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Blazing Saddles - a hot ride in Mexico

yes....a trip to rural Mexico is always a "Back to the Past" adventure....

But, Milton is well known in many small rural Mexico pueblos, both in the Old World and the new...but, not many of us knew that he had a previous career as an actor with Michael J Fox in a 1985 movie about a DeLorean time machine...



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Stingray Scott, John Thompson, Racer John. Vehicle Importation Permits, Anzalduas Immigration, Reynosa.
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Trail Boss Rich
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Vehicle permits in hand, ready to ride.
Mexican Immigration, Anzalduas Bridge, McAllen-Reynosa

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Presa Rodrigo Gómez, aka Presa "La Boca"
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Chipitin Falls and the road to Portero Redondo
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Some of the more extreme switchbacks have been paved. The Trinidad road.
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The Trinidad road, (photo from Dec 2012)
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Potrero Redondo never fails to satisfy

When I first rode this route about 6-7 years ago it quickly elevated to my favorite road in Mexico. Today it has a few challengers as "the best" but the road to Potrero Redondo remains a fantastic choice for the dual sport rider. As Milton noted above they have improved many of the steep switchbacks by laying down textured concrete, which makes this route significantly easier overall. At about 27 miles in length it takes about 3 hours to ride it assuming a moderate pace and stops along the way to take pics and visit with the locals. When riding the Galeana area I suggest it as one of the "must ride" roads.

Near the northern end we rode by this abandoned store.
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Mexican Mountain Cow - yes, that is a full-sized cow on the side of a cliff.
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Another view of the Mountain Cow
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The further south you go, the better the riding gets
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"Hey, Racer John, which way do we go?"
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"John are you having a good time?"
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Go, Milton, Go
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The road has lots of steep sections and switchbacks.
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A brief stop in Potrero Redondo to say hello to the locals.
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This little guy was too shy to talk to us.
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The final section of the road steeply climbs over the mountains, providing some of the best picture taking opportunities of the entire route.
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Racer John seriously contemplating abandoning his life in Texas and moving to Mexico. Either that or he's just waiting on my to finish taking this picture. It could be either one...
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Chuck having a good time
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Once we finished the route it was time for short break by a small river west of Allende.
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Unfortunately I was having battery issues with my DRZ and RacerJohn was having electrical issues with his KLR. Essentially my battery had began to die mid-ride and needed to be replaced. John's bike was probably only suffering from a loose connection that would need to be hunted down. We decided to overnight in Montemorelos as it was the closest, most likely choice for finding a replacement battery.

Once we we checked into a hotel John took his KLR apart in the parking lot and repaired the loose connection on the KLR. I was unable to locate a battery that would fit in the DRZ so it still remained an issue.
 
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More pics:
Monument on hill in Montemorelos
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View between Rayones and Galeana
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Dos Amigos
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Open spaces
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Nuff said
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Hanging with locals in Mimbres
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Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk
 
Brian your picture are making me sick...........





..................That I missed out on this wonderful ride. :clap:

Hope you and your bike are ok from the lowside.
Looking forward to your and Steve's future posts and pictures.

Lee, I am sorry you missed the ride also. It was a great experience.

I learned a lot on this trip and riding with Steve always helps me improve my riding abilities as he is a very skilled rider.

It was a great experience. I now have a better idea of which bike to bring (DRZ) and what to bring (not as much stuff as I packed for this trip). :lol2:
 
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Lee, I am sorry you missed the ride also. It was a great experience.

I learned a lot on this trip and riding with Steve always helps me improve my riding abilities as he is a very skilled rider.

It was a great experience. I now have a better idea of which bike to bring (DRZ) and what to bring (not as much stuff as I packed for this trip). :lol2:

Appears that a good time was had by all. :clap:
 
I wish I could have gone on this one. I have been wanting to go and explore this area. By looking at the pictures, can I infer that the roads are similar to the roads of Divisadero and the rest of Copper canyon?
Thanks for posting the pictures, I am enjoying them.
 
I'll back up to the start now. After about 150 miles of nothing great we got to Montemorelos. From just outside of town the Mountains just go up. No gradual anything, just up and you're suddenly in them. Mexico now had mine and Brian's full attention. The road was a lot of fun with some nice narrow twisties as it lead us to Rayones. You had to be on the look out for fallen rock everywhere and if you like road patches this is the road for you. I know it was the road for us.

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Yours truley
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The Wee fully loaded
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A brief stop in Rayones at the square for a coke and then onto our ultimate goal for the day, Galeana
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As always, HD settings are your friend.
[ame="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=aFDeTaXq34Q"]MexTrek, Day 1 to Rayones II - YouTube[/ame]
 
After watching the video again I realize that the bike on fire is not Richards.
I guess JT burned up the KLX trying to keep up with the Hot Rod DRZ :eek2:
 
Had a Great, Great, fantastic time!!! Never get tired of Mexico. :rider: Couldn't have ridden with a better group of guy's.
keeping up with the time line are a couple of pic;s

my roomie on day one
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Hotel in Montemorelos checking on the bikes or?

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Having fun now. Rest stop near Cola de Caballo Falls.
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Happy happy happy.
Scott Ray, my wing man. Portero Redondo road

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Trinidad road
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Tha crew.
End of the dirt for today.
Raices, NL (near Allende)

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Day 2.
Breakfast. Monte Salerno Hotel in Montemorelos.
Next time I might opt for Hotel Guidi in Linares, unless I was going to Rayones the next day.

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Tall tales always in order
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[B]Chilaquilas[/B]
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[B]Breakfast done. Burnin' daylight. Morning Bike check. Hotel parking lot. We are stoked.[/B]
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Let me say thank you to Rich, Milton, & JT for being the guides and leading the rides. Let me say thank you to Chuck, who was a big part of solving every mechanical bike challenge we had (and we had a few). And let me say thank you to Steve and Brian for joining up with us.

Here's a few pics from me:

Getting ready for some change!

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These pics are in chrono order on Portero Redondo. (I hope they are not too redundo).

First: The Boss:

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The hotel in Montemorelos was a little nicer than what I'm used to staying in on these Mexican adventures but I sure wasn't complaining. The plan was to stay overnight and utilize various parts stores to repair a few nagging bike issues.

John went right to work on his bike which seemed to be having an intermittent electrical issue. He ended up finding a loose connection, Richard's phone provided some much needed light.
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Richard was having a battery related issue but was unable to find a replacement in Montemorelos. He decided to fill the cells with water and ride for the day to see if it would start holding a charge.
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While back in Santiago JT had noticed his bike was leaking a small amount of oil. Digging into it he found a breather hose had split and made quick work on the repair.
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Seeing as how my trusty KTM didn't need any repairs I focused on more important issues:
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The team hit the road again, we were hoping to get back into the mountains soon but wanted to make one last stop in Linares to look for a new battery for Richards bike (just in case). We figured this would take only a few minutes and we'd get to spend the rest of the day exploring the mountains. We hopped on the hi-way and were making good time when my bike starting cutting out. It wasn't bad at first so I tried wishing it away, no luck there! A few more miles and the problem kept getting worse so I had to pull over where the bike ultimately died all together and wouldn't restart. At this point we decided to split into two teams. One team would stay and troubleshoot my KTM while the other rode into Linares in search of a battery.

On the KTM we quickly figured out it was an ignition issue, the bike wasn't getting any spark. We ended up finding the spark plug cap itself was bad. I was starting to think the trip was over for me until Chuck starting talking about the possibility of using the cap off of a car thinking that certain models might work. With a little more hope I suggested that they ride the 20 miles into Linares and see what they could find and then bring it back out to me. This is where Chuck and JT sprung into action and decided they could rig something up to get the bike to Linares under its own power. They attached a crimp-on connector to the coil wire and rounded out the other side of it to fit onto the spark plug. Even with the whole thing wrapped in electrical tape it was still arcing to ground so we added a tire patch to help insulate. The bike ran great and we were able to ride into Linares.
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At the Autozone Chuck found a cable that I could use. I "believe" it was from an older model VW. It took a little work attaching it to the coil but it fit nicely and I felt confident it would work for the rest of the trip (which it did).

With the entire group back together and the KTM running again we decided to mount up and head into the mountains. Besides, with all the repairs behind us what else could possibly go wrong??????
 
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You just can't make this stuff up. I love reading posts like this.
 
The hotel in Montemorelos was a little nicer than what I'm used to staying in on these Mexican adventures but I sure wasn't complaining. The plan was to stay overnight and utilize various parts stores to repair a few nagging bike issues.

John went right to work on his bike which seemed to be having an intermittent electrical issue. He ended up finding a loose connection, Richard's phone provided some much needed light.
IMG_5197-L.jpg


Richard was having a battery related issue but was unable to find a replacement in Montemorelos. He decided to fill the cells with water and ride for the day to see if it would start holding a charge.
IMG_5205-L.jpg


While back in Santiago JT had noticed his bike was leaking a small amount of oil. Digging into it he found a breather hose had split and made quick work on the repair.
IMG_5206-L.jpg


Seeing as how my trusty KTM didn't need any repairs I focused on more important issues:
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The team hit the road again, we were hoping to get back into the mountains soon but wanted to make one last stop in Linares to look for a new battery for Richards bike (just in case). We figured this would take only a few minutes and we'd get to spend the rest of the day exploring the mountains. We hopped on the hi-way and were making good time when my bike starting cutting out. It wasn't bad at first so I tried wishing it away, no luck there! A few more miles and the problem kept getting worse so I had to pull over where the bike ultimately died all together and wouldn't restart. At this point we decided to split into two teams. One team would stay and troubleshoot my KTM while the other rode into Linares in search of a battery.

On the KTM we quickly figured out it was an ignition issue, the bike wasn't getting any spark. We ended up finding the spark plug cap itself was bad. I was starting to think the trip was over for me until Chuck starting talking about the possibility of using the cap off of a car thinking that certain models might work. With a little more hope I suggested that they ride the 20 miles into Linares and see what they could find and then bring it back out to me. This is where Chuck and JT sprung into action and decided they could rig something up to get the bike to Linares under its own power. They attached a crimp-on connector to the coil wire and rounded out the other side of it to fit onto the spark plug. Even with the whole thing wrapped in electrical tape it was still arcing to ground so we added a tire patch to help insulate. The bike ran great and we were able to ride into Linares.
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At the Autozone Chuck found a cable that I could use. I "believe" it was from an older model VW. It took a little work attaching it to the coil but it fit nicely and I felt confident it would work for the rest of the trip (which it did).

With the entire group back together and the KTM running again we decided to mount up and head into the mountains. Besides, with all the repairs behind us what else could possibly go wrong??????
:eek2: This is the difference between riding with JT and company and riding with Izz and company. Izz would have pulled a brand new spark plug cable, wires, new battery, etc, etc from his bag. :lol2:
I am taking notes so when it happens to me I would know what to do. :trust:
 
Our team, Racer John, Rich & I leave Scott and the two mechanics on the highway and ride into Linares in search for a battery that will fit into a DRZ. We come upon an AutoZone right on the highway and get directions to an Italica motorcycle shop. Which we never found! After chasing wild geese here and there, I flagged down a guy on a ATV and asked where we could find a battery. He had to check in at home but promptly led us to a shop. And there we found a battery that kinda fit.

At the counter of the motorcycle parts store. This gal was running the store by herself.
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You gotta love Mexico
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The two-way radio sputtered to life. It's JT calling. His team is in Linares and they have set up camp at the AutoZone on the highway. Rich has the tracks on his GPS. Off we go.

Upon returning from our foray into Linares we find Chuck hard at work adapting the VW plug cap and wire to the KTM coil.
Chuck is a pretty handy guy to have around.

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Meanwhile, Trail Boss is down for the count
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Not one to shirk on his responsibilities, however, he can still give orders and advice
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with all the repairs behind us what else could possibly go wrong??????
 
Day 2 - Trouble, trouble, and more trouble

Those following this thread know that we had multiple bike issues starting the afternoon of day 1 and continuing into day 2. John's KLR had electrical issues that he was able to solve the evening of day 1 in the hotel parking lot. My DRZ battery was giving me fits and I was hoping to find a replacement in Montemorelos. JT's DRZ was dribbling oil from somewhere on the head and he needed to find and eliminate the cause. So day 2 began with bike repairs and maintenance in the hotel parking lot.

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With his KLR fixed, John mostly watched the action.
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Once we determined that a battery for my DRZ could not be procured locally, we decided to ride over to Linares and continue the search. Unfortunately, Scott's KTM690 quit running a few miles down the road.
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RacerJohn, Milton, and I left the fellows on the side of the road working on Scott's bike. In Linares I finally determined that I would not be able to get a properly sized battery for my DRZ so I bought one slightly larger and stuck it in my saddle bags just in case.

During this time the fellows completed a make-shift repair of Scott's KTM and were able to ride it to the Auto Zone in Linares...


...where we spent the rest of the day fighting bike problems.

After an hour or two Scott's bike was ready to go. With enthusiasm we all geared up, ready to ride when someone pointed out that Milton's bike was dribbling gasoline.
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Dang it. Off came the gear, out came the tools, and for the next 4 hours we tried to get Milton's bike running.
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Finally, about 4 or 5 pm all the bikes were running. At this point 5 of the 6 bikes had required some level of repair. Hot, tired, and disappointed with the way the day had gone, we decided to ride directly to Galeana for a cold beer or three.


We met up with Steve and Brian in Galeana.
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Blessedly, other than JT's small fire we didn't have any other significant bike issues the remainder of the trip.


Milton doing what Milton does.
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JT and RacerJohn
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This little guy was having a ball riding his bike on the plaza in Galeana.
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There's a new store on the plaza in Galeana. And it's really nice.
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The Galeana Plaza at blue hour
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Day 3 - The Good Stuff

After the disappointment of yesterday we had high hopes for today. We were headed south to ride the Agua Blanca route, one of the prettiest rides in the area. The threat of a bit of rain was not enough to deter us.

The guys looking for some breakfast
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Not breakfast. But somebody's lunch cooking on the street.
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The rain arrived before we got out of town
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We headed south toward Cuevas and on to Camarones. Ahhh...finally...the good stuff.

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How do you fix a collapsed bridge? Simple, just add a little dirt. Yep, that'll do it.
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After some really fun riding it was time for a short break in downtown Camarones.
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Francisco Villa, Tienda Proprietor
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Downtown Camarones
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