Just got back from the Copper Canyon. It was a nice trip. The ferry ride started in the typical Mexican way with a two hour delay and no explanation or any notification about when we really might leave. We arrived in Topolobampo about 12:30 am and then a 1/2 hour ride to the hotel in Los Mochis where we had to be ready to go to the train by 5 am. The train ride is long and slow (20-25 miles per hour). Once you get to El Fuerte the scenery starts to get interesting.

There are lots of deep canyons and large rivers and lakes. Very different in appearance from the Grand Canyon. The canyons are covered with greenery, so there isn’t the dramatic reds of the canyon. At first I spent my time thinking how it wasn’t like the Grand Canyon and not really appreciating it for what it was, but after awhile you begin to see the enormity of the area and the drama of the scenery. We spent a night in Creel, which seems to be just a little tourist town.

We went on a tour the next morning and stopped at various unusual rock formations and then it was off to the train again and back down the to Barrancas the jewel of the area. We stayed at the Mansion Tarahumara hotel, the competition to The Mirador. For some reason we had the best ( at least from the point of view of having the best view) room in the place. The hotel is located at 8000 feet and after having spent so much time a sea level we really noticed it. The leg muscles worked well but we really had to pace the breathing. We got there just at 2 pm and the lady who owned the place suggested that we go right in and eat and then they would take us to our room ( as that might take awhile). It seemed kind of strange but we had lunch and then Victor came in a truck and took us up the hill. The road was “paved rock” , i.e. very bouncy. We climbed up the hill, pretty straight up and then came to a corner where he backed up part of the road and then stopped. From there we still had a bunch of steps to climb, again going straight up. We finally reached the top which had a balcony that hung right on the edge of the cliff with our room with a big glass sliding door looking out.

Later that day we went on a little walking tour along the edge of the canyon near the hotel and visited a Tarahumara home.The Tarahumara are the indigenous tribe that lives in the area. They call themselves Raramuri and speak their own language. They had water that seeped out of the cliff which was stored in a natural rock cistern. (They also had a solar panel which Victor said they used for things like charging their cell phones. )  The area is used by the Tarahumara people. They have homes all over the canyons and terrace the ground to cultivate what they can for subsistence farming. They are even able to grow a few apple and peach trees. It is great that the Grand Canyon is preserved and a park but there is something very vibrant about seeing the area used for living. There are three major canyons that intersect in Barrancas. In total the canyons are 370miles long, they are deeper and longer than the Grand Canyon. I wish we had had the time the ability to go exploring them more. Apparently right now they are not doing major tours really down in the depths of the canyons. The drug wars are a problem especially with the recent capture of El Chapo at the beginning of January in Los Mochis which I guess is good but has led to some destabilization.
The next day I went on the zip lines and suspension bridges. Wow it was great. You really get to fly over the canyons . There were 7 zip lines and 2 suspension bridges. The longest zipline is 1113 meters or 3561 feet and you go as fast as 48 miles/hour. The zip lines definitely were more fun than the bridges, in fact the bridges were just plain scary even though you were clipped on. I had to tell myself just keep going, don’t think about it just move,in order to get across.The scenery was incredible with deep gorges and rivers in the depths and all sorts of cliffs etc. Hartley’s balance still isn’t quite good enough for him to try the zip lines and especially the suspension bridges so he took the Teleferique, the tram, down and then got some pictures of me on the last zip.

He got to spend time with our guide as they waited for the rest of the group and found out some interesting things about the Tarahumara .Apparently the only hair they have on their bodies is the hair on their heads (which of course is thick and black) but they have no pubic hair, axillary hair etc.
We then all got on the Teleferique for a nice gentle ride back up to the top of the canyon.

Then it was off to the train for the ride back down to Los Mochis. This takes about 7 hours. The train bounces and grinds a lot but is actually fairly comfortable . It has a dining car so you can eat or have a beer to while away the time. I actually had a great time watching the scenery on the way down as I was no longer trying to make it into the Grand Canyon and just appreciated the rocks , canyons rivers and lakes.

We arrived in Los Mochis about 8 pm and then went to the ferry (which left only an hour late). At midnight they fed you dinner and then off to bed ( a small private cabin that sleeps up to four people ) for a nice nights sleep, arriving in Pinchilingue about 8 this am. Nice trip, well worth it. Hartley says he still spins a little but states he gets a a tiny bit better each day and should be off his steroids in two more days!!!
Now for part two The Whales!
Well we got back as I said early Saturday morning and then went on an all day trip to see the whales on Sunday, January 24. We were picked up by the van at 6 am and started driving to Bahia Magdelena, or Mag Bay as most people call it. This is where the gray whales come to have their babies. It is early in the season. Only a few of the the whales have had babies this early in the season, but we planned to leave La Paz in a few days so it was the only time we had.
As we drove over to Mag Bay we stopped along the way to have breakfast. Timing is critical, we wanted to spend as much time as possible with the whales, so the tour operator asks you what you want  for breakfast and calls the restaurant about 10 minutes out so they have everything ready when you arrive. We traveled with a van of 8 people who were all very nice.
When we arrived at Mag Bay, Daniel our tour guide arranged for us to get on a boat, a panga, and go out and see the whales. At first we saw them spout and surface far away and was disappointed,  I thought to myself that we had seen the whales from our boat as close if not closer. Then we started to approach the whales and we got close!

The boat captains were very good, approaching a whale for a little while and then not wanting to annoy her they left and went to find another whale and her baby. We were told as the baby whales got older the mother whales felt more comfortable about having their babies approach the boats but as we were so early in the season they probably would not let the babies get too close to us. There was one whale though who seemed to thoroughly enjoy showing off her baby to us. While the other whales would let the boats watch for a little while and then dive and disappear, this whale kept coming up near the pangas ( open fishing boats about 22 feet long) and pushed her baby towards us so we could admire it. I’m sure she thought hers was the most beautiful of all the new baby whales. They were close enough so that when they would breath we would get wet from the water they spouted. Apparently while we were there they figured there were about 18 baby/ mom pairs but at high season there are lots more. February and March is the really busy season and by May they are all gone, heading north. The boats that carry the tourists are regulated by the Mexican government and can only approach a whale for a limited time and can’t harass them. Our guide told us a story about a whale taking things in her own had last year. Apparently a panga kept following this particular whale, was very close to her and rather than letting her go when she dove, kept after her. After a little while the whale had had enough. She surfaced and wacked the boat with her tail. The boat actually cracked. It is not nice to fool with mother nature (nor mother whale).
After our great encounter with the whales and excellent commentary by our guide, we stopped at another restaurant, where again we had pre-ordered our meals and had lunch and then it was back in the van for a 3 hour ride back to La Paz. Along the way we could see eagles’ nests. The government built long posts, like telephone poles but with platforms and you could see the eagles perched there on their nests.
A great day!