This is considered a 'good' road. In dry weather I'd agree. 

'Honey, why don't you just stop and ASK someone' 

Shrines were large and small, this one had a pull off so we could visit. 

2nd Night - "This hotel rooms got a lot of stuff" 

No, really, Harley's HAVE to warm up at 0630.  

Which Way Did They Go? Daze 1-4

The trip begins simply enough. Rather than the 'slab' we decided to take secondary roads from Arlington to Presidio TX, with the exception of I-20 to get from my house to SH377. That wound us down past Granbury to Stephenville where it became RT67, our pathway for the rest of the US portion of the trip, then through Dublin past the Dr Pepper Plant and finally to Brownwood, our first night's stop - Lake Brownwood SP. The Park is on the north side of the lake, up RT276 from town about 15 miles. It is well marked, and the primitive camping facilities are right on the water. By the time we got there and set up the restaurants in town were closing, so we ate just outside the gate at Bubba's Grill, 3$ membership required for beer. Cowboy hats and shorts separated (more and more as the evening wore on) by a beer gut seemed to be the dress code.
In the morning we pressed back into Brownwood for a friendly and filling breakfast and gas-up, and continued down RT67, eventually joining I-10 west just before Ft Stockton and separating again just after. This, if anywhere, was the the doldrums of the trip, and my biggest gripe about riding in Texas - you have to pay some monster dues somewhere to get to the good stuff. Hour upon hour of flat, hot, windy terrain. Things start picking up around Alpine, where 67 puts a little wiggle in its walk. In Marfa we stopped at the Pizza Factory - an unassuming building right on the highway - for a monster 'za and some killer slushes. HIGHLY recommended! Now the mountains were drawing us forward and we could see the true beginning of our trip. Just north of Presidio is the Priata Inn Hotel, a clean, typically American structure with a 10X20 pool (no diving) inside a 15X25 iron fence that is locked approximately 5 minutes before you arrive. For a cool 65$ you can unload your bikes and lay in airconditioned comfort while watching 30 channels on TV - half of them in English.
The next day was the border crossing, where 67 becomes MEX16 or so. I say "or so" because no two maps will agree with the signage on the roadside, and the only real way to tell where you are is where you get to (bad grammar, but it's the truth). A traveler should gather as many maps of the area in Mexico as possible, as each will have not only different route numbers but different villages, towns and cities as well, and the most consistent route guidance was an arrow and a name such as - --->CUAUHTEMOC 249km, usually positioned on the other side of a bus or 18-wheeler as you are passing or at the apex of a tight downhill turn. Another method is to take a pair of dice, roll them, and either use face value or add them together to get the proper number of digits to match the choice of roads with which you are presented. My strategic planning was done from GuiaRoji Por las carreteras de Mexico 2004, available at Mapsco, but tactical path-finding came from a Mexican Tourist Council state map of Chihuahua (supposedly available at border crossings and toll-booths, but in fact presented to us over breakfast by an ex-pat who heard us lamenting our situation).
MEX16 quickly ascends and descends and twists and turns and welcomes you to Mexico. It crosses Canon del Peguis, a fissure reminiscent of the Rio Grande near Sante Fe NM, just before the first military checkpoint. You will soon notice that at the apex of many turns (right next to the ---> sign) is a shrine of varying size - from simple white cross to full scale one room sanctuary. These usually have no pull off nearby, and so the only reflection you can make for the departed is to pray silently inside your helmet that you do not join them as you swerve back onto line from trying to read the ---> sign.You can enjoy this part, as there are few, if any, route deviations possible. Arriving in Chihuahua, however, the way is immediately disguised by city traffic - with crossing streets, crossing pedestrians, inviting avenues, and reversed signage. Don't be afraid to take your wife's advice for once and stop at a PeMex Gas station to ask directions. Ask often and take a consensus, for the Mexican people do not want to disappoint a traveler by appearing ignorant so they will always answer your question, correctly or not. Having made it through city center, MEX16 winds out into country quickly and at Santa Isabel you will have a choice of 16Cuarto or 16Libre. Cuarto means "toll" and a straight-ish shot on good pavement. Libre has something to do with Rum and Coke; why that applies to a road I'm not sure except that 16Libre twists and turns and hunts down a path like a drunk in search of a banos through some breath-taking hills between Chihuahua and Cuauhtemoc north of the more sedate 16Cuarto. Take it and enjoy it. When you get to Cuauhtemoc relax in a Mennonite run hotel that is clean and cheap and the very definition of austere.
My plan took us from Cuauhtemoc to Basaseachi Falls (Cascada de Basaseachi) to Creel, so the following morning we were back on MEX16 towards Guerrero, but following the arrows where it splits from CHH16 at La Junta some 46Km later. Km, kilometers, clicks. How do you convert? I'm no math whiz, so BMW specially designed my speedometer to double as a calculator. 100km/h is 62mph, and 200 is 124, with all the 10's in between marked out. So I could find 46km as 27miles. Or multiply km times .625 to get miles, whichever was easier. Anyway, at each stop, each segment of the journey, my traveling partner and I would look at each other and say 'It CAN'T get any better!", but it always did. This section into Basaseachi was just awesome and dispelled any myths about the quality of Mexican roads. The danger was simply that while the road begged to be ridden hard the scenery demanded appreciation and the laws of physics required a choice. There was no way for me to balance without the risk of shorting one or the other. So I lagged behind and rubbernecked.
Another military checkpoint at the juncture of MEX16 and what is shown as MEX23 rural to San Juanito opened up a new world to me - dirt road riding. This was a bladed, relatively smooth and clear hard-packed dirt road that I think virtually any motorcycle could travel in dry weather, albeit at a lower than normal speed. There was something about having to keep an eye for wandering livestock that made it spicy, and the views were indescribable, so I won't try. The road signs were faded out, but looked like Capt. America's shield, with a blank spot where the road number should have been. The mileage, er, kilometer markers were clear, however, and are your best (only) indication that you took the correct fork at the white cross 5 minutes ago. San Juanito appears like a Wild West town, half paved, half dirt - dust and burros everywhere - but with a PeMex station. From there CHH23 (Chihuahua State Highway) lets you cruise and appreciate the scenery (rather than your dentistry) to Creel, our destination for the day.

Seniora Juanita, owner of Hotel Juanita gave us permission to push our bikes through her backdoor, hallway, and front door to the street in the morning. Then served coffee and tortillas! All on 24 works of Spanish and some charades! 

Friendly faces 

Papers! Where are your stinkin' papers? 

Donde Es? 

Papers? We don't need no stinkin' papers! 

To Kill a Mockingbird

One of the biggest roadblocks to my Copper Canyon Trip was the well intentioned but mis-informed advice given by friends, family, and the media. During Spring Break in Cancun some party-ers were shaken down by the police for a couple hundred dollars US each and it made the evening news. Along the border some immigration/customs officials likewise have been known to accept or even require 'a little extra' in order to expedite what could otherwise be a lengthy and exhausting procedure. Military check points set up just inside the state and international borders and around known drug producing areas are manned by young soldiers with M16 rifles and can cause travelers great delays to unload and open all packages and luggage. Worst of all, the Mexicans you see as you travel are impoverished, just sitting around doing nothing, only begging for pesos and waiting for an opportunity to come across to the U.S.
In preparing for my trip I read travel books specific to motorcycling in the areas of interest and published in the last 5 years. Then I read the cross referenced books about backcountry hiking and touring, some dating back ten or more years. From this information I developed a background for what I would be seeing as I traveled away from the border.
First off, I was leaving my safety net of cell phone and 911 and English speaking uniformed civil servants. Instead of letting that put me on edge, I thought of it as heightening my awareness of my surroundings - to appreciate the differences and beauty as well as to be cautious. The lack of immediate assistance, to which we have grown so accustomed in the US that many people cannot even change their own tire (witness the number of cars stopped by the road waiting for help) made me ride well within my limits and apply a little forethought to repairs, spares, tools and mechanical knowledge of my bike. All of which, in turn, made me feel more confident and self-sufficient. I also believe that while I might be better able to communicate my need for gasoline stateside, walking up to a strangers house on a farm-to-market road and asking for a gallon or two would be met with far more suspicion and apprehension then doing the same to some remote farm in Mexico and probably with less success as well. Due to the inherent isolation people seemed more willing to assist a stranded traveler.
Speaking for myself and my trip, the customs/immigration issue was no more a hassle than checking in for a flight at the airport here in DFW. Yes, there is paperwork. Yes, you must have the proper papers and the requirements may all seem silly. Yes, you may have to stand in line to have verification or duplication of those documents accomplished, but they were simply following the rules of their position, and in this day and age EVERYBODY at the border needs to follow the rules.
In 1500 miles traveling in Mexico I was stopped about 5 times by the Military Police. These young lads have been waiting in the sun for hours and a traveler represents entertainment by one or two methods. 1) You pull up and wait, or fidget, or act aggressive/pissed off, and they entertain themselves by responding in kind and making you sweat and get nervous, requiring you to open each bag or case and display/explain each item or 2) You pull up with your visor open and a big grin exclaiming "Buenos Dias! Muy Bueno Camino!" because you took some time to learn 24 basic words and know that "Good Day! Very Good Road!" is a nice greeting. This is an opening for you to preemtively point to your map of where you've been, where you are going and how wonderful your trip into their country has been. Yes, you may have to open your tank bag, and a saddle bag or two, but a simple charades gesture was sufficient to explain the tent and tools and clothing inside. "Gracias, Adios!" and you are on your way. I never had to give away the packs of Marlboro's I carried as 'gifts'.
Probably the most significant notions I picked up from one older travel guide stated that doing nothing is not necessarily indicative of laziness, but rather of having nothing to do, and that while we look at their wood and tin and adobe structures and think they are impoverished, they look at our homes costing hundreds of thousands of dollars and wonder how much of our lives we must give up working to pay for them and then go on vacation to places like Mexico to enjoy ourselves. Given the tremendous beauty of the land through which I traveled, logic like that is nearly impossible to defeat.
My first hand experience in Mexico is by no means conclusive - one experiment does not a Law of Physics make, but everywhere I went the people I met were no less hospitable, and in most cases far more so than strangers here in the US. The only form of bribery I used was a preemptive smile and greeting in Spanish, and a hard candy lemon drop for the children (and one or two adults).

At the border - Presidio to Ojinaga. All went smoothly. 

Take a Number, Please!

Friends we are in deed back from the land of the Fiesta, crossing the border between Ojinaga CHH and Presidio TX on Thursday April 21st, a full day ahead of plan - but more on that later.
In 15 words or less: We had no problems we couldn't solve, and it was simply AMAZING.
For those more digitally inclined here are the statistics as best I can retrieve from my celluous based data recorder (my fuel/trip notebook), as opposed to the detailed info Mark would have on his digital voice recorder had it not stayed on the whole first night and filled its memory!!
Day /Start/ End /Mileage
16APR /Arlington, TX /Lake Brownwood SP/ 178
17 /Lake Brownwood/Presidio, TX USA/ 442
18 /Presidio, TX/Chuautomec, Chihuahua, MX /266
19 /Chuautomec, CHH/Creel, CHH/ 200
20/ Creel, CHH/Batopilas, CHH/ 111
21 /Batopilas, CHH/Presidio, TX USA/ 465
22/Presidio, TX/ Lake Belton, Belton TX /553
23/ BMW Rally Rides/ 150
24/Belton TX/ Arlington, TX USA/ 161

Total Days - 8
Total mileage (approx) - 2564
Total Lodging costs - 139$ (USD)
Total Gas costs - 138$ (USD)
Total Food costs - 85$
Number of times actually on wrong road - ONCE
Number of times run out of gas - ONCE (each, and BOTH in the USA!)
Number of unfriendly incidents - 2 Once in Chihuahua when a school kid launched an empty (thankfully) soda can from the bus and beaned me on the helmet and once on a backroad through a small village when a (possibly) drunk feinted out in our path.
Number of OOH's and AAAH's along the way - incalculable!

More later as it all settles out (and I figure the best way to present it).
Thanks for keeping us in your thoughts and prayers, I'm sure that helped!

Brief Update

Hello from Creel, Chihuahua, Mexico! Isnt the internet a wonderful thing. Bikes are runnig strong, Mark and I are getting along just fine. Weather is beautiful. The roads are unbelieveable. It was easy as pie getting across the border, and the hotels have been relatively inexpesive and interesting and clean. Tomorrow is the ride into the canyon itself. Today was 60 plus miles of dirt, with me riding in MArk{s dust. Way, Way, cool. Thanks for your interest, more when we get home!
R

Fear Factor

C'mon, you've watched it for at least a minute or five. Two teams compete by doing or eating things that your mom spent 16 years telling you not to do or not to put in your mouth. But here's the slight of hand - before they do anything they put on pads and hook up to safety wires, and the audience knows that disgusting as the foodstuff maybe it has been sanitized and therefore is gross but harmless. So basically once the contestants get past the eeech or the yikes, they KNOW they are going to be OK.

Mark called last night. He had been tipped to the edge by well meaning advice from strangers telling him that banditos lurk around every turn, and police checkpoints are really just for revenue collection (ie las mordida - the little bite - bribe), and that two of us are more vulnerable than if we were in a large tour group. This is a true 'fear factor' for although we will wear helmets and riding jackets - there is no guarantee of physical safety, and who knows what will come off that street-side grill. And we'll have no 15 minutes of fame (that's a 30 minute show minus commercial breaks) to show for it.

Robert Fulton Jr traveled around the world in 1934 by motorcycle. Few roads, fewer telephones, no cell phones or faxes or computers, on a motorcycle which would be considered primitive by today's standards and without support vehicles or riding companion. His observations lead me to believe that a solo traveler, or pair, can be inconspicuous and travel quietly through a country. People were generally curious, courteous, and responded in kind to the treatment and attitude which they received.

It is an interesting issue on which to dwell, in the 10 hours of highway riding between here and Presidio. How many spares do you take, how safe is safe enough, and at what point do you put decorative iron grills over the windows and doors of your home. I've tried to deal with it all on what I call the 'reasonable man' level. I'll make sure my tires are in good condition, take a spare tube and patch kit and a pump. I check out my bike and make sure all is in correct working order and lubricated properly, take a spare for such parts as are vulnerable to breakage AND are critical to operation of the bike, tools to fix/replace same, and have the knowledge to do it. I know that carrying too much cash and displaying 'wealth' is a bad idea here, there or anywhere, and when the hairs on the back of my neck stand up I'll either stabilize the situation or remove myself far enough away to be comfortable again.

Put another way - there are those to whom riding a motorcycle into the Deep Elum entertainment district and leaving your helmet strapped to the bike with your personals in the tankbag unattended while you bar hop flashing cash until 3AM would seem like suicide. This compared with two sober, discrete travelers on the road during daylight hours or dining quietly in local restaurants with bikes in sight and removing bags into motel rooms each night in a foreign country.

Or I could stay at home at watch Fear Factor and 'eeech' and 'yike' with millions of Americans in the comfort of their living rooms with iron-work on the windows.

The Devil's in the Details

This is a week-long trip not an expedition, but the more planning and foresight that are applied the smoother the trip will be.

And more expensive.

I'm beginning to feel like a traveling motorcycle shoppee - I've purchased or borrowed spare bulbs, tire repair kits, co2 cartridges to pump up the tires, a clutch lever and cable, a generator rotor, a diode board, engine and transmission oil, and tools - lots of tools from the regular kit of screw drivers and metric wrenches to exotic exhaust nut removal tools to a rotor removal tool. All I need is a little fold up mechanic to fit in the saddlebag and I'll be set. Fortunately the R100GS and the R80GS share some crucial parts, so if only one of us carries a spare we should both be protected.

Spare keys. First, BMW makes a nifty fold over model that no locksmith has available; so you buy the blank (at 6$) from BMW and take it to the locksmith to duplicate. Second, BMW keys are steel and no locksmith will cut a steel blank - it will dull their cutter wheel. So you have to plead with them to scan their wall of blanks and 'find' one that may fit. If they will and they do, then they still have to modify the standard blank to fit the BMW longer tumblers before they cut and duplicate. Ok, got keys? Good - now where do you stash them? One, of course goes in your pocket to use, and maybe one in your wallet for a spare, but what about that really bad night when you lose the 'use' and 'spare' as well (like someone says empty your pockets and gimme your wallet)? I like to put the third somewhere ON the bike, where it won't rattle off over dirt roads, but doesn't need a tool to obtain. I'd brag about where I located mine - but then I'd have to move it so you wouldn't steal my bike.

That's just the keys. I can figure how much money I'll need, but in what form? USD or Peso? Travelers Check or Cash, Credit Card or ATM and WHERE do you secure that! How many CO2 cartridges does it take to fill a motorcycle tire? Can I back that up with a pump? How about tire irons and lubricant to remove/replace the tire while the tube gets patched? Maybe I should order a new rear tire and have it delivered to the motorcycle shop in Presidio for our return leg?

I don't think I'll ever do a round the world tour, and maybe not even a hemispheric ride, but even this little sojourn into another country makes me appreciate what motorcycle travelers (indeed, travelers and explorers of any kind) have had to go through. Imagine Captain Shacklford organizing and leading the men of Endeavor into, across, and out of the arctic night by ship, on foot, and by boat - a year of exploration turned into surviaval - and not losing a man! Or Danny Liska riding a /2 BMW from Nebraska to Prudhoe Bay in AK down to Tierra Del Fuego in the 1960's.

Or a Mom with 4 small children heading into a mall.

But it will all come together and what is left will be inconsequential. I once read that "the proper attitude is the most important tool" and I believe it. I think Mark and I have the proper attitude, so we'll plan as best we can, do without what we forget, and work around anything that jumps up.

Dr. Livingston, I presume?

General overview.  

Details of Basaseachic Falls, Creel and Batopilas. 

Where in the World?

Sorry, here are two maps, one of the general location in Mexico and the other more detailed of the Copper Canyon area.
Also, for more information see: http://www.coppercanyon-mexico.com/
and: http://iluvmc.blogspot.com/ (Mark's Blog)

Mark's 1992 R100GS, just 2 days owned! Shares many parts with Randy's 1985 R80GS, just bigger, newer, shiney-er, more advanced, aw who am I kidding - just a darned nice bike! 

The adventure begins! Two friends meet for the first time. 

First Meeting

BMW of Ft Worth hosted an open house on 9APR05 to unveil 3 new motorcycles. Seemed like an excellent chance for me to meet my traveling companion, Mark, an excellent chance for Mark to put some miles on his freshly purchased R100GS and for both of us to pick the brains of some members of the BMWDFW Motorcycle Club who were assisting at the open house.
Mark is an easy man to find, a brilliant smile of new ownership among the perpetual grins of BMW owners, and he has a hand shake like a, well, like an insurance agent! His enthusiasm is evident from the outset and I think we will have no trouble sharing the road.
We shot some publicity shots, bought some parts and gee-dunk, and then while he stayed around to test ride the new K1200 series (rocketships, friends, rocketships! They red line at 11,000 rpm and 4,000 in 5th of 6 gears is ALREADY above the speed limit!!!), I headed south to put some more miles on my 'mule' and visit my son, John, at Scarborough Faire. I took 157 south out of Arlington to Maypearl, then 66 east to the Faire. Good ride, albeit windy. The GS tends to shake its head more than my other bikes, and I'm still trying to isolate the cause. Could be the fork alignment, could be headset preload, could be tires following wavy concrete, could be wind on the windshield. Controllable, but not usual for my rides.
In another hundred miles or so I'll drain and refill the transmission (this is a flush and fill to lessen the effects of sitting for 5 years with some water in the tranny oil :-( ), retorque the heads, reset the valves, check the timing and balance the carb's one more time. Then we're good to go.
I've replaced the brake master cylinder and brake line with new cylinder and braided steel line to improve braking efficiency. I also added hyperlights to the brake light. These are high intensity LED's that flash when the brakes are applied. VERY effective in letting those behind know there is an obstacle (me) ahead. I told Mark they were to insure he didn't run into me!
Packing this week, and then on the road Saturday night to get an hour or two behind us and lessen the first day slog to Presidio. Actually, the slog part is only down to the Big Bend area, from then on it will be Yee-Haa! or Ole!

1985 BMW R80GS 

Copper Canyon Ride - 17APR-24APR 2005

Friends and surfers, this will be the site for information and photos on my April 2005 vacation ride from the Dallas Ft-Worth area down to Copper Canyon in the state of Chihuahua Mexico.
Plan: 17th) ride from Arlington Tx to Presidio Tx and camp
18th) cross the boarder at Ojinaga and ride through Chihuahua to Cuauhtemoc and spend the night at Hotel Rancho la Estancia, one time hang-out of the Rat-Pack
19th) continue west to Basaseachic Falls, third tallest in North America, then down dirt roads to Creel to either camp or find a motel
20th) Creel south to Batopilas, a silver mining town at the bottom (5500ft below the rim) of the Batopilas Canyon, part of the much larger Copper Canyon. Rugged dirt roads with major switchbacks. On the way is the La Bufa Bridge, a wooden slatted roadway slung by rope over a rushing river. Hotel Mary at the bottom of the canyon.
21st) Back up and north east to Hidalgo del Parral, where Pancho Villa was assassinated, to rest at Motel Camino Real
22nd) North to Ojinaga and Presidio Texas
23rd) Presidio to Lake Belton near Temple Tx to camp at the Texas BMW National Rally and brag around the campfire
24th) Lake Belton to Arlington TX
Total miles around 2000

Some of the remarkable things about this ride already: I started out planning to ride a 1983 BMW R65, an older street bike, with the idea that the term 'street bike' has come to mean much tupperware (fiberglass fairing) and low clearances, and that the older, more classic 'street bike' was actually very utilitarian. But then a 1985 BMW R80GS showed up for sale. It was designed for on/off road use, much like the old 'enduro' series. It was at a price I could afford IF I sold one of my other bikes, a K75C BMW. Quandry was to get my asking price before someone else took the GS off the floor. Solution: an internet aquaintance of 3 years, whom I have only met face to face once for 30 minutes and shared a beer and a BBQ, felt my pain and VOLUNTEERED a loan sufficient to make this deal happen. I cannot thank CTx enough and hope I can be adventurous enough and eloquent enough to repay in part his kindness. So I will be riding a thoroughly gone through (by me!) GS.

Then there is my riding partner, Mark. When I began planning I put out an internet blast looking for company. Mark was interested, but we both were concerned that his late model R1100RT BMW would indeed be the pure bred street bike that would have a nearly impossible time on the back roads of Mexico. Between February and April Mark wound up selling his RT and with just 10 days to go buying a 1995 R100GS! We'll be cutting the paperwork and documentation pretty fine, hoping the customs agent in Mexico will accept notorized, sealed copies of title application and original registration in Mark's name. If not then he'll stay state-side and tour off-road in Big Bend NP and I'll continue as planned, and we'll hook up at Lake Belton.
Another coincidence is Don from BMW of Ft Worth, riding a late model R1150GSA, having just returned from a week in the canyon. Don is a wealth of information and inspiration.

Sometimes it seems all the signposts point the same direction.

I hope this will be an informative, entertaining, inspiring spot - thanks for sigining on!
RTx (Randy)