Postcard from Mata Ortiz- March 7, 2015

We loved Alamos,  enough to look into the possibility of renting a casita some winter.  Seems to be doable and affordable, and that's as far as we got. 

Monday we set out for the Sierra Madre Occidental.  It's now Friday afternoon, and what a week it has been.  We are currently in the small town of Mata Ortiz (south of Casas Grandes, Chihuahua), staying at a small posada, with just five guest rooms.  $64 a night, including three meals!

We pulled into town just after dark, and were guided here by a gentleman who heard me making inquiries of the clueless liqor store clerk.  "Sigueme," he said, then guided us through the dark streets, and hooked us up with Lallo, the owner.  Just in time for enchiladas.

From Alamos, we drove back through Navojoa and Ciudad Obregon, then headed north towards San Nicolas and highway 16.   It was a paved road, but a bad paved road.  100 miles (5 hours) of continuous washtub-sized potholes, recent landslides, steep mountain grades, and rain. We reached Highway 16 at dusk, and broke our rules by driving the final hour to Yecora in the dark.  The van's wimpy headlights were not an asset.

It was raining when we checked into our less-than-basic hotel and raining when we left. The highlight of our visit to Yecora was an amazing bowl of albondigas soup at a little restaurant barely heated by wood-burning stove.  From Yecora we drove over the crest of the sierras to Basaseachic.  Despite the steady rain, the occasional views were fantastic.

Basaseachic was worth the drive.  Although this is normally the dry season for the falls, the rain made for a spectacular display.  We got soaked (by rain, not the falls) at the first viewpoint, then retreated a half mile to Rancho San Lorenzo where we set up camp for the night.  We hunkered down, and despite freezing temperatures and 2+ inches of rain,  had a good afternoon and night.

In the morning, we took advantage of a brief break in the storm, and walked down to two viewpoints.  The canyon was particularly beautiful due to pour-overs and little waterfalls everywhere we looked. The big waterfall was huge, with for a brief moment, a double rainbow.  As we hiked back up the well-constructed trail, it began to sleet.  A brief cafecita with rancho caretaker Eliasar, and we were on our way down the Chihuahua side of the sierras, then north to the logging town of Madera. 

This was a beautiful drive through high ranchland that looks a lot like Yavapai County.  After a chilly night in a Madera hotel room with a tiny propane heater, we headed to Cuaranta Casas, one of many ruins in the canyons around Madera and Casas Grandes.  As we understand it (ask us more tomorrow, after we visit the museum at Paquime), the people who occupied these caves and Paquime are closely tied with the Mogollon and Anasazi cultures.  Although they are now well-protected (visitors must be accompanied by a guide), the caves are terribly looted, making it hard for archaeologists to get the data they need.

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The supposedly two-hour drive Cuaranta Casas to Mata Ortiz took us four.  This is a village of potters who combine ancient and modern designs with beautiful results.  It seems everyone is a potter, and you can't walk down the street or even out your door without being invited into someone's home to view their pots.  As we are not in the market for pots, this feels a bit awkward to us.  So far we have been too busy to accept the invitations.  Tomorrow we will visit some potters, making it clear we are only looking, before leaving for Paquime and Casas Grandes Viejo.

Today we drove an hour and a half to Cueva de la Olla, a cave with dwellings and a huge bowl-like granary. This is something we have never seen before.

It's time for Toby's walk, and we've been told there is cell phone reception on the hill.  Enjoy the photos.

Love, Toni