Over the Devil's Spine
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Oh my. So much to say. I know I will not be able to do justice to the past 6 days riding. We have not managed to find WiFi anywhere between Mazatlán and Durango and doing posts is too data heavy for Rachel's Mexican mobile contract to cope with.
Our route took us along Mex 40. This is a truly amazing road to cycle firstly for its beauty and secondly because the toll road Mex 40D carries nearly all the traffic meaning it is nearly traffic free. Read more about the road here.
The road is a feat of engineering as it winds its way up from sea level to 2800m over what is known as the Devil's Spine. It does so at a steady gradient that deals with cliff faces, rivers and valleys. Finding it on Google maps and zooming in to see its twisting nature will give you some idea of what it is like (while you are there, play around with Street View to supplement the photos below). Also check out Rachel's Instagram post.
We rode for six days from Mazatlán to Durango. The first three of these were uphill. Literally. It was slow going. On the second day we managed only 57km but we had climbed over 2100m. We were flabbergasted a few days later to be passed by Alexi, a professional Canadian cyclist on a tour, who had done the whole climb in one day.
There were loads of great places to camp as well as little restaurants serving delicious gorditas. The road is popular with motorcyclists and there are plenty of restaurants to cater for them.
We passed through Concordia on day one
The town square was being decorated ready for Christmas. We are still finding it hard to feel as though Christmas is round the corner given how sunny and hot it has been.
Concordia has some lovely tiny streets with houses painted all sorts of colours
As we began to gain height, we began to get views of row upon row of mountains in the distance all enhanced by the brilliant blue sky.
We saw all sorts of flora and fauna. This creature looked identical to a mangetout but with legs.
A Christmassy poinsettia tree.
Those are my legs in the top of this photo.
Once we had crested we realised that even in Mexico, December at over 2500m is cold at night. It was the first time we had zipped ourselves into our sleeping bags since the high elevations on the Eastern Sierras back in the US.
Shops are a constant fascination for us. The white garage door behind me in the pink building slides open to reveal a fully stocked shop. If we hadn't been told about it we would never have worked it out.
We stopped at Mexiquillo national park. This was quite an experience for lots of reasons. Firstly, at the park entrance we were quoted 200 pesos each (we had read that it would be 100 each). When I said it was a bit expensive and offered 100 they readily accepted. Next, you can camp where you like. The is no camping area, the whole park is open to camping. We found a great spot in the trees by a river. Finally, the park itself. There is a stunning cascade. Although it does not look much here, over the ages it has carved a canyon several hundreds of meters deep into the landscape.
The park is home to the Jardin de Piedras (garden of rocks). Mind boggling rock formations clearly caused by erosion over unimaginable time scales. (Look closely too see me for scale)
The final stretch into Durango was great. It included a huge descent into a river valley and an equal climb out. We had been expecting a fairly featureless run into Durango as it is a big city but it was beautiful all the way to the edge of town. The landscape has dried out a little and the cactus that appears to thrive here is the prickly pear.
We were passed by these three (all drinking beers as they drove past). They chatted to us through their window and left shouting 'Vive Mexico' in response to our Mexican flag on the back. Then they drove past the other way, turned round and pulled in for a selfie and a chat. We managed to understand about 50% of what they were saying. I think they had been partying since the day before (12th December) which is a national holiday.
We cycled straight into the centre of town without problems. All drivers were very courteous. Lots of folk waving at us, cheering us on and asking about our journey. It was really welcoming. We have found a hotel in the centre of town which has a place to store our bike for only 310 pesos a nights (about £15). We are staying for 2 nights to rest and enjoy looking round this historic city
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