The Midnight Who

Saturday, October 29 I rode on towards Morelia through more large farms. I passed at least 1000 motorcycles that were going north. Wherever the rally was, I missed it. North of Morelia about 40 km, the land became very marshy, and then wetter, until it was a lake. I was on a causeway with nowhere to stop for photos. I saw a large dark snake swimming in the water. The area looks as though it was surrounded by mountains, and perhaps water drains there with no way out? Google maps calls it Yuriria. Maybe it is the caldera of an ancient volcano. I don't think it is very deep. On one causeway that was built for the road, one side had dried up while on the other side, I saw someone standing about 300 yards out, and the water no higher than his waist. I will see what Morelia is like in the morning. Sunday, October 30 Took a day off from riding again. It gives me a chance to get caught up on this ride report, my blog, and laundry, etc. I did manage to get out to a street mar...

Friday, October 28 The hotel garage this morning held lots of motorcycles that weren't there when I checked in. Big motorcycles too. Harleys and GoldWings, and Honda VTX's. Today, I headed to Guanajuato and there are hundreds of motorcyclists on the roads, many of them with club colors. It is hard to pinpoint where they are headed. I get several different answers. I wish I was fluent in Spanish. I think Mexico has a middle class. Certainly not on par with the US and Canada, but improving. Industry is huge from what I've seen and I am surprised by the name brands being manufactured here. I pass through Aguascalientes, and see huge Nissan plants, and not just one, either. And in several cities, I have seen what I suppose are brand new "subdivisions" with hundreds of new houses. They are all the same and very close together, not like our suburbs.  "Rooftops bring retail". There is no shortage of Walmarts, Sorianas, Coppels, and other chain mega-stor...

Thursday, October 27. I say goodbye to Durango and head for Zacatecas. The fifth state I have been in. The ride is cold, and the scenery could have been any of a dozen places in the mountain West. The flora is different, though. I arrive in the city of Zacatecas, an old colonial mining city built up and down the hills that contained the ore. Imagine Central City, Blackhawk, or Deadwood, but with the population of Pasadena. It is crowded. Weaving in, around, and down a street so steep that it puts anything San Francisco has to shame, I arrive in the Centro. Talk about exercise here. Every street is up or down. With steps, alleyways, one way rabbit warrens going every which way. But it is pretty, and the people take pride in it. At least the Centro. Hidden in little out of the way niches are parks, gardens, statues, and other public art. I would like to explore it more, but I  press on.

Wednesday, October 26: By far, Durango is the nicest city I have been in this trip. I got to do more walking around the second day. I walked pretty much every direction in the Centro until I would leave the old colonial buildings, and then walk a block or two over, and then walk back. Even then, I walked a long way on what appeared to be the main drag downtown. I need to walk when I am off the motorcycle, because riding it doesn't provide much exercise. Just wandering around, I came across some interesting things. A cool pedestrian mall, a museum all about Pancho Villa. I was walking by this old colonial building that took up an entire block. The front had a covered walkway the entire length where pedestrians were to walk. Then the next building would be the same. We saw blocks and blocks of these in Torino, Italy. And here, it reminded of that. Very European. The door was open and I saw a beautiful 3D mural on the wall, and I had to get a photo of it. It was so...

Tuesday, October 25 I stayed in Mazatlan for 2 nights. I liked the hotel, the location, and it gave me an opportunity to get laundry done. I also encountered one of these for the first time. They use electric current flowing through the water to heat it. It is common as one heads south. Needless to say, I didn't adjust the shower head! Although the motorcycle looks like I am carrying a lot, the majority is camping gear, tools, and some spare parts. Very little of it is clothes. So, in order not to smell like a gym locker room, I felt it was time to wash some clothes. And it was nice to take some time off from riding. I walked along the beach a long way, then even further on the Malecon, just seeing the sights, people watching and enjoying the sea. Which reminds me of a joke: Grandpa had farmed his entire life in Minnesota, never having left the state. Finally, his family and friends convinced him to take a trip. They asked him where he would like to go. He said...

Sunday, October 23 I am enjoying the stays at nice, modern hotels, but whether it eats rapidly into the budget or not, they will become fewer and fewer as I get farther south. I am headed to Mazatlan today. A relatively short ride. I leave Culiacán and bypass the cuota or toll road for the libre, free road. Soon the four lane divided highway ends and I am traveling through rural areas with very little traffic. I like this. While not as scenic as the Sierra Madres, the ride is nice. And hot. My jacket is open as far as it will go and remain zipped. It catches air and cools me off. It almost feels better to stop and get really sweaty, then get back on the motorcycle and let evaporation cool me off. As I go south, it gets more humid, so riding is certainly better than standing still. I stop for gas and a cold Coke. I had been thinking to myself that while there are dogs everywhere, I hadn't seen a cat. I like cats. I ask Susan all the time if she has seen my cats. They like ...