Copper Canyon Trip Day Six

Several of us hiked to the edge of the canyon rim to see the sunrise this morning. We were not disappointed. The second picture is of the first hotel ever built at the canyon. It is very beautiful, but does not always have water. The owners of the hotel where we are staying have their own access to water as you will see later.

This is one of the Indian dwellings down in the canyon. It is very rocky, but they find a little soil to have a garden. The Tarahumara Indians were supposed to give us a basket weaving demonstration after breakfast, but didn't show up. Carlos said that was normal, so he took us to an elementary school in the village. This was so much fun. The students were first through fifth grade and so well-behaved, but you could tell by their eyes that they were holding back their mischief.

They danced for us probably something similar to our square dancing. One young lady with a wonderful voice sang a solo. Two boys demonstrated how they train for their foot races which the Indians are world famous for. Don't you just love it when I end a sentence with a preposition? The whole group sang the Mexican national anthem. Then Carlos asked us the sing our national anthem. There were only three couples who weren't from the states. I was so proud of our group; we sang our hearts out, and I was misty-eyed at the end.

We had such a wonderful group of generous caring individuals. They purchased items and donated willingly for any cause suggested. We naturally gave to these children who performed for us and made us so welcome. Each of us also received a personal note with a message and sample of their handwriting and art. We were all so touched.

Next we went to visit the granddaughter of a seer. She is evidently learning to take her grandmother's place. Four of my companions volunteered to let her tell them what their physical problems were. She was very entertaining. The rest of the family was there to sell. The shawls below were beautifully woven, but that's not why I shot the picture obviously. That little boy was just too cute!

This is the tram that was supposed to take us to the bottom of the canyon, but it's not completed yet, so they took us to a point somewhat lower and toward the middle. About 15 or 20 of my companions chose to do the zip line and said it was a real blast.

This fellow is playing the fiddle right there on the very edge. Naturally, there were more vendors.

Our next stop was a picnic/barbecue lunch next to the spring-fed lake that our hotel owned. It was very pretty and had a rock formation that reminded us of Stonehenge.

This was how we roughed it for our lunch. Notice the shelter, tablecloths, and large area where they cooked our brisket. Also my two new friends from San Diego, Maria and Marilyn.

After lunch I elected to go on another guided hike of the rim of the canyon and we met some cave dwellers. You can see that their home is built into the side of the canyon wall. It's not that evident in this picture, but the canyon wall is blackened from their outdoor fires.

Another cutie who seems to be in charge of selling those rocks. Does his mother know how close he's sitting to the edge?

Back to the hotel dining room for Happy Hour, a good dinner, and a gent playing the guitar for entertainment. Our last night in the canyon. After breakfast tomorrow, our big bus will meet us at the bottom of the driveway and take us to our next destination.

Copper Canyon Day Five

Taking pictures on the train was difficult, because of the reflection from the window and the movement of the train. The "observation deck" was the area between two cars where the wind and rocking motion were a thrill a minute. No problem, some of these brave people claimed ownership to the choicest spots. I know Byron's DVD will come through to cover this small inconvenience.

I did get this shot of one of the vendors as we were pulling into the train station. It was reminiscent of pictures that my children's father took in Korea. The hotel bus met us plus one other van since we were such a large group. The vendors had taken up position in front of the hotel, and I was over-whelmed. The basket group was in seventh heaven. Carlos took us on a nature hike to the rim of the canyon which turned out to be full of more vendors.

I didn't get any pictures of the vendors, nor was I smart enough to buy what I wanted that first afternoon. I figured it would be the same the following day, but not so; I missed my chance. Luckily, I wasn't a total goof; I got a picture of the canyon.

These people were so photogenic in their bright colors and expressive eyes. The women start having children when they are eleven and twelve; the mortality rate of their babies is less than fifty per cent. They live all over the canyon in very primitive conditions and they seem happy.

A parting shot of the canyon before getting ready for dinner. Our food was always good and plentiful. I'm sure all of us have gained weight.

Copper Canyon Trip Day Four

After breakfast I took as many pictures as I could, because this was by far the most quaint of our lodgings. This is the front door on the inside of my room. The room was brick and stone throughout. Again, I had a strange and antiquated locking system on my door.

This is the window with beautiful white curtains held apart with what looks like beaded jewelry ties. The view from the window is the very last picture.

The blue dresser looks like some I've seen hand-made here in Mexico but with an antiqued kind of finish. All the accents in the room were of that blue color.

My shower had beautiful stone work handsomely done. My sink is made of some kind of stone, very primitive-looking. Notice in the picture below that the sink is sitting on a Singer sewing machine frame. There were many of those frames used in various ways throughout the complex. The decorator had a grand time from what I can tell.

As you can see the patio furniture is incredibly comfortable. While we had our evening libation, they played classical guitar music, and I thought I died and went to heaven.

Columns with nothing to hold up. Great idea for a picture. Below is the view from my room window with yet another idea for using Singer frames.

I wandered toward the square while waiting for everyone to board the bus. It's a fifteen minute ride to the train station and we have to be sure to take everything we want from the bus, because our driver is going to take it to the other side of Copper Canyon.

Copper Canyon Day Three

Pictured below is the hotel where I stayed: Casa de los Tresoros. It took three different hotels to house the group. I was lucky, because I thought mine was the best. It was originally a nunnery as you can tell by the cell like rooms with strange doors and locks. I neglected to take a picture of the locks.

This is a desk with a window opening above. Only one side is open. Below is the door out to the courtyard. It seemed very tropical here in Alamos even though I know we gained in elevation.

There was no heat in the room. If you got cold, there were logs and a bottle of kerosene to light a fire.

We had a local tour guide; Carlos had the morning off. The guide did an excellent job showing us around town. Most of the houses have been bought by snow birds and restored. Some are used for commercial purposes and others just maintained as family homes.We visited a local library and the town hall. Above is a view of the church from the street where my hotel was, and below is a view from directly in front.

The woman on the far right is doing a pottery demonstration, but most of the audience is enthralled with her young daughter. All of the little kids were so cute and animated.

Above is a sandpaper bush. The flowers were outstanding, but the bushes' curly green leaves feel like sandpaper. After lunch we boarded the bus for a long ride through beautiful farming country before climbing to the town of El Fuerte. It was dusk when we arrived, and the hotel greeted us with a traditional margarita, excellent dinner and music on the patio. Later a troupe of Folklorico Dancers performed for us. Perhaps when I get Byron's DVD I can share some of the color of their costumes.

Copper Canyon Day Two

Since I'm an early riser, I took this picture of the marina and the local landmark jutting toward the sky. Almost all mornings we had an early breakfast and planned activities for the day. Yesterday afternoon we were supposed to tour a cactus garden, but since we got in late, I figured that plan had fallen by the wayside. Not so, stay tuned.

The boat ride off shore was something that I had been looking forward to. These pelicans don't seem to mind their own excrement; in fact, they are busy preening and admiring one another or one-upping each other as the case may be. I don't know what  kind of birds are in the picture below, but, they, too, are enjoying their surroundings.

This was the best part: the dolphins joined us and raced under the boat and with each other. Since I was warned not to bring my good camera for fear of theft, I had to do my photography with my 12 year old Olympus. I'm delighted that Byron will be taking up the slack with his DVD of excellent shots.

After the boat ride, we got to go to the cactus garden after all. It seemed to be part of some resort that had been abandoned due to the ill fortune of the developer. As you know, I love to take querky pictures, and this looked like some sort of hair growing out of the cactus, like he's having a bad hair day. After lunch, we went to the Pearl Farm. Originally, that was being cancelled, because the owners were in Tucson at the Gem Show. I didn't take any pictures, because I had been there in October. My fellow travelers made the owners' day worth while. They did love to spend money. An aside: our Aussie travelers left their passports and some other valuables at the hotel, and a cab driver hired by the hotel met the bus along the road to deliver them. Great service Trafalgar. Now for our long ride to Alamos which turned out to be one of my favorite stops. We had a great dinner, drinks and entertainment. More about that in Day Three.

Copper Canyon Trip Day One

In contemplating a new way to travel I signed on for a bus tour of Copper Canyon in Chihuahua, Mexico. The tour began in Phoenix, but I was picked up at the Airport Marriott less than two miles from where I live. My friend Karen Keating deposited me with my luggage, passport, phone and camera at 8:30 Saturday morning. The bus was late getting in from Phoenix, and all the people in the lobby were more than ready to get started. I met two sisters from snow country who were visiting family in Tucson. They told me that the majority of travelers were basket weavers from California and Oregon. The seat assignments were taped under the overhead compartments above our seats. I had the whole back, three whole seats to myself at first. Then I met Maria who had a brace on her ankle and needed to elevate her foot on our backpacks which we placed on the floor for that purpose. We also counted the number and frequency of the toilet patrons for fun. My only hope was that I didn't get motion sickness that far back. Oh well, I was close to the facilities.

Our first stop, of all things, was Xavier del Bac Mission, less than two miles from where I live, in the opposite direction. At least we're on the road to Nogales, our border crossing. As you can see from the picture, they are doing more renovating at the Mission.

On our way down to Nogales, we had to fill out a form for a Mexican visa. I already have one good for six months stamped inside my passport, but Trafalgar wanted me to do another one. The tour guide Carlos collected our forms and our passports and took them to the officials. Meanwhile, we had to get off the bus, retrieve our lugged and put it through the xray machines and then reboard the bus. Next stop was Santa Ana where we had a great lunch served quickly and efficiently. Because of the late start in the morning and the long border crossing, we were naturally running late. We got into Hermosillo, the capitol of the state of Sonora, between four and five. Below is a government building that seemed worthy of a picture. This was on the square which was busy with residents and vendors.

I liked the way the waning sun caught the bell tower of the church. Below is a picture of Mary's side altar. One of my fellow travelers carried two camera around his neck and took pictures of everyone and everything. He is preparing a DVD for those of us who want one.

We finally got to San Carlos, our first stop. If you remember my previous postings, I was here last October. It was dark when we got in, so all we had time for was a welcome drink and dinner. The hotel accommodations at MarinaTerra were quite beautiful and right on the marina.

Turkey Day 2013

This post is a little backwards, but life can be that way sometimes. The above scrapbook page is a composite of pictures taken when my friends were kind enough to join me for dinner. At the top left is Deb Peters and Ginny Nyland's son Rayn. Directly below in Ginny. She's my guardian angel directly responsible for me living at Mission View. She and her sister Linda and brother-in-law Colin helped me move from New Mexico. Great friends! Below that is my neighbor John who I couldn't do without. John can fix or do anything. At the top right is a lunching companion and fellow Pole, another John. Below that is Deb Peters and her mom Betty who came over from New Mexico on Tuesday glad to leave some snow and cold behind. The last picture is of the beautiful centerpiece that  my lunching John gifted me with: perfect for our table. We were so thankful to eat outside in 70 degree weather.

Our weather wasn't all that wonderful, referring back to the arrival of Deb and Betty. I had big plans to show them around Tucson in sunshine and blue skies. Not gonna happen. We settled for a tour of Xavier del Bac Mission. That was really great and the docent couldn't have been better. Then we joined my photographer friend Karen Keating for lunch at Olive Garden. Deb and Karen are my look alike friends. It's scary how closely they resemble one another. Oh, and did I mention: they are both from Connecticut. We had a wonderful lunch, and no one would have guessed that Deb and Karen had just met one another. They chatted like long lost friends.

The weather was sort of iffy, but I wanted Betty to experience the mountains and the saguaros, so I took them over Gates Pass. We actually stopped at at the information area and Deb hiked up the hill a ways. Then I took them to one of my favorite campgrounds: Ironwood. It's name comes from a huge Ironwood tree at the end of the campground. Can you believe it? I didn't have a camera except my iPhone. These are pictures of Deb being her fun self.

So after watching the Steelers lose Thanksgiving evening, Deb and Betty packed up and headed back to New Mexico on Friday. What a fun visit!

So Sunday December 1, the three photographers, and two birders (can you guess which one is not really a birder?) headed for Madera Canyon. Not exactly a primo day for what I take pictures of: landscapes and a bird if he flies right in front of me. Karen and Ellayne got pictures of Mexican jays, white-breasted Nuthatch, gray-headed dark-eyed Juncos, and a Bridled Titmouse.









Below is a picture I took as we were coming up the creek with no water obviously and poor lighting, so I photo-shopped it. Bad girl!

But I'll be back this week with another birding friend: Brock. He'll do birds; I'll fumble my way through the picture-taking.