Deep canyon views, big rock spires, narrow windy roads, lots of giant potholes, and topes! topes! topes!

Creel is an old mining town up in the mountains above 7000ft. The actual town center is a bit smaller than Jackson but its surrounding areas are filled with native communities tucked around every corner.

We awoke to an unexpected heavy frost but it warmed up fast. After a quick walk through town for some fresh juice and a little info on the area we headed for a look into Barranca Del Cobre, The Copper Canyon. What we thought would be a 10 minute drive turned into an hour of "its got to be right around the next corner" until we found ourselves at Divisadero, a very small village perched right on the edge of a gorge bigger than the Grand Canyon. The view, like that of its smaller American brother from another mother, is hard to put in to words. Even the widest angle lens can't begin to capture the feeling of insignificance that it bestows upon you. When looking at something that immense and complicated I can't help feeling like a little ant in such an enormous landscape.

We had heard about a tram nearby and wanted to find it for novelty's sake. While only 2 kilometers from Divisadero, following the signs for "Teleférico" led us down what we would consider a 4 wheel drive track in the states. The narrow pothole-laden, dirt and mud trail through some trees slowed us to a crawl at times and had us wondering if we would be able to get the trailer turned around anywhere. Just as we were going to turn back because there couldn't possibly be a tram down this "road", the trees parted and The Adventure Center came into view. The tram that leads into the bottom of the canyon is the backbone of this new complex in the middle of nowhere. It has hiking, mountain biking, atv rentals, and one of the biggest zip line treks in the world. It was crazy to see the modern tram dock surrounded by the familiar bungee trampolines and rock wall in such a remote place. It even had mini golf.

We made the drive back toward Creel and went looking for a place called San Ignacio de Arareko. It is similar to Goblin Valley with lots of different types of hoodoos . Its really cool because a native Tarahumara village is mixed throughout the valleys unique features. We went for walk up one of the canyons called "Valley of the Monks"; formerly known as (and I'm not joking) "Valley of the Erect Penises." It was a nice quiet place with little pastures and small dwellings mixed among the grazing livestock and beautiful rock formations. We couldn't pass up the opportunity for some illustrative photos.

On the way back to the car the peace was shattered when "EL MATADOR DE GALLO" (Rok and his well-earned new nickname) decided to chase and catch one of the local farmers' chickens. After Becca made a mad and muddy dash through the freshly tilled and watered field trying to stop him, some due apologies were expressed, a few pesos paid to compensate the loss of property, and we were on our way. Bad dog.

The next day we covered some miles taking the longer and beautiful south route away from the region. It was one of the windier roads we have ever traveled and went through some stunning canyon lands. We couldn't quite make it all the way to the National Park we had set our sights on so in lieu of night driving we found an impromptu campsite near a Village cattle corral off a side road. It proved to be a perfect place to stopover and cook some tacos for dinner with our fresh tortillas and queso we found during the drive. It also provided us with a skull and horns for the chalk van, we are looking good with our new hood ornament now!

Sierra de Los Organos is a random National Park in Zacetecas we found with google maps while planning our route. Boy, are we glad we did. This was by far our best camping spot so far. Pale red rock cliffs and spires surround the area. It has lots of manicured trails, little cabañas, and well set-up campsites complete with tables, grills, and sandpits for tents. They didn't seem to mind dogs at all, even "El Matador." When we arrived we were the only tourists in the entire park. We had free reign on any campsite we wanted and didn't see a soul until sunset when one other Dutch couple pulled in and said hello before setting up their own camp. It was a nice clear night with plenty of moonlight for some awesome night photography by Becca. The place was simply incredible and we will definitely be coming back when we have some more time. We did some trailer rearranging in the morning and took the opportunity to get a photo with some of our gear. Believe it or not this isn't all the toys we have on the trip, but it gives you an idea of why we are towing a trailer!

So far Mexico has been easy-going. The food has been great, the people are among the most hospitable we have been around, some roads are better than others, and as long as you are not trying to set any speed records the potholes are usually avoidable. Topes can be sneaky and I've only seen the trailer airborne once or twice. My Spanish is getting better slowly, and Becca has been very patient with me asking how to say the same things over and over, and "whats that sign mean? ok how about that one?" We've covered a lot of ground--we're already heading into Southern Mexico. We cant wait to get past the big city. Today is The Day of the Virgin Guadalupe. Pilgrims flock to Mexico city to pay homage to the Patron Saint of Mexico. We are hoping to skirt around Mexico City, avoiding as much of the extra holiday traffic as we can and making it to a flying site in time for the glassoff. Wish us luck!