Leaving Mexico

The last of Mexico was great. It started with a 6000 foot descent to the coastal plain. As I dropped in elevation I watched the farms of the mountains turn to jungle then swamps, the air warmed and turned humid and then I was on the Gulf of Mexico coast and even out to an island. The changes were dramatic and it was pleasant to watch the evolution day to day. From the coast I went inland over the Yucatan Peninsula, passing through swamps, sugar cane fields and jungle along the way. 

I also visited three Mayan ruins. The largest is called Becan and was once the capital of the area, over 1000 years ago. The structures are built of carved stone and have held up very well. The detailed carvings still looked amazing. An advantage to following back roads to little known archeological sites is that I was nearly the only visitor there. It was free to wander through the ancient city, climb the pyramids and sit and listen to the hum of the jungle around me.

I continue to meet nice folks along the way. My shirts have deteriorated to near uselessness (probably complete uselessness in most people's opinion), and while I sat eating lunch one day a boy brought me water a few snacks and a new shirt. The kindness of strangers, it is touching every time. 

 Coming down from the mountains.

 Flowers for you.

 My last morning in the mountains.

 Happy cows.

 Thanks for the lunch and new shirt!

 What did pelicans sit on before there were pylons?

 It may get better than this but I don't know how.

What happens when I wear the same shirt for 150 days in a row. That is the Gulf of Mexico in front of me and an oil rig on the horizon. 

 More flowers for you.

 Jungle camping.

My new shirt. Biking in style now. 

 Rivers of army ants crawled over the ruins. An attraction nearly equal to the ruins in my opinion.

 Mayan Gods

 Stairway to the jungle.

 The trail to the ruins.

 Slight patterns etched into every stone could still be seen up close.

 An ancient alleyway.

 Becan ruins

There are very cool trees here. 

 View from a pyramid. This is the tallest in the area at 32 meters.

 It's a face!

You've been warned... 

 Onto Belize!

Crossing Mexico

I've been cycling across central Mexico for two weeks now. I will make it to the east coast in just a few more days. I avoided Mexico City but have visited several really nice smaller cities along the way, Durango, Zacateces, San Luis Patosi and Puebla. They were all clean, bustling and easy to navigate with my bike. In each city I would check my map to see were the oldest churches were located and went there. I always like looking at church architecture. They always seem to be located at the historic downtown too. Generally a pretty nice place to take a break and take in the sights and sounds.

I also made a few friends along the way. As I was biking past a small village I was invited to lunch by Cesar Santos Valenciano. I followed him to his house were I met his wife, Mayra Rodriquez, and their 14 day old baby, still unnamed. We had sandwiches and fruit then they sent me away refreshed for the afternoon. A few days later I was fixing a flat in front of a coffee shop when Maria Aurora Roque Gonzalez took pity on me and invited me in for a chocolate milk. Then she went next store and got a Subway sandwich for me. It was just what I needed after a day of flat tires.

A couple of days ago I set up camp late after clouds had moved in. I was high on a ridge and the view below was of small towns and a wide valley. As it grew darker the valley lit up with street lights that twinkled more than the emerging stars. When I woke up the clouds had lifted and on the far side of that valley a smoking volcano revealed itself. It was an amazing sight to wake up to.

 Cathedral of Puebla

 Beware the frog

 A church in Durango

 A smiling flower for you

 A field of flowers for you

 Thank you Cesar and Mayra!

 Cathedral of Puebla

 Cathedral of Puebla

 Cathedral of Puebla

 Another church in Puebla, I've lost track of which one.

 The morning view from my hammock.

 The Popocatepetl Volcano

 Red flowers for you

 I've seen a lot of these around

 These guys are fun

 Zacateces Cathedral

 Parroquia de Santo Domingo

  Parroquia de Santo Domingo


 Thank you Maria!

Cathedral of Puebla

  Zacateces Cathedral

 
Saint Carmens Temple

Zacateces Cathedral 

Cathedral of Puebla 

The road to Durango

I've made it off of the Baja Peninsula. It wasn't easy but it finally happened. The ferry to Mazatlan was damaged in the storm so I took a different ferry to a port 400 kilometers North of Mazatlan. Three and a half oppressively hot and steamy days later I arrived in Mazatlan to find out that the ferry was running again and also arriving that same day. I was happier biking in the sun than waiting anyways. Plus I got to spend a nice night in my hammock on the beach during that stretch.

Mazatlan was a tourist destination for beach goers. It was nice but I passed through quickly, in a hurry to start climbing away from the heat. A couple from Mexico city that I met on the ferry recommended I take the toll road to Durango and what a great road it was. I spent two days climbing up to 8700 feet. Starting in a jungle environment I ascended until I was in a forest of fir trees then came down the other side into a dry scrubby canyon landscape. The road the whole way was fantastic. Light traffic, wide shoulder and constant good views. This is a little information from Wikipedia on that stretch.

The construction of the new highway between Durango and Mazatlán will shorten time between the two cities by as much as 6 hours.^[7] The highway will pass under and over the Sierra Madre Occidental through 63 new tunnels and 115 new bridges.^[8] The most important is the Baluarte Bridge (finished in 2012), which is now the highest bridge in North America at 390 meters. The bridge is located at the border between Sinaloa and Durango states formed by the Baluarte River. The clearance from the river bottom is over 1,300 feet (400 m), and at over 3,600 feet (1,100 m) long it is the highest suspension bridge in the world. The route from Mazatlan to Durango has 115 bridges, eight over 900 feet (270 m) high, and 63 tunnels nearly 11 miles (18 km) long in total.

How could I not love a road like that!

 More cactus hammockeering

 View from the highway

 Baluarte Bridge

 Fall harvest

 I thought I would miss out on the feel of Autumn this year but I found it high in the mountains.

 I found another great sunset.

 The dove of peace, in La Paz.

 On the ferry at sunset.

 Another beautiful morning

 Tropical flowers for you.

 So many tunnels!

 Bridge to nowhere.

 Really, you should go tour this road.

 I biked over that.

 Bridge in miniature

Climbing anyone?