Mcallen TX -Reynosa -Real de 14 México and back in 4 days

If you are down around Aramberri and La Extension (spelling) check out a camp ground called El Salto. It is right in this general area but I really do not remmember exactly where.

Beautiful travertine waterfalls, cool glacial blue water to swim in. They had hot showers for 90 pesos.

The El Salto camp is closer to Zaragoza. 130 pesos for camping.

www.elsaltozaragozanl.com.mx

and found some other info at http://sachinb.blogspot.com/2008/05/zaragoza.html

Watch for livestock on the road at night.

This is one of the finest places I have found in Mexico and it was basically empty when I was there during the winter.

The snow white travertine forms many little pools that are great for a swim but a bit cold during the winter.

Tks UrbanXJ, actually, we were planning to have lunch at el salto, since Farids knows it very well, and he said that there is good food and as you said, good place for swimming. But we ran out of time and was getting dark, and so many burros on the road, we decided not to go and keep riding to get to the old house with daylight.
Next time will do it.

Arte.

As I said, this police men, told us that we needed to walk and leave the bikes.
The real problem was that due the high pilgrims attendance of that special day (it was Saint Francisco de Asis day), the local donkey carts transportation business, had monopolized the road in agreement with the police, so none vehicle was allowed but theirs only.

So our good biker lawyers Jesus, Andres and Oscar, after long chatting and discussions, get a special permission to pass thru the tunnel with the bikes.
Is worth to say that not even a half nikel was handed out... for real!

And after almost quiting and turning 180 degrees, we all get excited and start mounting our mules... then I rememeber my cousins from Zacatecas, which have not arrived yet. So I ask the police guy to extend the permission to 5 more bikes that are comming in a few minutes behind us, and this guy says.... well all I can do is that they definitively will cross walking and pushing their bikes. so with that, we started crossing the tunnel.



Look at the 2009 all terrain bike we found inside the town.... a Donkeywasaki 1000 cc

The alleys are wide and then narrow so we parked the bikes sticked to the walls

This hotel was very nice and neat. The room was kind of expensive but we were there already and with lot of time lost trying to enter to the town, we just wanted to leave our stuff and get something to eat.


Hotel Ruinas del Real. 550 pesos (52 USD)

nice balcony area for a good coffee and a cigar.

the interior yard of the hotel

walking around we passed by this fancy cementery with its own church

our boys having fun walking (or getting boring...?). nah, they really enjoy riding with us all the time.

I love this picture. Look at the boy how proud he looks to be a Huichol.

what a great report arte! Brings back some long almost forgotten memories. I went to 8th grade at Sharyland school, between McAllen and Mission back in 1971, Always said i'll go back to visit, cuz I really loved it down there.....just need to get it planned. Altho, Ive heard the grapefruit orchards we lived around are now neighborhoods. My dad was a US Customs agent, so we travelled around that area alot. Thanks for the post!!!!
Randy

Hey Randy if some day visit RGV come to ride with us, wellcome to Reynosa, amigo.

Any time you wanna come back for a ride, PM me and we can plan something near or even central mexico.

Arte

So after we got the permission to get into town (like if where the forbidden city !) the police guy said something that we did not took for serious....

We told him, so there will no be any problem gettin out right?

He said, not at all, as long as you leave after 7 pm sunday, everything is ok. cuz, earlier than that, not in your dreams, the pilgrims will keep arriving untilvery late all sunday, so the tunnel is one way in until that time.

so we all though.. he got to be kidding... lets go !

We all knew that we should leave at 11 am at the latest to be home before night fall...

stay tunned to find out how we managed to get out !



some famous in the town

se ve que se la pasaron conmadre Arte, aver si se dan una vuelta al evento en galeana, dicen que va a estar bien chido !!

por ahi nos vemos en algun lado rodando...

saludos

roberto

Well, on saturday afternoon, started raining and we immediately did think on the cobblestone road.... how difficult would it be riding it down slope and wet? everybody says that is like ride on ice, because of the stones are pretty round, tight, and smooth. Very slippery. And many high clifs !

Then later, I told the group that there was another exit from the town, but it was a narrow road, full of rocks and very vertical in some places. At least that I was told from the most local guys I asked at the hotel. Even they said that only 4x4 jeeps were the only vehicles capable to ride that alternative road in the current conditions (after the rain).


So we discarted this option and focused on return by the same way. After some minutes we could talk to the local police and they said that no exit by the tunnel was allowed, but after 7 pm (just as the other police said at the entrance !).



So I went to check on the second exit and this is what I was able to see from the top of the mountain looking to the oposite side from we arrived.

the view of the way out, closer from the edge

one more view, looking right down... :eek1

We did not have other option but to ride thru the back exit. Actually the road was narrow at most places, is made of compacted bed of rocks, many sharpy, many rounded.

The road was dry (good !) but was full of people leaving the town and more arriving, plus the 4x4 jeeps carrying people (is their business).

So there were no other option than ride with both feet on ground and front brake full time, since there where parts so very inclined that a stoppie could be made if you wanted.


check on the pictures I could start taking after passing the worst part of the road.


This is Huicho (thinking what the hell am I doing here !)...