Brian A. Hopkins
Adventure Bumpkin

Bahlobo y los Gringos:
"South of the Border"
(Copper Canyon, Mexico) 13 - 22 April 2007

Off the Pavement (page 1 of 3): We're adventure riders, of course, mounted on dualsport motorcycles ... so pavement (though mega-fun!) wasn't the real reason for visiting Copper Canyon. Where the blacktop ended, you better believe we kept going. These photos and events span several days of riding in and around the area.

The infamous bahlobo.

Los Gringos stretching their legs and wiping the dust from their eyes. The dust was pretty bad, so
we generally stayed separated while riding -- though occasionally Danny and I rode side by side
when conditions permitted. I appreciated my Arai XD helmet, which allowed me to drop the visor
while on pavement, then don goggles when offroad. (Photo courtesy of Rich Desmond.)

Arai XD. Visor up. Goggles on. Note the heavy coating of dust.

So we were working our way down the steep switchbacks leading
to the Batopilas River at the bottom of the canyon. Danny was leading,
somewhere out of sight below me around the next switchback or
two. I turned a corner and ... what the hell is that?!?! It looks like
there's a pipe bomb in the middle of the trail!

A second later, I realized what it was and about fell off my motorcycle laughing. Danny had lost his
tool tube, which we'd all been teasing him looked like some sort of septic tank. (We actually started
this teasing last month at the Eureka Springs rally.) The joke was that he would have to periodically
stop and empty the damn thing at an RV park. Now, here it was, lying in the middle of the trail, with
Danny no where in sight. Hahahaha! (Photo courtesy of Rich Desmond.)

I picked it up for him, of course, and temporarily bungee'd it to the
back of my Dakar. The bolts that had attached it to Danny's bike
had been sheered right in two, dropping tube, highway pegs, and
all into the dirt. How Danny never noticed it falling off (he must
have ridden right over it) was beyond us.

I gotta tell you, though, there's definitely a NEGATIVE bling factor associated with this thing!
Where the hell are ya, Danny-boy? I gotta get rid of this thing before the Beemer and I
lose all our style points! What would Kay say if she could see "Stylin' Brian" now?!?! (An
inside joke based on previous ride reports.)

He's gotta be somewhere on the switchbacks below, waiting for us...

...hopefully before the bridge over the river at the very bottom of the canyon. Can you see the bridge?

Here's a zoomed shot.

Then, as I was looking below, I saw Danny stop. Must have been 500 feet below us. A second later,
Chris (who had gone on ahead while Rich and I strapped the tool tube to my bike) pulled up beside
him. I saw Chris lean over and say something to Danny, pointing. I saw Danny lean out and look down
where his tool tube was supposed to be. It was like one of those old silent movies where the acting is
exaggerated for effect. Funniest damn thing on the whole trip. Rich and I about fell off the mountain
laughing. Here's Danny when we finally caught up to him and I told him to get that damn septic tank
off my Beemer. LOL.

Is that a look of chagrin or what?

Then Rich pulled up and promptly fell off his bike. That's two!

I helped him pick it up ... after I took a picture, of course! (Photo courtesy of Chris Marlow.)

By this time, the buzzards were circling.

They were sorely disappointed to see Rich remounted and ready to continue.

Eventually, we reached the river below...

...and the bridge. The boards on this bridge were pretty squirrelly, shifting and squirming under our tires.

Everyone rode across without incident, though. There goes Chris.

Another shot of the bridge. (Photo courtesy of Rich Desmond.)

A break was in order ... and everyone went to snapping photos. I took over
500 photos on this trip! (Photo courtesy of Rich Desmond.)

Danny tried to hide his relocated tool tube under his jacket ... while staring up in amazement at where
we'd come down from the rim of the canyon. (Sad to see that graffiti exists even in this wilderness, eh?)

Click the Dancing Sombrero to Continue the Adventure