Copper Stories
Copper Canyon continues to amaze me!
After countless trips to this paradise, I keep expecting to get tired of the place. To the contrary it continues to amaze me. The Copper Canyon train still rolls through the most incredible landscape The Norteño food remains a favorite The local people are so cordial The weather always seems to reveal some wonder of [...]
Full StoryJilo and 500 Pesos
I drop by Jilo Mancinas’ little hovel of a house in Areponapuchi. The front area serves as a garden, grazing area for Jilos ponies and parking for his beat up little pickup. Jesinia comes to the door. The pure beauty of this little girl flows. She and her sister Daniela live here with there parents. [...]
Full StoryThis Solitary Gringo Will Walk Across Juarez
Is it safe for tourists in Mexico now? Well our experience is that it is and while there are concerns, even northern Mexico is much safer than other tourist destinations people use now- such as South Africa and Beliz. Still during this period, Europeans, Australians, Canadians and of course Mexicans are traveling extemsively in the [...]
Full StoryWalk Across Juarez
Walk Across What??? Juarez seems to be the LAST place any sane person would chose to even go to, let alone walk across. Most people assume that my body will end up filled with bullets, decapitated, and hung from some bridge with a scrawled cartel note tied to it. But the actual situation and [...]
Full StoryMennonites Country in Chihuahua
Mennonites near Copper Canyon There are some 80,000 Mennonites in Mexico, most of them in Chihuahua. The largest concentration is around Cuauhtemoc. This area is right along the CHEPE train to Copper Canyon and also is traversed by a very serviceable road. History The immigration of these folks mainly from Canada began in 1922 whena deal [...]
Full StoryHorse Riding in Copper Canyon
There are many fine places to ride horses in the world- the California Sierras, the south shore of Lake Superior, the Flint Hills of Kansas, and so on. Certainly Copper Canyon in Mexico would be one of the ones to include on such a list. The horses in Copper Canyon are generally small in my [...]
Full StoryWhere CHEPE Crosses Over Itself
There is a lifetime of wonders along the Copper Canyon train and I keep discovering new fascinating places and people along the magic railway through the Sierras every trip. One if the cool spots that people want to see but usually miss is the spot where the line loops around and goes under itself- if [...]
Full StoryThe Tarahumara Baskets…Amazing
There are several crafts which the Tarahumara in Copper Canyon produce- some just for their use and most for sale to tourists. There are fabric and woven goods. There are some musical instruments. Often you will see some youngsters who have picked up agates or other special rocks and are making some change selling them. [...]
Full StoryHotel Mansion Tarahumara…WOW!
I use several hotels and cabanas around the Areponapuchi area (at the Posada Barrancas station on CHEPE in Copper Canyon). The one that always gets rave reviews from our guests (and me!) is Mansion Tarahumara. The food is very good- a bit more American than most places and very tasty. The hospitality is warm and [...]
Full StoryWe give back…a new laptop for a student in Chihuahua!
One of my main guides on Copper Canyon tours is Alfredo Murillo. People love his skill, humor, insight into culture, etc. Due to reduced tourism trade in Mexico, the Murillo family has been hit hard financially. They have one son in college ( third year of architecture school) and one starting next year. Alfredo mentioned [...]
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