Last day in Mexico and my return to Texas

 

On the way to Matamoros, I passed this windmill and the cold ground clinging mists of the morning.

After getting up I left Tres Palos for the last 150 miles to Matamoros and the border. Since there were basically no towns in between and the roads were in good shape, it only took a couple of hours or so to get there.

It was cold though and mists hung over some of the lower parts of the fields. It almost felt like fall in the northern reaches of the U.S. And again I thought of the weather reports not too far to the north, and the arctic temperatures. I wondered how far I would actually be able to get, and if the 3 or 4 day window of warmer weather I was hoping for would actually occur so I could ride all the way home. It was still one day at a time and I had to get a lot closer, because even if that window I was looking for did happen I needed to be two or three days from Michigan to use it, not 4 or 5 as I was now. I figured the sooner I got to Mississippi or even Memphis the sooner I could just position myself to wait on the weather to change, and finish the last leg when it did. And again it would do no good for the weather to change if I wasn't in a position to use it.

I also thought about my bike and getting to Brownsville. I had left at first light thinking I might be able to get to the Kawasaki dealer and get my radiator plug fixed that day instead of having to wait till Monday to do it. I also needed my oil changed, laundry done and to catch up on my blog. The Motel 6 in Brownsville where I had stay'd coming down was where I could stay and rest while getting all these things done. Even if I had to wait till Monday to get my bike fixed the day of rest would not go to waste. It was funny, even though I could use the day off after pushing across Central America and Mexico, I just wanted to get everything done as soon as possible, and it made sense to just keep moving and not spend any time in Brownsville, even though I had sort of dreamt sometimes of just getting back there and being able to relax. The luxury of being back in the U.S. didn't seem to be all that luxurious, and the truth is I still had a long way to go if I was going to get back before the holidays.

The somewhat barren landscape stretching hundreds of miles from the gulf, and south and westward from the U.S. border and Brownsville.

The ride to the border was uneventful. I did pass a couple of the police check points on the other side of the road I had to go thru the first time heading south. There was also one military check point heading north I met but they just waived me thru.

As I reached Matamoros I began to remember how big this city was and also that they had 3 separate border crossings into Brownsville. I thought it would be easy with multiple signs showing the way but there wasn't that I could find. I thought to myself that Mexico would have one or two more things to throw my way, and it did. I stopped and asked directions one more time and again thru luck and some general sense of direction I found the border I had crossed at originally coming down.

My last fill up in Mexico. The Pemex's what I assume are state owned gas stations, were my life line for gas and water for my entire trip across the country.

I still had to find the right building to get my passport stamped and my vehicle permit canceled. Someone pointed the way for me, and again I was relieved there was no handlers and he wasn't going to take over and end up trying to charge me something. After going back to the same building I used to enter Mexico, it was all pretty easy. There was a 45 minute wait in line and I had parked in the wrong place and the clerk made me move and bring my bike up and pass the military check point, where the soldiers once again went thru my bags. Everything was pretty easy to get at, and by now I was getting to be a pro at this since this was probably the 7th time now my bags had been looked at on my trip back thru Mexico. And that's basically all they did, they just looked in all the pockets, they never meticulously went thru every little thing, which I was grateful for.

Back in the U.S. and Texas. This is one of the last places along the Texas Gulf still building oil rigs. I was told the other two had been temporarily closed down due to the economy.

So my passport stamped and my vehicle permit canceled (again make sure this gets done before you leave the country or it could be an expensive hassle) I headed across the International Bridge for one more traffic jam at the U.S. border. This took about an hour and while I was in line I called the Kawasaki dealer to see if they could look at my bike. They said they were open till six and could do it that day. They also said they would be closed Sunday and Monday so today being Saturday it was a good day to get it done.

When I reached customs for the U.S. the guy checked my license plate number, asked me if I was a U.S. citizen and where I was from, and that was it, welcome home. Now it was time to go get my bike fixed and maybe find a place to eat some American food since I hadn't ate anything yet that day. I headed for the Kawasaki dealer where I was kind of treated as a hero almost. They couldn't believe I had taken my bike all the way across Central America and Mexico. In fact when I walked in the sale room one of the sales guys asked me " you must ride a lot " and I said "why". He said "because you have a tan mark on the side of your face from your helmet". Yes I felt like a real warrior at this point!

Sunset on San Padre Island, Texas.

The good news after they looked at it was that it was only the radiator plug itself and not the hose, or worse a hole in the radiator. The bad news sort of, was it was going to take several hours to fix it since they had to go to the store to get the part and they seemed to be tied up with other repair work as well. After some of my past experiences with having to be on guard constantly for being overcharged I was almost tempted to get their estimate in writing. And when he wouldn't give me a direct estimate when asked I was apprehensive to say the least.

I visited with one of the sales guys for awhile and gave him my blogsite so we visited that and checked it out, and then we went to Adventure Riders website where I checked out that rather popular site for the first time. In fact I think Dr. Greg Frazier maybe the editor of that site (I know one of you can help me out with a comment here!) for I've heard about it now from different people. KL650's seem to be the theme here, and taking the bike as far as it will go into some amazing places. Sort of like out of bounds skiing, only this is out of bounds motorcycling! Some pretty amazing stuff, and some really neat pictures. When I get my site a little more organized that would be another good link to add. While I'm not into simply pushing the limits of a bike and myself per say (there are too many other stories happening as well, mainly the country and people your visiting), certainly any trip south of the border or into the many remote places of the world push the limits of your bike anyway as well as yourself, so the theme here between the two sites is consistent. I can appreciate what they do and why.

This gulf Pelican, one of many that are along the shores of San Padre Island.

So after having made a connection with the people at the dealership, and kind of picking the guys brain on the KL650, Kawasaki's Dual Sport, as well as the new Kawasaki 1200, their answer to a BMW I guess,  complete with an automatic adjustable windshield, I decided to head out for lunch. I walked about a mile down to the nearest strip mall and went in to order the basics, a Grilled Hamburger and Fries and an Ice Tea. The service was not very good, in fact it was terrible, I had to go to the bar to get waited on. When I finally ordered and then got my food, I didn't see the bartender again until I was ready to leave. My thought was ,gee, in Mexico and Central America they don't expect you to tip and generally you get great service. In the states they expect you to tip, and often don't. Any "obligation" I had carried to tip in the states regardless of the quality of service was fast dissipating. In fact a contrast in work ethics, at least on a certain level would not be hard to imagine exists. Another debate for another time perhaps.

After my first American food in weeks, and yes it did taste good, I walked back to the shop expecting my bike to be done. It wasn't and it took another hour and a half before it was. At this point with what appeared to be 3 mechanics in the garage not overly swamped with work, and really just a plug for my radiator to be gotten, I could not imagine what was taking so long, and I was still apprehensive about what the bill was going to be. So with time to spare I made some calls now that my cell phone was working again. I have Alltel and about the only place it might work outside of the U.S. is down around Mexico City.

This view of the gulf, in the distance you can see the bridge that connects San Padre Island with the mainland.

I called my dad first and he wondered where I had been even though I told him where I was going. With his Dementia he just couldn't seem to place where Texas, Mexico, or Central America are. It was Ok, it was good to hear his voice even though I don't think he understood a word I said, or maybe even that it was me. He may have thought it was my brother Ron. I then called a friend and then my sister, I was back in the loop.

Finally the bike was ready, the charge for the plug, new radiator coolant, and topping off the engine oil, and putting air in the tires $30, or basically a half hours labor. They also cleaned the entire bike up and the mechanic said I might look at getting a valve job after I got back to Michigan, but everything else seemed fine. He also felt both tires were good for the rest of the trip back. After 8,000 very hard miles on them it was a nice surprise. This was very reasonable and I wrote them a letter later thanking them for the good service, even if it had taken a long time, which they had apologized for as well. It goes without saying that at many places where you get service you feel that you often pay for more then you got, here was not the case, and being a traveler one tends to be even more grateful for good service and not being overcharged.

So to think I not only had finished my leg in Mexico but had gotten the repairs on my bike I needed all in one day on a weekend felt good. If I didn't have so many other things to do I think I would have just headed back on the road that night. But I had to get my oil changed, do laundry and catch up on my blog. For some reason while I had fantasized at times about being able to rest in a Motel 6 (of all places), watch cable t.v. and do my laundry, it now for was not that appealing. Kind of strange, like now I just wanted to travel and luxury didn't seem to have that strong of pull on me. I guess I was changing into a Road Warrior...

Well I went to the Motel 6 I had stay'd at on my way thru the first time. It was very busy being a Saturday night, it looked like a lot of the people checking in were actually traveling to or from Mexico. Something also I noticed in Brownsville was that everyone either spoke Spanish exclusively, even in businesses, or spoke both Spanish and English. Its as close to being in a foreign country without leaving the U.S. as possible. It would also be a good place to practice Spanish while still living in the U.S. since just about everyone was speaking it. Apparently even some business owners would refuse to speak in English even though they could. I thought this was odd too. Another debate for another time perhaps.

After refusing the first two rooms because they smelled so bad from cleaning chemicals I finally found one that was tolerable and settled in for a couple of nights. About all I wanted to do was relax, but I did have a lot to do and knew that wasn't going to happen.

The weather was warm, in the 70's the next day as I headed to Walmart to get my oil changing materials. The Kawasaki shop had quoted me $60 to change my oil. When I was traveling out on the East Coast last year a dealer had charged me $85 (as noted in a previous post) for one. For $15 in oil, a $6 filter, a cheap oil drain pan and some towels I could do it for about $25. The question was where to do it, and where to dispense of the used oil here in the middle of suburbia and strip malls.

I figured if worst came to worse I could always leave the oil at a car instant oil change place with a note asking them to please dump it for me in their recycle bin. Being Sunday nothing was open anyway. However Pep Boys or Auto Zone often accept used oil and I found one that said they would. I should have just asked them if they minded if I changed my oil in their parking lot but didn't want to have them so say no, so I thought I would find an empty lot or something to work in and bring the oil back to them. As it was I felt guilty doing this.

I found an empty lot right off of a main road next to a bar restaurant and got to work changing my oil. As traffic drove by and someone from the restaurant drove out to the lot to see what I was doing, I began to feel guilty like I was trying to get away with something and should have just asked for permission. I kept waiting for the cops to pull up and ask me what I was doing.

It took about 25 minutes to change the oil and filter, get the used oil back in a container, get cleaned up and bring the old oil over to the Auto Zone for recycling. There were a few drops of oil on the ground where I had worked but basically there was no evidence I had been there at all. I guess to alleviate this feeling of guilt next time I'll simply ask until I find a place that will let me change it on their property. The oil drain pan I got from Walmart I wiped out and left next to a bathroom at a county park hoping a camper or someone would find a use for it, or at worst it would get recycled.

I still needed to do some shopping for winter clothes for the trip back and the upcoming cold weather, but everything else now was basically done. I decided to go over to San Padre Island one last time and see if that restaurant with the great shrimp was still open. The wind had been blowing really hard almost since I had arrived and I wondered what the island and the waves would be like over there.

I drove into the night and the heavy winds the 30 miles to the island (there is a great long bridge to the island by the way) and watched the sunset and then headed out for dinner. The place I had eaten at the previous time was closed but I found another good place, a quiet little bar that had a good menu. I stuck to seafood, shrimp and scallops and again wasn't disappointed. At this point I decided I could live along the Gulf Coast quite easily, if for no other reason then to eat their seafood.

Later going back to the Motel I took a wrong turn and ended up going about 30 miles out of my way. This would turn out to be almost disastrous the next day as I headed north into the cold and a stretch of highway that had few gas stations. After coming all this way, at this point about 8000 miles without any gas scarcity issues, to have to face them on a stretch of highway in Texas seemed sort of ironic.

Back at the motel I watched the weather reports north of me. With below zero temperatures in most of the Plains States and freezing rain from Houston across Louisiana into Mississippi and up to Memphis, it seemed my window I was looking for to get back to Michigan was not going to happen. Still I had to try to get as far north as I could to either position myself for that window in case it happened, or if I was going to rent a u-haul as I had planned if needed, I wanted to get as close as I could to Michigan to reduce that expense of having to do so. It seemed the current weather front extended only as far as Houston and not quite into Louisiana so if I could get ahead of it I should run into a different weather system.

So the plan was to do some winter clothes shopping in the morning, bundle up, and head north. As it turned out I was going to need all the protection I could get.

 

In the Motel 6 parking lot in Brownsville, once again heading north on the road.....

 

The Sierra De Pachuca's and my last night in Mexico

 

Cactus's reaching for the skies in the Sierra De Pachuca's

As I got out of my bed and got ready for another day on the  road, it was 6:30 am and once again the firecrackers were starting. I guess here as in many countries loud noises like fireworks are common with celebrations. For me I wasn't viewing it that way at all, and it reminded me I was in someone else's country with their own customs, even though I was having a hard time with fireworks at 6:30 in the morning.

As I got on my bike and started riding again I had to debate whether I was going to try to find a radiator shop and bank and try to fix my leak or just drive it to Texas. I had already driven it from Mexico City and it seemed to be doing alright. I thought if I ran into a bank and a radiator shop I would try, which in Mexico means neither will happen without effort, so I guess I was going to try to make it to Brownsville Texas. Though in these mountains there seemed to be a radiator shop in every town, though none appeared open first thing in the morning. Well I tried.... :)

The center top ridge is where I just came from and it is here I'm watching for the ever dangerous and annoying torch runners to come from so I can stay ahead of them.

It was very cold riding as I started out, in fact it felt like we almost had had a frost during the night. Most of the winding roads coming in and out of canyons were still in shadows in the morning and they weren't warming up too fast. I wasn't on the road 10 minutes it seemed when I ran into my first torch runners. Another long line of buses, cars and a police car with flashing lights. After the previous night of getting caught behind these slow moving caravans I had little patience for them this morning and seeing traffic was light up here in these distant mountains I wasted no time zipping around the whole mess and getting ahead of them. It was Friday and I would be passing different forms of Virgin Mother's celebrations all day.

I thought at first these might be Sequoia Cactus's but I'm unsure.

The drive this morning was just beautiful. The cactus standing high all over this high desert would give way to Pine Trees later which as I came down in elevation would give way to waterfalls and tropical like vegetation. It was going to be an interesting day for travel.

You can see the smoke rising from these fireworks set off down in the valley at a hotel on this morning. I would soon be passing right by it and heading up the other side of the canyon. The first of many to come.

It was also going to be a slow day for travel. My first 100 miles took me between 5 and 6 hours to cover. These roads were so winding and steep, with such sharp curves and at times torn up surfaces, that 10 to 15 miles an hour was the best you could hope for. The views were magnificent and riding along a ledge that had a drop of anywhere from 5000 to 9000 feet was not uncommon. I have been on many mountain roads before from the Western U.S. to the Appalachians to mountain ranges in Europe but seldom have I been on anything quite like this. I really felt like I was in the Swiss Alps again, or even somewhere in the Andes which is how I imagine them to look. With beautiful valleys and towns built onto the mountain sides, about the only thing they lacked was glaciers.

Its so hard to describe how beautiful these mountains and their passes are. I compare them to the Alps or perhaps the Andes.

As I passed thru one village after another, and one Virgin Mother Celebration after another, and out of one canyon and valley only to pass into another one, I was beginning to wonder if this road or the mountains were ever going to end. At one point I passed a village and shrine and then for perhaps the next 5 miles or so there were people walking up the mountain in the opposite lane towards me even as trucks came rumbling thru curves to spring quickly onto all these pedestrians. It was typical in the sense that any main highway in Mexico or Central America is also a main passage for the locals, their animals, and whatever else needs a clear path to walk on. Unfortunately all the fast moving cars and trucks share this passageway. It is considered normal here, a normal risk of everyday life, that sometimes ends up taking it.

One of the many Mother of Guadeloupe shrines along the side of the road where people come and have services, prayers and pay their respects.

I stopped for gas and a lady was at the pump selling me tacos. I hadn't had breakfast yet so I bought some, plus I really needed to warm up, it was cold. Everyone seemed to be dressed for snow up here, even though it seldom does, if ever. Still I knew I wasn't the only one that felt the cold. After getting back on the road the road continued to snake in and out of valleys next to huge rock faces and even some of the first waterfalls I had seen in Mexico. It was all very beautiful, and the mountains and the people all seem to say this is a very different part of Mexico then the rest, in fact it felt very different then any part of my trip so far. It also made me want to come back to it as well. Like it would be a safe place to explore, and much of it being a National Park meant you camp as well as hike in it. I think it may even be part of the Jaguar's range, though maybe a little high up.

One of the many passes and views in the Sierra De Pachuca's, at 9000 feet you could touch the sky it seemed.

After about a hundred miles, five hours and me wondering if I was ever going to get out of these mountains I came upon another huge valley and I could see the road snaking down towards the flats way down below. This is when I realized I had been traveling at about the 9000 foot altitude level. Pretty high up for a road in just about any part of the world, no wonder I was cold! I started the long descent to the valley miles below and with each passing curve downwards the temperature became warmer and the vegetation more tropical, until I was passing vendors selling oranges and pineapples again. Soon I was sweating and wondered if my bike really could handle the heat without any coolant. I knew my lazy side was winning, but I just didn't want to stop and have to deal with it, it had come this far apparently ok. Though I continued to look for a shop that might fix it along the way.

I believe this is either El Zoquital or Zacualtipan tucked away in the "Alps" here. It is hard to know sometimes since towns seldom have city limit signs coming into them.

As I made my way thru towns with names like Huejutla, Puaton and Tempoal, usually getting lost temporarily in each one, the road had straightened out and I continued to see more signs for Tampico. I didn't want to go into Tampico again, in fact I was looking for a highway that went around it completely coming out north of there, but I couldn't find it and knew really, I was lucky to have found the one I was on. Sometimes simply knowing where you are at is better then maybe looking for the shortest route and getting lost again! So it seemed I was destined to see Tampico again. The first city I had really gotten lost in coming down and had taken two hours to find the road out of it that I needed.

As the afternoon was wearing on and I stopped for gas, the sign said I was about 60 kilometers from Tampico, or about 36 miles. If I could get on the other side of the city with light of day to spare I could probably put in another hundred miles or so towards the Texas border. As far as I could remember Tampico was somewhere between 200 and 250 miles from the border. And it was a straight shot almost, no turns, only a couple of towns that weren't very big to deal with. Any where north of Tampico would put me in really good shape for the morning ride back to the states. Tampico felt like my last obstacle in Mexico, but something told me there probably would be something else. A country with military check points, police check points, immigration check points, weekend long festivals on the roads, speed bumps in every town, extreme heat and cold, winding mountain roads sometime blocked for hours by accidents, traffic jams and at times roads that can barely be called roads, it seemed yes there probably would be something else.

As I arrived in Tampico recognizing some of the roads I had previously been lost on which you think would of helped me get my bearings but really didn't, I pulled into a gas station to go the bathroom. They wanted one Pesos to use it, which I thought I put in but for some reason the door wouldn't work. I mumbling walked away as another guy got up to it and put some money in, I warned him it didn't work but he put his money in and it did. As he went in I jumped in behind him before the door closed. I had already lost enough Pesos in these bathroom machines and wasn't going to be denied here. Plus I had to go!

The views coming down from the high passes just kept getting better.

We started talking in the bathroom, he spoke very little English, and my Spanish while certainly better then when I came down is not conversational yet. Still I showed him my map and where I was going. He rattled off every town I had to go towards and thru to get to Matamoros (the Mexican border town) and the states. I didn't realize it at the time but this was incredibly helpful. Had he not rattled off all these names as I drove into Tampico I would have missed a number of exits that were labeled with some of the towns he told me. I'm sure he saved me an hour or so of being lost in Tampico again. Who knows maybe I would have run into that lady at the toll booth again!

This all brings to mind again that I could not have done this trip alone. From people following the trip and giving me encouragement on my blogging site to the many many locals who try' d their best to help me even though they didn't always understand what I was asking. Or when I wasn't sure how much they were asking for a product or service I would hold out some money and they would simply take the money they needed. I never felt I was ripped off this way, because for the most part I knew what the money was worth, just not exactly how much they were asking for. So again for all my and others fears of the danger of traveling down here, and there are some certainly like anywhere, for the most part it was the kindness or at worst the lack of interest of the locals that allowed me to pass and go about my business. Kind of an interesting phenomenon of foreign travel I think, this feeling of isolation in another culture and thinking that perhaps by some grace outside of yourself you are allowed to pass. A basic respect and tolerance by people for others that is more universal then a non traveler might think.

It was just a beautiful day for travel.

So after my conversation in the bathroom I headed for Tampico and found all the exits I needed from his directions and after paying one last toll booth (and no that lady wasn't there again, at least not in my lane) I made my way out of the city and began the last leg in Mexico. I had one last highway to find, that was 180 that cut off of 80 and would keep me from having to go into Cuidad Victoria, another large city, and also save me some mileage. After about 30 miles and thinking I had missed another highway there was a huge sign for the exit, its like you couldn't miss it. I was thinking why couldn't the rest of Mexico be this well marked. I know this was a well traveled route to the U.S. and Matamoros but still it was like reaching another country as far as the roads went, yet I was still in Mexico. Its why I looked at reaching this part of Mexico as if the journey south of the border was all but over.

With good roads and clear weather I drove into the night finally stopping at Tres Palos about 150 miles from the border. Finding a hotel for about $20 and then dinner for about $8 (I felt being close to the border I was overcharged for dinner. Also the waiter corrected me on my Spanish somewhat arrogantly I thought, however he did roll his r's beautifully and I had to for the first time appreciate how beautiful the language is when spoken so well), I then could go to bed knowing I would probably be in the U.S. fairly early in the day on Saturday.

Some farmland south of Tres Palos where I would spend my last night in Mexico.

That was a good feeling, but I had so much more to do and such a long way to go. I had come about 2600 miles from San Jose, Costa Rica in about 10 days which was kind of amazing in itself. Once in Texas I would still have about 2000 miles to go to get back to Michigan, and already in Mexico I was getting glimpses of how cold it was going to be up there. Following the weather in the U.S. as I could it looked doubtful that I was going to get that 3 or 4 day break in winter weather I would need to drive the whole way home. In fact not only had most of the U.S. got an early winter, it had stay' d without any real breaks in it either. The weather now  in the U.S. was in the teens or below zero in most of the country. While I had been thru a lot on this trip including cold, I wasn't prepared to go 2000 miles in freezing weather and with the danger of ice on the roads.

I was to find out for what gear I had left and what little gear I could buy, 40 degrees and rain was about the most I could handle for hours on end. And that was by no means comfortable, but was doable.

Of course if this whole trip has taught me anything, its one day at a time, one town at a time, one storm at a time, one traffic jam at a time, one stretch of highway at a time and maybe most important, worry about tomorrow when tomorrow comes, all you can do is what your doing now. Still it was hard not to think about those arctic temperatures not even a thousand miles north.......

Tomorrow I'm back in the states......and also probably my next post will just be on border crossings, what I paid going down, and what I paid coming back, and possible strategies for all situations. I have had some positive feedback from people who are planning on or are now traveling in Central America in regards to posts that contained information in this area. So I'm hoping one of the goals of this site which is to provide useful information to others will do just that. Border crossings are such a big part of the trip down here ( I would say a third of how the trip goes centers around them), not only because you have to do so many of them, but also because they can take up a lot of time and money if your not prepared, and if you don't speak Spanish and have never done them before its hard to be totally  prepared for what your in store for. Any planning and preparation you can do ahead of time can pay off ten fold in regards to borders, or really any part of your trip.

Mexico and a couple of days of De javu

 

As I begin my trip back, the road signs become varied. This one is about 200 miles into Mexico from Guatemala.

Feeling I had kind of lucked out with the hotel I stay' d at the night before, I was reluctant to leave it. But as so often happened on this trip getting back on the road in the early morning before the heat of the day and having time to think were often the best times on the trip. This morning after getting lost almost immediately in the first town I came to and getting back on track I came to this crossroads with the sign above. I wish I had maybe taken more pictures of all the different signs on the trip to sort of give perspective to where I was at.

This home with a hammock on the front porch and wide open land and mountains around it with a horse nearby seemed to have everything a home needs.

There was a restaurant nearby where I had breakfast. A good breakfast with coffee for about 3 or 4 dollars. After words in the clear morning I got back on my bike in the Mexican desert and headed out feeling a little like Peter Fonda and Easy Rider again! And a sort of pride came in that here I was, alone in southern Mexico, kind of living a dream, riding my bike, making it. Within a short distance I came upon another rider heading south, here out in the solitude of southern Mexico it seemed almost mandatory to stop and say hi. I think we both kind of slowed down maybe thinking the same thing, but I didn't stop. It sort of seemed like what was the point, we both knew what we were doing down here. And while it would really have been nice to talk to another biker on the trip since I hadn't the whole way, I continued on my way, and he his. It looked like he had all the world traveler gear. Like a full Darien Suit, neoprene or gortex riding gloves, a dual sport bike with metal panniers, the whole outfit for the professional motorcycle traveler. I wondered if it was Greg Frazier the author of Riding South. I had spoke with him in Duluth at the "Very Boring Motorcycle Rally" in September I believe and he said he was planning on driving down to Costa Rica for Christmas. Well here it was December 8th and if it was him I passed I kind of wish I would have stopped.

This area of Mexico before Saline Cruz and the Pacific Coast seemed very arid and dry, though there were some rivers coming out of the mountains.

Its funny as big as the world is, travelers still tend to know each other, or know of each other. Like sailors who know who's in port and who's not. And thru word of mouth may find out so and so is in Lisbon, or Rio or the South Seas. The points of crossing paths are somewhat limited, even in world travel, so its not hard to keep track of the few people who actually make travel a good part of their lifestyle.

When I lived in Alaska it was  no different. As big as that state is, the roads only go a few places and so people tend to congregate, or travel to the same places. I remember when I lived in Seward Alaska for a time and one day I was looking out my window and my best friends old girl friend was walking down the street, I called to her and we ended up talking for awhile. We were all from Michigan, and here 4,5000 miles from home, we just happen to run into each other. Yes the world is not that big a place and is made that much smaller by the limited amount of roads and ports that are our crossing points.

Saline Cruz is a big port on the Pacific about 360 miles from Acapulco.

Later on this part of the trip I was to run into another Dual Sport bike with two riders on it, something I had not seen before. I saw at least one other dual sport rider and a Honda Goldwing along with a couple on bicycles heading south and a hitchhiker heading north, he looked like he was from the states as well. These two things, riding a bicycle or trying to hitchhike down here were things I had to have as much or more respect for then what I was doing. I could not imagine trying to ride a bike loaded with gear on these roads with the heat and heavy traffic. I also could not imagine hitchhiking because I would think you would often have to just sleep wherever you got left off. I would be curious to see how those things went. I should have stopped and talked to the hitcher. Another opportunity missed, probably because of trying to make time and get where I was going. Again the discipline of travel, to get good stories and good pictures, you often have to work for them. And realize you may never be back again so its worth the extra effort to take the time every day to get them.

Much like Acapulco, much of Saline Cruz is built on the surrounding mountain sides.

This was indeed a busy part route for travelers coming from the north heading south. Unlike my trip coming down the east side of Mexico, or my trip in Central Mexico, this stretch running along the Pacific Coast from Saline Cruz to Acapulco (about 360 miles) was obviously a well traveled route. It was also a heavily checked route by the military. There were about 6 military check points on the highway, half of which stopped me and ended up searching the exact same bags as the last check point. It was sort of annoying. At one point one of the soldiers got on my bike so his friend could take a picture of him with his cell phone. Meanwhile their CO looked totally annoyed. I thought it was pretty unprofessional to be taking up my time and sitting on my bike just so his buddy could take a picture of him, but then again what can you do. I thought I should have just had fun with it and taken their pictures  as well. I'm not sure how their CO would have taken that though.....perhaps another opportunity lost.

Saline Cruz from a distance, you can see its port and the Pacific Ocean.

Just deciding to take this highway and come back a different way then I had taken down was a big decision. I wasn't sure what I would find coming this way. My plan was to drive the Pacific Coast to Acapulco, maybe stay a day there, and then drive straight north, thru Mexico City and up to Texas. This looked to add about 300 miles to the trip, but I knew how bad the roads were coming down the way I had, and the traffic and maze of roads around Veracruz and Tampico were no fun. I thought whatever I run into going this way, it can't be worse then what I came down on. The only thing that really bothered me was having to go thru Mexico City. There was no way to go around a city of 20 million people and looking at the map it didn't look like there was freeway that went thru it either. The only way would be to just get in it, and keep driving north until I got out of it and hopefully recognize a highway that would keep taking me north.

The start of the highway from Saline Cruz to Acapulco. 360 miles of winding coastal road with not much in between.

I spent about two days on the highway between Saline Cruz and Acapulco. It is a beautiful highway that follows the coast, winds thru the mountains and gives beautiful views. It is also sparsely populated and there are few towns or hotels the first couple of hundred miles coming from Saline Cruz.  When I did finally find a hotel one night, over priced again at 300 Pesos and not nearly as nice as the one I staid at the previous night, I ended up getting some sort of skin rash from it. I generally just slept on top of beds of hotels I staid at and used my sleeping bag which worked out well. This was the first time I had contacted anything on the trip. The skin problem lasted for a week or so and I almost suspected I had lice or something, even maybe scabies. I was kind of bummed because it wasn't something I wanted to deal with, especially on the road. Usually you have to buy something like Quell, or whatever it is for your skin, and then you need to wash all your clothes etc. Being on the road in Mexico was not the place to do this, but I was also worried about infecting other places I went to. It did not seem to get worse though and eventually went away all together, knock on wood. Considering all the interesting places I had been and slept, it was amazing I had not gotten sick or gotten anything else on this trip.

Looking out over the coast and where the highway takes you on your way to Acapulco.

With all the winding roads coming out of Saline Cruz I was only to make about 300 miles my first day in Mexico, which was about the best I could hope for anyway. My second day I was able to get into Acapulco late in the afternoon. It was more then I expected. The traffic was terrible and it consisted of at least two very big cities right next to each other. Much of them built on very steep hills and mountains along the ocean. While my plan was to try to find that great Acapulco beach front and maybe stay for a day or two and do some Christmas shopping, the reality of the traffic or of even finding the beach front became apparent.

I was stuck in traffic for about two hours while heading for downtown Acapulco. I think the whole time I was there I was in a traffic jam. At one point one guy was yelling at me because I wouldn't let him in and I thought ok here I am going to get in a physical confrontation with a guy and his buddies in a traffic jam in Acapulco. I let them get way ahead of me and lost them in traffic. I missed my exit to the beach front while I got just a quick glimpse of some of the huge hotels there along the ocean. They probably would not have been cheap to stay at even if I had got there. Finally I was able to turn around and I decided to just get out of the cities and all the traffic. Its one thing about the cities, if your going to visit and stay in them, then you have to commit to being in them. You have to have the time, patience and make security a priority if your going to spend any amount of time in them. I was continually conflicted between simply wanting to get out of the country and back into the U.S. where things would be easier for me, and wanting to try to take as much time as possible since I didn't know if I would ever be back this way. Acapulco just turned out to be too much of a hassle though and finally like I said, I just started heading north out of the cities and towards the serenity of Mexico City of all places.

The service at this gas station between Saline Cruz and Acapulco was terrible. After waiting an hour for an attendant, I just left.

One town I thought would be nice to come back to and visit was San Marcos. It was maybe 100 miles farther down the coast from Acapulco. It is right on the ocean, looked to have good beaches and also lots of internet cafes as well being set up for some tourism. It also was not huge like Acapulco yet seemed to have everything Acapulco has, without all the traffic and maybe crime as well.

So as I made my escape from Acapulco following signs for Mexico, which meant Mexico City, I was so happy to get out and away from the city and find some good roads. There is a five mile tunnel that goes under the mountain and takes you out of town towards Mexico City. It is a toll road and costs about $6 to use. There was hardly anyone on it, due to the price no doubt. From this point to Mexico City, about 240 miles, it is all a toll road, and not cheap. While in some ways worth it considering the time you save and the fact that this is really a good road that rivals anything built in the U.S. as far as technology or ingenuity and its engineering marvels for some of the canyons and gorges it passes over, it none the less came to about $28 to drive the whole thing to Mexico City.

I ended up staying in a Hotel along the interstate (I'll call it) in a protected area. These areas can only be accessed by people driving and paying the tolls. They have gas stations, grocery stores, restaurants and hotels. They seem safe and the hotel was certainly cleaner then the one I had stay' d at the night before, and even had internet. I think it was also the same price at 300 Pesos and check out wasn't even until 1 p.m. the following day. I had some tacos before going to bed and a coke, all for probably two or three dollars. Again pretty inexpensive. In the morning I headed out for my dreaded crossing of Mexico City, I was not looking forward to it, but meanwhile the road going in and the scenery were some of the best of the trip.

The road goes on and on, and.....

Tomorrow I get into Mexico City and after that start to tackle some of biggest mountains and toughest roads of the trip.

 

Mexico day 4

November 1st,
Today, over all the roads were the worst I've seen

so far. At one point it took almost three hours to go 30 miles. They were horrible, huge pot holes,

grooves, gravel roads with huge holes in them.

Often all you could do was creep across them.

Then I lost a couple of hours again due to an

unmarked sign, or it was not clear. I'm in both of my other maps range now so maybe that will help. Trying to get one at the gas station I was just misunderstood. They thought I was asking directions to Mexico City again.
Anyway I still have another big city to go thru tomorrow, but if I want to try it I could be in Guatamala tomorrow, we'll see. I'm almost out of Pesos and have to change to Guatamalan money any how so thats really the only hurry at this point.
Other wise resting a day wouldn't be hard to take if I can find the right place. I'm not going to be in Costa Rica Monday anyway.
I've averaged about 300 miles a day, driving

sometimes 10 hours, so that tells you alot. Since

the border I've driven about 1200 miles, that includes 150 or so going out of the way. I'm also at about 3000 miles total now, maybe a little more
The bike has done so well for all its gone thru on these roads, their horrible, but you can still get 20 minutes of great roads, and then hit 20 miles of horrible roads. Usually they last as long as the good ones, but today there was long stretches, like I said almost 3 hours to go 30 miles.
I did see some beautiful mountains, valleys and hundreds of huge windmills. Also got hotter then it has so far, even with lotion I got burned, I have to be careful down here. And windier then ever,

even now. Gust's just about blew me sideways. I

almost had to stop it was feeling so dangerous. All

and all though I'm plodding along. Now I'm finally

on the main route thru Central America. Even started seeing some other bikers (two) going the other way. And some other U.S . looking cars and people. I"m really curious to see what the Pan American will be like. Traffic wise and road conditions.
Also I continue to have different aches and pains, most of them familiar from other times as well, but the constant downshifting with the bike, and having to use the clutch so much with my left hand today has my fingers especially my middle finger swollen. I don't think I have ever had to shift my bike so much in such a short time as I have had today. Between the speed bumps, the rough roads, construction, mountains and towns its been none stop. It will take awhile to fall asleep tonight.
Also my groin has began to bother me too, from being on the bike in one spot for so long. I have not been practicing my motorcycle yoga as much, I'm afraid I'm already a big enough spectacle for everyone! However, as sore as these muscles can get, usually the pain will go away as fast as it sets in, and seldom lasts more then a day. Its like I just get back on the bike and gradually work it out of myself. Loosen it up, and the swelling disappears.
The hotel I'm at now, and the town which I actually

have the name for is Tepanapete. After all the windy

conditions today, the wind continues to blow hard here. The town feels more open then others, very airy, and not as closed in. This proprietor has a cross and a picture of Jesus in their restaurant, usually a good sign. The room is simple of course, and dosn't lock. but unlike any of the other places I've stay'd at so far it has huge windows that open up and that cool breeze just blows in sending the curtains to the ceiling. There is a hammock out on the porch, and after a shower and a bite to eat up at the restaurant, some unpacking and writing some I go out and lay in it and watch the crescent moon come up. I am totally comfortable at this point except for my

hand which is really sore.
I go to bed early, it is light at six in the morning, and dark at six at night, year round down here, never changes. I would be as comfortable getting up at 3 in the afternoon and driving to 3 in the morning as driving all day in the heat, but thats not an option, so I really do try to get on the road by 6:30 or so everyday, some days at 6:00 if I can. The earlier the better, you just don't have an option of driving late. Plus wasting a couple of hours a day being lost is getting to be the norm!
Oh well I'm hoping for Guatamala tomorrow, I've heard Sunday is a bad day to go in, I don't care, as long as I get in, It will feel like I'm finally starting a different phase of the journey.
I go out and lay in the warm tropical breeze in the

hammock in front of my room....

Mexico Daize 3

After I left Daniels with the extensive map he made for me I felt pretty confident I could at least avoid having to go into Veracruz and get lost again. His map was so all inclusive it had all the toll booths on it, how much they cost, how many kilometers between them, all the towns between his place and the turn off to get around the city, and a general route all the way to Guatamala. He said I should be able to make it to the border in 14 hours, a little optimistic maybe but we'll see.

The next 45 minutes of driving was some of the prettiest I came across in all of Mexico. The morning ride along the Carribbean, the valleys and clouds hanging on the peaks, the wide jungled mountain sides sweeping down to the sea. It was beautiful and reminded me of Hawaii in many ways. Along with beach access (more rare then you might think down here) the towns had a lot of shops, and many of the resorts were right on the beaches, I'm sure a lot cheaper then Miami's South Beach Hotels ! Maybe a place to go Christmas shopping on my way back and rest.

Unfortunatley I didn't have time to do any exploring now. I still was hoping to be in Costa Rica by the 3rd.

It was nice cruising on this my third morning in Mexico. The bike had been running well up until now and as I headed into the mountains up away from the Carribean, way too soon for me, I was saying good bye to the Carribean but hello to some beautiful mountains. At one point I came upon what looked like giant landslides. Like entire mountain sides had just been carved away, or had simply fallen away. I would have thought maybe they had been excavated but some of the faces were a thousand feet high of more. Deep red dirt contrasted against the deep green mountain slopes that were left standing behind them was unlike anything I had seen before. If any reader knows what formed them please comment. They are just up in the mountains as you travel out of Alvaredo, or in that area.

I am learning the discipline of taking good pictures, and its not easy to just get going in morning on a smooth road and get settled in for a couple hour ride, and suddenly have to make myself stop, get everything out and take a picture, only to get going again and see something else. I think if other trips are more planned around taking photos and seeing certain areas its easier to do, somewhat. On this trip since I have to think of my dental work as well as my homestay schedule and I don't have a lot of time for stopping. But I do try to stop and take 3 or 4 good pictures a day, and even that takes some discipline. The technical know how and upgrading of equipment in order to take better pictures is something that will be down the road. For now I'm really just trying to survive, get thru all this, tell a story, and hopefully take enough pictures to give readers an idea of what kind of country I'm travelling thru. On the return trip I will have more opportunities. And on subsequent trips hopefully I can incorporate some gained picture taking experiance as well as the addition of video and audio to help bring the story and trip to life.

Despite my best efforts and Daniels map I still ended up getting lost for awhile trying to get around Veracruz. Somehow I found myself heading back to guess where, Mexico City. This time I was able to get back on track a little faster, but still frustrating to continually be wasting time backtracking. I hear it now, get used to it.
But overall my third day was better. Some construction, and hit some rain for an hour or two. Had to stop and put the rain gear on but driving in rain during the day is a lot easier then on a mountain highway at night. After my experience the night before I was almost ready to stop at a motel and wait it out. But reason took over, if I stopped everytime it rains down here I'll never get there.
But later that night I found something to eat early, and then found a hotel to stay in. Both I drove by and then turned around to first go to the restaurant, and then go to the hotel. Instead of being lazy and just assuming I'll drive right up to what I want without ever having to turn around, I stopped before it got too late, and went back to the places that looked good. I guess I'm learning.



Again everything must be adjusted too. I'm not on an interstate in the U.S. where there's 24 hour restaurants and a motel if you need it at every exit.
The food was in a restaurant by a Pemex, and I guessed at something off the menu. There were a couple of Federal Policeo's eating at the table next to me, I nodded to them as I came in and sat down.

After eating I drove to a hotel just before town. It had a steep drive down into the court yard. The whole place was painted bright yellow with green trim and was called The Hotel Polymar. I drove up to a lobby to register and there were two young women watching t.v. They didn't understand a word of English and I had them (like I do everywhere where I'm not sure what I'm being charged) write down how much a room would be for the night The lady wrote down 300 Pesos (about $25). It like other hotels had a garage which is where you entered, can close that door, not lock it though, and then head up stairs to the room. I did like being able to garage my bike even though I have to carry all my gear upstairs. The Hotel Polymar was its name, but like most towns in Mexico, there is no sign saying its name as you come into town, and if its not big enough to be on the map, you have no idea of what town your in. Only how many miles from the next major town. In this case I was hoping I was still on 180 somewhere between 175 and 185.

The room was fine, I hooked up my laptop and wrote down some notes on the previous two days travel. I could usually plug in my laptop at these hotels but one didn't even have outlets to use. I'm still learning to prepare uploads and posts in advance so when I do have the internet I can start posting again. I'm also learning to date my posts so they will post on days I am travelling, so unlike last week where I didn't have internet where I was, there won't be week long gaps in my posts. Unfortunately this has put me somewhat behind, but it just means while everything will be in order as the trip progresses, there will be a lag between when you receive the post and when it actually happened. Maybe a week at times, maybe more or less others. But this should help with continuity with the posts. Ideally I would like to post 2-4 times a week.