We check out the first stretch of toll road from Concordia to just north of Santa Lucia on the way to Durango.

Thursday January 31, 2013

Time for another ride.  We haven’t been out with Sam & Rita much on the bikes….partly because Big Red has some health issues (flakey shifter) and partly since they were away for a week and when then got back Rita was deathly ill for a couple of weeks.  She is moderately better now so off we went. 

This is the toll for the motorcycle where we got on the toll road.  60 pesos or about $4.80.

Heading up the toll road.

It’s high up in the distance.

Tunnel #1…..and the tunnels will continue and continue and continue.  I decided to just keeping snapping pictures of tunnels and count them later.  This little camera of mine….Panasonic Lumix DSC ZS7 always amazes me.  Set on auto, bouncing on the back of the motorcycle at 60mph and still the pictures are good!

 

  

 

Long ones, short ones all beautifully constructed.

Far away tunnel and bridge.

And another and another!

I’d hardly lower the camera and we were into another tunnel.

Just about missed this one.

Got inside this one before I got a shot.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

THE END!   Not sure if I got it right but it was somewhere around 18 tunnels. 

Off the toll road and now where do we go? 

The construction continues toward Durango.

Which way should we go?  Left on the free road to Copala for lunch or….back on the toll road to Concordia. 

Getting late….Copala it is!

The vista is spectacular.  I just stuck my arms in the air and pressed the button…not bad!

Spectacular views and we are very high up.

 

One of those great big bridges far behind us in the distance.

Under we go.   The Santa Lucia bridge at over 300 ft. in height!

 

Quite the engineering feat.

This is a picture off the net of the Santa Lucia bridge when it was under construction.  It is finished now and we crossed over it at the end of this section of toll road.  It is a curved bridge.  

Good link http://highestbridges.com/wiki/index.php?title=Category:Bridges_in_Sinaloa,_Mexico

Coming into Santa Lucia on the free road just south of where we left the toll road.   Santa Lucia is at 1200 meters elevation.

Nice little town and we could have stopped here for lunch.  Next time.

Sam and Rita.

Down the twisty, turny free road to Copala.  Lots of pine up here….smelled great!

Lots of Curva Peligrosa’s  (Dangerous curves) and lots of blind corners.  You MUST stay to the right, away from the centre line as the trucks and or trailers are coming up they are ALWAYS in your lane.  Very dangerous!

A bridge on the toll road.

We rolled into Copala just after 1pm and ate at Daniels restaurant.  We have eaten elsewhere in the past but that restaurant is closed so ….Daniel’s it was.  A bit pricey for Mexico but a good lunch.  They offer combination plates which include a drink and desert for about 120 or 130 peso’s each.  This was the first time we encountered any tourists in Copala and there was a huge tour bus along with two smaller vans in the parking lot when we came out after lunch.  They sure can use the business.

Eric and Sam trudging up the hill.

After lunch we walked up the hill to the tourist shop located next to the old cathedral.   Rita was hoping to find a leather mask but there were none to be found.  They used to be on the wall in Daniel’s restaurant but they didn’t have them either.   The nicest collection I have seen was in the Zip Line town of  Varaneando and that is probably worth another road trip. 

 

Coming back down the hill this beautiful vine was in full bloom.

Sam & Rita.

Just leaving Copala and some resident pigs.  Could have been cows, sheep or goats but today it was pigs.

Back on the free road and down the twisty road to Concordia and home.  I did notice as we passed along the highway through Concordia that they have two new mid size super markets.  A Santa Fe and another larger one that I didn’t recognize.  Good for the local area.

We were back in the park just after 4pm and it was a good rid and a good day!