Urique is the town you see below...site of the Caballo Blanco run.

Every spring in Urique at the bottom of one of the Copper Canyon gulches, the Caballo Blanco UltraMarathon is run. The brain child of Micah True (Caballo Blanco), this race was put on the running map by Chris McDougall in his bestseller “Born to Run”.

Where is Urique?

Its at the bottom along the Urique River below the majestic Gallego overlook. I love this little town- it is at the end of the road and is quiet kind of like Batopilas over the hill. Jose and Tita have a restaurant on the main drag and the food is wonderful. They also have a little hotel that is serviceable- especially in cooler months.

Who was Caballo Blanco?

Yes WAS! At this writing his body has been found in the Gila Wilderness. He apparently passed away while running there a few days ago. I met him in Creel a few years ago and we chatted on line from time to time. We shared a passion for this land and he will be deeply missed. As I said, you can read all about him in “Born to Run” and his site carries a lot of the flavor and lore of his eccentric existence. Micah True will be missed…one of the true characters in Copper.

When is the Caballo Blanco UltraMarathon?

Usually the first Sunday in March. When we have been in the canyons at this time we see the runners coming in a week before to get acclimatized and prepped.

Miguel Lara (center) and his running buddies in Copper Canyon.

2012 Copper Canyon Ultramarathon results

I am chasing these down. If you have them please send me the link. I know the winner was the bashful Miguel Lara from nearby Porochi ejido and he set a course record.

Other Copper Canyon Long Runs

Several communities have them in Chihuahua now as well as around Northern Mexico. There is actually a run in Cerocahui which is in July I think. You can contact Mario or Tito at San Isidro Lodge for info.

Copper Canyon Running Trip

People often ask me about the barefoot runners and  Caballo Blanco. So I have started a Copper Canyon Running Trip so that people can experience what it is like to run with the Raramuri.

It is actually several vast canyons which sprawl over the Sierra Madres in northern Mexico. These gorges are more widespread and at several points deeper than our Grand Canyon. The Copper Canyon train (CHEPE) stretches through the heart of this romantic country. CHEPE is cited as one of the world’s great railroads. The area is enchanting…filled with colonial architecture, old world Mexico cordiality, and the fascinating Tarahumara Indian culture,

Each Copper Canyon train trip

…is a week-long, excursion by bus and train into the magnificent Copper Canyon of Mexico. Participants will experience Mexican culture, history, and local people, not to mention the fantastic topography and scenery of the Sierra Madres.

About Authentic Copper Canyon:

Our purpose is to provide a genuine “real Mexico” experience for you that will enrich your life and the lives of our friends in Mexico.

We accomplish this by keeping our groups small and being sure your trip is excellent and in touch with the culture and customs of the Copper Canyon area. We take you to real Mexico…and our trademark is to walk the streets, experience the land, and truly appreciate the Sierra Madre vibe.

We value spontaneity, fun, and the enrichment of all involved.

Each of our adventures will be safe, well-planned, memorable, and most of all an authentic experience.

What are the trips like?

A typical day includes 2-4 hours rolling along on the train, some time to explore at our destination, and always something memorable…like visiting a Tarahumara village, taking a short hike to a beautiful vista point overlooking the canyon, exploring a genuine Mexican market, etc.

The train is fun…you can lean out the window and gawk at the knock-out views or hang out in the dining car and try your Spanish or relax in your seat and visit or whatever!

Copper Canyon is actually several canyons and it is huge- more vast and deeper than our Grand Canyon. The scenery is absolutely breathtaking.

The hotels are off the beaten path and yet safe, clean, and they all have hot water. The food is wonderful and the drinkable water is available everywhere.

One thing to note is that since our groups are small, trips can be altered to fit the interests and experience of the group. Itineraries are not guaranteed.

What are the benefits of experiencing one of these train trips?

There are huge opportunities for photography and exploring the back roads of rural Mexico. You will learn history and lore of the romantic Sierra Madres. Cultural lessons abound as we are immersed in the Tarahumara areas next door to old colonial Mexico. The trip includes lots of delicious local cuisine. The train is a technological and historical wonder passing through 86 tunnels and crossing 37 bridges.

Call Dave today at 217.369.9897 to get info on our next trip to Copper Canyon. Or just email davehensleigh@gmail.com.

Celso Jaquez at the Don Cuco fermentation pits near Janos.

Award winning Don Cuco Sotol

The Sotol- the drink of Chihuahua- from Don Cuco Sotol in Janos, Mexico is beginning to take the tequila sipping market by surprise. This fine spirit has won two major recent competitions. Don Cuco Reposada won grand champion honors this last year in San Diego and Albuquerque.

What is sotol?

Sotol is a fine spirit traditionally produced in the high plains of northern Chihuahua. It is the product of a spiny plant called Dasylirion wheeleri that grows along lower mountain slopes and is now beginning to be cultivated.

Sotol on NPR!

Don Cuco Sotol was recently featured on Morning Edition on NPR. The interview gives a good dose of the energy of Celso Jaquez and his family from Janos.

Want to experience Sotol?

Check the Don Cuco Facebook page for states where it is available now. Otherwise join one of our Copper Canyon train trips and we will drop in there the last day and you can see and sip for yourself!

The award winning Reposada at Don Cuco.

Gertrude Stein uttered this grim phrase about Oakland. “There’s no there there”. It does well as a description of the tiny town we always experience on our Copper Canyon tours. While Arepo is near some of the most fantastic views, it is unknown. Though it is right at the Posada Barrancas CHEPE station, no one knows or even bothers to try to pronounce its name. People walk and drive from this village to work the new Divisadero Adventure Park not to mention the hotels and lodges in the area, but it is not on the map.

What IS in Areponapuchi?

First of all, the place is called Arepo. What this little village has is a couple of small stores, some little cabanas- Lolas and Cabanas Diaz and others-, bigger hotels- Mansion Tarahumara and The Mirador- , a little chapel style church, and some 2,000 people.

What is NOT in Arepo?

This little place unlike most towns and cities has no plaza- never has. Beyond this there is no gathering place. There are no side walks along the newly paved main drag that does a big U through the village. Even though hundreds of people walk this road (at their peril) daily for work, there is no walk way.

Obvious need for Arepo:

Seems to me this place is on the verge of having much more population and business activity. The new adventure park, more cabanas springing up and the news of a proposed new resort mean that people and change are coming.

What this hardscrabble little wide spot in the road needs in my view is a central place- like a park or plaza- and good walkways to get there as well as to the places of employment.

More to follow including video and photos.

My wife soaks in the sunset at Mansion Tarahumara in Copper Canyon.

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 the local scene- we had some snow this trip

Jesinia comes to the door. The pure beauty of this little girl flows. She and her sister Daniela live here with there parents. Daniela is actually in school now in Chihuahua- I have no clue how they pay for this.

Little Jesinia says her dad is out working. Fifteen minutes later I am running along the only road in “town” and I flag down Jilo. We set a time in two hours to take a ride. I tell him no group- just me- and he looks a bit downcast. He needs the money from a big group.

Jilo shows up with two gaunt, but sure footed horses and we head up through the pines. Over rock inclines we climb past verdant fields of corn, beans, squash, and potatoes in the Tarahumara ejido.

Heading south from Arepo along the rim.

2011 was a good rain season and the fields are green. Note the goats in the pen at the bottom of the pic.

Then up to incredible vistas…the far green fields of the Pomochi plateau.

There are no views like these Copper ones- take your soul away!

Two hours goes fast and we are back at Mansion Tarahumara.

I pull out 500 pesos (typically a ride is 250)…about $35 USD. To me this is a shy tank of gas, a night out, 1/30th of a mortgage, a low water bill, 10 bottles of Charles Shaw.

But Jilo’s response communicates it is much more to him. He offers change and I say no, kepp it all.

He stares.

Off comes his hat and up go several “Gracias Adios” and he crosses himself over and over.

His eyes are wet.

To Jilo and his family it is food.

Jilo Mancinas at the first communion of his niece at the little church in Areponapuchi.

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 country. Staistics show that tourism to the country has been up in the last 18 months.

I am walking this walk to connect and build a bridge.

Here is the info:

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

Contact: Dave Hensleigh, 217-369-9897

davehensleigh@gmail.com

“One Solitary Gringo” to “Walk across Juarez”

August 18-21, 2011

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 threat to US citizens is actually much different than what we expect based on most US press reports. I will walk across this border city from the Rio Grande to the south neighborhoods and simply report what I see moment by moment…and let the results speak some reality into the situation.

Who I am:

I am just “one solitary gringo” walking across Juarez.

I am also the owner and lead guide of Authentic Copper Canyon, the premier supplier of culturally rich small group experiences on the train through Copper Canyon, deeper and more vast than our Grand Canyon and 4 hrs south of Juarez.

I have a deep love and respect for the people and land of Mexico. Our groups often travel through the border in the Juarez/St Teresa area, and I am pursuing this walk as a small step in bringing understanding and connection across the border.

Purpose: To give a clear view of life right now on the streets of Juarez from an outsider’s point of view. People on the US side are filled with negative images only and this will give an actual moment by moment story of what it is actually like on the ground in Juarez.

Plan: Enter Juarez from El Paso by the Bridge of the Americas on Friday morning and simply walk across the city. I will stay overnight, interact with people, etc. Moment by moment I will send pictures, text, audio and videos via twitter and blog to followers across the USA and the world. Then I will follow with more in-depth articles and videos of the experience.

Rationale: Many of us who work or live in Mexico have been frustrated by the one-sided perspective that most US side folks hold to of everyday life in the border areas.

Of course there are serious problems there. Yet when people travel there, almost all of them are amazed at how tranquil it is. So if it is possible to take a larger number of people there via the internet, perhaps they can understand more accurately that actually, there are not serious concerns with tourist travel to Mexico now. More broadly this little journey may help to replace distrust and negativity with respect and interaction.

Perspective: The idea is not to make a political point, but rather to communicate an accurate, on the ground picture of what life is like. I will not carry signs, make political or policy statements, meet with officials, etc. I will simply walk a path across the city to include busy streets, parks, markets, stores, restaurants, etc, and the message will be whatever I experience.

Interestingly as I have been preparing for this walk, 100 % of the people who know something about Juarez have very strong cautions. On the other hand, 100% of the people who live there or who know it well are very positive. Perhaps my observations will help connect these two groups.

Find Dave at www.AuthenticCopperCanyon.com and follow him on twitter @CopperCanyonGuy.

So follow me this week starting Thursday night …

Just get onto twitter and follow @coppercanyonguy and also watch my facebook page.

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 threat to US citizens is actually much different than what we expect based on press reports. I will walk across this border city from the Rio Grande to the south neighborhoods and simply report what I see moment by moment…and let the results speak some reality into the situation.

When is this?

 For three days, Friday, August 19 to Sunday August 21, 2011 I will amble through this border city.

Who I am:

I am the owner and lead guide of Authentic Copper Canyon, the premier supplier of culturally rich small group experiences on the train through Copper Canyon, Mexico. I have a deep love and respect for the people and land of Mexico. Our groups often travel through the border in the Juarez/St Teresa area, and I am pursuing this walk as a small step in bringing understanding and connection across the border.

Purpose: To give a clear view of life right now on the streets of Juarez from an outsider’s point of view. People on the US side are filled with negative images only and this will give an actual moment by moment story of what it is actually like on the ground in Juarez.

Certainly some of the impetus for this comes from me and others in the guide community that wonder how we can do better. There have been zero incidents involving tourists and we aren’t sure how to improve that stat. Yet, the overwhelming assumption is that this area is deadly dangerous. The Mexicans there just wag their heads when we discuss it with them…and they often point out what an issue we or other countries have with insecurity and tourism.

Plan: Enter Juarez by the Bridge of the Americas on Thursday evening or Friday morning and simply walk across the city. I will stay overnight, interact with people, etc. Moment by moment I will send pictures, text, audio and videos via twitter and blog to followers across the USA and the world. Then I will follow with more in-depth articles and videos of the experience.

Rational: Many of us who work or live in Mexico have been frustrated by the one-sided perspective that most US side folks hold to of everyday life in the border areas.

Of course there are serious problems there. Yet when people travel there, almost all of them are amazed at how tranquil it is. So if it is possible to take a larger number of people there via the internet, perhaps they can understand more accurately how it is that there are not serious concerns with tourist travel to Mexico now. More broadly this little journey may help to renew respect and interaction.

Perspective: The idea is not to make a political point, but rather to communicate an accurate, on the ground picture of what life is like. I will not carry signs, make political or policy statements, meet with officials, etc. I will simply walk a path across the city to include busy streets, parks, markets, stores, restaurants, etc, and the message will be whatever I experience.

Interestingly as I have been preparing for this walk, 100 % of the people who know something about Juarez have very strong cautions. On the other hand, 100% of the people who live there or who know it well are very positive. Perhaps my observations will help connect those two groups.

Contact:

Dave Hensleigh, 217.369.9897, davehensleigh@gmail.com

Follow on Aug 19, 20, and 21 twitter @CopperCanyonGuy

www.AuthenticCopperCanyon.com

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 was made by President Obregon. The details of this and sunsequent developments are well documented in a Wiki article “Mennonites in Mexico”.

Our tours to the area

I always enjoy rolling out of Chihuahua City on the train early in the morning headed for Copper Canyon. One crisp fall morning I remember particularly because the early sun was so warm, and as we climbed up into the Cuauhtemoc basin (it takes about 2 hours from Chi City) the air cooled a bit and made that sun feel so good.

Before us out the windows of the rocking CHEPE were miles and miles of apple trees (recently harvested) and maturing oats with their gray green color flowing as far as we could see. The apple orchards were full of workers weeding, pruning and bundling up the huge nets used for hail protection.

One May morning not long ago

Smudge fires above Cuauhtemoc in the apple fields.

I was out of Cuauhtemoc early one morning to catch up with a group and the temperature on the car dash read 1 degree…then zero, then minus one. All across the vast basin. smudge fires were flaring and the wind circulators made a roar like some giant fly in. It was quite a site and made the usually bucolic farms seem to bustle with warming activity.

Early morning smudge fires above Cuauhtemoc.