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The Mountain Recon DS Ride, Monterrey, Mexico, Oct 11-14, 2007

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Hey Gang,

Based on intel from Milton Otto and the ride reports on the area, I've come up with 10 proposed recon routes for our group. For those of you with GPS I've posted the routes up on the web site in .gpx format. Here's the link: GPS Routes
 
Well looks like I was able to work out my passport issues in time and it will be here on saturday. So can go ahead and lock me in for this. I am stoked to go cant wait.
 
Well looks like I was able to work out my passport issues in time and it will be here on saturday. So can go ahead and lock me in for this. I am stoked to go cant wait.

Sweet! You are now officially on the list for the trip. See you at the tech day.
 
I'd like to minimize the trauma and focus on the good stuff Fri. Sat. Mainly interested in avoiding extended 4 lane slab/toll rds., Laredo hassles and bypassing Monterrey if possible.
:rider:
Hey Guys, for what it's worth: The best way to bypass Monterrey (Mty) is South on 85 from Laredo (or Columbia) then just shy of Mty take Saltillo Cuota (toll rd) West. Toll roads (Cuotas) are essentially Mexican versions on US Interstates. Now I know this sounds boring to you guys but its the best way to bypass Mty and get on down to Galeana. Don't you want to get as far away from the border in the least amount of time? Get to the real Mexico, south of Monterrey. Besides, toll roads are safe, in addition to fast. Consider this: Its 283 miles between Nuevo Laredo and Galeana via 85/57 Cuotas all the way, took me 5 hrs June 2007 highballing it single-mindedly in my Chevy Blazer, stopping only for gas and tolls. And that's from the Mexican side of Laredo. This, simply, is the quickest way to Galeana.

You can count on 1 hour at the border even if you already have your papers from the Mexican consulate in Austin!

The Columbia Border. Interesting to say the least, but remember they close (yes close the border) at midnight. Don't know when they open in the am, maybe 8? Also, the Texas toll road that connects Columbia to I-35 closes at 10pm. So Columbia, although there is usually nobody there and is a dream to negociate, is say 40 + 40 = 80 miles out of your way.

I know if you've already made up your mind I ain't gonna convince you, but Laredo is not bad.

Going around the east side of Mty? I don't really know that way but I'm always looking for suggestions of how to get thru the big city of Monterrey. I kinda skirt the old centro of Mty to the west and then south which keeps me out of the warehouse districts. Follow signs to 85 (Victoria) Go past Montemorelos on 85, to Linares, then west at Linares towards San Roberto and Galeana. More interesting but longer and remember, this way you gotta go thru Mty, which hey, won't kill'ya.

Alternately you can cross at Reynosa, that way you get further south while still in the US. From Reynosa to Galeana is approx 213 miles, which sounds great but took me about 6 hrs, not including stops, but that was thru China.

leave .... Wednesday morning.... take the cutoff to Columbia, Tx and cross the border there (smaller crossing, probably faster and easier). Take NL1 to the north side of Monterrey and overnight.
On Thursday morning, enter the mountains south of Santa Catarina .... and run the mountain roads south all the way to Galeana.
:rider:
2 days to Galeana, the back way. Hummmm, I'm interested. Never done NL1. The backroads from Mty thru Huasteca Canyon, Cienega and on to Rayones and Galeana could take 8 hrs but maybe..... I'll have to ck my notes on that one but I like it.
 
Great help Milton!

85 to 57 to 31 seems to be a fairly easy route. It checks out on livesearch at about 283 miles taking 4 hours and 36 mins. This route I believe would be reasonable being all toal/slab. If I end up riding down alone this route appeals to me.

The route from Santa Caterina looks fun. Not so confident on the back roads though, definately not alone. Slower speeds but more direct.

Thanks for your advice!
Les
 
Not so confident on the back roads though, definately not alone.
Not yet, anyway. That's what this trip is all about, Les, an introduction to the possibilities of fun & adventure awaiting you in the often intimidating yet usually benign land of Mexico. I'm looking forward to it.
checks out on livesearch at about 283 miles taking 4 hours and 36 mins.
What? I checked air pressure in my trailer tires a couple of times, otherwise I was cookin'.
 
Looks like the plan is firming up....2 for sure, 2 maybe. We will be riding from Austin on Tuesday Oct. 9th and heading into Mexico. Depending upon dparture time, we will stay in Laredo, Nuevo Laredo, or hopefully even as far as Monterrey or surrounding area. We will then wake early on the 10th and ride to Real de Catorce, spend the night and pull into Galeana before 6:00 pm on Thursday the 11th.

We will ride with this group on the 12th and 13th and on the 14th, we will head towards the Copper Canyon to ride the Chabochis Rally http://www.chabochismotorally.com/ from the ADVrider crowd, arriving in Creel on Tuesday October 16th. WQe will ride there until Friday the 19th and work our way back to Austin over the weekend.

We will be riding GS1200's, and if anyone would like to ride as a group for any part, or all we welcome the company.

We rode over 5600 miles through Mexico earlier this year and have many trips through the areas we will be going to and through, however I have never done this actual trip.

Sounds like it'll be a hoot!!!!
 
Anybody know what the weather has been doing to the roads in the area
Looks like the hurricanes have been getting the place a little wet,,,,,
I have looked at the weather maps but does not show the roads.......
Mike
 
Go to Mexico weather.
On that active weather map, we'll be going to that little narrow "waist line" part of the state of Nuevo Leon about halfway between the "c" in the label "Mexico" and Laredo on the border. No, it won't show the roads.

This is not exactly the same map as the active weather map (link), but another way of looking at our target area is this
191888393-L.jpg


Mauricio, a tour guide at www.Matacanes.net/ emailed me this today, regarding Mexico weather in the Cola de Caballo area:

“Can you resend me this mail late September, right now we have no problem
with any of this roads, but it could rain more… I will be doing Garganta del
Diablo next Saturday (near Mesa del Oso), and we went to Casillas last
Saturday to Alamar and Misterios… the roads were fine until then.

Let me know when you come, maybe I could join you… I have a Honda CRX230…”
 
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Hey Richard, Getting close enough to think about hotel reservations. Where are we at on this? Should I mention "Recon Ride"?

Also, I'm pretty well bent on crossing Thursday early.."early" a.m. I know CeeBee will caravan with me and I think Cagiva might also. Any others wanting to cross on Thursday a.m.?

One last thing. Any luck with MightyMouse and the trail tracks?:trust:
 
Thumper,

I've been talking with Felipe, the hotel manager, monthly so as to keep him up to date on our visit. As of last week he had rooms for us and didn't indicate there were any problems.

The challenge with making reservations with the hotel is that they don't take credit cards.

All that being said, if you or anyone else wants to call down there and talk to the hotel about a reservation, please feel free to do so. It won't hurt anything. FYI, I haven't found anyone there that speaks any English so if you do call you will need to speak Spanish.

Unfortunately, Mighty Mouse doesn't have his trail tracks in his GPS.
 
I'm going. Will anybody else be riding a "faux" DS bike ? Combinations of rutted, muddy, rocky, or steep will probably have me seeking pavement, but I intend to give the dirt a shot. I've procured extra levers just for the occasion.

Dick Jacobs, are you still riding down from Dallas?
 
Hey Gary , The ol' R80GS should be completed this weekend . I will
Run it thru multiple low water crossings like last weekend.
I figure any streams in Mexico over 3' - 4' + in depth.
4 of us could tote one bike across at a time by putting
a small tree timber thru our spokes or between a frame tube.

Everybody watch Treasure of Sierra Madre before the trip!!!!

James in Sealy Tx.
 
That was the Cycle World description in a recent comparo.

I read that magazine comparison where they compared the new Tiger to the V-Strom, Multistrada, and Ulysses on paved roads only. I have to admit that the basic premise of the comparison seemed pretty lame to me. It told me which adventure bike of those 4 is the best road bike, but it didn't tell me which, of all the road bikes available, was the best road bike. How does the new Tiger compare to the FZ1, Bandit, etc? I mean if we are going to stick to pavement only, why not compare all the paved road only bikes in the comparison? What's next - a comparison of 4 motocross bikes to see which one is the best trail bike using the rational that most motocross bikes are not raced?

Okay, rant over. Despite that comparison, I routinely ride my Wee on class 1 & 2 unpaved roads and expect to do so in Mexico on this trip.
 
Add two more to the mix.....Frank Colson from Katy, KLR650......and James McCanless from Sealy, BMW800
.

Done.

Welcome, Frank and James!

James, are you going to ride that BMW on the unpaved roads?
 
Apparently Richard,....You don't know James too well........
.
Last weekend had him doing full lock doughnuts in a 1ft deep Texas back roads river crossing. All the while with a silly grin on his face while perched on his "Ural". Yeah, the Boy can ride. He's stripped this old GS down to bare bones.......He's also packin real lite, he's only bringing one change of under wear, and one set of socks.....Hmmmmm...
.
So my figuring is that the last man to arrive to Galeana, has to "Bunk" with James............;-)
.
.
.
.Movie>> http://rogerebert.suntimes.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20031012/REVIEWS08/310120301/1023
.
.The first picture you see in this movie clip is "Fast forward to Oct 12th 2007.....It's the three of us, James, Gary and Frank. With James saying, "What do we do now, since my BMW is broken".......and of course you know how the movie ends, with my character saying........"You should have bought a KLR"................................Lol
 
Hey Richard,

Thinking of adding my name to the list.
Not quite sure how I would get down there, possibly haul the bike to S. Texas and leave the truck, then ride across. I am curious if you have a route already mapped out (no GPS) to get to Galeana from any S. Texas crossing.

If anybody has any room let me know. Or wants to ride with me let me know. I'm up for any suggestion. I am in Montgomery, Tx.

I'll be on a 650L FWIW.

Thanks, Les

:tab I will be leaving Huntsville Wednesday with truck and trailer. I was thinking of heading to McAllen to take advantage of MightMouse's storage offer for the truck/trailer. I have one trailer that can take three 650 sized DS's and another that can handle five. I hope to make McAllen early enough that I can take care of all the paperwork that evening so that Thursday morning we could just ride on down to Galeana. I've not decided on a route from McAllen to Galeana, regardless I would MUCH rather have someone to ride with. I am not opposed to crossing at Laredo if there are more folks crossing there. Like I said, I'd really prefer to hook up with some other folks. I speak pretty much no Spanish. :doh:
 
Richard , Sin duda !!! (without doubt) I will ride the BMW on paved roads, arroyos , goat trails , just about anywhere it'll squeeze thru. Its like a dirt bike.

"I stay dirty for a reason. If you've been riding dirt as long as i have,
you'll notice that the combination of dirt and body oils will make you
WATERPROOF "
 
My bad. I thought you were riding a new parallel twin BMW F800, not an older GS. I was thinking about following you around with my camera to get pics of how the F800 handled the dirt.
 
Saturday I plan on going to Eagle Pass and riding over to Allende and take care of paperwork in advance. Anyone want to meet up and go?

James in Sealy
 
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