Creel, Chihuahua

Orchard with furled netting and heaters

We were up at 5.45 AM with a wakeup call from Stephen in Western Australia.  At 6.30 AM we were at the train station across the street and shortly after 7 AM the train departed.  The seats were comfortable and we had plenty of shoulder and leg room.  The window was large with a blind that we could be controlled with a knob. The car was about 25 % full.  This train was relatively short - about 6 passenger cars plus the snack bar.  A very pleasant surprise was that where the cars joined there were great viewing platforms that had a waist high restraining gate and a big open area above.

We passed through very good farmland with crops, cattle, and extensive apple orchards.  It was good to see water in just about every water course.  There were many starlings and most of the orchards were set up with nets to cover every tree when the apples are developing.  We could also see what we though were heaters for dealing with frost.  Then the terrain became more interesting with the train skirting water courses, passing over bridges, and through several tunnels, one of which must have been at least 2 km long.  The terrain became mountainous, covered with pine trees and dotted with log cabins here and there.  In the fresh air at the viewing platform the scent of pine trees reminded me of my boyhood in Alabama.

We had read about the occasional armed holdups of this train in the past, but we felt very secure because on board were two guards in the familiar special forces uniforms and armed with a pistol and a submachine gun.  We've become accustomed to seeing these security personnel all over Mexico, riding in Humvees, manning traffic checkpoints, and guarding public buildings.

We departed the train at Creel at 12.30 PM as planned and were soon walking to find a budget hotel recommeded in the guide.  We were not too impressed with what was on offer at that hotel so we took a room at the more upmarket Hotel Plaza Mexicana (600 pesos, including dinner and breakfast).  It is a medium size hotel beautifully appointed in the Mexican style, with a large courtyard.  In our room we are experiencing gas heating for the first time.  Then Brenda went out to have lunch and explore the town.

Creel could be described as a pleasant resort town.  It is located on the edge of Copper Canyon and offers all sorts of excursions for visitors.  We had a hefty lunch in a local cafe then I visited the local museum while Brenda went on a bird watching walkabout.  Brenda did not find many birds but she did enjoy watching two chipmunks courting.  The last time she saw them they were disappearing down a crevice between two rocks.