December 21st 2023 – Mascota, Mexico

3 days in Durango did nothing to change our positive impression of Mexico.

In the US we mostly avoided congested areas. No reason for that in Mexico. The country is generously sprinkled with charming old colonial towns and equally interesting bigger cities. The atmosphere is relaxed and people are obviously enjoying life and having fun to a degree where it is contagious. There are significantly less drug addicts, mentally ill and homeless people occupying the public space compared with the US.

Leaving Durango we followed Fed. 40 towards the coast. Several people had told us about the road in advance. It has been praised as one of the best motorcycle roads in the world. High expectations can easily lead to disappointment, but not in this case.
The 300 kilometers of twisty tarmac from Durango to the Pacific coast is nothing short of amazing. The riding is super fun and the ever changing scenery spectacular. The icing on the cake is the lack of traffic. Almost everyone prefers the new 70 km shorter and 2 hours faster highway.

As we approached The Pacific ocean both temperature and humidity increased. It was good to get off the bikes and out of the riding gear in Mazatlan. We stayed downtown at a hotel with a garage right by the reception desk. A couple of motorcycle cops hung out at the hotel all evening. Talk about secure parking.

We still had little over an hour’s daylight left and wanted to make the most of it. We headed for the El Faro Lighthouse at the peak of Cerro del Crestón. It was a nice but strenuous walk. The last 360 steps to the top ensured that we were dripping with sweat when we arrived – just in time to enjoy the sunset.

Darkness settled as we made our way back to downtown Mazatlan to meet up with Fin.
A week earlier on the outskirts of Creel we had pretended not to see him when he tried to wave us down. He didn’t get the hint and had now lured us in with the promise of a free meal (yes we are that cheap).
He was waiting for us outside Hector’s Bistro. It was an upscale restaurant. Katrine and I had dried up somewhat, but were woefully underdressed. Too late to do anything about that.
As expected from a fellow advrider inmate Fin turned out to be good company. He set out from Silverthorn, CO late November. Like us he is meandering his way south with no fixed schedule.
Fin had spent the previous evening by the bar at Hector’s and befriended the owner. Hector, who is also a rider, came over and talked while we waited for our food.

After dinner we walked with Fin back to his abode. I wanted to have a closer look at the monstrosity he’s riding. MechanicO was born as a BMW F800GS, died as an infant and got revived by Fin who then did a full blown Frankenstein on the poor thing. If you are into nerdy technical stuff and have too much time on your hands the  build thread is worth a read.

We got up early in the  morning to escape before the heat descended on the town.
The hot and humid coastal climate wasn’t our cup of tea. Luckily the humidity dropped as we moved inland.

In our rush to get out of town we had left without breakfast. A hearty Mexican brunch at a roadside restaurant made up for that. The place was empty and seemed like it had just opened when we arrived. When we left, the place was packed with families in high spirits, dressed up in their finest enjoying a Sunday lunch together. The atmosphere was great.

Country roads carried us south through the lowlands between the mountains and the Pacific. It was a nice ride surrounded by exotic plants and with plenty to look at. We had stopped at a gas station to get an ice cream when a convoy of policia estatal pulled in. They needed fuel for the cars and caffeinated drinks for the men. They brought a very friendly dog. All the officers treated it with snacks and pats.

Mid afternoon the roads started to twist and climb. They delivered us to Tepic, the state capital of Nayarit. It was wonderful to be back at elevation. The air was still warm but dry and crisp.
We had initially booked 1 night in the city. The hotel was so nice we had to extend our stay to 3 nights.
It was a charming old hotel with huge trees between the buildings and a classic tiled swimming pool – perfect for a cold dip every day after workout.

Downtown was an easy 15 minute walk from where we stayed. The whole city was dressed for Christmas. There was constantly something going on – concerts, parades and markets. After dark everything got turned up a notch and people came out in force.

The biggest park in town was just across the street from the hotel.
A one kilometer undulated running track with a rubber tarmac surface meandered its way through the park. It was fun doing laps.
The park also had its own train tracks and station, multiple playgrounds, workout stations, a stable with horses and cows, a big open air scene and an ice skating field. The ice skate field was only open at night. Maybe 1 out of 100 had the faintest clue about how to skate. It was hilarious to watch people drag themself along the barrier and still fall over left and right. The people falling were also laughing their ass off.

Eventually it was time to move on.
Next stop was Mascota – another Pueblo Magico. My GPS suggested a 4 hours/ 300 km route back towards the coast. So did Gmaps at first, but after teasing it a bit it came up with another suggestion – a 6 hours/200 km route through the mountains. With no desire to return to the humidity at the coast we decided on the mountain route.
The roads got smaller and the traffic sparse as we worked our way into the mountains.

About ⅓ into the day’s ride the broken up tarmac was replaced by dirt roads in various conditions. Surrounded by dense vegetation the riding became challenging and adventurous. We navigated steep twisty roads, crossed rivers and passed through secluded villages with cobbled streets. Katrine was spent and covered in dust by the end, but it had been a good experience.
The last 40 kilometers to Mascota on road 544 rewarded us with a ribbon of super smooth and twisty tarmac. We let the Rallys stretch their legs after hours at low speed.

Airbnb guided us to an old colonial style  house by the church at the central square. On Airbnb the host only offered street parking, but when I contacted her in advance she promised secure parking for our bikes. Upon arrival we rode the bikes through a small gate and parked them under the trees in the enclosed courtyard. Perfect. Zack and Annie, a couple from Comox on Vancouver Island, also stayed at the hotel. They invited us to share a bottle of tequila. We talked late into the evening. 

Mascota is a charming town. We have divided our time between doing laundry, hanging out in the courtyard at the hotel writing and exploring the area on foot. Everywhere we go we are met with polite and friendly curiosity. Again and again we get involved in long interesting conversations with the locals. After 3 weeks in the country the Mexicans have won our hearts.