Brian’s Microblog

March 06, 2026

We slept in a little and then walked down to the end of the block to have breakfast at Tío Molcas, a restaurant with its own hotel attached. The rooms at the Valles Inn Plus are much larger and newer - in general nicer and more spacious than most we have stayed in on this trip, but the bathroom has absolutely no towel racks or hooks. We had a nice breakfast at Tío Molcas - I tried their chilaquiles which were a different style, but still good.

We returned to the room without any hurry - the temperature was only in the forties. We packed up and left at ten when it got to fifty degrees. My tire was still holding air. We left Creel and, despite it feeling like Creel is high in the mountains at 7,700 feet we began climbing, eventually at least a thousand feet higher. While the roads curved around and over ridges, unfortunately the pavement quality was really bad for much of the ride out of the mountains.

We turned off at San Juanito to go to Basaseachi falls. On the road to the falls we could see the cabin where we stayed nineteen years earlier. The bad pavement we rode on today from the turnoff was just sixty-some miles of gravel road back then, and we spent most of the day going from Basaseachi to Creel, but with a few detours and side roads along the way.

We stopped at an Oxxo in La Junta after one thirty to get some cold drinks and a few snacks for lunch. By that time we were out of the mountains and on the plains, although the altitude is still 6,700 feet. The roads got straighter and there was a lot of agriculture in this area, most strikingly big apple orchards arrangements to cover the entire orchards with a net or mesh to keep birds out, and they also help ward off frost.

We arrived in Chihuahua a bit before five and checked in to the Best Western Plus. This is a very upscale Best Western, fancier than any Best Western I remember in the U.S. It is our most expensive hotel in Mexico of the trip on this final night in Mexico, a little over a hundred dollars (we have been between $50 and $60 in most places for a room with two beds). Still cheaper than the much less nice Ramada where we stayed in Las Cruces.

After unpacking lubricating the chains we made our way a few miles further to Gustavo’s sister-in-law’s house. She made us a very tasty dinner using hibiscus, chiles, and nuts with beans and tortillas. We talked for a while with her mother and aunt, and then went to run an errand for them again - a more than fair trade for the delicious dinner.