November 13, 2023: Exploring the Rest of Copper Canyon

November 13, 2023 cjbishop@yahoo.com

Although we were disappointed in the accommodations at the Paraiso del Oso hotel the owner and his staff were very pleasant and treated us well during our stay. And the food they served was very good.

Novel way to insure you would not leave with the room key still in your pocket.

Their beans taste so much better than those we get in USA.

The only internet signal available was in the hotel lobby. Some last minute checking before moving on.

This morning we were scheduled to be taken to see the deepest part of Copper Canyon, with a depth exceeding 6,200 feet. We will visit the Gallego lookout point where we will be able to look down into the canyon at the small village of Urique. The road to the lookout was not paved and we quickly learned how to distinguish real time from Mexican time. When we asked how far it is to the viewpoint we were told it was “about 20 minutes”- not bad given the bumpy road we were on. However, having been fooled before I started my stopwatch and subsequently learned that you need to multiply their time estimate by 2.5-3 times, as it took that long to reach the lookout!

The dirt road leading to the canyon viewpoint.

Yvonne is not fond of heights, especially when there are huge drop offs next to the road.

Once a cave home, now a small gift shop on the way to the canyon viewpoint.

A flowing fresh water spring next to the road.

Along the way we passed a road sign showing the cutoff to reach the village where the Caballo Blanco ultramarathon is held yearly in March. I was excited at being that close to this famous story, relayed to me by Bruce Bender in Denver. Caballo Blanco (the white horse) is the nickname for a now famous US long distance runner named Micah True (well, that is the name he selected later in life. He was born Michael Randall Hickman). Micah was sort of a hippy who ventured to the bottom of this canyon in the 1980s to interact with the Tarahumara/Raramuri runners and ultimately created an ultramarathon, 50 mile race that is still held. As I mentioned earlier the Tarahumara people do not walk/stroll to get anywhere; they run. It is not uncommon for them to run 50-70 miles in a day. There is an excellent 2015 documentary called “Run Free-The True Story of Caballo Blanco” that is worth watching, even if you are like me and not into running. There is also a 2011 book called “Born to Run: A Hidden Tribe, Superathletes, and the Greatest Race the World Has Never Seen” about the Tarahumara Indians.

Where the now famous ultramarathon is held each year.

We spent about 1/2 hour at the viewpoint, taking it all in before heading back to civilization; the return drive thankfully seemed to go faster! Maybe because it was downhill.

The signs says something like : The canyon at Urique.

Panorama of deepest part of Copper Canyon.

The winding road would take you to the village of Urique below- in another hour of driving!

Scene looking out from the canyon viewpoint.

Heading to the canyon overhang, shown in the circle.

The walk out overlook. The small glass panels allow you to see down into the canyon. It was not all that impressive.

There were vendors even at this remote location.

We went directly to the Hotel Mision in the village of Cerocahui where we originally was supposed to stay for two nights. We will at least get to experience it for one night. As soon as we drove up we knew that this was more like it! It turned out to be very charming. The hotel (yes, it is spelled with only one “s”) was named in honor of an impressive 300-year-old Jesuit Mission that happens to be right across the street. The hotel only has 41 rooms that are nestled around a small vineyard.

Not a fancy entrance to the small Hotel Mision.

The hotel is across the street from the mission church it is named after.

Well stocked wine cellar with locally made mission wine.

The hotel rooms are scattered throughout the small vineyard.

Small swimming pool at the hotel. We were too busy to use it!

After lunch at the hotel we again had a free afternoon to see the mission church, wander around the small town or even walk through the nearby vineyards. I did two of the three, skipping the walk through the vineyards as it was well past the harvest season and the leaves were already turning.