Mexico Day 69: transfixed

Parque Nacional el Chico, Hidalgo to outside Metepec, Puebla //

It’s a driving day today and instead of cooking breakfast before we leave, Mark suggests a well-reviewed restaurant ten minutes down the road.  Heather, Adam, and myself agree that a break from cooking and cleaning sounds great so we pack up and get on the road.  When we arrive at Del Bosque, it’s the first time I feel too grimy to be where we are.  It’s been a week since we last showered and Del Bosque is, without question, the chicest restaurant we’ve been to in Mexico.  However, that doesn’t slow us down from enthusiastically ordering from the well-designed and appetizing menu.  In short order we are served some of the freshest and most flavorful food we’ve had since arriving on the mainland.  I don’t care what the staff is saying about us stinky gringos, Del Bosque was a worthwhile stop.

Things get a bit tricky as we navigate our way down the mountain and onto the highway via a complex set of interchanges.  Once up to highway speed, a surprising trio of speed bumps (used to indicate a curve in the road) confirms our brakes and seatbelts are in good working order.  At the base of the mountain we’re inserted into the city of Pachuca, the capital city of Hidalgo state, with a population of 315,000.  Mark decides it’s best to drive in the center of the three lane traffic as we’ve learned it’s a toss of the coin whether the right lane is going to be used for driving or parking.  Things get more tense when a righthand turn puts us on a three lane wide, one-way thoroughfare that currently has traffic going both ways.  Confused and cautious we discover the opposing lanes opposite the median are under construction.  We’re finding it more and more common that drivers are left to figure out construction zones for themselves as signs, cones, and barricades are non-existent.  

After departing Pachuca, about two hours of driving and a handful of highway interchanges remain before reaching our next destination.  To our surprise, a portion of our drive takes us through a small section of the state of Mexico, the state in which old diesel trucks like ours are not permitted.  According to google we’re practically on the state line that parallels the highway.  After a twenty minute visit to Mexico state, it’s a relief to cross into Tlaxcala.  Our time in the small state of Tlaxcala is also short-lived and we soon arrive in the much larger state of Puebla.  Rather than take the toll road all the way to our destination, as is true to our style, we make our way to a network of rural roads that will take us the rest of the way there.  

From high in the mountains to the busy city streets of Pachuca, from the fast-paced toll roads to the rural countryside, we’re getting to see many sides of Mexico today.  However, none of it is as impressive as the sight we’re about to lay eyes on.  Thanks to the iOverlander app we found a property on the outskirts of the small town of Metepec with a restaurant and cabanas that allows overnight parking.  While the property itself is in need of a little TLC, Brenda, the host, could not be more gracious, and the view we were hoping for was accurately advertised.  Beyond the barbed wire fence, beyond the orchards, beyond the pine forest that stretches far into the distance, stands Popocatépetl, an active volcano that rises 17,800’ into the sky.  After getting settled into our spot for the night, we wait in suspense hoping we’ll get to see this behemoth of a mountain that is currently covered in clouds.

The weather is changing fast and so it’s just a matter of time.  At sunset the clouds begin to break revealing Popo’s crater and steam billowing from deep inside.  Our gaze is affixed to the volcano until the very last bit of light fades from the sky.  At $20 a night, this spot is on the expensive side for Mexico and we debate leaving in the morning.  However, my frugality is weakened with a view like this.  We go to bed eagerly anticipating what Popo will have to show us come morning.  Where we’re headed from here, that decision can wait until another day.

…

Interested in camping in Baja?
Check out our Baja Camping Guide!