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Friday, January 9, 2015

Let’s take a ride to Concordia via the new Mazatlan Bypass.

Eric and I haven’t taken a ride together on Big Red since we got here over a month ago. What’s up with that!  We decided to take our first ride by ourselves for some….alone time.  We enjoy having other people along but we also enjoy a trip by ourselves.  It’s nice to feel comfortable riding here and also that we can communicate well enough in Spanish to get by.  A far cry from our first winter in Mazatlan six years ago. 

So…..off we go.

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Heading north on Sabalo Cerritos.  We will turn right and head east to Mex 15D  where we will head south to Villa Union and then east to Concordia.  

This link to Google maps shows the route including the new bypass. I couldn’t figure out how to copy and paste it in!

 https://www.google.com.mx/maps/@23.2899855,-106.4168324,11z?hl=en

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Lots of new construction on the road heading out of town up by Emerald Bay.IMG_2030

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That is hard pan….not sure what the plan is.  They are trucking the material they remove into the new subdivision.  IMG_2032

Heading east to the toll road. IMG_2033

We head south on the Cuota toward Mazatlan.

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Stay left here to get onto the Libriamento Mazatlan Bypass. IMG_2037

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The new road is concrete so it should hold up.  Better than the ever failing asphalt. IMG_2039

Partly constructed overpasses everywhere. IMG_2040

What a difference from the usual horrible ride through Mazatlan heading south to Villa Union. IMG_2045

The toll booth.

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I had to crop this so you can see it.  23 pesos for the moto.  Worth it at triple the price!

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Getting close to Villa Union.

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You can get off here to take the free road to Villa Union or Durango. IMG_2049

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We leave the toll road and now it gets tricky. IMG_2051

We came off on left of the picture and were now heading into Villa Union but we wanted to go to Concordia.  We had to cross the traffic and make a U turn in the lane that is heading onto the Cuota to Tepic.  Very unsafe and no other way to do it. Not thought out at all. IMG_2052

Blocking off something?IMG_2053

New pavement on Mex 15 (libre) to Concordia and Durango. IMG_2054

A pretty ride and not much traffic. IMG_2055

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Up, down and around the corner.  IMG_2058

Just before Concordia are the many roadside pottery shops IMG_2059

And…..furniture shops. IMG_2061

On the left you can see the church in the square in Concordia. IMG_2062

We bypassed and continued on for a ride to …..IMG_2063

El Verde.  We turned left (North) just east of the entrance to Concordia. IMG_2064

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Always a tractor pulling a load of something to be thrashed. IMG_2066

Many small band saw mills cutting wood for the furniture shops.  IMG_2067

Beautiful out here and very green.   IMG_2068

Lots of agriculture. IMG_2069

Working the fields. IMG_2070

Turn left for El Verde in 1km.

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A recreational site at the edge of the road.  IMG_2074

Over the bridge into El Verde.  Eric and Sam had been up this way in the past so it wasn’t all new to Eric….just me. IMG_2075

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We rode up and down a few streets. IMG_2077

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Got a bit turned around as they had the road out of town blocked.  Eric asked a young guy at the edge of the road “Amigo..donde esta salida?”  He had no English but we got the gist of it.  Go up to the square turn left and left again and then right to get around the blocked road and…..IMG_2079

we are out.  IMG_2080

Back over the bridge and out of town. IMG_2081

I would guess this is a left over Christmas display.  It was at the crossroad where we turned back to Concordia. IMG_2084

We are getting close to Mex 15 and our return to Concordia.  There is a band saw mill behind the laundry.  I like laundry pictures….very colorful!IMG_2086

Hard at work.  Small bits of logs ready to band saw into boards. IMG_2089

Up the one way street into Concordia. IMG_2091

They are working on church restoration.  Very old and always in need of repair.  IMG_2092

We head off down a side street to El Granero where we have eaten before.  IMG_2093

A timed photo. IMG_2094

El Granero has been here since the 1800’s.  Very nice murals and memorabilia on the wall.  IMG_2095

Complimentary appetizers.  Very tasty.  IMG_2096

A look out the window toward the church.  IMG_2097

I ordered camarones empanizado so Eric said “dos” and had the same.

 

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Cost….80 pesos or about $6.40 and more than we could eat.  Good food, good service and delicious.  At this point I asked the waiter if the “caseta de cobro or toll booth was antes (before) Concordia or despuis (after)Concordia on the toll road and he said despuis.  IMG_2099

General Emiliano Zapata hero of the Mexican Revolution.  He was Pancho Villa’s boss!

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The very pretty square in Concordia is even prettier now.  All planted with lush green annuals of every kind.  IMG_2102

You can see the big rocking chair in the square.  Concordia is very well know for it’s furniture. IMG_2103

Heading down the one way street out of town. IMG_2104

On the east end of Concordia is the only gas station and it is very busy.  It looks like this fellow is checking the pumps.  I hope he is checking that they are delivering the amount of fuel that they say they are.  A huge problem in Mexico and at about $1.15 Canadian a liter a bit of a concern.  Fuel prices have not gone down in Mexico!IMG_2105

Eric filled up but it took forever as the pump was very slow as the storage tank was almost out of fuel.  It was gasping air in the hose….not good!IMG_2106

Heading east of Concordia where we will turn right to get on the toll road home.  IMG_2107

We are almost to the toll road and the sign says turn right so….IMG_2108

we do.  Up the ramp onto the toll road.  IMG_2109

And the first thing we see is ….a toll booth.  At this point we are on the other side of it and have just paid a 16peso toll.  The waiter in the restaurant was wrong.  Not a problem except on a moto you need to have the correct money in your pocket to pay.  IMG_2110

These are the tolls you would pay here if you were heading east to Durango.  There will be more toll booths along the way.  IMG_2111

We leave the toll road to Tepic here and head back on the Mazatlan bypass.  If you left the bypass route to head into Villa Union you would once again have a problem.  You are being funneled toward Concordia and now have to cross the traffic and head left to Villa Union.  Again….very unsafe. IMG_2112

Green around Villa Union. IMG_2113

The bypass route toll booth back to Mazatlan.IMG_2114

Gotta love it!IMG_2115

We left the toll road here and took the libre Mex 15 back to the road to the Playas and home.  You could continue on the toll road and get off to the Playas as well. IMG_2116

I thought cock fighting was illegal. So what are all these roosters for?IMG_2118

El Habal is out this way and we also went through an Army check point just south of the road to La Noria.  No idea what they are checking for.  IMG_2119

Left to the Playas and home. IMG_2120

That’s the Riu up ahead and a motorhome in a big hurry.  He went to Cerritos Resort. IMG_2121

Along Sabalo Cerritos and home. 

A good day.

6 comments:

  1. Definitely a good day! Thanks for the tour - nice to see! Good that you can take photos on the back of the bike. Great looking lunch!

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    1. It is always amazing to me that these small point and shoot cameras can take such good pictures at high speed when I can't even see what I'm taking pictures of. The bad side is that I constantly get dirt inside the lens of the camera. I think the high speed drives the dust inside the camera but luckily there is a camera repair guy here in Mazatlan who cleans it for a reasonable price. Still an irritation!

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  2. Oh no have you had to get the 'new' camera repaired already?? I am a bit confused with the bypass info and the off and on's. If we were taking the bypass form Culiacan to Tepic and wanted to get off at Villa Union so we could get to the Mazatlan Airport ( the route to our RV park ) , would we have a trouble dong so with our RV and toad?

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    1. No you could just get off at Villa Union and turn right. You'd get off the Cuota go through the check point and north back through Villa Union and then head back to the Airport. They are supposed to be working on a branch road that would allow you to get off at the airport and not have to go all the way to Villa Union. The issue with getting off the bypass at Villa Union is only if you are trying to turn left and go to Concordia. Sorry for the confusion but it was confusing for us as well!

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  3. Copying from Google Maps: 1) run Picasa in the background 2) open Google Maps and get your map on the screen 3) hit FN (function) and PRTSC (print screen). 4) Go to Picasa to edit and save your map.

    We have eaten at that same restaurant!

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    1. Thanks Croft. I don't use Picasa so that won't work for me but I will look at adding it to my list of programs.

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