“You planned your vacation months in advance. The hotels are booked. The rental car pickup arranged. You even asked friends for a list of restaurant recommendations.

Accidents can happen anywhere. It’s an old adage we all know well. But checking into an emergency room halfway across the country is the last place to find yourself wondering if your version of an emergency will indeed be covered by your health insurance plan.”

Copper Canyon travel and the whole experience on the train and little towns is safe...yet you never know when you may have your trip interrupted or need a doctor.

In my own experience, accidents and even trip interruption are rare. But when they occur, it is so handy to have some ready coverage. I use AccessAmerica and TravelGaurd.

And to answer the obvious questions:

1. Yes, Mexico and Copper Canyon is safe for travel…listen to those who live there day by day, like Spencer MacCallum…and to people who guide there often like me- and my team of Copper Canyon experts.

2. Yes, the healthcare in Chihuahua is excellent. I have personally experienced medical and dental care in that area and in the US and have recently described my observations.

One of them slipped quietly in the door of the Sandoval house as we were buying some pots and her work really caught my eye.

Gerardo Mora with her pots.

Her name is Gerardo Mora, she is pleasant and unassuming, and her work is very well done and reasonably priced. I particularly liked her smaller pots…very precise and smooth. The little doubled-knecked wedding pot shown with the group above was so well done. The color of the larger snake pot to her right was a reflection of the Casas Grandes environment in the “spring ” months of March through May. The simplicity of this piece was enchanting. You will see more of her work on our site in the days to come.

I have recently visited with three well- informed experts from the Chihuahua area about this issue.

Spencer and Emalie MacCallum

1. Spencer MacCallum , long time resident of Casas Grandes and the initiator behind the Mata Ortiz pottery phenomenon affrimed to me strongly as we visited last week that there just have not been substantiated incidents involving tourists in the area. Note this artice on his website - http://www.mataortizcalendar.com/traveling%20to%20the%20village.html

2. Rosalva Delgado and I visited in her office in Chihuahua City last week. Rosalva is director of tourism for the railway in Copper, CHEPE. She also affirmed that the real situation is fine and that the hype about border incidents involving the army and the drug gangs has not affected security in the tourist areas.

3. My friend Gary Ziegler of Adventure Specialists takes people on horse expeditions to Copper Canyon (as well as other incredible destinations worldwide). We visited at his 9000 ft ranch in Colorado last week. His take on the situation based on over 30 years experience in the area is that we are fine to travel there and that basic precautions that one would take in any foreign country are in order.

On the edge of Copper at sunrise...the best time of day!

People enjoy riding the rails through this vast land with Dave Hensleigh, and he enjoys it too! His experience, his keen insight on the land and culture of the country, his unbridled passion for the experience there- all of this combines to make him the ideal Copper guide.

Roots: 

Dave hails from rural roots in Kansas and was educated in the Midwest and Texas, earning an undergrad in Math and a masters in Biology. All through his youth, the trails, mountains, grasslands and wild places of the Midwest and West were his haunt. One summer in college was spent roaming Yosemite, and ever since backpacking the Sierras has been a hobby.

Experience:

For thirty years, Dave has been leading groups of people on trips and adventures and his cumulative experience in this work is vast. Several years ago he connected with Copper Canyon, fell in love with the place and its people and immersed himself in the Sierra Madre culture.

 Vision:

He started Authentic Copper Canyon with a vision to give curious travelers a vivid experience in the true life of Copper and its people- not simply a vacation or resort experience. Dave is a relationship machine- no one on the train is a stranger. He is curious and loves to facilitate the serendipitous journeys for which Authentic Copper Canyon is famous. Another huge part of the vision with Dave is trhe forging of relationships between Mexico and the US.

 The Team:

Dave has assembled a team of guides and providers in the Sierra Madres that work together to provide vivid, safe and memorable experiences for each guest. This articulate group are experts on  the history, wildlife, and lore of the Copper Canyon region.

 Welcome Aboard!

Travel with Dave for just a day and you will know the place more deeply, you will meet and enjoy some new Mexican friends…and your life will be enriched.

I will get you hands on in Baja...

You will have the time of your life…lots of experiences in places where there in no English, plenty of time on the train (other groups sometimes are onthe train for only one day!- We include the full train experience through the heart of the Sierras- twice!), and time each day to kick back and just experience the little towns and people along the way.

I cxan set you up with a custom trip…even personalized if you like.

Call me today at 217.369.9897 or email davehensleigh@gmail.com.

You will fully experience this great railway to the full on your trip...even walk through a tunnel if you want!

This dish we often have in homes there…like with our friends Jesus and Jesus in Chihuahua City.

Jesus and Jesus (#1 and #2) love to cook and often have us over for a meal.

The recipe and other info on rajas con crema is on our Blue Corn Express site…under vegetables.

I had been wanting to give it a try this home brew of the Tarahumara called tesguino…and finally, I had the chance. I took a look at the stuff, watched the little objects floating around, realized it looked like dishwater(or worse) and gulped it right down. aaaah!

People depend on this train for one thing, It is THE way to get through the Sierra Madres…no matter how much the roads are improved over the years. Locals, including the Tarahumaras, us it to get up and down the mountain valleys. business people ride the rails to and from Chihuahua City. And of course there is regular tourist travel on the lines. 

 Actually for years there has been talk of the demise of the train. For now, there are daily departures both ways from Chihuahua City and Los Mochis at 6a for the Primera and every other day (not Wednesday) for the Economica. Freight trains run both ways almost daily.

Huarachis worn by a little Tarahumara man. Miguelito, who came with his donkey to sell vegetables at Cabanas Diaz in Areponapuchi.

 Often Tarahumara feet will be dry, crusted, and sometimes a little wounded from banging around the hills in these things. They do protect pretty well actually and seem to work year round.

These feet of a woman along the train at San Rafael have seen many miles.

How to tie huarachis:

I am going to do this by showing you a series of photos. I met this guy at theDivisadero train stop one day last year and he had a new pair- you can easily get the details on how to tie them:

Two cedar spoons from Cusarae, Mexico.

I am holding these two smooth, unfinished spoons this morning in my Authentic Copper Canyon office in Champaign, Il. They are not that impressive in their workmanship, but they are smooth and appear to be made from cedar. As I look at them closely I can see the whittle marks that affirm my memory of them being carved before my eyes in the tiny town of Cusarare, Mexico. (Sorry my word processor does not have special symbols. The accent in Cusarare is on the first a, so it is pronounced coo SAH rah ray).

Several months ago, I stooped and was spellbound as they were carved from rough logs by a little man with one leg outside of the museum holding the paintings in this Tarahumara (Raramuri) village south of Creel.

These spoons were being made by hand out of cedar logs by this little guy in Cusarare.

The guy had some little tools, a handmade hammer and a pencil that he would use to sketch each spoon out as he started on a new one.

The spoon gets marked out in pencil then the rough work starts. Note the handmade hammer.

Next the finer work is done carefully by hand...no words were said during this process.

The craftsman is a silent Tarahumara Indian with one leg...right in the shadow of the church and art museum in Cusarare.

The feet of a young girl sitting next to the carver...as she fumbled with the cedar shavings.

This is Authentic Copper Canyon.