So we planned a morning bike ride. Not everybody in the group has bicycles with them, but we still managed to get 6 of us out there on the trail.
At around 9:45am, Ruth and I set off with Aron and Owenita, and Larry and Martha.
Pretty waterfall.
Back in the 1960's, they planned a railway line from Durango to Mazatlan... similar to the Chihuahua to Los Mochis line that runs through Copper Canyon. They spent about five years building tunnels and rail beds, but track was never laid and the project was cancelled when it became obvious that the Durango to Mazatlan highway (which was being built at the same time) was a more reliable and less expensive project.
The old rail bed.
There are five or six friendly dogs that are hanging around our camp. Those two in the photo above came with us the entire time.
Here comes Owenita, Larry, and Martha.
Stopped to admire the view.
The rail bed runs right beside this view!
Way off in the distance you can see one of the many bridges that are part of the toll highway.
Scenery along the way.
More scenery.
Arrived at the first tunnel.
There were six tunnels built in this area. Unfortunately, the entrance to the sixth tunnel was blocked due to a landslide in rainy season back in 2009. But the other tunnels are all open for exploration!
Going through the first tunnel.
The fifth tunnel.
Does the light look 1.6 kms (1 mile) away?
The 5th tunnel is the longest one, at 1.6 kms (1 mile). It is perfectly straight, so you can see the light at the end of the tunnel. But the surface was fairly rocky, and there was bit of water in it. Not ideal for riding the bikes through. Some of the group turned back, but Aron, Ruth, and I parked our bikes and walked through the tunnel.
View at the end of the 5th tunnel.
Riding back, we made it to the camp at about 1:20pm. We figure we rode about 11 kms (7 miles) and walked about 3.5 kms (2.1 miles).
We had another campfire at happy hour. With five or six dogs hanging around, one took a liking to Garth.
This one curled up by Garth's feet.
Keeping warm by the fire.
Looks like another beautiful day today... we have some more hiking and exploring to do!
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For the dog owners... lots of great Dog and Cat Treats on sale today... many at record low prices!
And in Canada...
Loved the post today. We have a old railroad tunnel that is a mile long that we ride thru with the atv's. The tunnel is constantly changing, you never know how much water is in it. Some years its over the headlights on the atv's. Its a great way to cool off when its a 100 outside, 60 degrees inside the tunnel. Its a spring that drips into the tunnel, all gravel so you dont have to worry about mud. I expect one day we will go up there and it will be closed
ReplyDeleteThank you, we are glad that you enjoyed it.
DeleteSounds like you have quite the adventure going through that tunnel and it sounds like it is only fit for ATVs. The way you describe it, I am surprised that they haven't closed it, as they seem so quick to do things like that! Hopefully they won't and you will be able to enjoy it for many more years to come. The water in this tunnel was also from springs, but more from ones that drip down on the concrete ceiling or walls and then it has slowly made it's way through small cracks.
Awww! Looks like the dog wants to adopt Garth! Haha!
ReplyDeleteYou would have to think so, when it was all curled up at his feet like that but he does not want to adopt her! :-(
DeleteWow, what a beautiful area!
ReplyDeleteIt is so beautiful here. We are all loving it. :-)
DeleteLove the tunnel scenes. I watched a Netflix documentary about Lorena, the young lady who runs in her sandals and won tons of awards. It appears she lives in Copper Canyon in Chihuahua. I recognized the area right away that it was in Chihuahua.
ReplyDeleteThank you Rita, glad that you enjoyed the post and pictures.
DeleteThe Tarahumara are well know for their running abilities, especially for their running in sandals. Glad you were able to recognize the scenery in the documentary.
Kinda hard to see all these homeless dogs, they sure seem friendly though. Are they super skinny, hungry? I know I'd be wanting to feed them all. Not to mention the desire to take them home. But I've got two already which is enough. This area sure is pretty, and the bike ride looked really fun and cool!
ReplyDeleteYes, it is hard to see all these homeless dogs but they certainly seem happy enough. I think they just love it when people come to the park to visit. They are all very friendly. Only a couple of the dogs seemed a little too skinny the rest seemed to do quite well in that department. They never tried to come up and steal any food when we had our happy hours or even when we were cooking meat over the fire but they were happy enough to take food from us if it was offered to them.
DeleteCool, so glad some of you got to take a bike ride. Looked like a gorgeous area for cycling and hiking. And I love the dogs!
ReplyDeleteWe were happy to get out for a bike ride too and it was a good one, with all that beautiful scenery around us. What a great morning we had.
DeleteWe are enjoying the dogs as much as they are enjoying our group. :-)