Barrancas del Cobre- The Raramuri....The Men of Light Feet.....

Among the myriad wonders of the Barrancas del Cobre are the Tarahumara Indians. They refer to themselves the Raramuri, men of light feet. This name pays homage to their remarkable long distance running ability. Both the men and women run barefoot and compete in 100 mile long running races with the men kicking a ball as they run and the women twirling a hoop...!!!! 

This a one of the balls that the Tarahumara men kick as they run the traditional races. It's hand carved of wood by local tribes people and is  about as big as large orange. We bought it from a man who had a small stand on the top of a mountain.

Tarahumara is the name given to them by the Spanish.  Today the Spanish name is the most common reference but the tribe itself does not like that name and prefer their traditional tribal name......Raramuri... . They are direct descendant's  of the Aztecs and still live in small communal groups according to their own traditions, ideas, and beliefs. Some still live in caves tucked away in the canyon. 
Unfortunately, their story follows the same sad, tragic pattern as the the indigenous peoples of the United States....one of being violently exploited, subjugated, and persecuted by a more powerful arrogant culture which viewed them as being sub-human. In the case of the Raramuri it was the Spanish that violated, enslaved, exploited, and murdered! In an effort to save themselves and their way of life, the Raramuri fled deeper and deeper into the canyons of the 
Barrancas de Cobre which made them very difficult to find and capture. They were saved by their geography.
To survive in the modern world of today they  farm small tracts of land and rely on a steady stream of tourists coming into the canyon who purchase their crafts. They are elusive and still dwell in the remote canyons in the mountains and only come down to our world when they have to. If you should go to see them remember they are a shy people, innately distrustful of outsiders. They do not like their pictures taken...ask permission first and most likely their response will be no!

A mother and children buying something at a tienda in Divisadero

This lady was trying to sell some of her handicrafts to El Chepe passengers at the little train stop in Bahuichvio which is a little more than halfway to our ultimate destination....

This basket was hand crafted by local tribal women. You see them weaving these baskets all the time while sitting under a tree or off to the side of the road . We bought this from a lady at the Divisadero train station.

Incredibly this is one of their trails into the mountains where they live...........

We ran into this somewhere along the way....nice !!! Look closely and you'll see the rainbow....!!!

Tana and I were trying to hike up to a small group of Tarahumara that lived a couple of hours hike away....at this point we are two hours into the trek and still haven't reached the halfway point!! shortly after this pic was taken my knee gave out and we had to turn back.....never did reach the village.

Here is a typical inhabited Tarahumara dwelling in the 

Barrancas de Cobre

Waiting for the El Chepe at the Divisadero train station....

The food court at the Divisadero train station....great place to grab a snack while waiting for the train. Tana and I ate here several times while in the canyon.....

We got back to El Fuerte about 10pm.....we had made arrangements for a taxi driver to pick us up when the train arrived...don't forget that the station is remote and about 10 miles outside of town!! He was there waiting for us when we pulled in about 45 minutes late.....I tipped the guy ten bucks. 

Pleasant and uneventful six hour drive home.

That's our trip. Thanks for sharing it with us. We will be doing another one shortly....just don't know where yet.....and you know that we will definitely share it with you....until next time

peace to you all my friends...

Barranca del Cobre.........the Copper Canyon

The train ride from El Fuerte to our final destination Divisadero took about 6 hours. We arrived about 3:30 pm. 
Our hotel is the only one in town and was right across the street from the train station hanging off a side of a multi-thousand foot cliff!!

Our room is a downstairs room....third one from the left ........

Good shot of our patio...sixth from the right....right in front was a ginormous drop off....!!!!!!

The hotel bar and restaurant in the spooky morning fog..!! 

 Barranca del Cobre is Spanish for Copper Canyon. Interestingly enough, there is no copper here. The name comes from a lichen that grows on the rock faces that gives the canyons a copper-green hue.

Here in Mexico the locals say the Barranca del Cobre....Copper Canyon is what the Grand Canyon in the United States wishes to be. Depending on which expert you listen to it is four to six times larger and one and a half times deeper that the Grand Canyon. The canyon was carved by six rivers meandering thru the Sierra Madres. These rivers all merged into one....the Rio Fuerte which flows to and empties into the Sea of Cortez on the west coast of Mexico.

It is a majestic place. 

Come along and let us show you the 

Barrance del Cobre 

This is the path from our room to the bar.....the guard rail was made from extra sturdy rotten wood, rusty sheet rock screws, and reinforced broken concrete......!!

It might look stout but the guard rail behind Tana was as wobbly as a loose tooth....!!!! I told her not to lean against it...!!!!

These beautiful red barked trees grew throughout the canyon....we never saw them anywhere else.... 

You guys take care.....next time we'll take you for a visit with the Tarahumara Indians who are the last free living indigenous people in North America......until then....

peace to you all my friends.....

El Chepe into Barranca del Cobre

We checked out of the Posada Del Hidalgo at around 8 am and grabbed a cab for the train station about 10 miles out of town. 

Our train was scheduled to leave El Fuerte at around 8:30 am. We arrived at the station in a few minutes and the train showed up about 30 minutes late!! 

Train station in El Fuerte.......Grand Central?... No....!!

Remember the manana time syndrome that I mentioned in my last ZW that affects people down here?? We didn't care....it's all good. If time parameters were of any concern to us, we would move back to the punctuality of the states. We pulled out of the station around 9:15ish. 

Now the real story begins...................................

EL CHEPE 

The name El Chepe is an acronym for the Chihuahua al Pacifico Railroad. Most non-Mexicans do not know that the construction of this  railway from the period 1900 to 1960 is recognized as one of the most remarkable engineering and construction accomplishments in the 20th century! 

The railway begins in Ojinaga, Chihuahua, Mexico which shares the US / Mexican border with Presido, Texas and terminates at Topolobampo, Sinaloa, Mexico which is a seaport town on the Sea of Cortez 585 miles away. In between lies the majestic Sierra Madre Mountains. The train climbs from sea level to 7874' above sea level.

To accomplish this the engineers and builders had to construct 86 tunnels one of which the Continental Tunnel crosses the Continental Divide and is  4,133.8 feet long! Another the La Pera tunnel is 3,074 feet in length and makes the train do a 180 degree  turn while in the tunnel!! Another the El Descanso Tunnel is over a mile long, 5,966 feet.  There are over 11 miles of tunnels on this railway.

To complete the railway175 bridges had to be constructed! The highest bridge is Chinipas Bridge 768 feet long and 335 feet high! The La Laja Bridge at 509 feet long was built using for the first time pre-stressed concrete piers 164 feet long! The Aquacaliente Bridge which crosses the El Fuerte river is the longest bridge on the railway line at 1,636 feet in length and 148 feet high! Over 3 miles of bridge lengths were constructed.

At one point of the trip the train has to make a loop around back to itself while winding through the hills in order to keep the continuity of the rail line. This train ride was one of the most remarkable trips that either Tana nor I had ever experienced.....it was one breath taking vista after another as we climbed our way through the Sierra Madre on the way to Divisadero and the Barrance de Cobre which is where I'll catch up with you guys the next time.....until then...
la paz to you all..............

Mexico Frame of Mind..and El Fuerte

Don't call the Federales, I escaped!!! Where the heck have you been some of you might be wondering? Maybe one or two of you are wondering? OK my mom is wondering!
Well, the lame truth of the matter is that I've fallen victim to the  malaise that is a gringo scourge for many of us who reside in Mexico........ Mexican Time!! Many people think that the word manana is Spanish for tomorrow......maybe so but to alot of us who reside in this paradise it means not today......manana time is a procrastinators ally. Why do today what you can do tomorrow or the next day or the day after that?  Hereto lies the reason for no ZOSHAS WAKE blog updates for six or seven weeks...... I really wanted to get back to you guys sooner but the manana bug bit me good....!! I'm fighting it off as I sit here writing this ! Outside its California Chamber of Commerce Weather ........ Happy hour at one of my favorite gin joints on the beach just started and a few of my pals are there as usual probably thinking that I'm sick ! .....but I've got a responsibility to you all and must carry on. 
Semper Fidelis to the throngs that read this blog......that's my new mantra!!
After the storms that I talked about in my last ZW, it took a few weeks for everything to return to normal. Everything here is good as new or better. The beaches are back to pristine....the rubble hauled away....the damage repaired......everyone is happy again! The snowbird season is upon us and alot of winter Mexicans  from the cold climes of the US and Canada are descending upon us ruining our solitude....the local bars, merchants, and restaurants have jacked their prices accordingly to accommodate this new influx of revenue sources......these guys will be here until around March... then they leave en masse and head back north to wherever they come from and we get our paradise back. Its an annual migration just like the Wildebeests in the Serengeti! The Circle of Life as they say........!

We've just been hanging out. Taking in the sights and sounds. Last month we rented a car,....... before I go further, allow me to elaborate a bit, the rental people called it a car...the new KIA Speck....

.........the wheels were just a little bit bigger than those on a kids wagon. To me it was a beer can with wheels. I could have put two of them in the bed of my F 150....well we crawled into this minuscule piece of Korean engineering and drove south for about 350 miles into Sinaloa State to the cities of Los Mochis and El Fuerte . 

Beautiful mountains in  Sinaloa State, Mexico

 El Fuerte which was constructed by Spanish Conquistadors in the 1500's and is the reputed birthplace of the Mexican Robin Hood...ZORRO. 

A BEAUTIFUL Mexico colonial town.....the Mexican government has deemed El Fuerte to be a Puebla Magico  ....magical town!!

El Fuerte Town Plaza

Beautiful tree lined El Fuerte street......

Old, Old buildings....still being used by El Fuerte residents.....

The cab stand around the corner from our hotel....

Steeple of the old fuerte (fort)...thus El Fuerte...name of the town..

We spent the night at a fantastic hotel that was a converted hacienda from the old days. ......

The Posada Del Hidalgo

Somewhat of a so-so, plain Jane entrance wouldn't you say??

..............................

....Allow me to show you around what is inside that plain ole' door:

The left door is our room #7.........

SWEEEEEEET!!!!!!

The next morning we were up kinda early but not too much so and caught the Mexican train El Chepe to our next destination ....the 

Barranca sel Cobre........

gotta go my pals down at the cervazeria on the beach are calling me...........until next time.....la paz to you all....

OH! one last thing....I don't know why the date stamp thing in my camera is stamping some of the pics with 2010???? I need a new camera anyways......seeya