El Eden, Querétaro to Ixmiquilpan, Hidalgo //
When Mark opens the camper door this morning, it looks as though we’re floating in a cloud. All I see is misty grey fog encompassing every tree outside our door. It appears as though we chose the right days to sit still and the right day to leave.
I always feel like a lottery winner in these moments. The weather is the ultimate determining factor in our level of comfort since so much of our time is spent outside. Arriving at a beautiful campsite to in turn be shunned by bad weather can be disappointing, and sometimes downright frustrating. We got lucky here at El Eden, especially considering it’s January at 9,000’.
Mark found a spot a few hours to the south that looks quite welcoming for campers and so that’s the direction we point the trucks in today. Rather than taking the fastest, most direct route, Mark navigates us along rural two lane roads which offer a delightful tour of a side of Mexico we would never otherwise see from a busy highway. We pass through various sleepy villages and small towns. Between all the water parks we see that signify how hot it gets here and all the parkas being worn by the locals today, I assume this fifty degree day is considered very cold for this region.
While town streets are still narrow, the fact that they offer a foot or two of clearance on either side of our truck, rather than inches, feels downright spacious compared to our experience in the mountains. There’s very little indication as to where we are but I realize at one point that we’ve crossed from Querétaro state into Hidalgo, our ninth state so far on this trip. In Huichapan we successfully refill our propane tanks (something the previous two gas places we stopped at were unable to do) and in Ixmiquilpan we restock on groceries. Sidenote: I spend too much time trying to properly pronounce Ixmiquilpan which is eeks-mi-queel-pan. Try saying that three times fast.
Twenty minutes south of town we arrive at Gran Cañon Parque Eco Alberto which offers a beautiful stretch of thick green grass for us to park on. A tranquil river offering just the right amount of white noise dissects rugged canyon walls rising up on both sides. The descent from 9,000’ in elevation to 5600’ is noticeable in the forecast that promises high seventy and low eighty degree temps in the coming days.
Between the promising forecast and the price being just right (at $5 US per night) chances are high we won’t be going anywhere anytime soon.
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That loaded-up pickup truck is just so representative of the weird stuff you see in Mexico. Great pic!
It really is. I’d love to get more photos like these but often the moments happen in a flash.
The driving conditions look so much better! The guy with the loaded truck would be a ticket waiting to happen in the US! Someone did a lot of creative loading. It’s hilarious 😆😂
We see so many things like that and are constantly in awe!
Just like the other commenters, I love the photo of the truck! It looks like something from an animated movie. I always wonder where some of those artists come up with the caricature-like representations, and now I know! 🙂 I appreciate his ingenuity 👍. Thanks for sharing these glimpses of Mexico with us!