I’m back in Montreal now visiting Nellie. It’s cold and snowing like crazy again so I’m finally installing my driveshaft right now – I’m sick of this 2WD crap. Just 10 minutes ago I did a big Charlie Brown on the ice hidden under fresh snow.

Enjoy that weather! See you at Everybus in April – be there or be square.

-Hans

I’m near Tuscaloosa, Alabama – pulled in last night about 1:00 am. I brought in the new year driving, on the phone with Nellie, who had already had her celebration an hour earlier (I’m in central time still).

Thanks to all wishing me well on the road back. All has gone well – car runs perfect, good roads, lots of sun and still warm daytime temperatures. I think that will all change soon. :>)

-Hans

Anyway, I was cruising along the Periferico, a ring bypass highway around Guadalajara, when disaster struck. Watching for the signs to Saltillo and looking for where I had to pull into the right lane, I was lulled into complacency by what you assume to be a limited access highway, three lanes each way, with on and off ramps and such. Not so, they sprinkle normal at-grade intersections in from time to time! Sun glaring low in the sky behind me, beach grime on the windshield, etc, well, suddenly I noticed a jetta hitting the brakes hard and almost at a stop right in front of me. Too late to swerve with the trailer behind, I locked the brakes but too late, the van plowed into the rear of the jetta, offset a bit to the driver’s side, and sent the jetta careening out most of the way across the intersection. I was stopped amid a sea of broken glass, very confused, looking up at the red lights, smoke billowing up from the tires, just a few meters forward from where I was supposed to stop. Before I could even get out of the van, half a dozen people appeared and helped the other guy and pushed his car out of harms way to the other corner of the intersection, now pretty far away from me. I got out but couldn’t cross the intersection now filled with cars again, looked at my van, and a cop showed up right away. He calmly and politely asked for my papers and started directing traffic. I called the insurance and they showed up in about 20 minutes. The ambulance came quickly and took away the driver of the jetta. They put him in a neck brace but luckily he seemed to have no injuries and he was walking around soon after with no difficulty. Whew, what a relief, nobody got hurt. Accidents are always no fun, but I am thankful since it could have been a lot worse. So basically it took about 2.5 hours and after a lot of broken spanish on my part and broken english on their part, we got it resolved. The police were good-natured and very helpful and did their best to make the best of it.

The jetta definitely got the short end of the stick. The bumper was basically pushed up to the rear wheel. The car was just folded up like an accordion, completely totaled.

The van, well, look at the photos. The bumper is wrinkled up a bit, the headlights were smashed out (but they actually all still work!), and the metal is bashed in some. The door is pushed backward an eighth inch or so, such that you have to close it a little harder to get it to latch properly. That’s about it. The grills even mostly survived. Anyone worried about riding in a vanagon with no engine in front of you?

So, I’m back in Zacatecas and Mark and Patricia are being incredibly gracious hosts again. I got the special treat of meeting their two children and family! Today we went back to the Dorado de Villa and they also invited a wonderful Mexican family, friends of theirs. Somehow I kept up a lengthy conversation in Spanish, such that I finally had to stop talking and eat my dinner after everyone else had finished.

I’m back at 8000 feet and feeling again what no air feels like – having to stop and catch my breath going up staircases. Engines give a lot more power at sea level too, but wow the starter whips that engine over fast here!

Now I’m watching the weather back home, trying to sneak in there in a window so I don’t get rained and snowed on.

Hasta luego,

Hans

Wednesday was a big holiday in Mexico, the day of our lady of Guadalupe, the saint of Mexico. We had plenty of advanced warning for the holiday, with the locals setting off fireworks at all hours day and night. We were told to get there around 5 o’clock for the parade. I arrived then to see the main street in town completely dressed in green, an even layer of small tree cuttings spread on the entire parade route.

It was a beautiful spectacle of various troups of dancers and instrument players, and even a troup of dancing horses. Several representations of Guadalupe were in attendance, and lots of little boys and girls dressed in traditional costumes. Lots of flowers were carried, including immense bunches of roses and plenty of poinsettias. The poinsettias grow wild here and blooming trees are found all over, and many of the commercial poinsettias are grown here in greenhouses.
The parade had begun at one church and then continued down the main street to another church, where all the flowers were deposited in large displays. Then a service was held and afterward there was a street festival but the church was always packed with people keeping a vigil and a brass band would often play for Guadalupe inside the church, continuing late into the night.

paradevideo1.wmv

ater in the evening a few of us returned to catch a fireworks show. The townspeople built a tower with fireworks pinwheels which were let off in succession, all the while letting off small rockets which would whistle and spin out of control through the crowd, to the delight of the children. The grand finale was the top of the tower which would start spinning and actually launch itself into the air, then fell to the ground when the fireworks expended. Not much was done in the way of safety precautions, with sparks spewing all over and rockets flying, but nobody gets hurt and all was well!

fireworks.wmv

The campground is called Chimulco and has natural geothermal hot water at 104F, which is pumped into several swimming pools fresh every day, and the pools are drained and cleaned in the evening. All of the water in the campground including the showers and laundry water comes out at the same temperature.
Villa Corona is definitely recommended if you are visiting Mexico!
Finally got this post up, an update on Zamora is coming soon.

-Hans

Route 54 is an enjoyable route, arrow straight in many sections, but winds through the beautiful Michoacan mountains so the route curves up and down the hillsides when necessary. Going south, I noticed the climate slowly change from dry high desert to a more green agricultural environment, as the altitude dropped from Zacatecas’ 8000 or so feet to around 4000 – 5000 feet. Change from cactus and joshua trees to grasses and leaf trees. Towns full of pick-up trucks and tractor/agricultural implement dealers and feed mills. Also I began to see fields of agave plants, especially when I crossed into the state of Jalisco where the agave plant appears on the license plate. And you know what that means – Tequila!

Here in the Michoacan mountains, I began to see very familiar landscapes and vegetation (at first glance). Is this photo taken in northern Pennsylvania or central Mexico?

I’ll try this video – forgive me if it doesn’t work! Some of my awesome digital camera cinematography – hear the 6-cylinder subaru growl up a mountain grade in third, complete with large bug splatter on the windshield!

michoacan-drive.wmv

Getting near Guadalajara, the drive through the mountains got ever steeper and hairier until on the final grade we were crawling uphill at 20 mph behind several trucks. Until we got a clear shot and several of us made a break for it! Driving with the 230 horsepower 6-cylinder subaru is really a joy, especially in situations like this. It makes short work of whatever grade you throw at it, and lets you pass with authority even with a heavy syncro pulling a trailer at 5000 feet altitude. Zacatecas at 8000 feet began to really noticeably take the wind out of its sails, but still it has plenty of kick to get the van moving.
Toward Guadalajara the terrain flattened out and I began to concentrate on directions since I would have to leave route 54. Mark is a true master at giving directions. I had no real map and four lines of scribbled notes on a sheet of paper, and I navigated the bypass around Guadalajara and found my way straight to the village of Villa Corona with no wrong turns or difficulties. Mark knew exactly the details needed at every turn! I did have a computer map with just a few major roads, and a GPS but it was horribly wrong in most cases and it just gave me some reassurance that I was going basically in the right direction. Thanks Mark!
I joined the rest of the group at the campground in Villa Corona around 5 in the evening.

-Hans

I decided to spend one more day with Mark to button up some last things and get my trailer ready, despite the protest of several of the rest of the group (they were leaving Sunday). Mark and I spent some time finishing up the A/C hoses, hooking up a battery isolator, an extra oil pressure sender, etc.

Monday morning I loaded and hooked up the trailer to the syncro. The alley outside Mark’s garage is very narrow so it was tricky getting it out. Mark suggested we go up the hill at the end of the alley, the wrong way up the one way street, so I went ahead with it and wouldn’t you know a motorcycle cop just happened to park at the top of the hill at that moment. Mark was guarding the top of the hill and talked the cop down from his protests! A quick good-bye and I was on my way, with a couple of delicious sandwiches for the trip from Patricia.