leaving batopilas

430am. Alex is getting up. Takes bus. 530am. I get up. Take shower. 600am. Paige gets up. We pack in the dark and get going when the light comes around 7. We meet alex with her bike at la bufa and start to ascend out of the canyon again.

The scenery is still and again breathtaking and the road a good work out. Alex lays the bike down only once shes getting a lot better and more comfortable the water we crossed before is deeper now but we got all this riding behind us it seems easy now. We take an hour less up than when we went down. Awesome!

When we hit pavement paige cooks a vegetarian meal at the bus stop at the intersection while I make pictures of the huge pig that is running around us thinking about what good carnitas that would make. Its 11 in the morning. Piece of cake. We have plenty of time. or so we think.

We want to go to divisadero and look at the canyon from above. Its 300 feet deeper than the grand canyon. The paved part of the road to creel leads us through these huge stepped stone mountain walls that reach up like crowns. Its truly majestic and we take a break to take in the view. When we get to creel we realize that we are a lot further from the coast the we think we are.

We need to make the ferry on friday night.

When we ask how far it is to los mochis there is a lot of head shaking and we are being told that it is not possible to get there by friday. The physical distance is not to far but the roads will be in very bad condition once we cross into sinaloa we are told. Big potholes and poor surface, so bad that we will wish to be back on dirt roads. Which we do anyway already. I could do a whole vacation on dirt roads. I have to get a little more skills in the dirt but this vacation is great practice.

One of the guides at tres amigos helps us determine the route and we get on our way. We have to ditch divisadero in order to get to bacechachi before dark. Its pretty much straight road out of creel and then highway 16.

We heard that its 300 miles of corners. We do about 70 of them and sure enough there is only two 2 straight sections. The pavement is superb and the corners are even. After a while I get into this zone where you don't even really think anymore.

Its like a meditation on perfect radiuses and an ode to the god of the curved road. Its super beautiful too a lot of trees and the sun is going down between them. That's also the only drawback. Hard to see going west, so we have to go slow. One hand up as a visor taking the turns.

When we get to basaseachi its the most dismal town we have encountered so far. Basura everywhere really run down and corrugated patched huts. It actually looks like a slum and we really don't want to stay here. A lot of military too. It looks hella sketchy and a little hostile and I'm used to a little on the rough side but this is too much.

Unfortunately the sun is going down and we don't have too much choice in places to stay. Paige has the good idea to head toward the falls and the state park and try there. And sure enough there is a place that rents cabanas and looks secure, has a gate. Phew! And the cabanas are nice. All log cabin style and with a wood stove. That was pretty lucky.

And our very own board chef whipped out some supplies and we had miso soup and quesadillas with avocado for dinner. Perfect! I already had visions of us sleeping by the side of the road at 6600 feet freezing and our bikes getting stolen and so far I have felt pretty safe here in mexico.

Anyway luis the security guard here is very nice starts the fire for us and when we let it go out
starts it for us again and brings us tamales on top of it. Its cozy and we kick back read and write. Nice ending to a long 11 hour day of riding. Tomorrow we probably won't leave before 10 since there is frozen sections in the road according to luis. Maybe we hit the falls tomorrow. Well see when we get up.