Six days to Quartzsite

Hard to believe that in six days we'll be in Quartzsite, Arizona. We're still 1,300 kms (800 miles) away! But, using our normal driving average of 200 kms per day, we'll be there no problem.

So yesterday, we drove from Areponapuchi back to Creel. Only 50 kms (30 miles) but it takes an hour because the road is pretty curvy. We decided to stop for the night back at the old KOA campground in Creel.

But first, we did a little hike around the town of Areponapuchi. The town sits only a short walk from the canyon rim, so of course we had to walk over for one last look at the canyon.

An expensive hotel overlooking the canyon. Can you see the homes below the cliffs? They have the same view as the expensive hotel.

Zoomed in on the Tarahumara Indian homes below the cliff. 

Quite a few of the Tarahumara live in town.

The local church.

This is the place where we parked with the motorhome.

The 300 meter road in is a little rough!

Roy and his wife Monica are locals who have operated this small hotel and hostel, Copper Canyon Trailhead Inn, for 10 years. Roy is also a bilingual licensed guide for the area. If you're looking for a real local Mexican experience, this is the place for you. Also, although there aren't many dining options in the area, you won't starve because you can have your meals with Roy and Monica and their children. 

You can contact Roy at 011-52-15-78-3007, or by email at [email protected]. Prices range from 200 pesos to 800 pesos per night. ($17 - $65) not including meals.

Where Sherman was parked up for two nights.

Two of the cottages.

The one cottage can sleep a whole family, or just a couple. Whatever you want.

Spotlessly clean facilities.

The other cottage.

The dorm common room. Notice that they also rent mountain bikes for those inclined to use the trails.

It's slow season just now so things are pretty quiet. But during the summer it can be difficult to get a room in this area.

We left at around noon. We had a plan, because we wanted to stop in Divisadero and have gorditas for lunch at the train station!

Yum!

And then we drove back for a night at the campground in Creel. Filled up the fuel tank as we reached the outskirts of town. Ouch!

Between the (now high) price of fuel in Mexico, and the continually weakening Canadian dollar, it's getting quite costly to fill Sherman's tank. With a now full tank, we should have enough to get to the Arizona border and fill up with some cheap gas!

We put in 184 litres (48.6 gallons) at 13.57 pesos per litre. At current exchange rates, that works out to $1.15 Canadian per litre, or $3.70 USD per gallon.

Fuel is now cheaper in Canada than in Mexico, and much cheaper in the U.S.. When we first started coming to Mexico with the motorhome in 2007, fuel in Mexico was half the price it was in Canada. How things change!

Anyhow, life goes on. Today, we're driving 125 kms (78 miles) to Basaseachic Falls, the highest continually running waterfalls in Mexico!

A great deal from Amazon.com this morning. The best selling Red Cross emergency AM/FM weather alert radio is on sale at a great price. Includes the ability to recharge your smartphone in case of power outage!

American Red Cross Hand Crank AM/FM Weather Alert Radio with Smartphone Charger