THE COPPER CANYON

                                The First Leg of the Canyon

The conductor spoke good English and helped us find our air-conditioned car. We had been cautioned by several people not to buy food on the train so we stocked up on snacks to hold us for the morning until we reached the Barrancos.

The loud speaker informed us that  the longest bridge, 1636.8 feet long,, on the railroad was  at El Fuerte.  Of the 85 tunnels the longest, 5966 feet, is also there. It is the first or the last tunnel, depending on which direction you are travelling.  The train ride that day to Posada Barrancos was about five hours. We passed over many bridges; the highest is Bridge Chinipas at 340 feet above the river. We crossed over the Simaloa/Chiahuahua state border. We passed many fig, papaya, mango, and avocado trees and poinsettias that were big as a fair size bush.

The loud speaker told us, “Estacion Temoris, a city founded by Jesuits in 1677 is at 3365 feet. The Temori were a Native American tribe. In November 1961 there was a celebration here for the completion of the railroad. A marker made of 22-foot long rails with letters two feet  high marks the spot.  Loops and curves take us down three levels into the Santa Barbara Canyon.”

He added, “Legend says that a cure for leprosy was found here by the Temori Tribe. It seems a captain had taken to drinking sotol, a kind of alcohol, and fell asleep in a drunken stupor. While he slept a spider fell in his sotol and drowned. When the captain awoke he never noticed the spider and continued to drink. Several days later he noticed some improvement in his condition and then noticed the spider. He trapped other spiders and after awhile he was cured. The Temori never revealed to the Spanish what kind of spider it was and the tribe died taking their secret with them.”

Tunnel La Pera makes a 180 degree turn inside a mountain and also drops 180 feet from the entrance to the exit. Cerocahui is a Tarahumara word for enemy hill. Father Salvatierra established a mission there in 1681. A spectacular view of the Urique Canyon can be seen from there.

The last information that day from the loud speaker was, “We will soon be coming up on the ancient native American village of Chiteco, meaning neck shaped hill, which was established as a mission in 1684 by Jesuit missionaries. Old Chiteco is a beautiful old colonial Spanish town some distance away. New Chiteco was built to house the railroad workers. This area produces many apples.”

We left the train at Posada Barrancos in the early afternoon and headed to our hotel.We checked into our hotel with no problem except for paying for the room again. There were no restaurants at the Barrancos so meals were included in your room fee. After leaving our luggage the first order of business was lunch

 After a pleasant leisurely lunch we walked around the grounds and watched a couple of Tarahumara women weave baskets. The baskets were beautiful and came in all sizes. Our only problem was how to get them home---but we managed!

Next time all about the Barrancas.

THE BEST LAID PLANS

              Unexpected Surprise 

When I agreed to accompany my friend to the Sea of Cortez I did have one condition:  we return via the Copper Canyon Railroad instead of flying home. We flew from LaPaz across the Sea of Cortez to Los Mochias, Mexico. Some literature we had picked up told us Los Mochias is a melting pot for Indian, Mexican, Chinese, Japanese, and Americans. A prosperous agricultural area, 40% of the population is involved in farming. Two million tons of sugar is processed here from sugar cane each year. The area is the number one producer of wheat and rice in Mexico.

I had made all the return trip arrangements through an allegedly reputable travel company in San Antonio. We picked up a cab outside the airport for the two and half-hour drive to El Fuerte.

When we checked in at the El Fuerte Lodge where we had vouchers we learned the fellow  in San Antonio has not paid any of our bills and our vouchers all along the way  were void.

            Shocked I responded, “You’re kidding, right?”

            “No, I’m afraid not. That fellow is a crook. He has changed the name of his company several times and is well known in these parts. You’re not the first to be taken. I can get you a hotel room here. That is no problem, and I can secure train tickets for tomorrow. Give me the rest of your vouchers and I’ll send faxes to the hotels ahead to make sure you’ll have a room, but you’ll have to pay each time you check in.”

            Well, there’s a first time for everything. The fellow in El Fuerte happened to be an American who had lived there for a couple of decades so language was no problem. He was super nice and most accommodating to a couple of little old ladies—well not really little or old. He accepted a check for the hotel, meals and train tickets.

            The hotel was lovely and the city is a picturesque old colonial one. It was a holiday of some sort so we watched a parade and some street performers and dancers before heading off on a short hike up to the old fort.

The city was established as a fort in the late 1500’s to protect the colonists from native North American attacks. Lake Miguel del Hidalgo is a man-made lake 15 ½  X 6 miles. The dam, built in 1956, was expanded in 1963. The lake holds 350 million cubic meters of water and houses a hydroelectric plant which generates 270 million kilowatts of electricity a year. The view from the old fort showed us the river and lake below. A slight breeze made the temperature comfortable and pleasant as we looked down on the quaint city below.

The next day, after an early breakfast, we walked to the train station to board the train at 7:30 AM. We were on our way.

Next time the journey.