Saturday departure on an adventure

[Patron]

I plan on departing Saturday morning for an adventure.  First, will be a run thru Big Bend with a small group of friends.  On Wednesday I will be crossing the border at Del Rio and heading south to Acapulco to see whats happening there for Spring Break.  The planned route will take me south to Saltillo, Zacatecas, Morelia, Ixtapa and then on to Acapulco.  After a few days at Acapulco I will be heading south again to Puerta Angel then north to Oaxaca, Veracruz, Tampico and crossing back into the US at Reynosa and back home.

I have set up a simple web site where I will post pictures when I can get then uploaded.  In additon, I will be carrying a SPOT GPS locator and there is a link on my home page that says Find Me:  It will connect you to a map showing my track and my current position.  The addy to my web site is:

http://web.me.com/stangoodell

Currently, on the TRIPS page there is a map showing my planned route down thru Mexico to Acapulco and back to the US border at Reynosa.

Hopefully you will enjoy the trip as I know I will.

Stan

[Disco]

Yo soy muy celoso.  Me gustaria ir con usted y sus amigos en este viaje.  Yo le estare siguiendo en su sitio web.  Ten cuidado y diviertase.

[Six Guns]

Very good Dave. I'm impressed.         

[Houdini]

Increíble lo que puedes hacer con el traductor de google

[SideCar]

Que un gran tiempo y diga hola a Marco si usted lo ve.  Mi español está muy mohoso.

[Daniel Meyer]

Cool! Have great run!

[Doc809]

Wow!  I thought for a minute that my computer had really screwed up (or the operator).  I have enough trouble with Texan, can't get close to that other stuff.

[RainMaker]

Tenga cuidado para los bandidos de la droga. Puede ser cercana muy peligroso la frontera.  Tenga cuidado.

[godfire]

Die sonnige Seite hoch halten und achtgeben.
Safe reist mein Freund.

[laserpat]

You might get by with a birth certificate. We tried to go to Acuna in January, parked and talked to border guard and they confirmed.

[Patron]

In Study Butte just west of Big Bend National Park.  Weather and riding is wonderfull.  Some picures up on my web site.

http://web.me.com/stangoodell

[Disco]

Wow, RR170 sure looks like fun.

[Patron]

As with any adventure, a change of plans is always in the works.  The weather forcast for a Wednesday crossing of the border is not all that favorable.  The forcast for Wednesday is 60% chance of rain and cooling off to the mid 50's.  So, we decided to shorten our trip thru Big Bend and head to Del Rio and get in line for a Tuesday crossing.  Fortunately, I got my insurance and Mexican bike permit for one day early in case the plan changed.  Steve on the other hand had to try and get his insurance started one day early, which he did at a small increase in premium.  We will be crossing the border tomorrow AM (Tuesday) and this will give us another day of exploring before arriving at Acupulco on Saturday.  I really don't think this will affect our planned route but may just give us more time to explore the colonial citiy of Zacatecas and Aquacalienties.

The real adventure starts tomorrow AM.

Stan

[Hollywood]

La buona fortuna efa attenzione per quei fuorilegge. La pace, Hollywood 

[Patron]

Crossed into Mexico at Del Rio this morning at 8AM without incident.  The border patrol pulled us over and asked where we were going.  When I said Acapulco he said "long ride" and waved us thru.  Then we got to the Customs office to get our Tourist card and there was nobody in the office except for Steve and I needing our cards and the customs officials.  They filled out our paperwork for us and in 10 minutes we were off and running.  We had a couple small glitches getting around Saltillo but made it to Zacatecas by 6:30.  An amazing colonial city.  Got a top of the line hotel in the historic district with secure parking under the hotel that is guarded all night so the bikes are secure and locked up.  I am exhausted from the days ride so I wil get my web site updated with some pictures in the morning.

Stan

[Patron]

Hope you are keeping up with my adventure thru my web site.  So far it has been amazing and seen some really cool stuff and ridden some of the most amazing roads.  Today, a 266 mile run from Morellia to Zihuanajo (sp).  I figured on an easy day and to say the least of was WRONG.  We left Morellia about 11 AM for our trip to the Pacific Ocean.  At 2 PM and lots of severe mountain riding we stopped for a cold drink and met a guy that was tying fishing nets.  After a little introduction we asked how many hours it might take to get to Zihuanajo and his estimate was another 8 hours.  I thought NO Way since we were only about 200 miles from the Pacific but dark fell on us still 40 miles out.  I told Brenda that I wouldn't be riding after dark in Mexico but I guess on this day I misjudged the route and the terrain. 

The dragon is 13 miles and 318 curves if memory serves me correct.  I did it last summer and believe me it is a challenge.  Now multiply that by 100 or so and that is what I encountered today.  Over 200 miles of severe mountain riding but add this to the dragon..... wild burros crossing or standing in your path into the road.  Speed bumps at every house along the way that rake the bottom of the bike.  Dead burros in the middle of the road.  Bolders that have fallen off the mountain blocking more than a full lane not to mention the small rocks that block the lane the size of baseballs.  And, the occasional on-comming truck that believes his half of the road is right dead in the center of the  road.  To say the least it was an experience that was the most fun I have had in a long, long time.  Without stopping for lunch the average speed according to my Zumo GPS today was less than 30 MPH and believe me we pushed it.  Is that crazy or what?  Unless you experience it you just can't imagine the most beautiful scenery and the most terrifying views.

Adios from sunny Mexico.

Stan

[Patron]

Got into Acapulco yesterday.  The ride so far is been fantastic.  Looking forward to a few days rest before heading home via the caribean side of Mexico.  Lots of pics on my web page at:

http://web.me.com/stangoodell