1. Copper Canyon is so huge.

It is hard to get your mind around how vast this place is...several canyons deeper and bigger than our Grand Canyon.

2. The Rarámuri or Tarahumara- the indigenous people.

My little friend "Once" from Carichic- one of the some 70,000 Raramuri in the Sierra Nevadas- truly a "people apart".

3. The train through Copper Canyon- CHEPE.

This amazing railway stretches across the rugged Copper Canyon and includes 37 bridges and 86 tunnels.

4. The little towns – the heart of rural Chihuahua.

The main dreg of the tiny village of Cuiteco- one that few tourists ever visit or even notice.

5. History and lore abound in Copper Canyon.

The old church in Cerocahui- the mission dates to the late 1500s.

6. Adventure travel options abound in Copper Canyon.

Copper Canyon has ziplines, rock climbing, horse riding, hiking...and some of the best remote swimming holes on the planet.

7. The food in Chihuahua is unique- very different from other parts of Mexico.

One of the great dishes of the Sierras- Agua Chile- more shrimp than you can finish!

8. The Mata Ortiz pottery…a true treasure of the Sierra Madres!

Juan Quezada with Dave Hensleigh in his studio at Mata Ortiz.

9. Oh the view from those ridges in Copper Canyon!

The views go on forever in this amazing place.

10. Our team of local Mexican guides there can give you the best in a Copper Canyon tour.

Alfredo Murillo...the fave of many of our Copper Canyon guests.

So join us soon in this majestic place!

Call Dave today at 217.369.9897 or email davehensleigh@gmail.com to get on board.

In Copper Canyon near the saddle below Divisadero.

The horses in Copper Canyon are generally small in my experience and very tough. They are sure footed and very durable. The seem to exist on almost nothing.

Once I was in a precarious situation with a pony there and was so impressed with how she handled herself. We were on a ledge which fell off precipitously and became more and more narrow. Finally where the path was about a foot wide, it was washed out for about four feet and took up again in front of us. I slipped off her gingerly and worked my way over to the far ledge with the long rope in my hand. Just as I got to the other side on my knees she jumped- like almost on top of me. Her body glided over mine and to this day I am not sure how she kept from stomping me, but I was untouched. Fine horse.

The guides can be found here and there. One of my favorites is Jilo Mancinas in Areponapuchi. He is skilled, personable, inexpensive, and easy to work with. He lives west of the store on the “main drag” in Arepo.

Places to go? There are many. Around the Arepo/Divisadero area ther are numerous very scenic trails- including trails that are very easy to very very rugged. You can even do an overnight to the bottom of Copper from this area. I am also familiar with trails near Cuiteco, Cerocahui, Gallego overlook, Urique, Cusarare, Creel, Temoris, El Fuerte and many other places.

We even expect to be a part of a Cabalgata there next year- March, 2012. This is a 10-12 day group ride and traveling fiesta which passes through the Mata Ortiz, Casas Grandes, and Janosd area on its way to Palomas/Columbus, NM. It arrives at the border for the celebration of the anniversary of the invasion of the US by Pancho Villa on March 10.

The trails for horses are excellent in Copper Canyon.

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!

On our trips to Copper Canyon, we overlap with these folks alot, and they are mysterious…

Young Raramuri woman in the trail in Copper Canyon

They are such great folks…though at times they are very quiet and unassuming. Like when we approach a Tarahumara house we stay back a ways until someone welcomes us in…they just don’t like to be walked in on. One place we often stay is at Bertha’s place in Cusarare. Its not at all fancy and it gives a real taste of life in a 3 generation Tarahumara family.

Bertha with one of her grandaughters in Cusarare

You canwatch a video of Berthas Place from JP Blanchard here.

Many of the little towns have a Tarahumara school. We recently stopped into this one in Cuiteco…Cuiteco is one of those delightful little places that gringos rarely visit. The area is dotted with Tarahumara homes and farms.

Dave with the kids in Cuiteco- by Eric Mohl of Trans Americas Journey

Karen and Eric of Trans Americas Journey at Paquime.

The road there is a wild and long one and their account is excellent- it starts as the leave Creel and wind down through San Rafael, leaving the pavement:

We left the pavement behind in San Rafael, not long after leaving Creel. Many of the simple dirt roads that eventually took us all the way to El Fuerte were built to give access to the mines in the region and most were not on the detailed maps in our Gia Roji road atlas. The locals and the mine employees all know exactly where they’re going so no one ever bothered putting up any signs either.

See the whole story here as well as many other adventures in Mexico…and all over.

We made contact on twitter and planned out a grand venture that has resulted in lots of excellent material from them on Copper…including this blog.

This entry takes you to Cuiteco (why more gringos don’t visit this place I know not- I have never seen a single American tourist here other than my groups). I love the pic of Karen by the fire there- here is my non-professional version:

Karen by the fire at the lodge in Cuiteco.

This place is so cool…their blog goes on to take you to Cerocahui, Urique and several other fascinating spots.

Enjoy it!

Each excursion we have or when I am down there exploring, lots of pics get taken and I have just done a major update. Take a look!

These photos will take you from “Arts and Culture” to “Food” to “The People of Copper”

There is even a post from “The Other Canyon“- the Grand Canyon in Arizona.

There are also collections from trips we have taken- and more to come.

Another cool spot on the site is the video collection- enjoy and lets go to Mexico!

At the Gallegp Mirador above Urique

When we travel in this enchanting land of the Sierra Madres, there are always numerous gaga sights and memorable places…like this ridge above Urique (close to the Bahuichivo CHEPE stop- check this video up close ). This shot was taken during the rainy season- actually August- a great time to  There are more moments and places like this than your camera or your heart can take in.

But the most memorable and meaningful sites and pics are the faces of the people. This little guy was hanging out at the church in the tiny town of Cuiteco as we came back from a long walk to a waterfall on Sunday morning a few weeks ago. When that look of unstoppable optimism shines through a weathered life like that, it leaves a long impression.

Not many people get off of CHEPE at Cuiteco, but it is worth it. I plan to keep it in our itinerary for Copper Canyon train trips as much as possible.

Cuiteco…a quiet stream, a “main street” with no stores or cafes- like the only place to get a coke is in the living room of “the house with the black door”, the chatter of Tarahumara children at the school beyond the school.

The Tarahumara are so photogenic…yet so shy in their ways. One great resource for their culture and ways is theexcellent book by Jeff Biggers- “In the Sierra Madre”- essential reading for those visiting the canyon.

When we offer trips there, our way is to infuse each day with oppportunities to experience these fascinating people- their language, food, artwork, etc. Oy yes…and their Tesguino! I will have to blog about that soon!

The way we approach our experiences there is to have a rough itinerary and then flex to meet the interests of the group. This make for a vastly different experience than people get with the canned or packaged trips. Time on the train, experiences in little towns, hikes to great views, meeting interesting locals and so on- all of this happens on each trip.

We usually stop at this incredible viewpoint- and then go on down to the bottom to the little town of Urique and enjoy some agua chile- some of the best of Norteno food.

Morning at Lake Arekako

Morning times are always special, and for those who want to catch “Amanacer” we can head for the rim or perhaps a remote lake like this one near Creel.

Some prefer just to enjoy the quiet with a cup of coffee or whatever- the point is , there is flexibility.

One of the features of our trips is to visit little trains along the railway that hardly any people visit. Places like Cusarare, Cuiteco, Temoris, Areponapuchi and many more.

One of my favorites is Cuiteco- it is featured in a new Authentic Copper Canyon video- watch for it in the first few moments.

This photo is taken in Cuiteco at sunrise- a quiet and lovely place.