Our ride from Deming to Douglas on Wednesday morning was a short one at 2.5 hours. It wasn’t as scenic as what we had grown used to seeing so we didn’t stop as many times – just for the usual gas and water, mostly. We did have to pull over to the side of the road about 15 minutes before we reached our destination because a bee had decided to commit suicide on the edge of Phil’s open visor. Luckily, he was wearing his riding sunglasses so his eyes were free of bee guts (though the same cannot be said for the sunglasses).
The rest of the afternoon and evening were uneventful as Douglas is quite small and there’s nothing much to do there. We made a trip to Walmart to pick up a few things and then stayed in our room, catching up on some remote work and news.
We left Douglas on the morning of Thursday, August 10, at our usual time and headed straight for the Mexican border after filling up on gas. Getting through was a breeze as there was no line-up and the officials were very polite and professional. Phil tried to communicate with them in Spanish, but seeing that he wasn’t exactly fluent, they spoke in English to help us out. We were very appreciative that they didn’t treat us like some people in English-speaking countries treat non-English speakers – talking loudly and slowly and basically treating the person who doesn’t speak the language like an idiot.
We heeded the advice of the many well-wishers we have encountered on our trip so far and stuck to the main roads upon entering Mexico. The roads were in better condition than expected for most of the journey to our destination in Banámichi. The road from Cananea to Banámichi had an abundance of potholes and we also crossed around six ditches that were either covered in gravel, sand, water, or some combination of the aforementioned.
One of the water-filled ditches that we crossed was deeper than expected and Phil felt the bike slip for a split second, but he quickly regained control and we made it out without dropping the bike (though we did get some water in our shoes). The sandy ones were a bit stressful for Phil, but he didn’t lose control and we made it through.
We also came across an accident between a large cargo truck and a smaller one. The accident blocked the road and we had to go slightly off-road and around the accident to get by. Other than that, we made it to our destination without any mishaps.
It’s like we’re still in the States
Road in Arizpe
Welcome to Banámichi!
Too much sun for Mr. Sunshine
Hotel Los Arcos de Sonora
Someone’s getting comfy in his new office
We are being hosted in Banámichi by an American couple, Tom and Lynn, in exchange for some help with their website, Rio Sonora Foundation. They run the Hotel Los Arcos de Sonora, which is a gorgeous place that is decorated with artwork done by local kids. If you’re looking for a getaway to a quiet and peaceful place with friendly people and delicious food, this is the place to be. And no, I’m not paid to say all of this – my opinion is solely mine 😛
