Another Monterrey Ride

[Swapeti]

My friend Roger and myself were able to make another Monterrey, Mexico ride with our South Texas friends just before Thanksgiving. Two riding days last year just wasn’t enough. This year we planned for four riding days in the Sierra Madre mountains. We wanted to explore some areas that we read about in the Recon report.
Travel plan was to drive Alejos pickup and pull a trailer with the bikes. We breezed through getting our entry permits at Reynosa and hit the toll road. No problems till lead foot Ronnie gets stopped for speeding in Santiago. $40 bucks now or surrender your license till you settle the citation. Easy choice if you have a spare license.



Alejos had set us up with a great place to stay again in La Cienega. The cabins we had last year were booked so he convinced the owners to let us use their personal one. Nice.







Our friend, MightyMouse, couldn’t make it this trip. He turned on us because we were leaving him behind and even called us some bad names before we left Weslaco. We still spoke well of him even though we knew he wouldn’t have been able to hang with us when the going got tough. I even included him in some shots just like he was there.



The first days ride we started down the canyon out of La Cienega. A few miles in we arrive at the El Salto falls where water was flowing last year.



Around the corner is a sheer wall with something red suspended.



As we get closer you can see that there are some ropes and a cot hanging there. Whoever climbed that has some skill and possibly a death wish.



A little further downstream is the washed out area that stopped us last year. We walked it then decided we could ride back up if it got worse further on.



Roger decided to walk his bike through these loose rollers near the bottom.



We continued following the river then when we turned out onto the road to El Pajonal and met this guy on his XT250. As usual Alejos or Ronnie stopped him and struck up a conversation about the road we were on or the next town. As usual me and Roger are waiting for a morsel of english to come our way.



El Pajonal. 16 inhabitants when they painted the town sign.



We were riding some goat trails around Puerto El Conejo or El Carmen and taking a break when a guy walked down off a mountain with his dogs. He said his name was Plata Silver. In a conversation with Alejos we found out their was a real moto trail nearby that traveled along the North ridge that he had came down from. When Alejos mentioned our friends Antonio and Toya he said he was related to them. Small world.



After stopping for fuel and food in Los Cedritos we headed toward Antonio’s place near El Alamo. We took a little side road to the top of this mountain and could look down in the next valley to the south. Down in the valley behind MightyMouse you can see some villages that I think are La Baratilla and Rancho Alegre.



Stopped by and visited with Antonio and Toya for a while. He said about 6 months ago he had a stroke and had to sell his goat herd. Seems like he has had total recovery. He now plans to make his living from fruit trees. He invited us to come back for breakfast tommorrow.



Back at our little cabin Alejos and Roger work on cooking our dinner.



Life is good in La Cienega again.



We head back over to Antonio’s the next day. Toya is cooking while Antonio talks with Ronnie and Alejos. He knows a lot about medicinal plants. When we stopped by the day before he served up some syrupy clear liquid out a coke bottle. I didn’t understand what he said it was but the taste was like something made from fresh corn. Very sweet. I was wrong though. He said it came from one of the plants he is standing by in the pic.



It got old asking Ronnie or Alejos what he was saying but after a while they started including us the conversation.



Toya kept the tortillas coming. She even made extra to take with us.



Yes, we ate too much but dang it was good.



We said our good byes and headed back to La Cienega. Alejos picked up a padlock key to an area I consider 21 miles of dirt bike heaven. The area dozer roads are isolated and gated. The owner maintains any wash outs but no one is allowed to go there, unless you know the caretaker. Lots of good climbs and good dirt. A great place to run WFO and not worry about oncoming traffic. Some of the trails dead end but one we followed came out at a locked gate a few miles East of La Cienega.











Getting a closer look at some weird plants growing on this tree.



We were hungry again when we came back through the gate so we headed over to a local nightspot on N.L.20 owned by Alejos friend Beto. This place is just around the corner from the Cola de Caballo falls.



This place is just around the corner from the Cola de Caballo falls.
Good food, nice scenery.



Ronnie and Alejos were wishing they had lights before we got all the way back.



The next day we headed back up N. L.20 to Puerto Genevevo. This is an entry point to the Parque Nacional, Cumbres De Monterrey. They have a park employee sitting under an EZ-up selling entry tags for $2. I think paying is voluntary but it was worth every peso.
These local guys rolled up while we were there and told us the way to one of the falls.



There were so many water crossings I lost count. Some were kinda deep with big rocks.

Ronnie had problems with this one.



We finally made it to this falls. Posas de Chipitin



We looked around for a way to continue on and found a few cow trails but they all faded to nothing. We backtracked to a crossroads we passed on the way down headed toward Potrero Redondo. We passed up the walk down to the Cascada de Chipitin falls after a local said she had lived there all her life and hadn’t seen it.



We went through a lot of small muddy towns then stopped at this turnout to talk to another moto guy there.



This guy said he was from Brighton, England and taught english in Monterrey. I don’t remember his name but he had to be David Knight’s brother to ride that 70’s technology 185 Suzuki to get to the point that he was. He was more than concerned about making it over the next mountain before dark.



Allende is almost in sight.



The last creek crossing before town.



7-11 means we’re back in civilization and looking for food again.



Stopped at this roadside café in Santiago. It was good.



The next day we headed over through Mesa de Oso on the way to Rayones.





This is an interesting crossroads because I think if you turned left you would end up in the area we were in yesterday. We have to check that out next year.



Found this great place to eat in Rayones.



If you go to Rayones eat here, it’s good.



Headed back through Cienega del Toro, Tampico, Escobedo. Between Los Lirios and Canon de San Isidro I slid down on the slick pavement on one of the hairpins. I did some damage to my right shoulder but was able to pick my bike up and finish the ride back to La Cienega. Only the topes were a problem. Packed up and headed back the next day. I had some X-rays taken at a clinic in Weslaco. They showed a big freakin gap between where the collarbone is supposed to be attached. I’ll be going to the shoulder specialist today to find out the damage.



Anyway we completed another great trip with my south Texas friends to one of my favorite places to ride. Saw our Mexican friends and met some new ones. I know that when the snow starts blowing I’ll be ready to go again. Hope my shoulder is ready soon.

[TexasShadow]

.........why am I sitting here in this building... in this city.... when I could be out there and.......... <sigh>

That was fantastic. Thank you.
I want to go...............

Take care of that clavicle/shoulder now. It will come back to haunt you if you don't. A quick mend to you and many many more rides to come.

[The Bruce]

Hope it all goes back together well. Thanks for the beautiful pictures.

[thumper]

Great pics! Thanks for sharing.

[kingwing]

awesome thanks

[jsb223]

Some of those pics are amazing...

[Cagiva 549]

Out standing picts . The picture with the trees accross the road looks like one I rode 20 years ago , between Artege and San Jaun Bautista . Give your self a couple hours but do check out the Chipitan falls if you are ever there again . SEYA

[MIGHTYMOUSE]

Dave that looks just like my dislocated collarbone, ouch. Takes a couple of months before you can really ride and thats if you take good care of it. Bummer. Anyhoo looks like the ride was epic as always and I was certainly wishing I was there with you guys picking up Alejos and Ronnie off the ground as usual and trying to keep up with you Dave, oh well maybe next year. At least you were thinking about me and included me in the report, thanks. You could have found a better pic though. Say hi to Roger.

[Trail Boss]

Excellent report and pics. Thanks for sharing.

[Swapeti]

Originally Posted by MIGHTYMOUSE

Dave that looks just like my dislocated collarbone, ouch. Takes a couple of months before you can really ride and thats if you take good care of it. Bummer. Anyhoo looks like the ride was epic as always and I was certainly wishing I was there with you guys picking up Alejos and Ronnie off the ground as usual and trying to keep up with you Dave, oh well maybe next year. At least you were thinking about me and included me in the report, thanks. You could have found a better pic though. Say hi to Roger.

Missed you on this one but maybe you can make the next one. Alejos picked up your slack on the barbeque though.
Since we stayed in the big cabin I don't know if I can go back to the others. It was really nice.
What do you mean about the picture. THAT was your best picture.
I never had to help Alejos except when he drowned his bike in the creek. It was Ronnie that crashed all over the place. Roger told him he couldn't ride worth sheet but was a tough ***. We saw this quite often.

[Lyle]

Thanks for the ride report and pics!

Now I'm hungry and wishing we had one of those little restaurants here...

[TexasShadow]

What size bikes were y'all on?
Will a 250cc do those routes okay?

[Swapeti]

Originally Posted by TexasShadow

What size bikes were y'all on?
Will a 250cc do those routes okay?

We were all on 450's.
A 250 would easily do everything we did. Probably get better mileage.
A 450 KTM is really nice all around though. Very smooth engine on the road. It's nice to have the extra power for road sections also.
The English fellow we met was doing it on that *** 185 Suzuki. For sure he was wishing he had something better though.