Twisties, Sugar Cane, Bananas and the Pacific

Really happy with the day. Got some riding in, all old highways, no toll roads. Just the kind of day I wanted.

The Ride
Rode Highway 110, 54, and finally hit Highway 200 to head down the coast. And let me tell you, twisties. Lots and lots of twisties. Speed up, slow down, dodge a slow-moving truck, get on the brakes for topes. Seriously, so many topes.

The roads weren’t in terrible shape, but it was a workout type ride. Sometimes cruising under the new highway, weaving through little funky towns, getting cut off in those funky little towns, and the ever-present hawkers by the topes in the funky little towns, and running through a lot of sugar cane fields.

At one point, I rolled up on what had been a roadside fire on the mountainside. Looked like a controlled roadside burn, but apparently, someone forgot to tell the telephone pole. It had burned right through at the base and was just dangling from the wires, hovering over the road like a medieval jousting hazard. If you weren’t paying attention, that thing would’ve clocked you right in the head. Bizarre scene. I’ll dig out a picture.

Oh, and the new tires? They got a workout today. More aggressive tread, so yeah, a bit vi than the street tires, but I liked them. They felt solid, no surprises, and as Cal indicated, they should last the rest of the trip and the next one or two.

Note: Tried using the GoPro today. Not a big fan. It’s a hassle, but I might have snagged some decent footage. At the very least, I’ll grab some still shots. It is a yet-to-be-determined accessory at this point.

A Place to Stop
Was going to stop in Tecomán but rolled in early, and it felt too big, too bustling. I was craving the ocean, so I pushed on toward Highway 200 and spied San Juan de Alima on the map. A tiny town with pretty much nothing in it except for seven hotels, a couple of roadside stands, and a huge, wide-open beach.

Don’t get me wrong. I really liked Guadalajara and the surrounding towns. So much history, so much to see. But they were all crowded, touristy, and full of hustle and bustle. That can be fine sometimes, but the vibe I was looking for, maybe San Juan de Alima.

The Hotel, Beach and Good Food
And correct that was. San Juan de Alima is very small and laid back and almost kind of nonexistent if you didn’t want to stop there. In fact, it might even be a tad too chill. Still not sure why all the hotels and accommodation. Maybe this was a slow weekend.

Checked in by 4 PM, and took a long beach walk. Hardly anyone out there except for what seemed mostly some local families. Just perfect.

Wrapped up the day with a fresh fish dinner at a funky little restaurant which is part of the hotel, then called it an evening.

Great day. Got in exactly what I wanted. Just me, the bike, and the road, all enough to keep it interesting.

Plans
Tomorrow, more of Highway 200.



Slideshow:

Coastal Road, Heat, and a Lesson in Stopping Early

Three weeks on the road, folks. When I started this ride, I figured I’d be in Zihuatanejo in about ten plus days. Yeah, twice as long to get here. No regrets, and actually I could have taken longer.

The Ride — Endless Twisties on this Coastal Treat
Left San Juan de Alima and took Highway 200 all the way down to Lázaro Cárdenas. Maybe 120 to 130 miles, but solid, non-stop twisties, with the odd straight stretch thrown in. This stretch of road was pure fun. It would open up to an ocean view, then right back into the curves. Over and over, it was spectacular.

It was hot today, 32°C or 90°F. Not unbearable, but enough that you felt it when you stopped. Not a ton of traffic, but the stuff that was out there was… interesting. A few local trucks that looked like they were held together with zip ties and prayers, then random cows just chilling in the road, and some weird creatures that darted across the pavement faster than I could process. No clue what they were. Hopefully, I’ll figure that out later.

Should’ve / Could’ve Stopped but Didn’t
Came through Caleta de Campos just before noon. That would’ve been the perfect place to stop. Small town, quiet, right on the beach. It had the right vibe.

But nope, I figured I’d push on to Lázaro Cárdenas, thinking, “Ah, it’s just another hour, what’s the harm?”

Lázaro Cárdenas — Wrong Call
Kind of a little mistake. I thought Tecomán was too big and busy. Well, Lázaro Cárdenas is a large industrial port city. Big, busy, fast, dirty, and jammed with endless trucks. Should’ve stayed in the smaller town near the beach, where it was laid back. But nope, I kept going.

Once I got here and settled into a hotel room, I went looking for the malecón, figuring there’d at least be a decent waterfront to check out. Found a sign for Puerto Lázaro Cárdenas, stopped for a picture… then a security guard came over and told me I couldn’t be there.

I tried another route. No luck. Then, in my infinite wisdom, I found another way in, only to be greeted by yet another security guard. He explained that the malecón was “cerrado” (closed). I looked around. There were people jogging, walking, and cars parked everywhere. It didn’t seem closed.

I asked when it would be open. He said, “Mañana.” So, I don’t know if it was closed for real or just closed for me, but either way, that was that.

It did look so interesting and a good place to hang.

Observations on the Coast
Even though I didn’t stop much today, I noticed something about the people here. They’re still friendly, still helpful, but not in the same way as in tourist-heavy areas. Here, it’s different. People are busy, going about their lives, not waiting for tourists to roll through. Not unfriendly, just less engaged.

I stopped on the side of the road at one point, and a guy who had already passed me actually turned around and came back just to make sure I was okay. That’s Mexico. People are generally helpful. But at the same time, it’s clear this part of the coast isn’t built around foreign tourism in the same way as a lot of the spots I have been.

Tomorrow — Getting to Zihuat
Tomorrow, I’ll ride the last 60 miles to Zihuatanejo. Shouldn’t take long. Time to finally roll into the beach town that’s been stuck in my head for years. I will see if I can finally track down Andy and Red.

And you know, for a place that was just a fictional movie spot, I think it was filmed in the USVI, I actually get why someone would say, “If I ever escape, I’m going to that beach in Mexico.”

It just has the real hang-out-with-no-cares, in-a-hut-on-the-beach feeling.