South America and back on a 250 Super Sherpa Minimalist Adventure

[JDowns]

Originally Posted by MikeMike

Pleasure was all mine, John. Sure beats the coast highway Mex #180, doesn't it? Rhetorical question.

Nice to see you made it up through Puerto del Aire and Azumbilla, on the lane changing route. Oaxca is Oaxting for you, have fun, and remember..."It gets better"! LOL!

Hola Mike,

Glad you made it home safely. Thanks for a great day of riding!

You da man in Veracruising!

Adios amigo,
Juanito
currently at a cheap hotel in Tehuacan.

[MikeMike]

Juanito, I've got some pics for you, send me an email and I'll attach them.

[jimmex]

Really enjoyed the pics. What a nice area. Can't wait to get back down there. Saludos, Jim

[JDowns]

So I rode until dark last night after leaving the lovely state of Veracruz and entering the state of Puebla back up in the arid altiplano. Didn't feel like riding at night so stopped in Tehuacan at the first cheap hotel with secure parking and wifi that I rode past. Nice enough place. Nothing to write home about.

After drinking coffee and watching the world go by this morning I have decided to angle back to Veracruz and ride 175 back to Oaxaca. I have heard this road is as good as 120 through the Sierra Gorda. And that road was epic.

The Sherpa is weeping for joy at the thought of another day of curves in backcountry Mexico:



It could be she needs a new oil filter cover o-ring, but I like to think it is the former.

I rode airheads for years. It's amazing what a few teaspoons of oil can do to the side of a motor. The oil level on the sight glass has barely moved since the last oil change at the border 1500 miles ago, so I'll let the Sherpa weep for joy until the next oil change in Central America.

I spent 272 pesos or $21.76 yesterday mostly on lodging but this is skewed low since MikeMike bought gas and food for the first part of the day.

Heading out now for blue skies and who knows what else. Will report back later what I find.

Adios mi motocicletistas de aventura,
Juanito

[JDowns]

Originally Posted by jimmex

Really enjoyed the pics. What a nice area. Can't wait to get back down there. Saludos, Jim

The Jimmex ride in upcountry Veracruz can only be hinted at in pictures. The scenery is too big for a camera and the roads are too fun to stop and take many pics. You have to ride it. It was some fine riding yesterday. Plus you get excellent stories about testicular industrial accidents from MikeMike when you stop to eat loncha.

Suerte,
Juanito

[jimmex]

Good decision on riding Mex 175, one of my favorite roads anywhere. Once you get to Oax you might consider riding on down to the Pac coast if you haven't already done that one. Saludos, Jim

[RayAlazzurra]

According to MikeMike you had a bit of fun!

Originally Posted by MikeMike
Hey Jimmy, John D did the "Jimmy Ride...slight return" today. Slight variation of the original because he rides the damn wheels off that Kawasaki Super Sherpa of his. I thought we'd be going slow because it's only a carbuereted 250cc.
It was like riding with my shadow. Always there! We did the route down the mountain via Saltillo La Fragua which we missed when you did it, because of the fog and crap weather that time.

John D is a great guy to ride with, and if anyone is thinking twice about sponsoring him a little, pony up, he's a helluva rider and real fun to spend a day with. Hands down, he is the happiest person I have ever met from Nebraska! ha,ha! I noticed a few signatures on the tank, appears he's met more than a few riders on here. 9 degrees centigrade in Coatepec, froze my arse off heading in, but it warmed up to 30 c on the way in from Orizaba to Veracruz, John headed off for Ciudad Mendoza after we took the old/new Cumbres route and he was heading for Oaxaca via Acultzingo and the lane changing fun and games on the way back up to the altiplano. The Mystery Rider, Craneguy, and Doug were sorely missed, today. And by the way, Craneguy, that road that was torn up in that small mountain town when you got the V-Strom on a nice near verticle angle, is still under construction, but this time John hopped the curb and zipped up the road and left me with a smile and looking for an alternate route, couldn't get the clearance over the curb but it wasn't for trying."

Too bad there was no time for a pic of the Sherpa banked over, pegs scraping, and all that.

[JDowns]

so I took off this morning out of Tehuacan after another night of sleeping in a bed and taking a hot shower which is never a bad thing.

Heading out of town I was zipping through traffic behind this character. Only in Mexico:



Down the way I stopped for some tacos at this roadside stand. What those indigenous ladies lacked in height they made up for in cooking:



Muy sabrosa (very tasty). 5 pesos a taco is 40 cents times 5 is all I've eaten today. Time for dinner when I get through typing this. At one point the free road was completely blocked by dirtpiles with an arrow pointing off to the left which must have been the detour:


but there was a bicycle path over the dirt so I thought why not see what's down the road:



New construction but a nice enough way to go:



eventually when I passed the first few road graders it got a little deep and I hopped over the pile of asphalt and onto a sidewalk and rode the next ways:



the next town down the road was totally torn up and I had to ride over dirtpiles to get through. Took a wrong turn and ended up heading out into the country where I saw this around the bend:



Doubled back and asked a backhoe operator how to get out and he gave me directions. Was headed towards the mountains in the distance:



turned up highway 182 into the mountains. Have you ever heard this mentioned as a killer road in Mexico? I haven't:



racetrack new pavement for the first ten or fifteen miles with nothing but curves:



If you look at the hairpin down the way you will see a bunch of taxis parked. Around the bend were a bunch of dump trucks. I stopped to ask the guy with the automatic rifle what was up and it was some sort of protest but the road wasn't blocked so I motored on:



steep drop offs and no guardrails so you better stay on the road:



goats grazing on the steep slopes as this truck goes by around the next hairpin curve over the way:



Nothing but curves:



with a few derumbes (landslides) as you continue to climb straight up:



into the higher elevation temperate forest and out of the high desert cactus and scrub:



past this goatherder. All the people up here in the mountains appear to be native indigenous locals:



up futther there was a fierce wind and clouds blowing through the gap. Looking back through the clouds at the road below:



stopped for a break and these guys came up to see if I had a cookie:



this road had everything. Waterfalls:



landslides. Stopped to talk to the concrete guys fixing this part of the road that was sliding down the hill:



150 pesos a day isn't much but I guess I could live on it if I had to. Have to sell the bike and start walking though. Shortly after this shot I was up in the clouds and it started to drizzle and I put the camera in the topcase:



And then I was into the state of Veracruz and the drizzle turned to rain as I rode the hairpins in the thick fog and the road deteriorated. After a while I thought how much nicer it had been an hour ago in the sunshine and whipped a U-turn and headed back through the curves to the sunshine of Oaxaca that is off in the distance:



sometimes you have to go to plan B. I'll be back to ride this road and 175 the next time. So I motored back and descended out of the clouds and into the sun:



right past this picture a couple of hairpins a goatherds dog came out at the Sherpa and bounced off the front tire. I looked in my rearview mirror and he was yelping but just stunned and still walking around. Sure got my attention. As did the flat rear tire I felt coming around the corner several curves below. The rear tire was pulling the bike sideways like a crab as it does when it's flat in a corner so I pulled over on a wide spot and thanked my lucky stars I didn't have to change my rear in the rain. The camera was in the topbox and the topbox was doubling as a bike stand while the rear tire was off so no action shots of mountain tire repair. Sorry. It was painless. Took longer for the Walmart battery tire pump to inflate the tire than it did to put in a new tube. When it got up to 20 PSI I said good enough and continued down to the little town I am in now.

On the way down the mountain the group of taxis and dump trucks were now completely blocking the road. Great.

So I hit the kill switch and coasted past the parked cars waiting and weaved through the taxis and dumptrucks. The protesters were having a group pow-wow over to the side and I quietly glided by. One lady yelled at me but it was too late and I hit the starter and was off.

There is a bike shop that sells tubes down the street according to the car tire guy up the way and its open late and there is a cheap hotel somewhere around so I will go get a new rear tube, find a Pemex somewhere to pump up the tire and go get something to eat and a place to stay.

Of course my duty to my valued sponsors is to first stop at a cybercafe (pronounced see-brrrr cafe) and upload pics and stories. I see that smugmug is done so I'll get on with it.

more later…..

Saludos,
Juanito

[JDowns]

Originally Posted by RayAlazzurra

According to MikeMike you had a bit of fun!

Originally Posted by MikeMike
Hey Jimmy, John D did the "Jimmy Ride...slight return" today. Slight variation of the original because he rides the damn wheels off that Kawasaki Super Sherpa of his. I thought we'd be going slow because it's only a carbuereted 250cc.
It was like riding with my shadow. Always there! We did the route down the mountain via Saltillo La Fragua which we missed when you did it, because of the fog and crap weather that time.

John D is a great guy to ride with, and if anyone is thinking twice about sponsoring him a little, pony up, he's a helluva rider and real fun to spend a day with. Hands down, he is the happiest person I have ever met from Nebraska! ha,ha! I noticed a few signatures on the tank, appears he's met more than a few riders on here. 9 degrees centigrade in Coatepec, froze my arse off heading in, but it warmed up to 30 c on the way in from Orizaba to Veracruz, John headed off for Ciudad Mendoza after we took the old/new Cumbres route and he was heading for Oaxaca via Acultzingo and the lane changing fun and games on the way back up to the altiplano. The Mystery Rider, Craneguy, and Doug were sorely missed, today. And by the way, Craneguy, that road that was torn up in that small mountain town when you got the V-Strom on a nice near verticle angle, is still under construction, but this time John hopped the curb and zipped up the road and left me with a smile and looking for an alternate route, couldn't get the clearance over the curb but it wasn't for trying."

Too bad there was no time for a pic of the Sherpa banked over, pegs scraping, and all that.

Hi RA,

Mikey is a hoot to ride with. I could follow that hot rod of his to Tierra del Fuego. Alas, he has other obligations. I'll be back for sure. Veracruz was a blast!

Saludos,
Juanboy

[garrydymond]

John
Great pics and story. Sorry we couldn't put you up in Mex City. Hopefully you´ll come back our way.

Garry

[MikeMike]

Juanito, judging by your ride today the saying still holds true, "It gets better".
Great stuff, I need to do that ride with you, looks like fun. You know it is good when the goats are out.

[JDowns]

Originally Posted by garrydymond

John
Great pics and story. Sorry we couldn't put you up in Mex City. Hopefully you´ll come back our way.

Garry

Hola Garry,

No problem. Family comes first. Hope your wife's mother is doing well recuperating.

Our paths will cross down the road sometime. I come to Mexico often and love riding in the big cities with the delivery scooters.

I look forward to visiting with you in the future.

Kindest regards,
John Downs

[JDowns]

Originally Posted by MikeMike

Juanito, judging by your ride today the saying still holds true, "It gets better".
Great stuff, I need to do that ride with you, looks like fun. You know it is good when the goats are out.

Hi Mike,

You would have loved today's ride. It was killer. I'll ride 182 with you anytime.

You have a good life down here and lots of fun playgrounds to explore that's for sure.

Saludos,
Juanito

[SchizzMan]

Originally Posted by JDowns

On the way down the mountain the group of taxis and dump trucks were now completely blocking the road. Great.

So I hit the kill switch and coasted past the parked cars waiting and weaved through the taxis and dumptrucks. The protesters were having a group pow-wow over to the side and I quietly glided by. One lady yelled at me but it was too late and I hit the starter and was off.

Well played, John.

[Klay]

Wow!