Culinary Traveler: Riding the rail to the trail in Copper Canyon, Mexico’s Sierra Madre MountainsThe little mountain town of Cerocahui, Chihuahua state in Mexico is a long way from my home
in the mountains of Oregon, but each part of the journey unfolds with it’s own discoveries
along the way. Cerocahui is reached by train as part of a rail trip you can book through Mexico
Adventures.Inc. on the first -class Ferromex Chepe (Chihuahua Pacifico route) train. You may
start your trip on either end of the journey; Los Mochis or Chihuahua City. Why explore this
region? Although it’s not a beach-y resort vacation, you will be rewarded by a more authentic
trip and fabulous vistas.
Aero Mexico flies from gateway cities in America to several cities in Mexico where you change
planes and puddle jump into your starting city to begin your train trip. I’m headed for Los
Mochis, north of Mazatlan near the Sea of Cortez to catch the Copper Canyon train. At the
Hermosillo, Mexico airport I meet up with journalists from the International Food Wine and
Travel Writers Association (www.ifwtwa.org) on a press trip. We fly into Los Mochis together
on a slim Aero Mexico Embraer jet.
Los Mochis is an industrialized “modern” city built by American Benjamin Johnson in 1903 to
house and provide commerce to a population that worked his sugar cane empire. Mostly
cement low-rise buildings with the exception of hotels and hospitals, for us it provides a
comfortable rest stop at Hotel Santa Anita. In the morning we will board a pleasure boat and
cruise around the breathtaking Topolobampo ( to-po-lo-bam-po) Bay.
Topolobampo Marine Sanctuary is a rich bio-diverse bay filed with tuna, shrimp, clams, oysters
scallops and crab. Part port, part sanctuary, deep within the bay there is Farallon Island
populated by sea lions and Bird Island with, you guessed it, a huge population of many species
of birds. As our boat pulls away from the pier, the small town recedes. Along the shore in the
sanctuary area there are no houses but curiously there is a large “energy production” plant. We
quickly cruise past and marvel at pods of dolphins surfacing along our bow. The journalists vie
for position on the boat to photograph the pelicans and other seabirds nesting on several
promontories as we motor by.
Soon the sun is high and our captain slows alongside a dory. Our deckhand offers some cold
coca-cola to the day boat fisherman, and he fills the chef’s fry pan full of shrimp. Lunch is
looking up!
As guests of Balderrama Hotels and Mexico Adventures we are traveling with our own chef on
Balderrama‘s fishing charter boat . While chef Victor Samaniego prepares delicacies in the
galley, we sip Pacifico cervezas on the canopied fly bridge. Soon platters of shrimp and scallop
cerviche, coconut shrimp and sautéed shrimp arrive. With a squeeze of lime, a taste of cerviche
and a sip of cold beer and I am in Topolabampo nirvana! The boat rocks gently as I imprint this
perfect memory of warm sun, cool beer, birds squawking on rocky ledges and the soft brown
hills rising from the bay.
Fast forward fifty land-miles and a day to the 1564 Spanish city of El Fuerte, birthplace of “El
Zorro.” After a river tour to view ancient petroglyphs and an enchanting evening with the
flirtatious, masked, singing Zorro poolside at “ Hotel Posada del Hildalgo” we are seated
aboard the Ferromex “Chepe” train headed to Bahuichivo where a bus will take us to
Cerocahui ( sero-ka-wee). We cross miles of canyon systems that make up Copper Canyon in
the Sierra Madre Mountains. Our train snakes along this geological marvel, four times larger
than the Grand Canyon. Under blue skies the wide-open views of river change to dark grey
rock wall tunnels as the train pushes on.
We wind through sesame fields, scrub trees, acacia and cactus. A few settlements of rail workers
and Tarahumara natives poke up along the river Rio Fuerte and Rio Chinipas.We cross the
long Santa Barbara Bridge over Rio Mina Plata and cut through several tunnels to switchback
via a section of rail. Slowly, high in the steep mountains of the Sierra Madres we reach the old
lumber town of Bahuichivo. Boys and young men line the sidewalk along the train and help
load our bags for tips as we disembark and pack into a dusty bus that will take us to the Hotel
Mision. Through narrow streets we grind then out to the valley for about eight miles to
Cerocahui.
This little town founded by Jesuits 300 years ago is seated in a high fertile valley of apple
orchards and some 4000 heirloom wine grape vines. The Hotel Mision next to the cathedral and
mission boarding school for Tarahumara Indian girls is Spanish colonial in feel with a main
lodge, tiny corner bar and a large dining room. The rooms, built as several haciendas situated
throughout the garden are spacious with muted décor. Smooth tile floors, wood beam ceilings,
and stucco walls painted white or soft terra cotta and ochre change color in the mountain light
during the day. At this elevation it gets very cold at night so wood is stacked next to the
woodstove for me to start a fire.
“Ride or hike?” We are gathered in the lobby’s seating area and our tour guide wants to know if
we are interested in seeing the Cerocahui waterfall “Huicochi” (wee-ko-chee).
“Ride, you bet,” I say along with three other adventurous souls who posses the strange
compulsion to ride a trail we have never been on and with horses we have never met!
“Juan” is waiting for us outside with his string of horses and his wiry dog Pepe. After sizing
each of us up he motions to the horse he wants us to mount. Maralyn, the President of
IFWTWA gets on Lirio, Frederica from the Washington Press Club gets Pepino, Kurt of the
Society of Professional Journalists is astride beautiful black gelding Lucero and I hop on
Conejo. The saddles are hard leather, very dark brown, the stirrups have heavy brush covers
and the reins are soft and thin. The horses wear unusual shoes that are flat. Juan points to the
stamped saddle mark on the seat and points up into the hills showing me where the local saddle
maker’s lives. As we walk the horses across the bridge over the river in the center of town, a
very loud diesel Chevy truck threatens to scare us all off the road.The horses with the exception of the black gelding Lucero are all on the small side. Juan says they are from southern Mexico not from around here. Indeed as we pass other horses in pasture these mounts seem more like ponies.
We make our way along the river along the steep sandy trail. The horses are sure-footed and
calm; not so the riders! Each time we crest to a part of the trail that seems to be too narrow and
inches from certain death, one of us lets out a wincing “oh God.” But the horses never falter.
They pick their way along the trail, through the stones and boulders in the fast moving river,
squeezing us through narrow rock openings and clambering up rocky ledges. Trying to cross
the river at one spot we have to dismount. The river is too deep and the horses have to be led as
we hop from boulder to boulder to the other side. Juan, who walks the entire trip in native
Tarahumara sandals of reclaimed rubber tire tread, constantly reassures us with “no probelma”
as Pepe his dog runs ahead of the horses to chase a longhorn cow or two off the trail.
After the long ride the box canyon narrows and then opens up. The good news? We are almost
at the waterfall. Bad news? We have to return the same way. Soon, we are rewarded by a long
horsetail waterfall carving through the rock outcroppings and splashing into pool of clear deep
green. But alas we can’t stay. It’s getting dark and there are margaritas waiting for us at the
hotel.
Travelers GuideAirline: Aero Mexico: www.aeromexico.com
Complete Tours: www.mexicoscoppercanyon.com.mx
Copper Canyon Hotels: www.hotelesbalderrama.com
Train: www.chepe.com.mx
Tourism Office : www.ah-Chihuahua.com
Chihuahua City Hotel : www.sicomoro.com
The trail ride : available through the front desk at the Balderrama Hotel Mision. Plan to book
ahead so the horses are ready for you when you arrive. It’s approx. $20 American dollars plus
tip.
RECIPE: Ceviche mix to de camarón y pescado: Mixed shrimp and fish cevicheChef Victor Samaniego of Balderrama Hotels graciously provides his authentic recipe for you.
Serves 4-6 as hors d’oeuveres
- 250-grams cleaned shrimp, cut in little cubes ( just over 1/2 pound)
- 250-grams of cleaned fish, no bones, in little cubes
- 3 pcs. of “salad tomato“, little cubes
- ½ white onion finely cut in cubes
- 1 cucumber, seeded and cut in small cubes or slices
- 2 “Serrano” peppers, cut fine, include a few seeds
- 15 stems and leaves of fresh coriander( cilantro) finely cut
- 10 small lemons or enough fresh lemon juice to cover (Mexican Colima lemons are tiny)
- Salt & pepper to your taste
On a crystal plate or shallow bowl place fish and shrimp, add salt and black pepper and lemon
juice. Let it marinate for 5 or 10 min.( no longer). After the shrimp and fish are “cooked” by the
marinade, add the vegetables cut in pieces to garnish and arrange along the plate . If you desire,
you can add clam juice to your taste.
(photography by KWWinner)
