Creel

27 44.53 N, 107 38.22 W

This morning we had breakfast on the patio at the Rio Vista Hotel. Our bill for 1 room was $500 pesos, plus $750 pesos for our half of dinner, breakfast and the beers on the patio. The one legged taxi driver picked us up at 7:45 am and drove us through town and beyond to the Ferrocarril Chihuahua Pacifico train station. It is also known as El Chepe (using the Mexican initials for Chihuahua and Pacifico). Tuesday, Friday and Sundays there is a economica or second class train as well. The cost is $552 pesos a person to ride the second class train from El Fuerte to Creel, our stop for today. The economica train is pulled by the first class train, so the stops are the same but there is only a snack bar and no dining car. That's okay, we have some snacks with us. We met some folks from Oshkosh (I was wearing my Oshkosh shirt today) who were on a tour and waiting for the train as well, small world. The train left at 8:30 am.

The railway is made of 656 km of track, 37 bridges, 86 tunnels, took more than 60 years to make and was completed in 1961. At one point the train entered a tunnel going in one direction and did a 180 degree turn and came out of the tunnel going in the opposite direction. We passed hillsides covered with cacti and ended with seeing pine trees at the upper elevations. We saw where they were growing corn and sesame seeds and cows were grazing. The train followed a river, some times on one side and then we would cross and it would be on the other side of the train. The train would stop and drop off or pick up passengers in small settlements along the way. Sometimes the settlement was only 3 or 4 houses. Major stops included Temoris, Bahuichivo, Cuiteco, San Rafael, Posada Barrancas, Divisadero and then Creel. At San Rafael we saw Tarahumara women and children, one of Mexico's most distinctive indigenous peoples, selling bags of apples and woven baskets to the train passengers, wearing brightly colored clothing and sandals made from tires and leather straps. They are famous for their long distance running. The smaller baskets are made from pine needles.

At Divisadero we had a 15 minute stop where we got a quick look at the canyon itself as well as buying some wonderful tacos, 4 for $80pesos, a nice snack for the train ride.

At Creel, we off loaded, and most of the train was empty as it only makes one more stop before ending at Chihuahua. An enterprising young man tried to take us to Casa Margarita to stay but we found a taxi to take us to Hotel Villa Mexicana where we are staying tonight and enjoyed drinking and a filling dinner. We each have a small cabin complete with a kitchenette with refrigerator, microwave and small stove and coffee pot. It is cooler here and we have on light jackets or sweaters. The Mexican tourists are wearing heavy coats and down jackets. I guess they are used to the heat and not the cold.

Tomorrow we will see about having a tour of the area and the canyons.

Sent from SV Windarra iPad