March 14, 2007

La Junta, MX (map)

Train Loading Day


It was train-loading day and we were up at the crack of dawn, heading to La Junta.

On the road at 7:30, we humped our way through some pretty heavy road construction, with one to three-foot drop offs—no shoulder. Decided it was no time to doze. Despite the hazardous conditions, Mexican drivers would pass us in no passing zones, darting in between the rigs when encountering head-on traffic. We now know why there are so many roadside shrines for the recently departed. (The belief is that it takes 4 years for the soul to depart the scene. In the meantime the relatives must visit and place flowers, etc.)

After 36 miles, we were at the railroad siding and began to queue up for loading. We were split into 3 sections, and the loading began. Driving right off the ramp onto the first car, I did exactly what my guide told me to do—signaling me with hand gestures. He had done this before. I hadn’t. An inch or so the wrong way and I would tumble off the side. I just quit thinking, turned up the country western music real loud and did exactly what I was told to do.

As the motorhome cleared the ramp between cars, the ramps were moved together slightly for the tow vehicle (CRV). This process was repeated about 7 times until I was at the front of the line. Janice captured the excitement on video. (Pardon the apparent misspelling of "margarita" at the end...it's a local variation made with Agave cactus, hence the extra "A"!!!)

We will spend the night here as the workers secure the rigs to the train with blocks and cables. An engine will hook up to us tomorrow morning and we will be heading down the tracks, ultimately to Los Mochis, our final destination. For the next 5 nights we will be ‘dry camping’ in the rigs en route. (No shore power, no water faucet to connect up to. No dumping the black or grey tanks.) The slides must remain in during this period, as any malfunction would prevent the train from leaving. That’s “roughing it,” RV style.

We will be railroading 2-8 hours each day, stopping at sidings (Creel, Divisadero, Bahuichivo) where we will tour the local vicinity.

This afternoon we will have a loading party at Rosy’s Cantina. There will be mandatory margaritas for those who drove the rigs onto the flat-cars. I’ll be ready.

I will likely be taking a blog break for a day or two to soak up the local culture as we head down the tracks.

[And by the way….regarding those mystery “comments” from “anonymous”. They have been traced to a high school classmate of mine who is now a copper baron in Mexico. He is known in his region as “El Papa Grande” or “The Beeg Daddy”.]