From Wide Shoulders to No Shoulders

The past 10 days we have spent riding on the coast in the states of Colima and Michoacán. The roads here in Mexico are always changing. Highway 200 runs the entire length of Mexico from our start in Puerto Vallarta until Guatemala. When we crossed the border into Colima from Jalisco we were surprised as the road suddenly improved with a huge shoulder and very nice pavement. A few days later as we crossed into Michoacán, a group of soldiers stopped us to ask us what we were doing and checked our passports before letting us cross the bridge where the shoulder suddenly disappeared and the potholes increased. You never know what your gonna get. We would be riding along and suddenly the pavement would disappear and we would be riding through a work zone on dirt with tractors and dump trucks passing us by. There weren´t any signs letting us know, or workers directing traffic. Two way traffic just seeming to work its way through one lane areas with no problems.

The days are starting to blend together as we form a routine. Each day waking up with the sunrise, making oatmeal and packing up camp. Then onto the bikes for a short while before we are hungry again and need to stop for 2nd breakfast. A little more riding until we come across another town where we can eat lunch. Usually some tacos or plates of chicken or steak with beans and tortillas. Back on the road trying to drink enough water as the heat really picks up in the afternoons. Eventually we are exhausted and find a beach town to put our tent for the night. We usually find a little Enramada (small family run restaurant on the beach, open air right on the sand) and have a second lunch and then ask for places we can camp. A lot of the times we are invited to camp right there or directed somewhere nearby we can go. Set up our tent and eat dinner then hit the sack pretty early before starting all over again the next day.

Now we are in Morelia visiting Andy and Nena Dick and there new born baby son Daniel. Back on the bikes in a few days.

Here are some highlights from the last week.

Paco, Andy, Francisco and Mike
We met a kid named Paco in Santiago who saw our bikes and started chatting with us before eventually inviting us to stay at his house. So we took a rest day and hung out with him.

We were late to the start of a soccer game, but Andy wanted to practice his portero skills.
He ended up playing in a match the next night and impressed the locals with his mad skills and fearlessness

Andy entertaining some of Paco´s friends in Santiago.

We take a lot of breaks in the shade to get out of the heat and to eat snacks throughout the day. This was on a toll road which have much nicer pavement and shoulders.

Our bikes on the beach in Pascuales.
We arrived in a small beach town and found out there wasn´t a direct road connecting two towns 5km apart and thought it would be easy to ride on the hard packed wet sand. Didn´t work out so well and we ended up pushing our bikes the whole way.

Some kite surfers in Pascuales at sunset

Our first night in Michoacán in Boca de Apiza. A super nice family cooked us some great meals and shared some good fishing stories with us.

Fresh fish, fresh salsa, fresh tortillas. Doesn´t get much better.


In the morning the dog milo, the pig cleopatra and the kitten named kitty were playing together

We met some fellow travelers (Ari and Major from Sequoia) in Maruata. This is a fish Major caught with his speer gun.

The fishermen getting after it early at sunrise

We camped at a local families enramada for $5 a day including bathrooms and showers. Here was one of the many lobsters they caught that day.

The baby Kimberly slept most of the day in the hammock

Andy demonstrates how to brush your teeth in La Soledad

Andy looks down the Michoacán coast. Some beautiful views along this road. But some brutal climbing as well.

The Michoacán coast in 5 days

La Costa

We left the safe haven of Mascota to begin the hard everyday riding. Cisco dropped us off up the road from Mascota and we began riding the rolling hills towards Talpa de Allende where thousands of Mexicans travel each year to see La Virgen.

Our first stop to eat. It was a nice old man and his family who lives part time in Mexico and part time in California.

Andy on top of a mini church looking down valley towards Talpa.

The road heading down to Talpa below was an awesome descent. 77 kph max speed

Arriving in Talpa, Andy is stoked!

A very common scenery the first few days. The hills were beautiful until we had to ride up them. Then we were pissed.

Lots of pretty butterflies and tarantulas on the road

As the road turned to dirt and started to climb there were more and more landslides. It looked as if the road was just cleared in the past few weeks. We were told that it had rained more this summer than any rainy season in the last 100 years.

There was construction on the bridge so we had to ford the creek.

The road was all dirt for most of the first two days even though our map showed a paved highway.

Our first stop was in La Cuesta. A tiny town in the hills with one street. We were allowed to camp in the church courtyard and bathed in a natural hot (more like warm) springs that night.

Leaving the next morning for more fun. This was right next to the woman's house/ one table restaurant who cooked dinner for us as we waited in her living room.

More dirt and more climbing the second day. It was two of my harder days on a bike. Lugging a ton of weight on a dirt road with little traction and tons of bumps can really wear you out. Even so, it was one of the coolest road rides I have ever been on.


The second day we arrived in a small ranch town called Llano Grande. We ate in the first restaurant we saw and asked about camping. We were told he had a friend who owned a land down the road we could camp on. We asked if we should speak with him first and he said no, its no problem. When we arrived at his ranch a group of kids were playing with the cows in the bull ring as we waited to try and speak with Reuben, the owner. Another man we ran into also told us it would be fine to camp there but offered to go get Reuben, which made us feel better.

Reuben came by and started chatting with us, wondering why the crazy gringos on bikes wanted to camp in the middle of his cow's field. He was very friendly, and the longer we talked to him the more stuff he started offering us. First he said we were welcome to camp on his land, then he offered to let us shower at his home in town, and he eventually said why didn't we just come stay at his house. It was amazing how well it worked out because when we went back to his house/restaurant we ate dinner, then showered. As we prepared to set up the tent in their yard, his wife Lupe asked us why we weren't staying in the extra bedroom. Extra bedroom? Really? It turns out they had an extra room with 3 beds. Perfect. When Reuben came back from work later he also offered to give us a ride to Tomatlán (as he was taking his kids there to the dentist in the morning) which was probably another two days riding on similarly crappy roads. We decided to take him up on the offer and packed into his work truck in the morning. It's amazing how the universe just works everything out perfectly for you sometimes.

Local kids chasing the cows

Andy stumbled upon a high school and we were invited into this English class to help them practice. The majority of the students were girls as most of the boys drop out to work when there are of high school age. There was only one english teacher and the students only get 2 hrs a week in her classroom.

Hanging out with Reuben and his friends in front of his house in Llano Grande

We were six deep on the bench seat of his pickup truck for the 2.5 hr bumpy ride

After the two difficult days of riding and climbing up bad and bumpy roads, Kodi had decided she was going to return to Colorado. We were sad to see her go, but we have potential plans to meet up after Christmas in Central America.

The day after Llano Grande my camera mysteriously broke and hasn't been working until today when it miraculously started working after I hit it on my palm in frustration. So there aren't any pictures from the last week.

We continued down the coast riding on nice paved roads stopping in beach town where we would be able to camp each night. We continue to eat lots of delicious food and meet interesting people along the way. There are still a good amount of climbs each day but the roads are much easier and the drivers are extremely cautious and courteous when passing.



Here are some maps of the last couple days riding. And for all of my bike nerd friends here is some data from my garmin:

Since we left Puerto Vallarta:
338 km in 23 hrs of actual riding time.
14,550 calories burned on the bike
3800m of climbing and 4600m of descending

Day 1: Talpa to La Cuesta. Day 2: La Cuesta to Llano Grande. Day 3: Tomatlan to Punta Perula

Day 4: Punta Perula to Playa Cayeritos. Day 5: Playa Cayeritos to Melaque

Big City Life

During our stay in Mascota, Cisco had to go up to Guadalajara to pick up his Mexican citizen voters card. He invited us along so we could check out the city. Guadalajara is the capital of the state of Jalisco, which is where Mascota is. It is probably best known for being the state where the majority of tequila is produced. It is the second biggest city in terms of population in Mexico behind Mexico City.

Cisco had me drive his jeep so he could navigate us through the maze. Driving in Mexico is a pretty intense experience. The speed limits and street signs (like turning lanes) don't really seem to do much. But everything seems to work out even with people making right turns from the far left lane going 20 mph over the speed limit.

This year was the 100 yr anniversary of the Mexican Revolution. There was a lot of cool decorations and art in the plaza.

Enjoying Micheladas in la plaza principal

Murals on the ceiling by José Clemente Orozco

Cisco took us to see some work of one of his favorite artists José Clemente Orozco. They were huge murals taking up entire walls and ceilings in the governor´s palace and another art museum. His paintings were very intense and had a lot of symbolism. Very cool art.

The next three pictures are a mural covering 3 walls and the vaulted ceiling of a large staircase in the governor´s palace. It is of Miguel Hidalgo and it represents Mexico´s struggle to gain independence and their revolution.

Miguel Hidalgo - Leader of the Revolution

La Señorita Kodi Kelly

I fell asleep in the second art museum. kodi and andy thought is was pretty hilarious as a tour guide talked about the murals right next to me.

These high school girls desperately wanted to take a picture with andy. I thought that was pretty awesome and hilarious

-mike dahl

Mas Tacos en Mascota

We have spent the last 9 days in Mascota visiting my friend Cisco as well as waiting for a package to arrive from the US. Mascota is a small town of about 10,000 people located in the mountains inland from Puerto Vallarta. It is in a valley at about 4500 ft surrounded by luscious green hills.

Cisco has been such a gracious and wonderful host. He has shown us around town, been a guide on awesome dirt road bike rides, and introduced us to some amazing people. The time we have spent here has been wonderful and has reinforced my belief that Mexicans are some of the most generous, welcoming and giving people I have encountered. We plan on continuing the bike adventure starting tomorrow morning as we start the ride back to the coast.

Andy in La Plaza

Cisco cheering Andy on. He rides these crazy climbs on his single speed.

One of the many brutal dirt Road Climbs Cisco has taken us on. The climbing on the road bikes is great but descending on the rocky and/or cobbled roads can get pretty rough.

La Lumbre

Some of Cisco's friends had us over for a barbeque. Some of the most delicious tacos i've ever had. Good tequila as well.

Our wonderful host Cisco.

We set up the slackline in the local park to get some practice.

Sunset ride through the fields of Mascota.
Corn is grown everywhere in the valley and hills around Mascota. Also there are tons of delicious peppers being grown

La Presa
There is a reservoir up in the hills that provides water to the town and its crops. We came up here to a little restaurant overlooking the lake for a nice little lunch.

Cemetery in Mascota.
Day of the dead is celebrated on Nov 1st and 2nd. There is a large fiesta and many families will go to the graves of their loved ones to spend some time as a family.

Cisco's ice cream shop. Best ice cream in town.

Andres y Carol. Friends of Cisco in Mascota.

Their family (Pati, Carol, Pau and Andres) had us over a bunch of times and were very generous. We had a great time playing basketball, cooking, and drinking wine with them. Very good people.

Here are some pictures of the beautiful scenery on rides around the hills.

Taco time.

One of our favorite things to do in Mascota is eat. There are a ton of street taco options here and we felt we should try as many as possible. We probably ate tacos 2x a day if not more. Delicious! Kodi took this picture while we stuffed our faces.

Kodi's picture of an old cowboy.

Thanks so much Cisco for having us in your home and showing us such a good time. We will miss you and all of your friends here in Mascota.

Click here to see more photos of mascota