Guanajuato

[ Guanajuato, Mexico ]

Hola amigos y feliz lunes—

Today’s dispatch will have to be brief, as I’m riding out again this morning: heading for Mexico’s highest volcano and in the general direction of Ciudad de Mexico aka Mexico City aka DF.

I arrived in Guanajuato mid-day Friday after a grueling eight-and-a-half day slog through some of the most beautiful terrain in central Mexico. Or I should say “we” arrived, because I’ve been riding with an amiable Ecuadorian cyclist, Sebastian, since my second day out of Zacatecas. Sebastian is on his way from Montana to his home in Quito, and it’s been great to have a more adept conversation partner than my own fragmented, dubious subconscious monologue.

Having a riding partner has also served as constant motivation throughout the section’s more than 5000 meters of climbing (and pushing); trust me when I say it was brutal. And it’s about to get worse: this next segment has well over 9000 meters of climbing in five hundred, mostly off-road kilometers. I anticipate it will take about two weeks in the saddle to reach Toluca, where I’ll catch a Texas-bound bus so I can spend the holidays with my mom.

I’ll catch you up when I can. In the meantime, wish me luck.

Ciao,

—jim

My hostess at Hostal Rada in Zacatecas, saying goodbye. If you're ever in the Big Z, consider staying here, you'll love it!
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Almost immediately out of Zacatecas, this was the road. The segment to Guanajuato was almost 50% unpaved, and gloriously remote.
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What goes with remote roads? Great camping! This spot thanks to Carlos and his family (Gracias, amigo!)
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Speaking of Carlos, he invited us to breakfast the next morning--drove us back into town, fed us, and sent us on our way. This is what happened when I tried to get the whole family to sit still for a pic. 🙂
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Of course, part of the 50% "paved" included sections like this one. And there were many!
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Sometimes when you roll through a town, you find fun stuff going on. This baseball game was a fun distraction--and <sarcasm>a chance to show off my sports photography chops. </sarcasm>

Sometimes when you roll through a town, you find fun stuff going on. This baseball game was a fun distraction--and a chance to show off my sports photography chops.
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That's Aguascalientes in the far distance. This segment passed through four Mexican states: Zacatecas, Aguascalientes, Jalisco, and Guanajuato.
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Our friend, and gordita magician, "E."
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When we were on pavement, it was remote, and we shared it with lots of tractors. Or at least signs thereof?
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Another tienda family, near San Jose de Gracia.
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A tortillaria along the way. Stocking up on fresh tortillas is an incredibly cheap way to stay fueled for the road.
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Tortillaria Part 2
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Many miles to go before I sleep, 'n all that jazz...
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When we'd stop for snacks at a tienda somewhere, usually the whole family would gather to inquire about bikes, travel, and--in this case--US border politics. Often these tiendas are attached to the family's living quarters, which is why there is a small gated window they can lock when they aren't in the room.
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One night, we slept in an unused corral with a rustic stone wall. Sunset didn't suck either.
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Part of the climbing madness was going up and over those mountains in the distance. It was brutal, friends. Brutal.
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Made it to the top, though! Of course, turns out the next day was even worse.
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Seems like my thorny friends from the Arizona desert decided to follow me to Mexico. Only two flats on this segment, but definitely caused by these fellas.
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Sebastian, my riding companion from Ecuador, at the day's second pass...before the long, incredible descent into the Leon region.
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A lovely breakfast in Sangre de Cristo, after camping in the field next to this woman's house. We were treated like visiting royalty!
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This is the "route" up to the statue of Cristo el Rey (Christ the King). It was the hardest part of this segment, and was MUCH more pushing than riding. (It was really more of a backpacking route, if you get right down to it.)
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But then? Guanajuato! Worth every moment, and I wish I'd have stayed here three weeks rather than in Zacatecas. (Still love Zacatecas, though!) This whole city is Zacatecas on steroids. Like Guanajuato handed its beer to Zac and said "here, watch this!": the roads and alleys are MUCH steeper. There is much more life on the streets. The festivals (this time Revolution Day) are bigger and wilder. Highly recommended!
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And I stayed in Casa Bertha. WAY up on the third floor, after a long maze of metal scaffolding-stairs. That balcony up there is BELOW my room level. 😉
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Grocery store tucked away in a back alley.
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One of the festive tourist avenues, in the morning, before things get cranked up.
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Plaza Baratillo, with people out for late breakfast or early lunch. Later in the afternoon this area would explode with activity for Revolution Day.
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Some local vendors...
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Mexican tourists and university students make up the bulk of local activity. These young women had the attitude of both.
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Mariachis at Plaza Baratillo, gearing up for the night's activities.
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One of the many busy food booths (puestos) set up in the square for the evening.
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Some of the evening's food vendors, tolerating my camera with grace.
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What it felt like to be be in the frenetic energy of the evening.
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Ladies! Thanks so much for the entertaining repartee. I hope you all had a great evening and got home safely. It was a pleasure meeting you.
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The Transglobalist
Photographer, cyclist, paraglider pilot, backpacker, skydiver, writer, explorer, musician, hitchhiker, digital nomad, and American dissident.

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