The sun still rises over this Sierra Madre paradise- this shot taken from my hotel room!

Copper Canyon Trip- Here is one of our Fall trips to Copper. We go twice a month and can plan a trip for you at any time!

October 6-15, 2012

This is a planned itinerary and may vary slightly.

Included meals are noted.

Oct 6- Arrive in El Paso. The airport is a good place to get pesos. Use the Travelex near the spot where you turn right to go to the baggage area. Meet our van and we head for Santa Teresa NM (20 minutes) to cross into Mexico. We are off through the high Chihuahuan desert toward Casas Grandes. We check into the historic Casa de Nopal hotel. Stroll through Paquime and dinner at the hotel. (L,D)

The journey- We get an introduction to Norteño food as we travel south through the high elevation of the Chihuahua Desert. Burritos and other delicious street foods will be ours to choose from in the little towns.

Casas Grandes- Right on the edge of Casas are the Paquime Indian archaeological ruins- a UNESCO World Heritage site.

Food in the Casas area- This is the high desert area and truly ranch country. We will eat at an historic hacienda and savor the local restaurants.

Oct 7- We have a relaxed morning and a light breakfast at Casa de Nopal, then off by van through ranch country into the Mennonite area around Cuauhtemoc. Lunch in this unique orchard covered area. We check into the Hotel Tarahumara Inn and enjoy dinner at one of the great local eateries. (B,L)

Mennonites- They migrated here from Canada around 1922 and have transformed the high plateaus into some of the most productive land in Chihuahua. Still German speakers, they produce apples, oats, and dairy products- including the famous white Chihuahua cheese.

Oct 8- Time for breakfast and then to the train to go up into the Sierra Madres. We roll through the mountains to Cerocahui and the little San Isidro lodge. (B,L,D)

Cerocahui- This quiet little town sits in a beautiful valley and is a great place to overnight. We will stay above town nearer to the majestic Gallego overlook.

Oct 9- We have time to go over to Gallego and perhaps down to Urique if we want. . Then we reboard the train for the unsurpassed journey toward our evening destination, El Fuerte. Tunnels, bridges, canyons, mountains…have your cameras ready! Arrive in El Fuerte for dinner…this place is known for incredible food! (B,L)
El Fuerte- A small town with a quaint (and delicious!) market and lots of colonial architecture. History, Indian culture, bird watching, and a palm lined plaza make this place a favorite.
Oct 10 – A full day for relaxing and exploring the area- the wonderful colonial town with lots of opportunities for food and photography. A morning trip to the river for bird watching as we float and a walk through the local petro glyph site. Lunch on your own. The visit to the market here is a must, then dinner in a local home with our host Evangelina. (B,D)

Evangelina- This lovely lady with her brother and extended family live in one of the historic mansions off the square in El Fuerte. We often dine with them and get a full taste of some genuine Copper Canyon hospitality.

Oct 11 - Board the train in the morning headed northeast for Areponapuchi (Posada Barrancas station). We arrive at this tiny town and a local lodge- above the canyon- Mansion Tarahumara. Dinner, relax as well as perhaps watch the sunset over the vast reaches of Copper Canyon. “Arepo”as we call it, is officially “nowhere Mexico”. The area around Arepo gives us a good long look at Copper Canyon, and we have plenty of time to look around. (B,L,D)
Areponapuchi- Just call it Arepo and don’t expect the big city. This tiny place sits near the rim of some of the best views of Copper Canyon. The new gondola and ziplines are a scenic thrill, and you can walk or ride horses in and around the great canyon. Also a good place to pick up local souvenirs.Horses are available here- huge views!

Oct 12– All day to enjoy ziplines, gondola, hiking, etc….and relax! Then off to San Juanito by van and we arrive at the relaxing wooded Noritari near San Juanito- a unique cabin style solar hotel with a gourmet cook. A great night to enjoy dinner, chat with the chef, and take a stroll along the stream through the mountains. (B,L,D)

Noritari- This unique 80 hectare site is dotted with cabins with fireplaces, private baths, solar lighting- the nearby stream flows and the pines whisper.

Oct 13- A relaxing breakfast and then off through the ranch country to Casas Grandes, We return to Casa de Nopal and go directly to Mata Ortiz. Dinner at a local hacienda. (B,D)

Mata Ortiz- - The tiny village of Mata Ortiz is an artistic mecca. The pottery from this area is very special and known around the world for its intricacy and character.

Oct 14-  Relax as we finish what we may have missed. Leave Casas by 2 or 3p and drop into Janos on the way and get a warm welcome and tour with Celso and Emma at Don Cuco sotol. Sotol is THE drink of Chihuahua and is somewhat like tequila- but better…bring some home! We cross back into the USA and  to our El Paso hotel. (B)

Sotol- This stop at Don Cuco will give you a full introduction (including a few sips) to this fine spirit from the enchanting Chihuahua area.

Oct 15- Fly home. (B)

• Price for this trip is $1695 USD per person. Single room, add $300.

• This includes all guides, transport, food, and hotels except your visa, 6 meals, gondola and zipline, and alcohol. I will supply an overview of expected personal expenses.

• Deposit is $500 per  person.

• Payable to TopTrips, 514 South Edwin, Champaign, Il 61821.

I love these simple pots that these two young women in Mata Ortiz are producing. I mistakenly got away without writing down their names. Their Dad is Efrain Lucero and they live at the south end of the main drag in Mata.

These young women really seem to enjoy what they do...and these lizard pots are a specialty of theirs.

The finished product...amazing!

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.

Near the plaza in Casas Grandes, the MacCallums have several historic adobes they’ve restored and furnished with local antiques as part of a conservation effort to preserve some of the old aspect of the town. To help carry the project, they offer extended-stay rentals and sometimes can accommodate shorter-term guests. This place is perfect for our small group trips as they emerge from Copper Canyon and the Sierra Madres.

One house, La Casa del Nopal, resembles a small hacienda. With wireless Internet, library/lecture room, and overflow space nearby, it lends itself to small business retreats, academic conferences, and workshops. Another houses has a large, semi-subterranean, secret room from the mid-nineteenth century, built to hide women and children when the Apaches attacked. Each of these old adobes gives the feeling of walking into the nineteenth century, and someone is usually on hand to give a free, informal tour.

Several of the rooms feature woodwork by Roberto Hernandez. Here is what the Mata Ortiz Calendar says about his work:

A tradition of fine woodworking runs back four generations in the Hernández family from great-grandfather José, to grandfather Pablo, to father José, and lastly to Roberto Hernandez, who has raised his legacy of fine craftsmanship to the level of contemporary fine art. Roberto gives us unique pieces made with techniques developed over years of experience. His method calls for 15 separate sandings, each with a different grit, followed by polishing with steel wool, suede and deer horn, and finally six applications of the finest natural oils. Without harming living trees, he hand-selects aged wood, especially aspen and the root woods of cottonwood and black walnut, in the Sierra Madres of Chihuahua. Each work is a collector’s piece. Roberto finds his inspiration not only in the natural forms of branches, roots, and fallen logs that he collects, but in the work of such artistic late greats as George Nakashima and Sam Maloof. His works have won prizes at the Chihuahua state level and are sold and exhibited in galleries in the United States.
Roberto Hernandez
Col. Cuauhtemoc, Chihuahua
636-698-9181

The video above features some of his pieces in Casa de Nopal.

Porfiria Gonzales with a small pot we purchased from her on the street in Mata Ortiz

I especially like the craft and color of her miniatures:

Miniature pots from Porfiria Gonzales in Mata Ortiz.

He is featured in the film, “The Mata Ortiz Phenomenon” from The American Museum of Ceramic Art. Here is a youtube excerpt from that masterful film.

Though Manuel is somewhat known now, his home is modest and his hospitality flowing – he invited us as perfect strangers in for a coke and in the absence of pots he might have for sale (they were all on the road on exhibition), he let me have two very fine damaged pots as examples.

Manuel Rodriguez in his home with an unfinished treasure.

Anyway, Nelid  Reiz came buy as we were buying some other pots with these cool little graphite pots – each about the price of 3 eggs!

Nelid Reiz in Mata Ortiz.

So Rosa Gaona pulled up and spread out her treasures – a variety of graphite and typically painted pots. Very nice work.

Rosa Gaona with her wares in Mata Ortiz.