On the Road is a weekday feature spotlighting reader photo submissions.
From the exotic to the familiar, whether you’re traveling or in your own backyard, we would love to see the world through your eyes.
beckya57
These pictures are from our April trip to the Copper Canyon region in northwest Mexico. We were
on a tour with Caravan, a company we like even though the usual big-bus tour caveats apply.
Mexico is full of these funky sculptures.
Beautiful water color.
Beautiful river with lots of birds near the Pueblo Magico town of El Fuerte, near the canyon.
They had a lot of these.
From the train, which took 90 years (!!) to build. Ride is spectacular, takes about 6 hours.
Part of the train track.
From the hotel overlook. The canyon system in total is bigger than the Grand Canyon.
Sun setting over the canyon.
Baud
Cool scenery.
sab
I was wondering if that first sculpture was a shark or a porpoise (the top fin looks sharkish) until I noticed the tail. Undoubtedly a porpoise.
A woman from anywhere (formerly Mohagan)
White pelicans! Cool!
sab
@A woman from anywhere (formerly Mohagan): All pelicans are cool.
They look like tiny dinosaurs when they perch on a dock, but in flight they are simply and gracefully gorgeous.
Winter Wren
Wow, I had never heard of this place. Looks like a great trip.
eclare
Love the sunset photo!
Doc H
A spot (and a train ride) that is VERY high on my bucket list! Thanks for the pix.
Betty
Great pictures of a place not many of us knew about.
rosalind
fabulous! i took an amazing musical train trip there several years ago. A Roots on the Rails trip, with Dave Alvin and Tom Russell among other musicians aboard. The winding trip up to the top of the canyon, then the hotel at the top, the views, the people. Just another world.
MCat
What a great place! Pelicans!!! That picture at sunset is spectacular. Thanks.
WaterGirl
@eclare: Yep, that one is really special.
Albatrossity
@A woman from anywhere (formerly Mohagan): Actually, I think those are Brown Pelicans, which would be the expected species in the Sea of Cortez. Here’s a part of that image, adjusted so that the contrast is a bit better.
Almost80
Nice to see the photos. I took the train from Chihuahua city to Los Mochis and back fifty years ago (my first long trip alone that wasn’t in a car, and it was a cheap trip at the time) and found it all stunning, the whole trip. Stopped over a few nights in various towns both going and coming back. I love Mexico. The train at that time was a passenger train as well as having tourist cars. The canyon itself seemed too big to comprehend.
A woman from anywhere (formerly Mohagan)
@Albatrossity: thanks for the image and ID help! I remember the first time I saw pelicans flying along the Mendocino coast, and at first I didn’t recognize them because their pouches were pulled in.
PJ
Many years ago, when all the world was young, I took the train with friends from Juarez through the Copper Canyon to Los Mochis. The train cars were old US Pullmans, you could stand outside on the small platforms between the cars and watch the view, it really was spectacular.
Tehanu
Spectacular pix! and I love the pelicans.
Dan B
What amazing contrast of sights, art water, birds, and the canyon. In the picture of the river it looks like animal tracks along the bank.
Denali5
Thanks for the photos. I have long wanted to visit the Copper Canyon, but had sort of put the thought of it aside because I thought it might now not be safe. Guess I have had the wrong impressions about visiting Mexico.
Ruckus
That sculpture of a flying fish sort of thing is great!
I like oddball art. Things that make you think. Things outside “normal.” Had an aunt who painted and she was great, mostly along the line of portraits or very realistic landscapes. My sister was a bit wilder in her art. She did some for me and they are very good. For me art is something to look at, not create. Mostly because I had a tremor most of my life, but modern medicine found a cure for that and I haven’t had tremor for a couple of years now. I even sleep better. Damn I like modern medicine. In some ways I’m sorry that I’m an old fart. But it’s life, you get what you get, and sometimes you earn something for doing something positive outside of the wide range of normal human. And sometimes you pay a price for playing way outside the lines but in a negative direction.
Ruckus
@Denali5:
Haven’t been to Mexico for a few years now but used to have a customer down there that I made tools for. Very nice folks, their factory was very nice, very clean. My trips into Mexico have all been extremely nice. Now maybe that’s because I’ve seen a lot of the world in my travels and most of the places I’ve been have been very nice, right along with the people. Told this one before but six of us (in the USN) did get switchblades pulled on us walking in Naples, Italy, by two guys but as the highest ranking member of the group I explained to them very calmly, that “While they were stabbing 2 of us, the other 4 of us were going to (as it is in military life, many of the words spoken consist of 4 letters…) beat the fuck completely out of them.” They spoke and understood English just fine, so folded up their knives and walked away. Not my favorite city but Naples was OK. Maybe not as nice as walking on the ice of Antartica but still, had its charm.
rosalind
@Denali5:
well, my Roots on the Rails trip was the last one they did due to security concerns. The drug cartels had a heavy presence in the area, and our train had armed guards that boarded at the bottom to keep watch as we wound around and around to the top. Don’t know the current status.
beckya57
@Winter Wren: yes, it’s not as well known as many Mexican destinations, so it’s not as overrun with tourists. If you want an introduction, read the book Born to Run, about the Ruramuri Indians who live in the canyons and are incredibly gifted runners.
beckya57
@Denali5: there have been reports of cartel activity in the area, but we didn’t have any problems. We like traveling with Caravan because they use local guides who know the area. This was our 4th tour with them, 2 in Mexico and one in Costa Rica (the other was in the SW US), and we’ve always felt safe. The cartels actually don’t want anything to do with tourists.
beckya57
@rosalind: that sounds awesome!
beckya57
@WaterGirl: thanks!
beckya57
@rosalind: we didn’t see anything like that. I’ve been traveling in Mexico my whole life without any problems. Did have a hair-raising experience in Peru a few years ago. In general, though, I think going to college on the South Side of Chicago in the ‘70’s was a lot riskier than anything I’ve done in Latin America.
beckya57
@Ruckus: there’s sculptures like that all over Mexico. One of the many things I like about the country.