Creel
I spent a couple of days exploring the area around Creel by bike. The first day, I rode out to the Raramuri (Tarahumara) reservation to explore the network of unpaved roads and view various interesting rock formations. There was the Valley of the Frogs, the Valley of the Mushrooms, and the Valley of the Monks, each with various rocks that bore some resemblance to the name of the valley. The adults who lived there seemed pretty shy, especially the women, unless they were trying to sell you something. Whenever I passed a group of women walking along the road in their colorful, traditional clothing, they would look down and avoid my gaze. Except for a couple of the younger (teen aged) girls, whose gaze would often quickly flick my way then back towards the ground several times in quick succession as I passed by. The small children on the other hand, would often come running as fast as they could when they saw me coming, either trying to sell trinkets, or just asking for a peso.
In the Valley of the Frogs, I spent a few minutes hanging out with a couple of young boys, one on a BMX bicycle, the other pushing around the rear wheel of a mountain bike, although the rest of the bike was nowhere to be seen. I rode around through the rocks, as they followed, listening to them chat in their language, which sounded quite strange to my ears. They also spoke some Spanish, and I chatted with them a bit, but about every other sentence they would ask me for money. Instead, I let them honk the horn on my bicycle, which they found entertaining.
After checking out the other rock formations and a local mission, I took a narrow trail over one of the hills towards the lake. There were quite a few trails and roads which I came across that didn't appear on my map, and I ended up just wandering from trail to road and back, navigating roughly by the sun in the direction of the lake. Eventually I made it there, and spent a few minutes admiring the view, before heading back into town.
The next day, I did about a 50km round trip to some hot springs, deep in a canyon outside of town. The first 7km or so was along the paved highway, then I turned off onto an unpaved road. It had snowed a bit my first night in town, and although the snow had melted in town, there were still patches here and there, with some in the road, crunching under my tires. I saw a sign for a viewpoint, and decided to check it out. After about 2 km, the road ended at the edge of a large canyon with nice views.
I headed back onto the main route to the hot springs, and the dirt road started descending, and turned into a narrow cobblestone road, made with very large stones, which made for a rough ride. The grade was also pretty steep, and I had to pause every once in a while to rest my arms, as they would tire from constantly applying the brakes. The road came out of the woods, and began a spectacular descent into the canyon, with innumerable switchbacks. On reaching the bottom of the canyon, the road continued a few kilometers, following the river, and then ended at the hot springs.
There were a couple of small buildings, and several cement pools holding the water from the spring, which was just slightly cooler than body temperature. Very pleasant, but not too hot. I had the entire place to my self, except for a single stray dog, and spent an hour or so soaking in the water and admiring the views of the surrounding canyon. I wanted to stay longer, but was getting hungry, and decided if I wanted to make it back to town before dark, it was time to leave. A few hundred meters down the road, I met a group of 4 tired hikers, asking how much further.
Due to the steepness of the grade, and the roughness of the road, I ended up pushing my bike over several sections. Then when it leveled off a bit, I'd hop on my bike and ride for a while. I was also definitely feeling the effects of the higher altitude, tiring more quickly than I was used to.
I finally made it up and out of the canyon, and had a pleasant ride back into town, especially the final descent, although the chilly air numbed my hands and feet. I arrived in town just as it was getting dark, and retired to my room to warm up in front of the stove before heading out to find some food.
In the Valley of the Frogs, I spent a few minutes hanging out with a couple of young boys, one on a BMX bicycle, the other pushing around the rear wheel of a mountain bike, although the rest of the bike was nowhere to be seen. I rode around through the rocks, as they followed, listening to them chat in their language, which sounded quite strange to my ears. They also spoke some Spanish, and I chatted with them a bit, but about every other sentence they would ask me for money. Instead, I let them honk the horn on my bicycle, which they found entertaining.
After checking out the other rock formations and a local mission, I took a narrow trail over one of the hills towards the lake. There were quite a few trails and roads which I came across that didn't appear on my map, and I ended up just wandering from trail to road and back, navigating roughly by the sun in the direction of the lake. Eventually I made it there, and spent a few minutes admiring the view, before heading back into town.
The next day, I did about a 50km round trip to some hot springs, deep in a canyon outside of town. The first 7km or so was along the paved highway, then I turned off onto an unpaved road. It had snowed a bit my first night in town, and although the snow had melted in town, there were still patches here and there, with some in the road, crunching under my tires. I saw a sign for a viewpoint, and decided to check it out. After about 2 km, the road ended at the edge of a large canyon with nice views.
I headed back onto the main route to the hot springs, and the dirt road started descending, and turned into a narrow cobblestone road, made with very large stones, which made for a rough ride. The grade was also pretty steep, and I had to pause every once in a while to rest my arms, as they would tire from constantly applying the brakes. The road came out of the woods, and began a spectacular descent into the canyon, with innumerable switchbacks. On reaching the bottom of the canyon, the road continued a few kilometers, following the river, and then ended at the hot springs.
There were a couple of small buildings, and several cement pools holding the water from the spring, which was just slightly cooler than body temperature. Very pleasant, but not too hot. I had the entire place to my self, except for a single stray dog, and spent an hour or so soaking in the water and admiring the views of the surrounding canyon. I wanted to stay longer, but was getting hungry, and decided if I wanted to make it back to town before dark, it was time to leave. A few hundred meters down the road, I met a group of 4 tired hikers, asking how much further.
Due to the steepness of the grade, and the roughness of the road, I ended up pushing my bike over several sections. Then when it leveled off a bit, I'd hop on my bike and ride for a while. I was also definitely feeling the effects of the higher altitude, tiring more quickly than I was used to.
I finally made it up and out of the canyon, and had a pleasant ride back into town, especially the final descent, although the chilly air numbed my hands and feet. I arrived in town just as it was getting dark, and retired to my room to warm up in front of the stove before heading out to find some food.
posted by Matt at 15:01
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