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.

The Sinforosa Canyon seemed more jagged than the chasms and slopes we’d been seeing for the past 10 days or so as we traveled through the Sierra Madre. From where we were standing the canyon walls were even too sheer for cactus, scrub trees or brush to cling to. This meant the underlying rock–with all it’s color, shape and striation variations–was much more visible than in other parts of the Copper Canyon that we’d visited. Here more than anywhere else, it felt like looking at the Grand Canyon as the evening light created contrast and surprisingly vibrant colors on the world of rock below us.

Our friends at 3 Amigos have a good description of the area and can get you connected to getting there….and this picture is on their site:

The great chasms in Sinforosa from 3 Amigos

One note: 3 Amigos is a great resource for equipment, guides, and info about the back country throughout the canyons. The are based in Creel and El Fuerte…Ivan and Yolanda are great folks!

One is the barber, the hotel people, the little lady we often eat wuth and her family, guys at the market and more. The plaza there is so placid…even during the Judas dancing of Holy Week.

Semana Santa in El Fuerte

So right behind where I am standing there, they just opened a clinic you can walk in to. It is public and you cann get standard tests there- like simple blood sugar or everything you need for a physical. You can get and eye exam and glasses. They do dialysis and other common proceedures people need. It is like a generic lab.

It is easy and it is cheap- reasonably priced. So they have commodotised simple medical needs and middle class and poor people can afford it.

So what is wrong with this? Why do these same services including eyecare cost ten times or more in the US?

Help me here.

Chico chatting about birds along the Rio Fuerte

We often float down the river in the early morning from the little village of Ocolome. The Ocolome Indians are a small tribe that did not survive the Spanish as well as the Tarahumaras up in the Copper Canyon area.

Chico Villasenor is our mainstay guide and trip support person there in El Fuerte. He and his family have been guiding there in the area for 30 years and I always learn something new when we are out on the river with him.

Sometimes we go in kayaks- they are easy to rent there in El Fuerte (Tres Amigos).

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.

When we pull up to the bank and walk toward the petro glyphs, Rafael begins to discuss the plants and their medicinal uses- as in this video. He shows us common plants along the trail that will help with sore throat, back pain, tooth ache, nervousness, etc….absolutely fascinating.

His name is Rafael. He is Ocolome Indian from thelittle village of Ocolome, and as he sits at the rear of the boat, you soon realize you are in the presence of a treasure-house of knowledge. Like he knows every plant and bird we are encountering.
So, we are off on the Rio Fuerte early on a January morning- perfect weather in this magic place at the foot of Copper Canyon. The air is 70ish, a light breeze, and the fresh smell of the river is on us.

The group is quiet as we float…enchanted by the surroundings. The only sound is the ripple of the water as we float, the occasional splash of a paddle in the water…and the murmuring of Rafael. I realize that he is talking about the birds we are beginning to encounter- “vermilion flycatcher” he whispers and his eye is tuned into a low branch- sure enough there is a little flit of crisp red that moves, then darts to another tree. The attentive ones in the group take notice and I hear the first of 1000s of “awesome!”s.

More later with video—cranes, herons of all kinds, medicinal plants…

This organic farm is huge and the techniques that Sergio is introducing are fascinating. The products range from basil to hardwoods to fresh fish to cucumbers. This is one of the stops on our new food focused trip called “The Blue Corn Express” (coming in 2010).

Chico showed our crew around the ancient petro glyph site near town along the river. Besides being one of the major petro sites in Mexico, the area is home to scores of  avian species- hawks, spoonbills, parrots, and many more.

Anyway, these two guys are top drawer- articulate, funny, and a vital part of our team in Copper Canyon.