Final preparations for departure.
Like last year, we left the car and trailer at the Marfa airport.
Rich had a flat before we even left the country.
In short order the flat had been fixed.
Ian and me at the hotel in Cuauhtemoc.
We took a small detour to visit Tajirachic again.
We took a small detour to visit Tajirachic again.
We took a small detour to visit Tajirachic again.
The road between Carichi and Creel.
Rummaging through my stuff.
Some roads are better than others.
Some roads are better than others.
Our hotel in Creel was designed for people much shorter than Ian.
We stopped at Divisadero for a short break.
The view from Divisadero is spectacular.
The view from Divisadero is spectacular.
Some of the roads are in pretty good shape.
Some of the roads are in pretty good shape.
Rich got knocked off the road by a truck in this corner.
View of the road through the mountains on the way to Temoris.
Our hotel in Chinipas was, as usual, biker friendly.
Ian crossing a stream near Chinipas.
Me crossing a stream near Chinipas.
Rich wringing the water out of his socks after crossing the stream.
I started having problems with my shoes again.
This was later fixed with duct tape, but didn't last very long.
The chain jumped off the sprocket on my XT.
Crossing the river near Chinipas again.
View of Urique and the Urique river.
Closeup of Urique. It is easy to see the runway, right in the middle of town.
Descending from Mesa de Arturo.
Me and Ian stop for a rest.
Intersection near Tubares.
The descent into Satevo (new road).
The descent into Satevo (new road).
The descent into Satevo (new road).
Me at the Batopilas river crossing.
Another Rich self portrait.
A sobering reminder of what a treacherous road this can be.
Note the white PVC tube carrier on Rich's bike: we stored tools there.
Here, Ian checks the inner tube.
When attached properly, those milk crates we use have proven to be excellent.
We followed this path until it became impassable.
We followed this path until it became impassable.
Luckily he ended up on the rocks to the right instead of the precipice to the left.
We were invited to park the bikes in the hotel's courtyard.
In this case the station comes to you, not the other way.
We were following a road that paralleled the river and went into it countless times. Here we stopped for a break.
It chose to do so MID through crossing the river. How opportune!! We had to carry the godforsaken machine out of the river to address the mishap.
(This is where the chain fell off the sprocket).
It was loose and somehow got tangled up in the rear wheel. As the wheel spun, this compressed the rear suspension to the max, then the bike stalled. There was no way to untangle that mess graciously, so we had to completely destroy the cargo net. This is the first time that his feet have actually reached the ground while sitting on that bike.
It was loose and somehow got tangled up in the rear wheel. As the wheel spun, this compressed the rear suspension to the max, then the bike stalled. There was no way to untangle that mess graciously, so we had to completely destroy the cargo net. This is the first time that his feet have actually reached the ground while sitting on that bike.
It was loose and somehow got tangled up in the rear wheel. As the wheel spun, this compressed the rear suspension to the max, then the bike stalled. There was no way to untangle that mess graciously, so we had to completely destroy the cargo net. This is the first time that his feet have actually reached the ground while sitting on that bike.
Given his face, I'm sure there is a good story behind it. It may have to do with the next picture…
Somehow he bounced off some rocks while negotiating a difficult turn (he rides like an animal) and ended up rolling down the cliff. Very fortunately he was able to bail out half way down. Even more fortunately this was a comparatively insignificant cliff. It cannot be judged by the picture, but the slope is still very steep. We could not get the bike out of there and had to wait a long time until another vehicle came by. Luckily it had several passengers and between everyone the bike was extricated.
In a losing battle, I pick up discarded plastic bottles that people throw by the road.
This thing fell from the switchback above (a long way). The front/top was completely crushed.
The river crossing can be seen in the center.
