Looking for bad roads: traveling to Mexico's Copper Canyon Nature Park with Rosen's Rides.

Publication: Rider

Publication Date: 01-APR-05

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COPYRIGHT 2005 Ehlert Publishing Group

We were down at the bottom of the canyon, right by the bridge at La Bufa that crossed over the churning, frothing Batopilas River, huddling under an overhang to protect us from the rain. The seven of us had just descended thousands of feet on 20 miles of rough dirt switchbacks, and one of our group found that his motorcycle had sprung a leak in the cooling system. Nick quickly figured that he wasn't going to fix the problem then and there, but he could ride the 20 muddy miles following the river down to the town of Batopilas. The rain would help to keep the engine cool, and he could fill the radiator at the many little streams that crossed the road. We took off.

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There are those who want the simple, the comfortable life, with smooth roads and the sun behind them. Then there are those who like a bit of a challenge, a small adventure. The latter are the kind of riders who will sign up with Rosen's Rides' Advanced Copper Canyon Tour, down south of the Border way. This is a trip for dual-purpose motorcycles, with bad roads and river crossings being the norm. No Gold Wings nor Harleys need apply.

I signed on to the December tour, a month that is usually dry and cool in Chihuahua, one of the largest of the 31 United Mexican States. We would be as high as 7,600 feet on the rim of the Copper Canyon Nature Park at Creel, down to 1,600 feet at the bottom. The park consists...

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