so obviously, there is a museum dedicated to just that) and celebrate Gonzalo's birthday before heading to Durango.  Our hotel is conveniently located across from the local open air market, with a great corner room with a 90 degree view of Parral, and a gorgeous view from the rooftop terrace.

View from my bed.

Our hotel has some pimpin' 1950s furniture.

View from the rooftop terrace.

A few travel notes for bike tourists:

• Little stores are more plentiful on this section, but we didn't see much until about 50 km out of Guachochi.  

• Wild camping opportunities between Guachochi and Balleza are few and far in between, require jumping cattle fences, and require quite a bit of hiking gear to get away from the highway.  The terrain is also very rocky so finding somewhere to pitch your tent could also get quite difficult.  Once you start the descent into Balleza, there's nothing, so you'll have to stay in town (the hotel on the far edge of town right on the highway was only 200 pesos and bike friendly, whereas the one coming into town off a side road wasn't nearly as welcoming).

• Take the new highway that runs from shortly before Balleza to Parral.  It's a left turn towards the valley and takes you through El Tule and La Noria.  This is long rolling hill country and could be done in a single day if you wanted to.  There are several small towns along here and it's gorgeous riding.  

• Entering Parral is a bit of a shock since it is about 100,000+ people and has a huge commercial district you must get through before you see signs to the center.  

• People are funny in this part of Mexico.  When we say we've come from Creel, everyone from Guachochi and east gasps in shock that we would travel through such a dangerous place.... just as everyone in Creel told us how dangerous Guachochi is.  We've found both to be just fine.