Motorcycle Touring in Sonora Mexico
Grab the snow shovel, dig out the motorcycle trailer and head down Turkey Creek Canyon and south to check out routes for new tours. With the bikes safely stowed, its south through New Mexico and west to Arizona to the former copper mining town of Bisbee. Just south of that legend of the Old West, Tombstone, Bisbee flourished at the turn of the century and supported a beautiful late Victorian town. At one time, it was the largest town between St. Louis and San Francisco. The mine played out in the 60’s and the town started to die. Like many down on their luck old mining towns in the ‘60, it was discovered by the flower children. In the 90’s it was discovered again and gentrified. Now it stands as a funky eclectic mix of hippies, yuppies and retirees full of great cafes, shops and galleries.
After a late breakfast the next morning, the bikes packed and Mexican motorcycle insurance in hand it was time to cross the border into Mexico. The twin towns of Naco Arizona and Naco, Sonora host an un-crowded border crossing. The recently implemented Sonora only program allows you to drive through, often without stopping. As long as you stay in northern Sonora you don’t need a vehicle permit. The road south of Naco was narrow and in places almost solid tar patches. Shoulders were non-existent. All in all though, the potholes were few and the surface good. The road intersects Highway 2 about 37 miles south of Naco. From here, it’s a short westely ride to Cananea, home to a working copper mine. In Cananea, its time to head south on the Ruta del Rio Sonora, the Route of the Sonora River.
There is a customs checkpoint on the route but it is once again a formality. Again, there are no shoulders but a good road surface. The tall grass is three feet high and right up to the pavement. It gave a strange sensation, like riding in a wheat-colored Hot Wheels track. It’s been dry, no rain for 5 months and the landscape is brown. Twisty roads climb up away from the river then back down. Bright whitewashed bridges cross the river. Where there are no bridges and the river must be forded. The fords are called vados. Another feature of Mexican roads are topes. These are large speed bumps at the entrance and through the towns. Some were large enough to scaprape the frame rails on the cruisers. Crossing at a slight angle alleviates the problem. There is another type of topes that seems more menacing than it really is. It is constructed of metal half spheres about 6 inches in diameter, 3 inches apart and arranged in three rows across the roadway. This menacing array of steel balls proved to be just another bump in the road and actually easier to negotiate than the larger flat topes. Most of the topes were marked with warning signs and painted white or yellow. Some are not.
Continuing south along the Sonona river small towns can be seen. Built close to the roadway of stucco over adobe, single homes sit out in the country along corrals for cattle and horses. Along the route, Arizpe, founded in the 1630s is home of the historic Nuestra Senora de la Asunci
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