I only got off the map once on the trip, and it didn't really cost me any time, and provided scenery that I otherwise would have bypassed on the highway.
This is the beginning of the free way to Valle, I bet I crossed over the toll road twice and under it once, but it sure was fun on those curves, and cool in the mountains.
These are the bikes that were at the little store.
These are pics from near the middle of this part:
This is overlooking the toll road.
El Higo had the worst road in Mexico, I was gonna take pics but I was getting burned out, and burned up.
My lips and nose liked to fell off in the week after this day.
If I had known that El Higo was only an introduction to the bad roads I would have stopped here and slept for the night.
But as it was, I stopped for tacos and gas in the next town, and the fella said I was no more than 80 km from where I was headed, so I figured it couldn't take more than 2 hours to get there.
Boy, was I wrong.
The potholes were more plentiful than the roads, I lost my bags off to one side to one of them.
It sent my tail end airborne and the bags off the board supporting them.
I got pulled over, at a whorehouse on the highway, and dumped the bike over because I couldn't lift it and the bags.
I got the bags unstrapped and righted the bike, then took a little break.
I knew it was a cathouse because of the neon sign and cars coming and going with their lights out.
If that wasn't enough I could hear the activities coming out from under the lip built into the wall to support the motel's neon sign, there must have been windows under there somewhere, there was little doubt as to what was going on.
I figured somebody would come out and ask me what I was doing, but they never did.
I got the bags back on, took off and was immediately driving like I was drunk.
I could see better, I changed the lenses in my goggles and got the headlight aimed at the road and not the trees above it, but my strapping job had allowed the duffle bag to drop off to one side and I was having to compensate by steering in the opposite direction.
I stopped at the next town, luckily not far, and retied the bags.
At this point I was near 800 miles into the trip and in much need of relief in my posterier regions.
They don't call these trips 'Iron Butts' without good reason.
Finally made it.
About 1am.
The neighbors came out to see why the dogs were going crazy, I explained that I was waiting on my friend to wake up, and they went back inside.
He did, about 5 and was overjoyed that I had made it back.
Have a perfectly peaceful day.
Keep working, stop paying.
No war, but the class war!!