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Creel, Chihuahua :
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On day two we decided to have someone show us the way to "the canyon". So we took the bus to Divisadero "the viewpoint". With some foot directions from a vendor, we eventually found what we were looking for. |
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One interesting difference from our canyon is that Barranca del Cobre has indigenous peoples. The Tarahumara Indians in an attempt to avoid the influence of missionaries have made their homes in remote regions of the canyon. Significant numbers of Tarahumara Indians have evaded the influence of civilization. I met a backpacker who had been in the canyon for three days. He said that at the middle of day two he stopped and asked a farmer for directions. The farmer walked with him for half a day to show him the way. Click on the photo at right for the full size version and you can make out three or four cornfields and as many huts. |
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Everyone here has a cornfield. Corn is a staple of the Tarahumara diet and a field like this will generally have four different varieties of corn grown in it.
It's sort of like the front porch in Durango, If you want to talk with someone, just walk past (or through) their cornfield and you are guaranteed a conversation. Make sure it is really and exclusively a cornfield, or the conversation might not be so pleasant. |
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Our lodgings in Creel were almost an equal attraction to the canyon. Margarita's in Creel offers a room for two with breakfast and dinner including all the tortillas you can eat. Beers are a dollar and Tequila is FREE! Be prepared to hear at least 5 different languages at the dinner table, and don't be surprised if none of them is English. |
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As everywhere, the kids in Creel were very curious. We had a full blown audience as we blew up the boat at Elephant Lake (so named because of the lifelike, full size Elephant Rock formations.) It's a great place for a bombella de cervesa and a few packs of cacahuates. |
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Between Creel and El Paso, TX the road straightens out considerably, and you can make pretty good time.
Apparently, in the fall, the wind picks up a little. A little sand, that is. I was happy to see that I had any paint left on the car after this sand storm, which was so bad that we could hear the sand beating on the outside of the car as we drove.
Watch your gas tank along here as well. Towns are few and far between. |
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All stories and photos are copyright 2001 William Whitmore Smith Check out the other goodies at wwsmith.org |
