Orizaba, "The Mountain"

Chris and I took a nice rainy day drive with limited visibility up towards the mountain. Being at the base of an 18,000' mountain that we have each climbed before, we were curious what the other side of the mountain looked like. To climb Orizaba, you access it from the side opposite near Tlachachuca. We planned a route that brought us along steep switchbacks and kept us climbing higher and higher in elevation through small villages. A short distance you have a major city and up on the flanks of the mountain you have these quaint little settlements. Chris stopped and handed out some toys he picked up and we observed some holiday traditions of smashing pinatas and spending a Sunday with your friends and family.

We rode the bikes as far up as we could and I was the weak link. I took a bad route and got buried in the mud. Going into it, I didn't want to push the bike too hard since I would have another 1500 miles on my way out and it would be careless to make an extremely poor decision rooted around making it a bit further. As I get older, I realize, it is ok to not force things and sometimes we plant a flag, move in a direction and realize that the journey was more important than reaching the destination. I do see that in this scenario, a KLR is the bike you want and a BMW 1200 GS with street tires is not the best option. Needless to say....KLR's are solid bikes and I can see one coming to me in the next few years. It would be perfect for a trip through the northern part of mexico where you stick to the smaller roads and trails through the mountains. I am excited at the prospect of coming back to Mexico. If you are reading this and want to ride a motorike around Mexico, please let me know. I would be glad to share what I know about getting around mexico with you. Better yet I will even join you. I think I am going to plan a trip that would take a group around ruins, through the mountains and helping at several sites associated with the NPH organization.