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Train Ride In The SkyCopper Canyon, MexicoBy Valerie SummersTales of the mammoth Copper Canyon in the Sierra Tarahumara and its scenic touring train drew me to Mexico where I traveled through the states of Sinaloa and Chihuahua. Situated at the southern end of the Rockies in the northern part of the Western Sierra Madre, the Tarahumara mountain range houses one of the longest and deepest canyon systems in the world. Those who compare the Grand Canyon to the Barrancas del Cobre, it’s Spanish name, must be short sighted since it dwarfs its cousin to the north both in scope and depth, encompassing 25,000 square miles. The enormous difference in elevation from the top to the bottom of the canyons, nearly 9,000 feet, has created two drastically different climates and a huge range in temperature, hence an enormous variety of flora and trees. En route to and from the canyon area, charming towns and villages lured me to stop and explore. My visit began in Los Mochis, a port city on the Sea of Cortez and the agricultural capital of the state of Sinaloa. I stopped for lunch at one of the best seafood restaurants I have encountered worldwide before continuing on to my first overnight stop in El Fuerte. New and attractive and appearing somewhat out of place, El Farallon, La Cocina del Mar, offered a menu of fresh, exquisitely presented, and magnificently prepared seafood, mostly shellfish. The dining room was jammed with happy eaters including me.
The Tarahumara Indians were a part of the scenery at most of the stops, ready with their handmade goods including musical instruments, carvings and woven baskets as we got off the train or just stopped for a few minutes in a train station. They did not hawk their wares, but stood quietly, hoping for a sale. This region has been the homeland of the Tarahumaras for thousands of years and they have preserved their traditional, nomadic lifestyle. They live in caves and other simple shelters while practicing subsistence farming. Considered the world’s greatest long distance runners, they race up and down canyons both for transportation and sport. Integrity and honor continue to be primary values for the these gentle, nomadic people.
On to Cerocahui, a small, friendly Mexican/Tarahumara village, where I stopped in each of the small shops which surrounded the plaza and found the people eager to converse. No mean feat considering my poor Spanish vocabulary. I heard the laughter of children as I wandered the streets and discovered several schools, mostly for Tarahumara children.
The accommodations at each of the towns I visited were pleasant surprises with clean, comfortable, spacious rooms, usually built around flower filled grassy courtyards. I dined at my hotel at each stop and enjoyed traditional meals, always served with plenty of just made tortillas. My visit began in Los Mochis and ended in Chihuahua, with Pedro Palma, an outstanding guide accompanying me on my journey I was comfortably seated in his new air conditioned SUV en route to and from the train and while exploring the outlying areas. Along the way I was entertained and enlightened with his tales of the Tarahumara Indians, of Pancho Villa, the Mennonite camps and of the history of the train in the sky. More information:Aeromexico
provides comfortable, safe, on-time service to more than 45 Mexican cities. Balderrama Chain
Hotels including Posada de Hidalgo in El Fuerte and Hotel
Mision in Cerocahui. Chepe (Chihuahua
al Pacifico Railroad), operated by MerroMex, the Ferrocarril Mexicano Hotel
Divisadero Barrancas
Mexico Tourism Board El
Farallon Tara Adventures,
Copper Canyon Specialist Expedition and Guide Service offers a breadth of
services in all price ranges. |
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TM
Fifty miles later, I
arrived, by car, in the colonial town of El Fuerte, with its manicured
plaza, red roofed gazebo, palm trees, tropical foliage and benches filled
with people in animated conversation. I enjoyed a river float in the late
afternoon, spotting a flock of vultures dramatically perched on a leafless
tree, on the lookout for their next prey. This area is a bird watchers
paradise which includes an impressive cross section of the more than 1,000
species which inhabit Mexico. Just a block from the hotel, I wandered around
the multi-arched Palacia Municipal, a stunning adobe colored structure
encircling an enormous courtyard, built in the early 1900’s.
The next morning I
boarded an air conditioned passenger car of the Chihuahua al Pacifico
Railroad, known as Chepe, all shiny and clean with comfortable, roomy lounge
chairs and adjustable window shades. I explored the next few cars and
discovered a dining car and lounge where several fellow travelers were
sipping cold drinks while enjoying the view. In the mid 19th
century, Albert Kinsey Owens, a member of the Utopia Socialist Colony of New
Harmony, Indiana, first conceived of a railroad in this part of the world
but its actual construction began in the late 19th century, he
having no part in it. It became one of Mexico’s most impressive engineering
feats, penetrating the formidable Sierras. It was not until November 24,
1961 that the train got underway along its 405 mile route, its purpose, to
promote tourism in the area and provide the state of Chihuahua with access
to the sea. As we surged along the rails on this train ride in the sky,
skirting the Copper Canyon, we crossed dozens of bridges over rushing
streams and passed through several of its more than 85 tunnels, some over a
mile long. The scenery changed as we rounded each curve from towering,
jagged mountain peaks, rugged cliffs and waterfalls to lush greenery and
fields of flowers.
I disembarked at
Bahuichivo, checked into my hotel and was driven to Mirtador del Cerro del
Gallego lookout to view the Urique Canyon, the area’s deepest and most
famous chasm. What is popularly known as Copper Canyon is in reality
composed of an intricate maze of several canyons. Although I was itching to
hike down and explore the area, rain was threatening, so I contented myself
with a walk along the rim shaded by huge pines and oaks. Looking down, the
tiny thread of sparkling water which caught my eye turned out to be the
Urique River which was responsible for carving out the astonishing canyon
landscape. 
The next train stop at
Divisadero deposited me just across the street from my hotel, my room
situated at the very edge of the canyon’s precipice with an unobstructed
view as far as the eye could see. We drove to Balancing Rock, precariously
situated at the canyon’s edge where daredevils often come to rock the large
stone back and forth, then continued onward at 7,500 feet passing the
Continental Divide with hoodoos and lime colored lichen clinging to the
canyon’s soaring cream and golden colored cliffs.
and hanging them to dry on a
nearby fence. We stopped at Valle de los Hongos y Ranas, a remote area with
unusual rock formations, many of which looked like giant mushrooms.
Suddenly, and seemingly from out of nowhere, several Indian women, dressed
in handmade brightly colored garb appeared, crafts in hand, then sat quietly
by the rocks displaying their wares. This was the last stop on my Copper
Canyon adventure before heading into the city of Chihuahua to depart for
home.