Adventure Bumpkin
Brian A. Hopkins
Adventure Bumpkin
Bahlobo y los
Gringos:
"South of the Border"
(Copper Canyon, Mexico) 13 - 22 April 2007
Off the Pavement (page 2 of 3):
A few days of hauling ass in the twisties and ripping through the very rocky
mountain trails was
taking a toll on our tires. It was definitely a good thing that we'd started
with new tires, but we'd
need to be a bit more conservative if they were going to last the entire trip.
Chris and I were running
Dunlop 606's; they were the best of the lot. Rich was running cheap Cheng Shens,
but they looked
like they'd make it if he took it easy. Danny, on the other hand, was in a world
of hurt. Not only was
his tire shredding knobs and tossing off chunks of rubber, there were several
cuts in the carcass of the
tire itself (you can see one deep cut at the base of a knob just to the left of
his finger in the photo above).
Here's the tire brand, so you can avoid it like the plague. 'Nough said on that.
Danny spent a day in
Creel calling all over the place trying to locate a replacement, then trying to
arrange to have the new
tire bussed to us. The problem was getting the money to the guy with the tire.
It seemed as if nobody
down there took credit cards, not our hotel, not the restaurants, and certainly
not the guy with the tire
(the owner of an ATV shop). Eventually, Danny and I saddled up and rode 200
miles to the town of
Cuauhtemoc to get the tire. Then we rode back to Creel and changed the tire
sitting on the curb in
front of the hotel. This guy in Cuauhtemoc saved our bacon: Abram Thiessen. His
email is
abramth2000@yahoo.com. Phone:
625-584-1183. Cell: 625-106-9190. You might want to take
that information with you if you go to Copper Canyon. Good honest guy. Speaks
good English. The
tire he sold Danny was a Dunlop 606. $130. A bit steep on the price, but
definitely a bargain for the
situation we were in. Thanks, Abram!
While trying to sort out the tire situation in Creel, we did find this. You can
see how excited Danny
was about it. Were it not for Abram, this tire would probably be mounted on the
back of Danny's
XR right now. LOL.
With the new tire mounted, Danny was good to go again.
Around every corner would be another absolutely amazing view...
...which words and photos are woefully inadequate to describe.
See what I mean?
Seemed like we were stopping every hundred yards or so ... just trying to
soak it all in. (Photo courtesy of Rich Desmond.)
It's hard to make much progress when you're constantly mesmerized
by Mother Nature's geological handiwork.
The shrines we'd seen beside the paved roads were prevalent offroad as well.
Light a candle if you're so inclined.
There were more critters to watch out for. (Photo courtesy of Rich Desmond.)
Be alert for goats.
And burros.
And Nature's miracles.
Be sure and take time to smell the
flowers ... (Photo courtesy of Chris Marlow.)
...but be careful not to lean too
close ... (Photo courtesy of Rich Desmond.)
...least you get pricked by a thorn.
Wave to the locals as you pass...
...and be wary of their modes of transportation, whether moving ... (Photo courtesy of Chris Marlow.)
...or parked beside the road.
Most of all, enjoy the ride...
...and let the things you see ...
...along the way ... (Photo courtesy of Chris Marlow.)
...remind you of how fortunate you are. (Photo courtesy of Rich Desmond.)
Click the Dancing Sombrero to Continue the Adventure