Copper Canyon for Christmas

[Hiside]

Originally Posted by Hayduke

Hey Gordy- It's good to see this little girl is still working the tourists-

your pic-



My pic this last October-

is she really carrying a baby or is that a doll on her back?

[bpeterson]

great shots Gordy.

When we stayed @ Justin's back in March those were just puppies. Looks like they're all grown up!

That whole area is really fantastic. Thanks for bringing back some great memories.

[LaOutbackTrail]

My brother and I want do this kind of trip. Hopefully I will be getting my KLR back and he has a drz400 ....

What kind of money is everyone spending on a trip like this? A ballpark figure is all I am wondering. Gaspipe could probably answer that one well enough.

Gracias.

I think i should do my costa rica trip report soon..... only been since the 22nd that i've been back.

[wtrlogd]

Nice ride report, enjoyed the pics.
I gotta' get down there, myself, but I'll wait till it warms up a bit.

[Gordy]

Originally Posted by GlowinGreenKLR650

.

What kind of money is everyone spending on a trip like this? A ballpark figure is all I am wondering.

I budgeted $100/day and came in at below $75/day including tips. You could do it for less I am sure.

[Gordy]

Originally Posted by Hiside

is she really carrying a baby or is that a doll on her back?

That is damn funny. What a pro! That's a real kid on her back, she must have a whole line of them to pull from! Isn't it amazing all the stuff the Tarahumaras can carry on their backs with just a blanket. I saw some serious loads being carried.

[Mike Lynch]

I would like to drive through the Copper Canyon on my way to Mazatlan if at all possible. I do not have a Motor Cycle but I do have a Motor Scooter, it is a Vespa GT-200. I have driven it from Clearwater Florida to +- 87 miles north of Fairbanks Alaska and back. Most, 90% of this trip was on some form of paved highway.

My Scooter is: automatic, 4-stroke, water-cooled, belt driven and I have added additional fuel capacity to it. The base Scooter has a 2.5-gallon tank under the seat. I have used a removable external 6-gallon tank and currently have a semi permanent 2.25-gallon tank mounted. On flat pavement in Florida, I average about 65 mpg.

With the current setup, I have 4.75 gallons of fuel and a range of +- 300 miles on paved, flat surfaces. With the 6-gallon tank in place of the 2.25, I'd have a range of +- 500 miles. I carry a mounted spare and am able to change or plug a tire if required. For many reasons, I travel alone and usually tent camp. With your insight and experience, what do you think of my chances of making this trip on my GT-200?

If I were to go, I'd leave Clearwater mid to late February. Would weather conditions be conducive at this time of year or should I wait until later in the spring?

Any feedback you might provide would be appreciated.

Best regards,

Mike Lynch

[Gordy]

I'm sending you a PM Mike. Yes you can do it.

[Blakebird]

Gordy,

Tremendous ride, great report, and the pictures are excellent.


Blake

[XR-TEX]

Really good pics and report guys.
Mucho Bueno. When I finally get the 950 I am going down there for sure!

[Gordy]

We checked in, pushed the bikes in the room, it is getting cold, the room heater wouldn't work. I go to the desk and tell her. The desk clerk doesn't believe me. I tell her that we want another room. She keeps telling me how to work a heater. I tell her we need another room. Finally she gets the cook from the restaurant to go show these stupid gringos how to work a heater. He fucks with it for about 10 minutes and then he and I go to the front and convince the charming lady that we need another room.
A front is coming in from the west and it is getting colder. Being oblivious to weather forecasts, we get something to eat and pound a few beers, then go back to the room. The heater has been on high, and it is colder than we left.



Notice the so called heater on the wall between the bikes. It would have been perfect for a bathroom, but not for a room that you could slide a pizza under the door.

Notice the sleeping bags in the beds.

The wind howled late that night and I was worried about having to ride in a cold wind the following day. I finally heard the wind calm down and was relieved and drifted off to sleep.

When I woke it weemed awful bright outside. I pulled the designer drapes back and it was a white out. About 5" of snow on the ground and coming down hard!!! The desk clerk tells us all roads out of town are closed. She had lost her credibility with me, so I walk to the Pemex and one guy tells me the same thing. The other guy says to wait a few hours, it should be OK.

We pissed and moaned and watched "dancing with wolves" in spanish. Seems kinda odd with the indians speaking spanish! We then drug over to the restaurant for some coffe and breakfast to warm up with but the prime table by the pot belly stove was taken. I forgot my wallet so I went back to get it in order to pay. When I got back Supercreep was standing by the stove washing down his breakfast with a beer and a shot of tequila. He had thrown in the towel for the day.

Back at refigerator #38 I took a hot shower trying to warm up. Supercreep is putting on his gear. We are going to roll.

This is what it looked like at noon:



Not bad.

All we had in mind was to get over the mountain pass to Gomez Farias in order to re-group and have a better shot at it the next day.

Here we are somewhere along the way to GF.






It was not too bad, just mostly slushy with some snow pack.


This guy is havving fun even with no electrics and MX boots!!!




We made GF were feeling OK and proceeded north over one more high pass before dropping down. We made Casa Grandes where we stopped for coffee. It was 2:30 and maybe 40 degrees. We double checked with a kid at the station and he said we could make Palomas in 2 1/2 hours if we hurried.
We hurried.
Hit Palomas at dark crossed the border and rode the last 50 miles to the truck.
It was a dark and stormy night...........
The cold was soaking in and when we hit the truck it was covered in frozen rain. Wow, it felt good to load up, get in the truck and head north with the heater cranking!!!

[PaleRider]

very cool ... way to go Gordy/Creep

[judjonzz]

Nice pics, nice story. I didn't count, how many nights were you out, from Deming, into the Canyon , and back to your truck? Las Margaritas looks like a splendid place to stay, but it would put some strain on my travel budget. We stayed at Hotel Mary in Bato for about $10/person. (You did have to be picky about rooms, as some were obviously infested with bedbugs.) You can usually find lodging for 10 bucks a head, although the rooms can sometimes be a little grim. Only in Chihuahua did we spend as much as $25/person for a couple of very nice places.

Copper Canyon can be a very cheap trip. Last March I spent a total of $800 from the time I left MN, through 2 weeks in Mexico, mostly in Copper Canyon, back to MN. That included my share of gas to Texas and back, but did not count prepping and equipping the bike, or stuff like insurance, which I bought online before leaving home. It wouldn't surprise me if it got spendier in the future, though.

After reading your report, I am looking forward more than ever to getting back down there in February. I hope we don't run into the cold weather you had.

[Hosebag]

Great pic's and notes guys. Will be riding from Eastern Ontario mid-April for Copper Canyon. Thanks a bunch for the preview, much appreciated.

[Gordy]

Originally Posted by judjonzz

Las Margaritas looks like a splendid place to stay, but it would put some strain on my travel budget. We stayed at Hotel Mary in Bato for about $10/person. (You did have to be picky about rooms, as some were obviously infested with bedbugs.) You can usually find lodging for 10 bucks a head, although the rooms can sometimes be a little grim. .

Are you serious? You would fight bedbugs to save a few bucks.

Note to KLR riders;

This is a vacation, not a exercise in budget management. If I can go on vacation for <$100/day and not suffer, I'm getting a screamin deal!