October 29 - 208 miles

I left San Juan de Alima just as the sun was beginning to light the morning sky. I was heading south along the coast towards the town where Lisa and I would spend a week together - Troncones. I wanted to get there a day early to make sure everything was ok and ready for her arrival.

The sun coming up over the mountains was really spectacular, as was being on the road that early.

There were tons of places to pull over and ogle the amazing views. I had to control myself, as I wasn't sure how long it was going to take me to get to Troncones.

There were a few stretches of the coast highway that were incredibly curvy, with high hedges growing right alongside the road. There was one section that ran for about 5 miles where I wasn't able to go more than 30 to 35 mph. It was great riding, but a little nerve-wracking, because you couldn't see very far around the corner. Was there going to be a truck in my lane? Maybe some loose rocks? I definitely had to take it slow.

Here's a movie of riding along this road. Lots of wind noise.

Another gorgeous arched bay. No one was around, either.

Here's Rex, the first gringo I encountered on a motorcycle since I entered Mexico.

I had pulled over at a Pemex in Calleta de Campos to get gas, when I heard the unmistakable (to a BMW rider) sound of a boxer engine. A guy on a GS Paris Dakar pulled up at the pump right next to me. I was a little shocked, and said something stupid like, "Holy cow, what are you doing here?"

Rex said he was on his way from his home in Montana to Tierra del Fuego, the southern most tip of South America. When I asked how long it was going to take, he said he planned on 6 months to 2 years. Wow! Amazing. He also said he was sixty years old, and it was now or never for a trip like that. Right on!

We went into the town of Calleta de Campos to have some lunch. He had some leftover roasted chicken, and I picked up some tortillas and a bottle of hot sauce. We sat in the shade on the edge of this park and had a nice lunch. We spent about an hour, or so, eating and chatting, then decided it was time to hit the road.

Rex is keeping a blog of his trip. It's definitely worth giving it a read.

Rex, 9000 miles to go before Tierra del Fuego.

We pulled over at a gas station near the turnoff to Ciudad Lazaro Cardenas for some gas and a drink. Rex said it was just about time for him to take a nap, and since I wanted to make some time, we said our goodbye's and I hit the road.

Casa Viva
Lisa and I rented a little casita in Troncones on a property called Casa Viva. There are three palapa-roofed casitas on the property, and a common area (in photo) with a pool and hot tub. It's right on the ocean and a five-minute ride into the town of Troncones. Beer was also included in the price, as was breakfast.

The first thing I did, after stowing my gear in the casita, was have a beer and get in the pool. It felt amazing.

More shots of Casa Viva: 1 , 2 , 3 , 4 , 5 , 6

There were tons of geckos running around eating bugs at night. Good thing, because there were quite a few mosquitos. They did, however, shit all over the place, and it had to be swept up every morning. If you've ever seen mouse poop, that's about the size of it.

October 30 - 60 miles

Troncones
Lisa's flight was getting in at around 2 at the Zihuatanejo airport. I left a little early in order to stop in the town of Zihuatanejo to check it out. A little touristy, but not overly crowded with gringos.

I grabbed some lunch at a taco stand near the bus station in Zihuatanejo. No gringos around. Some guys came up and asked me about the bike and what I was doing. I chatted, as best as I could, with them, then they went and got a guy who had lived near Seattle. He was fat and told me about how he had been deported after being caught selling drugs. He said that Americans didn't want to sell drugs because they thought it was dirty work, but Mexicans don't care. Hmmm. Interesting. He was pretty funny, actually, and we had a good talk about the differences in culture, etc.

I couldn't tell what time it was. The clock on my bike said noon, but when I asked a guy on the street, he said 12:30. I decided to play it safe and go to the airport anyway. The clock on my bike was correct, and I was almost two hours early.

I pulled up and parked, then sat with a bunch of taxi drivers who were waiting for the plane to arrive with tourists who needed cabs. We talked a lot, and they were a funny group. One even told me to be careful and watch out for the chupa cabra.

Lisa's flight arrived and I almost peed myself, I was so happy to see her. We strapped her bag on the bike, got on, and with the taxi drivers giving the thumbs up, we rode off towards Troncones.

The first thing we did when arriving in Troncones was to go to one of the beachfront restaurants for some food and a beer. Mmmm... beer.

Here's a bad website that has some info about Troncones.

October 31 & November 1 - 0 miles

We decided to hang around Troncones for a few days before heading off on a trip inland, therefore, no miles. There were a few miles, but it was just going back and forth to a restaurant or the beach.

It was nice having the kitchen at our disposal, since I love coffee. Must always travel with coffee.

We shared the kitchen with the property caretakers, Poli and Agostina, and their son Rigo. They were incredibly nice, accommodating, and generous. When Agostina saw me cooking some rice the first night I was there, she asked if that was all I was eating. When I said it was, she insisted I take some of her black beans and tortillas. So delicious. It was great sharing the kitchen with them because often we would just sit around talking. Well, me talking and translating. Or not understanding. They were really great people.

Rigo is going to secondary school, which their parents are really proud of. A lot of kids in Mexico drop out before reaching secondary school, in order to work to help support the family.

I offered to help Rigo with his English homework. I thought of all the word groups I had learned in the Spanish class I had taken over the summer, and had him translate them for me. He knew a lot, but had trouble with sentences.

We've emailed a few times since I've been back in New York. His emails are very short, but funny. Usually about football (soccer).

Farmers tan, beer belly, and lobster tentacles. Not to mention that scraggly beard.

The beach in front of Casa Viva isn't good for swimming, since it's pretty much covered with volcanic rock that would probably shred all your skin off if you were to be tumbled over by a wave.

Luckily there was a beach a little way north, in Manzanillo Bay, right in front of Hacienda Eden, a great place that had food and beer.

Here comes the beer.

Walking the beach.

Volcanic rocks.

This dog is alive, just sleeping.

Making our way back to Casa Viva.

More volcanic rock.

Uh, more rocks.

November 2 - 176 miles

We decided to take a trip to Pátzcuaro, a town in the state of Michoacan, which has one of the largest day of the dead festivals in Mexico. I tried booking a hotel for November 1, the main day of the festival, but unfortunately nothing was available. I learned that there would still be festivities on November 2, so we decided to go then.

We had to get there in one day, so we decided to take the cuota's, or toll roads. Otherwise, you have to pass through every town. More interesting that way, but it would take twice the time.

The cuota passed through mountains and a large lake. The lake is actually a reservoir whose dams are used to generate electricity.

I thought we would be passing near some towns and would be able to get off the cuota to get gasoline. The woman at the toll booth said that I could get gas right on the highway about 50 kilometers up the road.

The place to get gas was this "rest stop." It was busy, with a lot of people eating lunch, buying snacks and getting gas.

Fill 'er up.

Not an uncommon sight in Mexico. Buying gas is sometimes difficult because of the state-owned gasoline monopoly, Pemex. People improvise. Buying premium from this guy was surprisingly only slightly more expensive than buying it at a Pemex.

Lucky passengers don't get covered with bugs.

The reservoir.

We stopped in Nueva Italia for a late breakfast at a place by the side of the road. I had huevos con chorizo (sausage) and Lisa had huevos rancheros. It was super delicious.

My turn signal was acting up (it's always something), so while we waited for our food to arrive, I monkeyed around.

Pátzcuaro is on a lake, Lago de Pátzcuaro, which has a few islands in it. One is named Janitzio, where people live, and where there is a huge statue of Lazaro Cardenas, a very important general in the Mexican revolution.

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