| Location: | Parral |
| Mileage: | 7,300 |
From Creel, the destination is Batopilas, deep into Copper Canyon. This is a first for Trans Am. There’s no doubt that Copper Canyon is risky. It’s a small single track road descending steeply into the canyon and running the valley. In some places is pretty good and in others just loose stones and rocks, lumps and bumps. It’s very narrow and there are plenty of steep drops to mess with your mind. At the top, there air is fresh and we ride through pine forests. At the bottom, it’s humid and sticky, almost tropical.
Danielle (our only lady rider) valiantly gets her bike to La Bufa, only 15 miles short, before she is too tired to keep her R1200GS going. It’s a wise decision for her to go in the van. The rest all make it to the bottom, but not without a few mishaps. Thankfully nothing too serious and involving wounded pride more than anything else. Jeff bangs a few panniers straight and we have a day off in the canyon to explore ready for the ride out. However, despite all making it down, there is an underlying tension about making it out again!
We leave very early, whilst it’s cool. Even within the first half hour, three riders have already dropped their bikes. Kevin is doing one to one coaching and chasing back and forth to check on everyone. Andrew drops his bike in the fresh ground up earth laid on the road (thanks to a busy bulldozer on our day off), Paul ends up in a ditch (still upright), “Rigsby and Miss Jones” (Ed and Lorraine, so nicknamed because he was her landlord when they got it together!) come off three times and twice in one muddy patch, Gerald goes down twice, Nick is down (but just the once this time!). But we do all make it out, a bit battered but all on a high.
