The state of Chihuahua delivered some beautiful sights to see! We did make the mistake of not giving the Sierra Madre their respects as we expected to make better time on the roadways. The mountains are steep, and the roadways are a higher percentage of grade than we are accustomed to in the USA. That meant lower gears, slower speeds and a bit of driving after dark in order to arrive at our destination.
We pulled in to one of the camping areas of Rancho San Lorenzo after dark (about 8pm) and settled on a flat spot near the edge of the Rio Durazno. There was no one around so we felt comfortable. The night was becoming quite cold as the 8,000 foot elevation and river mist cooled the air. Sleep came quickly after a long day of driving the rough roads.
The next morning we woke up at the time that the dogs have selected- – 6:24AM. They seem to have developed this as their patter, and we are at their mercy. So at 6:24AM we opened the doors to a foggy morning with a small herd of horses nearby. The owner of the Ranch showed up shortly and we paid our camping fee ($150pesos) and chatted a bit. His English was good and he was proud of his place. He had gone to high school in San Diego and served a career in the Mexican military. Know he runs his own retreat center and hosts groups such as BMW Mexico (500 visitors) and Olympic hopefuls in training. He told us that he had invited the director of the Grand Canyon to his place for advice. The man told him that he had a treasure and he wished he could buy land and retire here. He was kind, unassuming and interesting and very accommodating.
The place that he is referring to is Basaseachi Waterfall and the related system of trails, creeks, petroglyphs, ruins and more. A truly beautiful area of geologic formations on a huge scale.
We hiked trails and viewed cave ruins. We ate at the lodge and learned of visiting groups current and past. We relaxed in the van and we went to the nearby town for groceries. We enjoyed it so much that we decided to stay a second night before heading on for nearby Copper Canyon.
Eagle eyes! That is a viewing platform that can be hiked to from the other side. The land around the falls are “owned” by two different ranchers. (they don’t really own it because it is a national park, but they manage a lease on it) One owns the top part of the river and all the way to the edge of the falls. The other owns the bottom part of the river and the pool below the falls. The place we camped was the one that owns the bottom, so we got to see this side of the falls. We tried to hike to the pool, but the path was tooooooo steep for a safe and reasonable return on our old knees!
Georgeous country! What is the red “dot” at the top of the falls?
Fantastic