Vaquero

This was the schedule of the trip:

Edit: This is the October 2008 calendar



The two weeks were sandwiched around the BMW Rally in Guadalajara/Puerto Vallarta.

Weeks before the trip, I had planned to leave the BMW rally and bee-line for Galeana to ride the MexTrek rally.

Several things ended up changing these plans:

(1) On the "Beyond Epic" ride to Junction Texas with the Two Wheeled Texans gang, I test-rode Richard's KLR 650. Two days before leaving on this trip, I bought my own.

(2) Several of the riders on this trip started talking about pushing farther south from Puerto Vallarta. Since I now had a KLR for the riding around Galeana and hadn't been south of P.V., I began to decide to go on from P.V. with a few other riders.

(3) Crashing near Mascota sealed the deal. I was in too much pain/discomfort to ride back to Galeana to do any serious off-road riding.

Patrick says its time to leave Santiago..



Big Jim agrees..



Davis..



The idea was to ride through Linares and through the back country to Matehuala, and then figure out a route to San Luis Potosi.

Since we were so close to Galeana and I had been working on the MexTrek trip, I steared the Motley Crue to Galeana for a brief recon...









Guarding the entrance to Galeana...





Guarding the entrance to one of two hotels in town...





Hank takes twice as many photos as I do, and I take a LOT..



After checking out Galeana, we blasted south through the backcountry through Doctor Arroyo, and had lunch in Matehuala. Matehuala would be an overnight stop on the way back.



Thrown in jail for refusing to pay a mordida...



Those Ortlieb bags, I cannot recommend them enough...



We got into San Luis Potosi, and went to get someting to eat.

After dinner, I found the centro and took this shot inside the cathedral...



Hard to believe, but inside shots like this I take without a flash, using a Canon Digital Elph set on manual. The top of the church in actual conditions was rather dark, but playing around with the settings I was able to bring out the colors. Love that camera - and it survived the crash that was to come, riding it out inside my jacket pocket!

More pics and details coming, guys. Especially San Miguel. We'll be doing color saturation bombing of Smugmug...

Meanwhile, while in Matehuala we were just a stones-throw from Real de Catorce.

Here is a tune from the movie filmed in that town, just for fun...


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Thanks for the update with gorgeous pics!! Gotta get me down to Mexico

Just before landing in San Miguel de Allende, we popped into Dolores Hildalgo, a beautiful little town sandwiched between S.M.A. and Guanajuato.

While 'Juato and S.M.A. are classics (and crawling with expats/tourists), D.H. is not so much on the radar.

However, no run into Mexico, if you are near this town, is complete without stopping there. It's the birthplace of the revolution.

Big Jim in front of the cathedral in Hildalgo. I think this composition makes Jim even taller looking than his already celestial height...



Did I mention the weather? It didn't rain a single day the two weeks in Mexico. Second consecutive October Mexico trip that this has happened...



The Rat Pack:



Are you in the mood for a little ice cream? What flavor do you like? We even have octopus, if you name is Andrew Zimmern from the Food Channel...



Aw c'mon, take a bite...



Here...we'll make it easy...



Hint: this is NOT vanilla:



Sugar candies may be more your bag...







It was getting close to November 2, dia de los muertos...



It was easy to find a cozy courtyard restaurant...



The most expensive bottle of fruit of the agave in Hildalgo, maybe in Mexico...



Probably not, but it is a nice bottle

Taking photos of classic motorcycles is almost an instant reaction:



I'm not Catholic, but I'm captivated by the architecture and beauty of churches in colonial Mexico...


















I had a little brunch back at that hotel after touring the cathedral. Excellent coffee and, of course, more delicious fruit - can't get enough of fruit in Mexico.

NOTE: I eat the fruit all over Mexico. I also drink the water - many times unfiltered and often with ice. Not sure what you've been told, but I've never been sick from the food or water in Mexico.

Leo and I are going to come up there, tie you up, and force you to go. Best times to go are February and October. Sorry about your work schedule

With all the time I'm spending down there, that's how I feel!

I'll talk about the crash when this report gets to the transition between Guadalajara and Puerto Vallarta. It didn't ruin the trip per se, but I was one hurting puppy, with a (technically) broken ankle, wrenched knee, wrenched back, and some other associated maladies. As for the moto, lots of duct tape and zip ties, plus lots of metal thrown away...

That's the way to trick GB, Leo. Let's lull him to sleep and make him think he's in control of our kidnapping-to-plan.

GB - if you don't come with us, we'll send a cartel to get you.

The following short film is but a miniscule preview of the accident near Mascota, east of Puerto Vallarta, and is brought to you by Johnson and Johnson, makers of most of the medical supplies used during the aftermath.

Accident Simulation Video:


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For tomorrow: San Miguel de Allende in full color

Excellent Señor Navaja. In your honor I had Ruben Blades write a little song in your advrider screen name honor:


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Color saturation bombing of Smugmug occurs this evening Señor Sam

San Miguel de Allende is one of the most beautiful colonial cities in all of Mexico.

It is the perfect fusion of color, stone, carved wood, weather, location, altitude, and light.

We pulled into San Miguel in the middle of the afternoon. I virtually dropped my bags in the room, grabbed my cameral, and ran.

I once PM'd another advrider who posted fabulous photos of his trip to Alaska. I asked him what type of camera he used. I suspected a Nikon D3 or some high-end Canon.

What he told me surprised me. Yes, he said, he carried a Nikon D40, but he rarely used it. It was too delicate, too bulky, and too slow to pull out to get that "fleeting" photo op. He said he took 98% of his photos with a Canon Digital Elph 870IS (image stabilization) widescreen capable camera.

He also told me he took 98% of his photos with the Elph in manual mode. Playing with white balance, shutter speed, all that.

Finally, he told me that virtually ALL his photos from his trip report were taken either in the morning or in the afternoon, when the light is best.

Armed with these hints, and now two of the 870 Canons, I set off to Mexico to try his tips and tricks.

Now regarding San Miguel...

Located in the historic triangle including Dolores Hildalgo and Guanajuato, it makes the perfect base for exploring the state of Guanajuato and all that it has to offer. Be forwarned that there are a lot of American and Canadian expats here, but they've done nothing to alter the time-worn cobble stones, brilliant paint, chisled stone, or any of the other elements that make up the "patina" that hits you when you walk this wonderful city.

Enjoy...



This guy hauled my gear to my room as I was grabbing the camera...






















That's Patrick above who wanted to find place to get a pair of these below...



After a little refreshment, we set out in ernest to burn up the memory cards...

Hmmm, this composition has possibilities:



But something isn't just quite right, so let's try a little tweak and get a little yellow in there:



Adding flowers would be cool, but this is too much flowers:



Ah, at least for me, this is a San Miguel "keeper":






Patrick in the midst of going on a joy ride...
























You can catch people off-guard with a joke or some other technique and they'll smile every time...



Then with just a little extra patience, they will give you this...
























































Let me load this installment, and I'll be right back!

Don't worry James, I have enough pics to stuff all the turkeys in Sealy.

Well guys, Smugmug has slowed to a crawl tonight, so I'll finish the San Miguel photographs tomorrow. Time to get dinner and see who wins the Green Bay/New Orleans MNF game...

Roberto Loco-Payaso :jose