December 6th 2023 – Chihuahua, Mexico

Brian sent us off with an egg and bacon tsunami – the dogs with slobbery kisses.
At the border we would need printed copies of our MMFs. To get that we stopped by a UPS store before leaving Odessa.

This part of Texas is flat. No need to put curves in the roads. In the afternoon pumpjacks were replaced by goats and cattle.
Initially we had intended to spend a night or two near Big Bend and explore the area. We had to reevaluate that plan. Short days and cold nights made us rule out camping. Accommodation under a roof turned out to be ridiculously expensive most everywhere in a 100 miles radius of the park.
One exception was the town Alpine. It was Brian who suggested that we check it out. We found a nice motel on the outskirts of town for about ⅓ of anything found in Marathon only 30 miles away.
We arrived mid afternoon and were pleasantly surprised. The motel was really nice and a visit to downtown Alpine revealed a charming university town.

First light saw us packed and ready. We had a long day ahead of us and wanted an early start.
We gained altitude as we moved south. Soon mountains dominated the horizon in all directions.
Terlingua was one of the places with exorbitant prices we had checked out previously. I was puzzled as we passed through. The place looked like a hippie/hipster dump. I liked Alpine much better.
Rio Grande greeted us late morning and kept us company towards Presidio. The road along the river challenged The Twisted Sister’s claim as the best riding road in Texas.

We stopped for lunch at Subway in Presidio. I initiated a conversation with John and Lucy, a couple sitting next to us. He was a rider as well and had visited Mexico several times on his KLR. He had suggestions for where to go and what to see. Besides being a rider he was also the mayor of Presidio. They wished us a great time south of the border and asked us to reach out if we ever returned to the area.

We crossed the Rio Grande, prepared for our first Latin border crossing.
Duolingo has been our daily Spanish teacher for more than 3 years. We have a decent vocabulary but are still far from fluent. It took a minute to figure out where to go and do what. When that was sorted things went smoothly. Everyone was super friendly and helpful. The whole process took 1 ½ hours and they gave us 180 days in the country.
Mexico here we come!

There is a lot of nothing – besides mountains – when you head into Mexico from the Ojinaga/Presidio border crossing.
We needed to get a move on to make it to  Chihuahua before sunset. We still decided to take the northern, more twisty route. Poor road surfaces, railroad crossing and the infamous Mexican topes made us appreciate the upgraded suspension on our bikes. The pace was brisk.

The road was mostly deserted.
At one point we caught up to and passed an old pickup truck traveling well below the speed limit. Just before we passed, the driver threw a beer bottle out the window. As soon as we had passed he picked up the pace and started overtaking us in return. As they passed me, the guy riding shotgun leaned out the window and pointed at me with a pee pee gun. I couldn’t help cracking a smile – less than an hour into the country and someone was already putting in an effort to confirm the stereotype.

It was a scenic ride and we made good time as we chased the setting sun.
A quick search on booking.com en route had provided us with a room and secure parking in downtown Chihuahua. 
We arrived as dusk settled over the city. 10 hours on the road had left Katrine shattered.
With the bikes securely tucked away in a garage with dirt floor and all our belongings dragged to our cupboard sized room we stalked the neighborhood in search of food. We treated ourselves with a delicious and well deserved late dinner.

What little we had seen of Chihuahua enticed us to extend our stay.
The place we stayed at was nice and clean but cramped and very basic. There were a number of things we wanted/needed to sort out now that we had left the US behind and started a new stage of our journey.
In the morning we went for a walk in search of a more suitable basecamp. We were looking for a large room, “office facilities” with good wifi and secure parking for the bikes without breaking the bank. We had located a couple of likely candidats online but wanted to confirm they could deliver.
We ended up booking 3 nights at a charming old hotel close by and moved in at noon the same day.

The last couple of days have been a mix of playing tourist and time “at the office”. It has allowed us to find our feet, solve important tasks and plan a bit ahead.
Chihuahua has really whetted our appetite for Mexico!