Hi all, were in Creel, Chihuahua tonight. The drive in from Chihuahua took about 4 hours through more spectacular scenery. This time, the Tarahumara mountains, home of the Tarahumara people. The road winds through mountains and valleys that go from brush to pine forest by the time you arrive at Creel at more than 2000m above sea level. I have to say, its pretty chilly up here especially right now at night.

We went to see the Canyons at El Divisadero this afternoon and I can't do it justice with words. I've read that the canyon is 9 times the size of some similar attraction in Arizona. Its also over 1500m deep in most places. It can be a bit uneasy to stand at the rim.

Tomorrow we'll probably check out the hot springs, hike to a waterfall, and explore a few other valleys. In the evening there might be some festivities. It would seem the town has been overrun by high school students who are here for some minor theatrics on the order of most latinamerican small towns: religious morality plays, patriotic songs, and speeches about civic duty and that sort of thing on a somewhat defective PA system. I'll let you know tomorrow how far off the mark we are.

A curious thing happened on our way into town today. As we entered, we noticed a crowd gathered around a house and a police car outside with its lights going. Not good. However, the fact that the crowd was gathered indicated that whatever went down is over. In effect, there was a funeral procession starting that ended at the church across the street from our hotel. I'm still waiting to find out if there's a story behind the event.

All in all Creel and the Barrancas del Cobre do not disappoint. There were the roaming dogs and cattle that give the ascent to the canyon rim an extra special touch in addition to the trucks and the buses. In town there is the usual fare of the gringo trail shops and bars. We'll be checking out the bar after this post and report on that tomorrow.