The Mountain Recon

[Richard_]

Our recon of the Sierra Madre Oriental mountains of Mexico is complete. We discovered some amazing roads, awesome scenery, and great riding. A total of 17 riders attended.

This thread is for the riders who attended to post up their ride reports, comments, or pictures. I'll get my ride report up over the next few days. In the meantime, here are a couple of pics to get things started.

The dirt roads were fantastic


The road up to Mesa de Oso was steep with sharp drop-offs, but oh-so-fun. Highly recommended.


Pick you line carefully or you are likely to go down.


Up in the clouds


A waterfall up the road from Cola de Caballo


A great road.


KLRs on top of the world at 12198 feet.


The exposure was high.


The kids loved the bikes.


Even the ladies like the moto locos.

[ramblinrog (aka) Uncle]

Despite over 1000 miles it was a great trip even on this bike!!!!


Mexico, where living is easy.


After about 30+ watercrossings you might meed to dry your socks!!

[Tourmeister]

You're killing me... DON'T STOP!!

[dbdolan]

Bring it....

[Hoop]

Originally Posted by Richard_

The road up to Mesa de Oso was steep with sharp drop-offs, but oh-so-fun. Highly recommended.

Man, it really would be tough if you were on a bike.

[Richard_]

Originally Posted by Hoop

Man, it really would be tough if you were on a bike.

Yep, it was so steep you had to wear a helmet and full gear just to walk up it.

[thumper]

This was my first ride in real mountains. CeeBee and I rode together both days. We crossed several arid faces to get to our real quest...the alpine sections. I'll add to the thread when CeeBee returns from Terlingula. Here's a few teasers of a very different contrast.











And one for Milton

[DrBlackbird]

For those inquiring minds that want to know,...."How was it?".......Well all I can say is..."Great"........
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There's so much to see and ride down there, we didn't by any stretch get to see all of it. And for those that were afraid and listened to all the rumors......20 miles away from the border, people were just like country folk here in Texas, everyone waved, offered you food and drink, were so happy that you came up to them and talked to them.......... However, Not too many of them could read a map or tell you how long it would take to get to the next village......But they were friendly and tried to help. Three of us were resting under a tree after our very rough descent from 12,200ft view when a little old Mexican lady approached us with a bag of fresh picked apples and handed it to us. We, thinking that she was trying to sell it to us, tried to offer her some pesos, but she just smiled and walked back into her adobe house..........On our Sat. ride through the valley, on a dirt road up in the mountains, we ran across a small village that was throwing an authentic "Pinata Party" for all the school kids. We passed,.... stopped and slowly walked back to take some pictures all the while thinking they would run us off. The elder who was dressed like a clown walked directly over to us, and I thought "Here we go", but in broken English he not only didn't run us off, he invited us to join the party and have some refreshments........We must have presented quite a sight, big boots, jackets, dusty faces........But they welcomed us to their little celebration..............
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To those that didn't make it this time......Not if, but when there is another ride down there, you better think twice about saying you had to stay home and "Sort your Sock drawer"..............
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This Mexican trip was great for me and all those I spoke with.........

[ilv2wheels]

Looks like a great trip, I hope there's more coming!

[treysmagna]

Looks like every one had a great trip. Too bad my wife birthday was last weekend. I want to go down there and the DR is ready to go. Great pics, keep them coming.

[miltonotto]

La Huasteca Canyon


No store in El Pajonal


Puerto Conejo, 4550M = 8366’ elevation



Obligatory shot of refueling, Mexico style


Richard & the girls


Thumper, rearin' to go


Busted Knuckle (Gary), keeping dry, Inturbide-Cuevas road


Saturday night in Galeana, the Cuban dancers used our hotel as a dressing room. You can't make this stuff up.


Our bikes and the temporary stage, Galeana plaza

[CBAT]

Can someone post a list of the bikes that made the trip? Please.

[Richard_]

I don't know if I can list all the bikes, but there were 17 total. I recall:

multiple KLRs
2 or 3 Wee-Stroms
1 x V-Strom
1 x KTM Super Moto (990SM if I recall correctly)
2 or 3 DR 350s
1 x BMW R80GS
1 x KLX 650
1 x Yamaha WR450

[DrBlackbird]

Richard, Milton..........
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When we left you and headed down from the clouds, you were still working on the KLX. What was the final outcome, and how did you get the bike down the mountain.
.
.
.
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First day paper work...Wasn't too bad


Packed and ready to get dirty


Didn't drink the water


Even the Slab was Great


This river bottom runs for miles n miles with crossings through "See the bottom" clear mountain water


Some "Serious" hill climbing trails


Our KTM Orange Hotel


The food was great, as you can see by the empty plates.....Jerry n Roger


"Tail of the Dragon"...off road version....Rode this on Sat. and it lived up to this name.


12,200 Ft high.....The bikes and the "Older Guys" didn't run too good up here


Mile after mile of this, with trails branching off in all directions


Got caught up in the mountains after the sun went down........We circled the bikes around us to protect us from the (Chupacabra)......Blood Suckers Terrorize Northern Mexico

They might be creatures of myth and legend; stalkers of the night that feed on the blood of the living. Or they could be figments of superstitious minds; conjured through folklore or ignorance, born of fear and propagated by the shadows of night.


"The Real Deal" an authentic Mexican Pinata party for the village kids...


Two guys from up Ohio way that were going from coast to coast through Mexico.....Good looking original "Dakar GS's"


Wished I spoke more Spanish......................For directions I mean

[Richard_]

The 2007 Mountain Recon

I don’t recall exactly when the idea of putting together an adventure / dual sport rally in the mountains south of Monterrey first occurred to me, but the desire to go ride that area had been rattling around in my brain for quite some time. I had stumbled across a couple of ride reports about the area and it seemed to be full of adventure potential. At some point the thought of just taking a trip to ride there turned into the idea of having a rally there. But it was just an idea, with no real substance and no real plan of when to go or exactly where to ride. I knew if I didn’t make a firm decision it would just continue to be a vague idea so in the early months of 2007 I finally drew a line in the sand, picked a date, and posted an invitation on my web site for others to join me. The die was cast.

Over the next few months I worked diligently at organizing the ride. I searched the internet for as much information about that area as I could find (there wasn’t much). I purchased topographically maps of the area so I would have as much info on the unpaved roads and trails in the area as was available. And, most importantly, fortunate smiled on me and led me to Milton Otto, a veteran of multiple adventure rides to the area who happened to live in the same town as I (Austin). Milton’s extensive knowledge of the area and willingness to share was of inestimable value in putting this event together – I can’t thank him enough for all his help and advice.

Milton Otto and his KLX650 deep in Canyon Huasteca, Mexico


The basic plan was for riders to link up on a Thursday evening in the town of Galeana, Mexico, in the middle of the Sierra Madre mountains south of the city of Monterrey. Riders would organize into small 2-6 man recon teams and spend Friday and Saturday exploring the seemingly countless unpaved roads and trails running throughout the mountains. Based on the intel Milton provided, I plotted out several recon routes and planned to ask the teams to go ride them and provide feedback on things like the level of difficulty of the route, if they encountered any stores, gasoline, or towns along the way, the amount of time it took to complete the route, and the scenic rating. The recons would fill in missing information about the area and, if this ride turned out as well as I hoped, would allow me to provide recommended routes for next year’s rally.

Galeana, Mexico, 100 miles south of Monterrey, in the Sierra Madre mountains of Mexico


Day 1: Austin to Monterrey

The recon team I was with consisted of four of us riding down together from Austin – David, Jerry, Matt, and I. Dave and Matt were both riding KLRs while Jerry and I were on Wee-Stroms.

We wanted to make a full adventure out of this trip, so instead of slabbing it all the way to Galeana in one day (a little more than 500 miles from Austin), we had decided to take 2 days to ride down. Day 1 we would ride pavement all the way to Monterrey and then spend Day 2 dual sport riding through the mountains south to Galeana.

We met up on Wednesday morning in the parking lot of Cabella’s in Buda, TX and our adventure was underway.

Matt & Dave, bikes packed, ready for Mexico


The ride to Monterrey was mostly uneventful. We took interstate 35 from Austin south almost all the way to Laredo. We didn’t want to cross at Laredo because we expected it to be very busy so we diverted northwest 30 miles to the crossing at Columbia. This proved to be a good choice as there was no traffic whatsoever when we got there. We were able to get our paperwork done without having to wait on even a single person in front of us.

Matt just beginning his paperwork drill


Dave finishing up his paperwork


It was good to be back in Mexico. I sure like riding here.

Once the paperwork was completed, we headed south on highway NL 1. This highway appears to see little use, with most traffic taking the toll road between Laredo and Monterrey and we encountered very few vehicles until we reached the northern outskirts of Monterrey. Little traffic also means much fewer services like Pemex gas stations and restaurants. There weren’t a lot of choices along this route, but we didn’t need much. A late lunch stop at a small restaurant / store several miles south of the border was all we needed to stop for until reaching Monterrey.

Lunch at Restaurante El Alamo


$5.50 for a T-bone steak, frijoles, and tortillas


The chief cook and bottle washer (actually the only cook and bottle washer)


Dave waiting for lunch to finish cooking


The local motorcycle police stopped by to say hello


Once lunch was completed, we continued on our way. This part of Mexico is a flat, hot desert with no mountains in sight. About 100 miles later, though, the mountains came into view, giving us something interesting to look at and raising our excitement. Anticipation has a way of doing that, doesn’t it?

About mid-afternoon we reached the town of Bustmante. A friend had told me about some caves in the area and I wanted to see them. I spotted the sign directing us to the Grutas de Bustamante so we diverted west for 10km to check them out.

The caves of Bustamante are a ways up the left side of the canyon


We decided, in the interest of time, to not take the hike up the valley to the caves, settling instead for pictures of the area. The view looking back to the east was sure nice from up here.

Looking east from the caves parking lot


Unfortunately, that was the last of the good riding for the day. We hit traffic coming into Monterrey and rode in traffic for the rest of the day. Worse, the freeway that we took to the west side of town was under construction. Traffic was diverted off the 4-lane freeway to a side road and a 3-way unmarked intersection. As would be expected, this hopelessly snarled traffic creating a backup several miles long. While sitting in traffic I noticed that vehicles were passing me in the ditch next to the road, lane splitting (ditch splitting?) up to the front of the traffic jam. Hey, we are on adventure bikes and a ditch is no problem. All 4 of us dropped into the ditch and worked our way through the traffic jam. Dave called it urban dual sporting, which I thought was a great description. We eventually made it to the front, through the intersection, and on our way. I estimate we saved more than an hour of sitting in traffic with our Mexican lane splitting maneuver.

Once we reached the southwest side of Monterrey (actually the town of Santa Catarina, but I wasn’t able to tell where Santa Catarina ended and Monterrey began), we spent about an hour riding in traffic, looking for a motel. At this point the sun was down and we weren’t having any luck locating a place to stay. In an email to me a few days earlier, Milton had suggested we stay at the Best Western but our group wanted something more authentic Mexico and a little less expensive. Eventually we gave up and decided the Best Western would be fine. Luckily, right about then, a fellow on a Harley pulled up next to us at a stop light. I greeted him and asked him to guide us to the hotel, which he was happy to do. We pulled into the parking lot of the motel about 8 p.m., having spent 12 hours traveling. Long days on the road, arriving after dark and much later than expected turned out to be a main characteristic of this ride, as you will see.

Matt was concerned that his chain was worn out and thought it needed to be replaced. Being the squared away individual that he is he had everything he needed to conduct a chain change – new chain, chain punch, and chain link press.

Swapping out the chaim


Dinner was at the Cabrito & Steak Restaurante


After a bit of food and a few cold ones, off to bed we went looking forward to tomorrow. We anticipated about 8 hours of good dual sport riding on day 2, but little did we know that Mexico had something else in mind for us.

[AusFletch]

Originally Posted by Richard_

little did we know that Mexico had something else in mind for us.

Man, I have been eagerly waiting for this stuff. Great start! Don't be too coy. I am leaving for the same area in 5 days and need the vicarious thrill. I know I should be packing and planning but I prefer to share y'all's adventure.

[Richard_]

Originally Posted by AusFletch

I am leaving for the same area in 5 days...

Wish I was going with you. The riding there is wonderful! I'll be looking forward to your ride report upon your return.

[AusFletch]

Originally Posted by Richard_

Wish I was going with you. The riding there is wonderful! I'll be looking forward to your ride report upon your return.

We originallly planned a Mazatlan raid then shifted over to a Colonial loop due to time constraints but after reading Otto's reports and the start of yours we will likely shift even further east to check out the Sierra Madres. Keep it coming!

[miltonotto]

Originally Posted by DrBlackbird

Richard, Milton..........When we left you and headed down from the clouds, you were still working on the KLX. What was the final outcome, and how did you get the bike down the mountain.

Gary, I finally just buttoned it back up and pointed 'er down hill. Gravity finally cranked the motor, but it crapped out a couple of times on the way back to the hotel, only to restart with lots of improvisional mojo. We had no idea what we were doing, or at least, what the problem was. That evening and the next morning the KLX started right up and purred like a kitten!?! I rode it 300 miles north and it crapped out again on the outskirts of Nuevo Laredo. Miraculously I babied it right up to the bridge where it quit for the last time. I pushed it across the bridge, found storage, had it towed and took a bus home to Austin. Richard, Jerry and Dave were very patient and concerned..., for about 5 minutes, and I was left on my own.

Since then I have heard that the pilot jet takes over from the idle jet at about 3k RPM. I had been having trouble running below 3k RPM since Thursday. Hummmm. Plan on picking up the bike this weekend.

[Richard_]

Day 2: Now What Do We Do?

Several days prior to leaving on this trip I asked Milton if he was going to ride down with us. He was not able to get away Wednesday morning to ride with us but suggested he would meet up with us in Monterrey and ride with us on Thursday. The challenge was I didn’t know what motel we would be staying at in Monterrey, so we arranged for me to email him our location once we arrived. Once we arrived at the Best Western I sent him an email letting him know we were there and would be leaving at 9 a.m. the next morning.

As it turned out, Milton didn’t leave Austin until about 7 p.m. Wednesday night and arrived in Monterrey on Thursday morning. By the time he got my email and called the Best Western we had departed, missing his call by just minutes.

The first part of our Day 2 route had us entering into Canon Huasteca and riding south to the paved Hwy 20. The map shows the road going all the way through. However, a friend of Milton’s had told him that the road was partially washed out due to a hurricane that had come through Mexico a few months earlier. The friend suggested that one part of the road had been reduced to a short single-track section.

From the hotel parking lot we could see the entrance to Canon Huasteca in the distance. The rocks were a beautiful white color I had never seen before.

Approaching the entrance to Canon Huasteca


Right after we entered the canyon, we spotted this cave high up on a cliff wall


The canyon was beautiful and dramatic, with cliffs soaring into the sky on both sides of the road. We passed a park area that I’m sure is very popular. The road in was paved and we passed several cyclists out for their morning workout. The air was cool and the riding and scenery were fantastic.

A few miles later the pavement ended, replaced by a class 1 unpaved road. You could tell that the road was less traveled and that fewer people ventured in this far. Then we came up to a massively huge dam. Wow!, what a sight. How much water comes through this canyon during a rain that requires such an enormous dam? I don’t know and it was dry when we went through here.

The road through the dam


As we continued south, the road got worse and worse. In short order it became a class 2 road and then a few miles further it reduced down to a class 3 road. The road follows the dry stream bed south, actually using the stream bed as the road bed in many areas. The loose rocks made riding difficult in many areas, somewhat similar to riding in sand, except with sand pebbles the size of golf balls. Riding in the stream bed required caution because it was so easy to wash out the front tire and go down, which occurred a few times.

I was having a great time. The road was proving to be much more difficult than I expected but nothing that we couldn’t handle and the scenery was amazing. I’m pleased to report that the two Wee-Stroms took it all in stride. What an amazing bike the Wee is.

Taking a short break, hanging out with a cow


Matt on his KLR


The road got pretty treacherous in some areas. Fun, but nasty.


The loose rocks made riding difficult


The road won a few rounds. Not many, but a few


After several hours of riding we came upon Cosme, herding his goats. He lived in the canyon, many hours of travel from the nearest town. We stopped to visit and he told us there was no way to get through south, that the road was completely impassible. I was reluctant to believe him, knowing that if it was true we would have to backtrack for hours because there was no other way out of here. We discussed it and decided to continue up the road to see for ourselves. Perhaps Cosme was underestimating what the bikes were capable of doing.

A short distance later we encountered two guys on 4-wheelers riding north. They had been riding south ahead of us and were forced to turn back because the road was impassible. Reluctantly, we abandoned our attempt to make it south to Hwy 20, turned around and began the long journey back.

The end of the road. The road is impassible ahead and now we have miles of backtracking to do.


Day 2 to be continued...