She's got this crazy idea- exploring the 3 America's solo, for better or for worse...

[Rob.G]

IN! :)

Hey where did you get that mount for your iPhone? I saw one of those before but the guy who had it didn't know where it came from (it was borrowed). I haven't found it on the RAM site. I know it's not iPhone-specific, but that's it.

Rob

[Hewby]

Hey Rob I got them from alt rider in Seattle. There is a specific iPhone mount but as I have a life case on my phone it didn't fit, so I just got the universal one with the fingers. it seems to work well when the base mount is not broken!

Well they say Mexico will make you a better rider so getting a bit of practice! Will work on the Tope angle!

Came down with dodgy food poisoning in Creel so holding off on the next ride report till I don't feel like $#^¥.

[Rob.G]

Originally Posted by Hewby

Hey Rob I got them from alt rider in Seattle. There is a specific iPhone mount but as I have a life case on my phone it didn't fit, so I just got the universal one with the fingers. it seems to work well when the base mount is not broken!

Well they say Mexico will make you a better rider so getting a bit of practice! Will work on the Tope angle!

Came down with dodgy food poisoning in Creel so holding off on the next ride report till I don't feel like $#^¥.

Thanks! I'll have to get one from them too. I also have a Lifeproof case.

Rob

[Turkeycreek]

Hope you feel better. It's pizza night here at Los Arcos. Sorry you missed it.

[ThumperStorm]

Hope you are feeling better.

[Hewby]

Thanks all. Back into perfect health and enjoying trying all that the Mexican cuisine can throw at me. Well not true. There is way too much food to try. But I am having a go. Ride report is still a ways off, however. ( too busy making up for lost time sick in bed!). Mexico is beautiful, the riding is brilliant and the people are lovely! But you knew that anyway. But just for the record. First swim in the ocean today at San Blas since my dip in the Arctic - the two worlds apart.

[Turkeycreek]

Glad you are feeling better and enjoying the ride

[Hewby]

I stopped at Basaseachi falls, after a fantastic ride over hwy 16. I found a free camp at the head of the falls, and had a lovely evening cooking on coals under the stars. The heat had dissipated and I wrapped myself snuggly in my sleeping bag. Once again surprised to feel the chill after the heat of the Sonoran desert.


There was a shortcut to the Copper canyon on my map that looked unpaved, but took off 100km on my journey. This area was known for a high amount of drug activity and after the challenging conditions of the paved roads further north, I was concerned about heading off road alone for so long. However word on Adv had me speaking to the police at the road blocks, and other locals, to check on the planned route. After a number of nods I found the way to be a beautiful well made road, curving delightfully through the mountains to Creel. After lunch, I headed into the Copper Canyon to the town of Divisadero to the rim of the Canyon.

It was such a strange feeling, I was riding beautiful roads, seeing amazing sites, but my mood was low. After camping alone the day before and spending a lot of time on the bike in my own head I was surprised at how isolated I had made myself. My limited Spanish had made it difficult to interact significantly with people around me, and while I was used to traveling solo, spending so much time on the motorbike I found had removed me from others. My ties to home had me feeling down as I couldn’t be there for those that I loved. And in my head I questioned what I was doing here on the bike. I started to have second thoughts.

I head to a hostel to try and get some interaction to get my self out of this rut. After pulling up and negotiating a dorm bed, with a cheap dinner and breakfast thrown in, I came out to the bike to find people waiting by my bike. A Dutch couple, Marjolein and Christian http://www.gs-adventures.nl/, who were riding two 20 year old GS’s south to Ushuaia as well. I am stoked to met people. It was like an answer to my prayers. I always find it funny that when I need something the universe provides it. I feel almost blessed, and very, very lucky. Both our hotels had the same deal for dinner so we spend the night eating sadly pretty bland food, but excitedly making plans to ride the supposedly beautiful but often treacherously steep and often washed out road to Batopilas in the morning together. Not something I was particularly keen on doing alone.

[Hewby]

The early hours of the am saw my body violently revolting against the dinner of the night before. My guts churned. My stomach heaved. My poor roommates. Sadly at one point I heard my heaving’s echoing throughout the hostel as others seemed to making the same intimate acquaintance with the toilet bowl as I was. I felt terrible. To make it worse I thought I had lost my new found friends.
I dragged myself out of bed in the morning to let them know that I would not be joining them that day. As I arrived at their hotel, Christian was waiting for me, the looking the same ashen shade of yellow as me and holding his stomach. Marjolein was still in bed. It confirmed the dinner as the cause of our pain and we negotiated a free night in which to recuperate. I crawled back to my hostel, with water, fresh bread and a banana and almost slept through the whole day and a night.






The next day we decided even though still feeling a little queasy the fresh air of riding would do us good. We both lost almost a week with breakdowns on our bikes as we arrived in Mexico, and we were feeling that our timing was getting behind. Conversations with others had ruled out Batopilas, my roommates having been there a week ago reported AK47 wielding men madly searching their bus. They stated they always felt on edge walking around the town, and scared of what they would meet when they rounded the corner. There were no police and army in this town, only the cartel that seemed to be overactive, and blatantly showing their force. Others told us that the road had been washed away again in the rain and was inaccessible. As none of us were feeling fully up to speed we choose the safe route, bypassing Batopilas and on towards Durango.





On the way we passed through the ‘Valle de hongos’, a picturesque valley with interesting rock formations where the indigenous Ramamuri people live in caves amongst the hillside.

[Hewby]

It took us 2 days from Creel to reach the fabulous Durango. Once there, we decided to stop and take in the sights, the street life, and the food for two nights.


We found a cheap room in and old castle type building opposite the cathedral. For the first time on this trip we were offered to park our bikes in the hallway, something we had heard of, but never done. A really fun adventure driving them in!




That night walking past another hotel we looked into the lobby to spot another couple of GS bikes parked amongst the grandeur of the big hotel. We left a note on the bikes, hoping to catch up with the owners. Which we did! We got an email as we were walking back past the hotel after a fabulous meal out, we walked in to meet two Kiwi’s; Dianna, and Ken. For a while we thought Diana was riding the other R1200GSA , an impressive feat for her size, but later we discovered her husband Dick was the driver and had retired for the evening. A lovely catch up about the road and thoughts of travel so far.

A bicycle race was starting the next morning at 6 am headed by Lance Armstrong. We decided to crawl out of bed to watch the start. The cyclist were racing the road we planned to ride so it was timely that we were not on the road that day.

[Hewby]

Riding from Durango to Mazatlan we took the famous hwy 40, otherwise known as ‘the devils backbone’. A fantastic ride though the mountain passes, with only the few occasional slow trucks, and one area of road works, to contend with. Otherwise the riding was spectacular. Coming from the high plateau of central Mexico down to the coast was a significant temperature difference. The vegetation moving from open farmland, dry cactus, and open forest to tropical jungles and banana trees. And the humidity was incredible!
So forgive me but this road is just too good not to post lots of pictures!





and we got a live cowboy show across the road!



great riding,



great views


great food


Sadly this truck did not do so well. I don’t know what happened to the driver, but it didn’t look good…

And another significant moment …..

[mathewsturtevant]

I really appreciate your honesty. I also admire you pushing through fear and discomfort but also remembering to be kind to yourself as well. Safe travels!!

[Hewby]

Dipping into the central pacific coast in the towns of Mazatlan, Mexcaltitán, and San Blas, was a totally different experience than the north and the mountains. The roads were flat and the humidity was a killer. It felt like you would simply melt away in the heat if you stopped longer than a minute in the sun with the bike gear on. I took to stopping riding at least between the hours of 12-3 to try and rest in the shade like the locals did.

I said goodbye to my Dutch friends at Mexcaltitán, a little ancient island village, thought to be the ancestral homeland of the Aztec people, settled sometime around the year AD 500.

Almost every square inch of the island is covered in houses, ringing in an oval from the water jetties up to and around a central square. Restaurants hang over the water, the cool breeze brining timely relief from the heat. As this is a shrimping town, the restaurants serve nothing but shrimp. I felt like I had walked onto the set of Forest Gump.


Camping on the beach in San Blas seemed a better idea in theory than practice. Tiny sand fleas covered me most of the moments I set foot on the sand (just where I had set up my tent!), and I was the lucky one to be the one in four that are very allergic to them (only discovering this 24hours later!). My body is now covered in welts, that are incredibly itchy, even days later.



I had my first swim in the ocean since the Arctic, and the warm Pacific waters were a totally different experience. I spent hours floating in the warm waters, trying to find relief from the intense heat, and the biting insects.



As I was back solo again, the sense of protectiveness of the people towards me intensified. When setting up my tent the owner of the camp assured me I would be safe. After an interaction with a local man while swimming, our conversations dramatic as we used hand gestures to supplement poor language skills, alerted a group of men who came up to me as I exited the water to ask if I was ok, to see if anything had happened to me, or if I needed help.

I wandered the streets and I felt like I had through much of Mexico, that feeling that I was one of the only western tourists. A man stopped me in the street, he said he was ‘Pompis’ Cano, and that he used to be the national longboard champion. He recalled San Blas of the 70’s with ‘long haired hippies lining the gutters smoking dope and playing guitar” his eyes seem to fade away to a time gone past, ‘ and I was one of them’, he winked…’hair down to here’ he motioned to half way down his back…“now we just have police and the army…’ He sighed. ‘Where are all the tourists now?’ He swept his hand across the deserted streets. He invited me for a smoke which I declined, but then gave me advice for the restaurant with the ‘best cooks in town’ before riding off on his bicycle into the darkness.

[BearII]

Originally Posted by Hewby

...And so travel suits me brilliantly. But the bike adds an extra dimension of adventure and freedom. Winding through the hills, the bike seems to dance beneath me. Passing through the forest, the smells become intoxicating. And the ‘Vrrmmm’ of the engine gives me a sense of power, freedom, excitement and connectedness that I have not felt so intensely with other modes of transport...

Couldn't have said it better myself - very nice beginning!

[Turkeycreek]

Hewby, Beautiful RR and fotos. Keep them coming. Lots of folks here in Banámichi ask me about how your trip is going, especially the Canadians (yes, there are still here.)

Abrazos