The vultures were circling overhead as we cycled up the steady gradient towards the Canon del Nacupule. The road from San Carlos had degenerated into a track long ago and we still had 3 miles to go and with so many hungry vultures overhead we had better keep moving! We had underestimated the amount of water to bring, having forgotten just how hot the desert was after being in the Bahia at San Carlos for the last couple of weeks but the promise of mountain springs in the canyon was enticing and so we pressed on. There would seem to be nothing that can put off a Mexican bus driver and sure enough we pulled across to the side of the road to let a school bus on a Sunday outing pass, the children calling 'Gracious' to us as they leant out of the windows. We marvelled at its suspension as it crossed a dry river bed strewn with boulders! Eventually we arrived at the entrance and left our bikes to walk through the narrow canyon and climb up over the rocks to reach the tropical pools, hidden within an incredibly lush oasis. The whole canyon was forested with palms and tropical plants of all kinds and colours, a complete contrast to the arid desert we had crossed to reach it.
We were glad to find the ride back to San Carlos downhill all the way and surprised that none of our fellow cruisers in the bay had ventured the 6 miles to this amazing place. I guess we have more freedom than most with our trusty bicycles allowing us to explore further than we could manage on foot.
There is of course a limit to our cycling trips and when it comes to longer journeys there is always the Mexican bus, although not for the faint hearted. The bus ride from San Carlos to Guaymas is about 12 miles at a guess but can take anything from 15 minutes to an hour depending on the driver. In general it is closer to the former and we have a suspicion that there is a race between drivers to clock up the most passengers. The most terrifying ride was when we went into Guaymas to book our tickets for our journey home. The bus arrived at the bus stop with the indicator and part of the bumper hanging off. We climbed on board and payed our 12 pesos each for the dubious privilege of travelling on public transport, noticing as we did so a large number of religious artefacts around the driver's seat. With a direct line to his maker I guess he felt duly insured against accidents. Meanwhile we hung on for dear life as he pushed his foot down hard on the floor regardless of bends, junctions or speed bumps. Fortunately we were learning how to travel and instead of standing up just before our stop to warn the driver to stop with the certainty of being flung dangerously up the bus, we shouted 'bajan' or 'get down' from our seats as the locals do. Amazingly the now trailing bus parts were still attached when we disembarked and standing by the side of the road in disbelief as we watched our bus disappear into a cloud of dust.
With Fantasia now safely tucked up at Marina Seca after her road trip we are our bus tickets for Phoenix booked, we are now ready for our trip home and will miss Mexico with her long days of warm sunshine and her cheerful, smiley people. We will look forward to returning next year and exploring the beautiful Sea of Cortez for another three months.
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Collision regs or highway code?
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Fantasia is hauled out before being driven through San Carlos on her way to Marina Seca.
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