Copper Canyon and Beyond by BMW....

[Hltoppr]

Or...why I haven't been around the last week and a half.....4 BMW Motorbikes, 2500 miles through central Mexico....and the back way out of Batopilas...:ylsmoke:


More to come when I get the pics downloaded.

:lurk:

-H-

[Scott Brady]

YEAH BABY :luxhello:

[blupaddler]

WOW :exclaim:



You guys were really moving. 2500 miles in a week and a half.

[Ursidae69]

I can't wait for this trip report!

[BajaTaco]

:lurk: bring it on Andrew

[MoGas]

I was wondering where you disappeared to. Was this planned or spur of the moment?


:suning: :sunny:

[Hltoppr]

The opportunity came up at the last minute....

-H-

Yeah, I'm still downloading pics....

:rolleyes:

[mountainpete]

Love to see the pics!

[Hltoppr]

A little teaser.....:box:

-H-

[Scott Brady]

Rio Urique?

http://www.expeditionswest.com/adventures/2004/sierra_madre/JouneyTwoCerocahui/images/DSCF1375_JPG.jpg

[Hltoppr]

Yes, Sir! Except even at knee/thigh deep in spots it's much harder on a bike....darn river rocks bounce you around everywhere!

Looks like you took the same route we did in your CC exploration. We were told that the road was impassable by motorbikes....tough off roading in spots, but overall very fun!

-H-

[ErrinV]

Nice airheads!

[MoGas]

quiero un mas fotos por favor

[Hltoppr]

As many of my travels begin, this one was a spur of the moment decision. Many may recall my question of whether to take some time and tour Barranca Del Cobre, (Copper Canyon) Mexico, or travel North to Moab this spring. Due to some constraints, the main one being that my wife and I are expecting our first kiddo in August; I was leaning towards Moab.....well......:ylsmoke:

On Friday, February 10th I was introduced to three adventurous spirits through a mutual friend. They were planning a week and a half trip through Copper Canyon on their BMW motorcycles. Mel owns an identical 1988 R100GS as mine, Tony rides a 1992 R100GS, and Parke has the newest bike of the bunch, a 1997 1150 GS. I’ve done enough adventure racing, teaching, and rescue work to have a pretty good feel for whether the interpersonal dynamics will work, and I immediately felt comfortable with these guys.

A quick look at my schedule, and some coaxing from my wife, and the last minute preparation began....new tires, oil change, valve adjust.....and we’re off!

Day one was a windy trip to Bisbee, Arizona, dodging (sometimes unsuccessfully) large tumbleweeds and the Starbucks slurping, cell phone yakking drivers of Phoenix and Tucson, where we found a cheap hotel to crash and get a meal and shower before hitting the border the next morning.

The wind died down the next day and we hit the border crossing at Naco, which was an easy experience....tourist permits and vehicle import permits were processed, and some money changed into pesos. Tony has heard a rumor of some nice hot springs in Aconchi, so we hit the road, which turns out to be a nice, rolling and twisty journey through high desert terrain. If the road didn’t have an occasional burro and layer of gravel, it would have been a fantastic motorbike road! Such is to be expected in Mexico.

Our travels paid off, as the Aconchi hot springs were incredible. Two dollars per person to camp, and a nice soak in one of about ten springs with some cold Tecates ended the perfect day! :camping: Ironically, the first person we met at the hot springs was from our home town of Flagstaff, a theme that continued through the trip.

Our next day’s goal was to make the town of Yecora, which took us through numerous small Mexican towns, and over a “new road” built outside Moctezuma. This route was told to us by another camper at the hot springs, and didn’t show on our maps...what the heck right?

After asking directions in Moctezuma, we found the new road, with the Garmin GPS V basemap showing that indeed, we were headed the right way....oddly enough, the “new” road seemed to consist of “old” pavement, or pavement with a thin layer of gravel on top (always fun on a motorbike!). We pass two pickup trucks filled with gravel, and six men with wheelbarrows and shovels filling in the road shoulders; quite the construction crew.

After weaving our way through some cattle and some small towns we arrived at a large wall of dirt erected to keep you from driving over the cliff on the other side...the “new” road ended! Wait! A hand painted arrow points down to the right into an arroyo! We stop to check our maps...not really any good, because our road isn’t on them...

Down we go, into a ramp that was apparently cut by a small bulldozer, into a streambed with tire tracks. After bumping through the water and over some rocks and large potholes, we dead end at a cattle pen with a gate....definitely not a main passage. I ride back to a man tending some cattle and ask which way the road to Yecora is....open the gate he tells me! Through the gate it is!

We break out of the small arroyo into a larger area which actually has some construction equipment. Parke comments that he thought it would take an awfully long time to build the road with six guys and two pickups. Another half-mile and the road in the arroyo ends, followed by another bulldozer cut up to a newly erected bridge. We seriously felt like we were the first ever to take the road!

One thing I always do is overestimate the distances one can drive off the toll roads in Mexico. Road conditions, livestock, and military roadblocks always slow the pace. This day was no exception. Coming out of the new road we were met by a military checkpoint, which, after explaining that items in Tony and my panniers were food and clothing, and going over the moving map GPS with the curious military members took some much needed daylight time.

Getting late in the day, Tony has a hard get off after getting crossed up in a rutted section of dirt road, and his GS is upside down pointing downslope. The GS shakes it off with nothing but a busted turn signal, and after letting the oil settle back in the pan, it starts up with only slight smoking and we continue into the dusk.

All the straight roads on the map in this area are twisty...five miles to a destination on the GPS translates to 12-15 miles on the ground. With the broken and sometimes non-existent pavement we’re on...it takes a lot of time.

I always say I’m not going to drive at night in Mexico, and for good reason. Even in a car there are too many variables to risk it, but sometimes it is pretty unavoidable. While we are prepared to camp, this particular part of Mexico is known for some drug smuggling activity, so we’d really rather not just throw some sleeping bags by the side of the road. We get to Mexico 16, which is supposed to be a major highway, right after dark. Our map shows a town, Santa Rosa, at the intersection. We see only a cliff face...no town.

The next thirty miles takes us two hours. Pitch black twisty roads with rocks, goats, and a nice fresh oil slick down the center of the right lane, which causes the rear tires to slip uncomfortably, combined with yet another military checkpoint and the exact same panniers being checked make for a very slow trip. We gain altitude on switchbacks, moving up into pine forests...it begins to rain. I remind myself that not all parts of “an adventure” are supposed to be fun, and that if we take it slow and easy we’ll be laughing about it tomorrow. By 9 pm we finally roll into Yecora, exhausted, and find a cheap hotel for the evening with a dinner of quesadillas and tecates.

Part 2 to come....

-H-

[Hltoppr]

More pics...

-H-

[Scott Brady]

Awesome... :coffee:

It will be fun to follow your route for this trip and see how closely it parallels ours. Great stuff!

[Hltoppr]

Y mas...

[Hltoppr]

trying a larger pic....

[Hltoppr]

Our digs in Yecora...

Note the fantastic Christmas decor on the roof!

[Scott Brady]

Andrew,

Would you like a place to host your story and images? I can set you up if you would like... :camping:

[Hltoppr]

Funny, I was just PMing you regarding linking to a URL for larger pics! If you've got space and your demographic would be interested...sure! What do I need to do?

-H-

[Scott Brady]

I have gigs of space and your adventure is at the sweetspot of this sites demographic.

I will take the text you have so far and build a "part one" page. Just email the images to me at (guide@expeditionswest.com) I think I can take 10 meg per email.

What an awesome adventure!!!

[Hltoppr]

No problem, Thanks! I downsized the pics I'm using here, so I'll rename some larger ones and get them to you!

-H-

[flyingwil]

Nice Job:exclaim: Love the Bikes! Thanks for sharing your adventure :lurk:

[blupaddler]

Andrew,

Congrats on the anticipated arrival!

Thanks for sharing your trip! The pics are great, and the story too!

[LexusAllTerrain]

:bowdown: Awesome pictures and story telling, can't wait to see hear part II plus the larger pictures, they are a must for this area!:victory:

Congratulations!!!::clapsmile

[datrupr]

Andrew, sounds like a great adventure. I have really enjoyed part one, and eagerly anticipate parts 2+. Nice job on the photos as well. I can't wait to read and see more. Keep it up and thanks!.

[Jonathan Hanson]

Andrew, great description and pictures. Doing any major trip by bike ups the "expedition factor" by at least triple.

[BajaTaco]

Excellent read and great pics Andrew :cool: Thanks for the taking the time to share it with all of us here. I'm diggin' it!

:lurk:

My best wishes and lots of good luck go out to you and your wife :ylsmoke: August will be here before you know it!

[flywgn]

Great adventure. Enjoying reading your account and seeing the photos.

Thanks a bunch.

[Scott Brady]

Thanks to Andrew, I was able to import and host all of his great shots from part one.

In addition, I created a trip report web page for his expedition, which can be seen here:

GS EXPEDITION, COPPER CANYON (http://www.expeditionportal.com/reports/2006/BMW_Copper_Canyon/index.php) by Andrew Moore

http://www.expeditionportal.com/reports/2006/BMW_Copper_Canyon/main.gif (http://www.expeditionportal.com/reports/2006/BMW_Copper_Canyon/index.php)

[datrupr]

Very cool Scott, Good job!!!!!

[Hltoppr]

That looks fantastic! Thanks Scott!

-H-

[ErrinV]

Hltoppr,

Are those Happy Trails panniers on the white R100? I'm considering those for my bike. How did they hold up?

Great report so far.

Errin

[Hltoppr]

Yup,

The panniers and rack are very sturdy. I'm kinda wondering about the mounting system, though, as they just bolt onto the rack from the inside, and are not designed to "pop off" in the event of a hard crash, which leads me to believe I'd be dealing with some mangled aluminum...I may upgrade the mounting system to the Touratech ones, which provide for some detatchment...

-H-

[ErrinV]

Yup,

The panniers and rack are very sturdy. I'm kinda wondering about the mounting system, though, as they just bolt onto the rack from the inside, and are not designed to "pop off" in the event of a hard crash, which leads me to believe I'd be dealing with some mangled aluminum...I may upgrade the mounting system to the Touratech ones, which provide for some detatchment...

-H-


What do you mean "upgrade to the to the Touratech ones"? Are you talking about just the changing to the puck style mounts from Happy-Trails? Or using actual Touratech hardware? I have the Touratech Zegas on my GS, but was looking at the Happy-Trails because of the cost difference. I can't use the bags on the GS on my KTM because they are different.

[Hltoppr]

I haven't really looked at the HT pucks, but yeah, that's generally the idea.

Off to the HT website I go! :D

-H-

[Hltoppr]

Yup, that's Batopilas.

Part 2, coming shortly, will get us to Batopilas....Part 3 we head out the back way....:box:

-H-

[Scott Brady]

Part Two (http://www.expeditionportal.com/reports/2006/BMW_Copper_Canyon/section2/index.php), more cool adventure!

[awalter]

Hopefully you were able to see the 1000' high waterfall at Basaseachi. It is spectacular.

[LexusAllTerrain]

I think you are talking about this!

[awalter]

Eurorom,

You've got it. That picture must have been taken at the peak of the dry season. During the wet periods, the water comes cascading over the granite rocks almost 20' above were that picture shows it.

Al

[Hltoppr]

We passed by the site but had to make some time, so we missed the falls...next time, next time...:D

-H-

[Scott Brady]

I missed the falls too :(

Chris didn't though. I think he even swam in them!

[BajaTaco]

Excellent! Thanks so much for sharing this trip. I can only daydream about how fun it would be to explore that area on those cool motos. Incredible!


I missed the falls too :(

Chris didn't though. I think he even swam in them!

Yes I did... all by my lonesome... and it was bloody cold! But one of the most uniquely beautiful experiences I have ever had. Al is right, it is spectacular. Andrew, you must go back for the falls next time. (You too Scott).

[LexusAllTerrain]

Still waiting for the report, please please please my wife loves the pictures.:camping:

[Hltoppr]

Sorry about the delay guys, I've been swamped at work. I'll try to get the final stuff written up this weekend!

:box:

-H-

[LexusAllTerrain]

Here ia a map od the area

[Scott Brady]

Andrew has completed the third installment.

JOURNEY THREE: (http://www.expeditionportal.com/reports/2006/BMW_Copper_Canyon/section3/index.php) Batopilas to Arizona.

http://www.expeditionportal.com/reports/2006/BMW_Copper_Canyon/section3/images/smaller/TubaresCemetary.jpg

[LexusAllTerrain]

Congratulations on a very well written report!:victory: :victory: ;) :sunflower :wavey: :wavey:

[flywgn]

Just finished reading Part 3. Great descriptions, narratives, and photos. Many thanks, Andrew. :clapsmile

Allen

[articulate]

I am WAY late on checking out this report. (http://www.expeditionportal.com/reports/2006/BMW_Copper_Canyon/index.php)

I'm impressed by both the whole piece as well as Mexico and her small towns tucked away in the Madres. Trekking in Mexico (whether by bike or otherwise) is more adventure than most can handle. Or comprehend. :arabia:

Excellent. Just excellent.

[Mike Lynch]

My name is Mike Lynch and I would like to ride through the Copper Canyon myself.

I have found a lot of good information on this and other Forums but I still need some additional information. I’m hoping that from your prior experience in the Canyon, you might be able to help me. Here is what I’d like to know:

1.) When riding through the Canyon, perhaps using Creel as a starting point, I believe you ride “down” into the Canyon and proceed West (sort of) toward Los Mochas on the Coast. I never, or perhaps I missed it, read about riding “up” out of the Canyon. Perhaps the Canyon, over this distance and like mountains, gets lower and lower as it approaches the Coast? If you could help clarify this for me I’d appreciate it.

2.) Another item of concern is the “Route” through the Canyon. I have read about a Route but I have not actually seen documentation like a “hand made Map” that I could use to make my way through the Canyon. I’ll be alone and do not speak Spanish so if there is such a Map, I’d appreciate knowing where to get one and how much I should expect to pay for it.

3.) I also do not move very fast. I read about a ten-hour stretch from one location to another in the Canyon. I do not know if this included wrong turns, long rest breaks, tire repair, etc. My concern is, ten hours to traverse a distance on the floor of the Canyon means, starting at Dawn and ending at Dusk. If I am not a fast rider, at what consistent speed must I drive to make it by Dusk or is there any place to spend the night, half way that you would recommend?

4.) Lastly, I will almost be 63 years old when I, do the Canyon. I will be riding a Motor Scooter, which has safely carried me from Florida to Alaska and back. I understand the Canyon will present different challenges than the Alaska trip. I am trying to list them and prepare for them as much as possible. If there is anything you might be able to tell me that would make my Canyon trip safer and successful, I’d appreciate your feedback.

Best regards,

Mike Lynch

[Hltoppr]

Hey Mike, I know I caught ya' over on Adv. Rider, but I'll cross post my answer here as well, for this group to see....

...actually, it's Batopilas Canyon that you'll be going into....

I'll try to answer your questions in order....

For some background, when I did it, I had pretty minimal dirt time; having just purchased my first bike less than a year before embarking, so the entire route is possible for a novice rider who has some dirt time (I'd done Baja and some roads around Arizona). I'd recommend TKC 80s or similar, but that's just me. Other members of my group did just fine with Michelin T66s, but they had significantly more dirt skills than me.

1. The route down into Batopilas Canyon, to the town of Batopilas is about 50 miles of dirt, and took our group about 4 hours; stopping for pictures and going about 15-25 mph. It's a decent road, of course, the drop offs can be intimidating; but if you keep your speed down and watch for oncoming traffic it's not a bad trip. Elevation in Creel is about 7000'...Batopilas is about 1500' or so.

Usually, riders go "down" to Batopilas, then have the option of going back "up" to Creel the way you came in, or, as we did, heading towards Tubares and Creel. This back road, consisting of 100 miles of dirt, is much more challenging than the primary way in, with about 1/2 being rough dirt/silt/rocky conditions; culminating in a river crossing of the Rio Urique (no bridge). Depending upon the season, the river can be waist deep and impassible, or, as it is most of the time, calf to knee deep.

The latter half (Tubares to Choix) is a newer gravel road built by a mining company. Other than the use of every conceivable type of loose surface, with some silt beds in the corners, it's not bad at all. Our good riders could do 50+ mph on it....me, I'll stick to 25-30mph.

2. I have a map and some GPS points for the towns. If you'd like, get me your snailmail addy or a fax number and I'll send it to you.

3. Creel to Batopilas took our slow group 4 hours.
Batopilas to Choix took our slow group 10 hours, so I'd plan a full day for that one. Others on AdvRider can do it in 1/2 the time....

I suppose there are places (Tubares) where you might find a room with a local, but I don't know of any hostels or motels on the way. It's not really an area I'd particularly like to camp, but in a pinch would....lots of mj farms in the canyon....

4. ....when you say "motor scooter" I'm assuming it's a Honda Ruckus or one of the bigger jobbies...so if I'm wrong let me know.

The main issues would be suspension damage, tire/rim failure, or other get-off related issues, such as a broken lever. If you go from Batopilas to Choix, some of the canyons you'll be crossing (I stopped counting at 11 I think....) are very steep and rocky uphill and downhill sections, where I was standing on the pegs and bottoming out the suspension of my R100GS. A couple of drop off ledges did hit the skid plate. I'm looking forward to having the extra suspension travel and lower gearing of my R1150GS Adventure for this trip.

I'd consider using a skid plate if you're doing the back way....going in and out shouldn't be an issue....just watch the clutch if it's an automatic scooter. Take extra tubes...and even an extra tire if you can't find heavy duty ones.

Let me know if you have any other questions. I'm happy to help.

-H-