Day 43: Mucho dirt

Days: 43  -   Date: 6OCT13  -   Itinerary: Batopilas to Guachochi, MX  -   Miles: 75

Today was going to be another day of primarily off-road riding. We knew we wanted to make it to Guachochi today but weren’t sure how to get there. We had asked the around the day before and were told there was a road North of Batopilas that went to Yoqivo and then Guachochi.

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We had ate breakfast before leaving town since we figured we wouldn’t make it to Guachochi till later afternoon. I had one of my favorites: Huevos RancherosMex_06Oct13_024

Senora Juanita
Señora Juanita

A few GoPro shots heading out of town:

DCIM100GOPRO DCIM100GOPRO DCIM100GOPROFrom the main Creel-Batopilas road, we took a right turn heading East. It turned out to be one hell of a steep dirt road up the mountain side. We went from 1000ft to over 7500ft in just a few short miles and by the time we made it to the top we were all pretty smoked.

Mex_06Oct13_019 Mex_06Oct13_020An airstrip out in the middle of the Sierra Madre Mountains with Cessna’s taking off… I have a pretty good guess at what they were doing here.

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Airstrip

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A few more GoPro shots as I work my way up the mountain:

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When we made it up to the top, I think we all sighed a bit in relief. It’s a great ride up the top but requires 100% concentration. One slip and you’re going off the cliff.

Mex_06Oct13_032 Mex_06Oct13_033 Mex_06Oct13_029 Mex_06Oct13_028 Mex_06Oct13_027Once we got to the summit, we rode along the top ridge/plateau for about an hour. The ground was more soft dirt compared to the rocky road we had been riding up the mountain.DCIM100GOPRO DCIM100GOPRO

I came to one deep mud puddle and as I was climbing up and out, the back end broke traction and ended up pointing the bike towards the edge of the trail. I braked hard and laid her down to avoid going over the edge. The front wheel had nothing but air under it. No damage but it was a close call.

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The mud puddle

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Shortly after, we made it to the small town of Yoquivo. From here it was a relatively easy gravel road to Guachochi. After driving around town for about 15 mins we found Hotel Jardin which had secure parking, WiFi and hot water. Best part of all, it was only 180 pesos, about $13 bucks.Mex_07Oct13_001

After grabbing chow at the fancy restaurant next door, we called it an early day and were in bed by 2000.

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