Canyon Geology |
Barranca de Batopilas is over 1800 meters (5,900 ft) in depth. That is within 38 meters of the deepest point of the Grand Canyon. The Barrancas del Cobre present a very different image than the sheer cliffs of the grand canyon, and do not yield the images of great depth as seen from the Kaibab Plateau's north rim. The barrancas appear much older and smoothed through the ages. The canyon walls are also verdant, supporting dense flora on its steeps.
Despite appearances, the Sierra Madre and its canyons are much younger than its grand cousin to the north. The Sierra Madre was created by violent tectonic upheavals and volcanic explosions, depositing mud and ash flows across the range. The Sierra madre is an intense example of physiography, yielding a broad land area of visually disparate features. Gully's, cliffs, ridges and slopes permeate the landscape, creating a giant catchment for the river below. A river we would soon be required to cross. |
The Batopilas Canyon switchbacks, leading to the canyon bottom |
La Bufa
(N27 06 42.1 W107 35 34.4)
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It is 25 km from Samachique to la Bufa, nearly half way to Batopilas. There is nothing of any consequence in La Bufa other than a sign pronouncing its official existence. A few homes and a guest house along the road encompass the place. After La Bufa we dropped down a series of tight switchback to the first of two bridges crossing the Rio Batopilas and its tributaries. |
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| One of the last switchbacks provided a stark reminder of driving these roads at excessive speed. A 2wd Ford Ranger with bald tires, worn to the cables hung to the edge of a 200' drop. The scene left evidence of the near fatal mistakes of the driver. The truck slid sideways across the loose gravel, digging a smoothed swath from the tires. The brakes where locked and the steering wheel at full turn, which left the driver with zero control. I can just imagine his thoughts as the truck launched to the edge sliding over the precipice. This guy is the luckiest man in Mexico, as a 4" diameter sapling caught the rear of the truck. The sapling was bent severely, with the body slid half way up the trunk. That was all that kept the vehicle and driver from total destruction. We talk of how the driver must have sat in the seat shaking, clutching his rosary and saying a prayer of thanks... |
 Ouch! |
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The first of the two bridges is wide, with heavy timbers laid across steel trusses. The excitement of the bridge crossing for the Tacoma crew was the width of the heavy timbers, causing the tires of the truck to hang over the rotting cross beams below. We could see where other narrow vehicles had slipped from the main supports and broken through, leaving a splintered reminder. |
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The first bridge also provides an excellent view of the Rio Batopilas, which cascades over large boulders and several falls in its rush to the confluence of the Rio San Miguel. The second and even more interesting bridge crossing comes within a mile of the first. This bridge consists of two large metal I beams suspended from one cliff face to the next with ancient cross timbers spanning the gap. On top of the cross timbers are relatively large wood support beams that provide the driving surface. What a great bridge! It is still another 36km Batopilas, as the road travels just above the river, with several sharp and blind turns from the road following the contour of the canyon walls. We could also see evidence of recent mud slides that had been cleared. Dusk comes early in the barrancas, as the sun sets quickly in the day over the high canyon walls. |
Batopilas
(N27 01 26.1 W107 44 56.4)
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It doesn't matter how long you have been an explorer... That experience can never replace local knowledge!
I am constantly reminded of that fact through my travels, as even the best planning becomes ineffective in the light of regional change. In our case, it was the election of a new Governor. The State of Chihuahua held general elections on the 4th of July, 2004, electing Jose Reyes Baeza to the post. While elections are not typically a travel issue, it is the PARTY thrown by the new officer that becomes the problem. It just so happened that the party started as we were arriving in Batopilas!
It was getting dark as we crossed the bridge into Batopilas and began driving down the ancient cobble stone street to the center of town. Our first indication that something was wrong was the mass of people lining the road, standing in groups with large piles of tecate provided by the new governor in appreciation for their support. There were no problems, just intoxicated stares at our trucks as we drove slowly by. Unexpected events are what defines adventure and teaches us to adapt more fluidly to our environment.
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The traffic in front of us came to a stop. Not that there were hundreds of cars in town. Maybe five or six in front of us, but in a town with 300 year old infrastructure, it could have been Interstate 5. It was difficult to tell what was happening, but slowly each vehicle made a tight turn off the street and down out of view. There was a local Policia blocking the road with his Dodge truck, and he appeared very surprised to see us. He quickly explained that the town's only street was closed for the party, and that if we wanted to go to Satevo, we would need to get there "via el Rio". The ramp the other vehicles had gone down led to the river shore and our route. There were several vehicles parked there, but none of them were going to cross the Rio Batopilas. The officer advised me that the river was deep and that we would need to drive over a kilometer in the river and along its shores to reach the other side of town and our route to the mission. Well, we were looking for adventure; In this case, it had come to us... |
To complicate the issue, the ramp we were required to descend was a U-turn from our current position. With my 123" wheelbase I needed to complete a several point turn on the narrow street before driving down the ramp and onto the river shore. We were anxious to continue moving because of the failing light, so we did not verify the water depth and drove straight across. The headlights dipped into the water at the deepest point, the exhaust hissing in resistance to the waters depth. Doron followed through shortly after and we were able to capture video of his crossing. There were three more crossings required before reaching the river outlet at the other end of Batopilas.
Just outside of town to the south the road y's, providing the option of driving uphill to the right and on to the village of Rodeo, or making a left and following the river to Satevo. That turn is critical and will allow easy access to the mission. The condition of the road from Batopilas to Satevo is still good, but very narrow in places, and requires some ground clearance, though not 4wd. |
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Satevo is still 7km south of Batopilas and the light was quickly fading as we drove up to the large open lot north of the mission. I found myself staring at this ancient structure with its towering dome highlighted by the moons glow. It was a powerful emotion for me, as I had long dreamt of walking through its doors.
We spent several minutes deciding where to camp before the caretaker of the mission, Gaudalupe, advised us that tonight was not a good time to camp in the mission courtyard, as the locals would be coming home drunk from the festivities. She invited us to camp under a big tree in her front yard, just down from the main road. We set up camp and sat out under the stars; enjoying the black sky and silence...
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