Realising the Dream
Travelog of RVW members Maggie Birchmore and Di Chawner
e-mail: di.mags@virgin.net

Once on board we saw just how full it was. Mags and I ended up in the bar and found a really good seat there. Lynne and Gery were seated in the main carriage. This was the ‘first class’ train with air conditioning and a dining car. We were OK - we had our own food so we sat and the train headed for the mountains. The Chihuahua-Pacific Railroad goes from the Chihuahuan desert to the Sea of Cortez. It crosses the continental divide three times, ascends to a height of 8,000 feet and then plunges west into a series of canyons, clinging to sheer walls descending in gigantic loops and tunneling through rock walls to enter the next canyon. There are 37 bridges and 87 tunnels along its 406 miles and it took 90 years to build! All in all quite an impressive feat of engineering. Our first stop was at Bachuichivo where we were met by a car from the hotel. One thing you have to accept here in the canyon is that nearly all the roads are gravel and rough gravel at that. So we bounced to the hotel in Cerocahui, train weary but pleasantly surprised to be greeted by this exceptional hotel and abundance of Margaritas to sup. We were shown to our room which was heated by a metal wood burning stove. Before dinner we lit the stove and by the time we returned we had a room as warm as toast.

The following day we took a guided tour to Urique, a small town situated at the bottom of Urique canyon. The road there follows the edge of the canyon before descending some 5,000 feet. I called it a road, but in fact it is better described as a narrow one lane gravel and very bouncy track with no barriers just a sheer drop-off to the floor of the canyon. If you happen to be lucky enough to meet other traffic well that’s yet another breath-taking experience. The words ‘oh my’ and ‘hold tight’ come to mind along with many more which I could not repeat! So after this exhilarating ride some 4 hours long and through at least 3 ecological zones with beautiful and exceptional views, we arrive shaken but not stirred at Urique just in time for lunch! After an excellent lunch in a small unassuming restaurant we returned to the top and to the waiting Margaritas in our hotel!

It was soon time to return to the train and move on. The next stop was Posada Barrancas where we said our farewells to Lynne and Gery. We had really enjoyed their company and it had been a great pleasure traveling with them. We headed now to Creel, our furthest destination on the train. There we spent 3 nights in the small Mexican town whose greatest livelihood it seems is the train and the tourists it brings. It was here that we first really came into contact with the Taramuhara Indians. A tribe who have managed to stay apart from the European invaders and strictly keep their bloodline and culture intact. With their very colourful clothes and expertly made woven baskets they live a simple life, happy with their own ways. We found their history and our brief contact with them interesting and you have to admire their resilience and strength to survive. We had an opportunity to go on a trip to see a Taramuhara settlement and that was very interesting. This side trip was organised by a lady we met who was originally from Taiwan and now lives in California. I mention her because I have never seen anyone barter so vigorously as she did. She had it down to a fine art. We learnt a great deal from her!!

Our next stop was in Divisidero. Here we splashed out on a hotel perched on the edge of the canyon with the most magnificent views. We had met a couple on the train who told us about this hotel and which rooms to ask for to get the best views. So with this in mind I booked us in and after a fairly short discussion with the duty manager about room availability he found that he was in fact able to give us the room we wanted. What a room it was too, enormous and with a balcony that looked straight out into the canyon. They were right. It was perfect and as we sat on the balcony and watched the sun go down we thought to ourselves, yes, this is the life.

Whilst here at Divisidero we saw the ‘piggyback’ train come through. This train has flat bed carriages full of motorhomes anchored and perched precariously on the wagons in a way, allowing the owners to travel in their vehicles. Driving onto the train I imagine must be some experience as it is only a matter of inches wider than the vehicles wheels.

We were up early the following morning to see the sun rise over the canyon. It was pretty but not as spectacular as I had hoped but then sun rises are like that. Later we packed and made our way to the train for the final leg back to El Fuerte. We had a snack from one of the local train side stalls and then got on the train. The journey back seemed long, but once again as the sun went down there was a spectacular sunset. This part of the journey was in fact some of the best scenery, strange but we hadn’t really noticed quite so much on the way up. The colours in the rocks and foliage were truly vibrant. It is amazing who you meet on these types of journeys, there was a lady traveling with her mother. The lady was in her 70’s and her mother was 92. Sprightly 92 at that and able to get around without any assistance. It was with reluctance that she accepted the helping hand that I offered as she climbed down off the train. An inspiration to us all!

At El Fuerte our next task was to get back to the campground. There just happened to be a spare taxi that was looking for a party of four who didn’t turn up. He settled for us two. Back to the motorhome and after a couple of days it’s off again - this time our route takes us to Mazatlan for sun, sea, sand and siestas!