Go Native Overland
Adventurist
In the Fall of 2017, I began exploring the idea of an overlanding trip into the mountains of Mexico. Actually, it didn't start out that simple: I was looking on Google Earth for places within a day's drive from my home in central Texas, and zoomed out. This is when I noticed the Sierra Madre range southwest of Monterrey.
Through my research, I established a dialogue with several individuals from the offroading community in Monterrey: Lino Ortega(Pitbull 4x4), and Eduardo Rey Orona Ramírez (Terkos Mty 4x4). Through our Facebook friendship, I put my trust in these men to host us. I was not disappointed.
On Friday, March 15, I left work and drove to Laredo. Following a late arrival, I awoke well-rested to meet my friends Roger Redmond and Jake Bickham. Roger would join me for the trip, but Jake had a family commitment and could not go. After a quick breakfast, Roger and I stopped at the nearby Casa Cambio to exchange US dollars for pesos and headed for the International Bridge #2 to cross into Mexico.
Going through US and Mexico customs was a breeze. Since Roger was pulling his Trekmate trailer, he was directed to another area and we were separated. Luckily, my phone was still receiving a signal from towers on the US side and I was able to reach him. After several minutes of driving down one way streets in downtown Nuevo Laredo, we finally reconnected and headed to receive our visas.
The visa process is fairly simple and uncomplicated. As it was the Saturday morning of a 3 day holiday weekend in Mexico, the immigration office was very crowded. I also had to obtain a temporary import permit for my vehicle. Roger had ordered his online and received it in the mail. I went through the same process, but mine had not arrived before I left home. I soon discovered that my application for the TIP was rejected. The vehicle license plate number on the title did not match my vehicle registration (I had purchased new plates). This was quickly resolved, and we were on our way.
The drive to Monterrey was uneventful. It turned out to be a valuable learning experience on what to expect from other drivers and pedestrians in Mexico. This experience would be very helpful when we were navigating the streets and highways inside Monterrey. I did pick up some habits that were not appreciated by other drivers when I returned to the US.
We first met up with Roger’s friend Abiel Guerra, who lives in Monterrey. Abiel joined us for our trip, riding with Roger. His service as an interpreter was vital since neither Roger or I spoke Spanish. His friendship was an enormous bonus.
Our first stop was to meet with our friends Lino and Eduardo (and Lino’s sons Daniel and Diego) for a delicious lunch. As I was soon to discover, our gracious hosts took great pleasure in providing our meals. We did not go hungry! Eduardo took his leave, as he had work to do. He would join us on Sunday.
After lunch, we battled the traffic of Monterrey to meet up in Cola de Caballo with Miguel, Lino’s father. We were soon off, headed up into the mountains through La Cienega de Gonzalez and Laguna de Sanchez to the mountain village of La Cebolla. It was here that we would camp for the night.
La Cebolla enjoys a commanding view of the surrounding mountains. There is a shrine to the Lady of Guadalupe (patron saint of Mexico) located there.
As everyone set up camp, I attempted to cook supper for myself. I needn’t have bothered, as our hosts gladly provided us with plenty of delicious food. This, I discovered, was a hallmark of hospitality. Our hosts loved to cook for us! It was the last meal of the trip that I would cook. After a hearty meal, we retired for the night.
Morning light provided us with a glorious view of God’s creation! Following breakfast, we broke camp and posed for photographs before hitting the trail. We were headed to meet up with Eduardo and a larger group of 10 vehicles that had been out for two nights already.
We met up with this larger group, a club known as Aguerridos 4x4, led by a character called Vikingo (J Miguel Ramirez Rdz), alongside the Rio Pilon near a waterfall known as Cascada Almanza. After posing for pictures in Rayones, a few of the group departed for home as the rest of us continued on to Iturbide.
At Iturbide, we stopped at a local tortilleria. These were hand-made and cooked on a comal. After some “samples” and purchases by our hosts, we set out along the road to our camp for the night.
We enjoyed copious amounts of grilled beef and cerveza once camp had been set up in a clearing the size of 2 two car garages. Somehow, we managed to fit all the vehicles and tents, plus a campfire and a kitchen set up under a canopy. Even the rain did not damper our spirits.
Monday dawned and the rain relented enough to allow me to take a short hike to take in the views. Had the valleys not been obscured by the clouds, I would have been able to see the city of Linares in the distance. As it was, the view was stupendous.
After breaking camp and posing for more pictures, we drove down into Iturbide for a stop at the tortilleria on our way to Linares. At Linares, we bade farewell to the entire group except Vikingo and his sons (after more pictures).
Vikingo led us back to Cola de Caballo and down into La Cienega de Gonzalez once again. We turned off onto the road that led us into the Canon del Alamo. We drove for about 12 km through the canyon to the cabin where Pancho Castro lives.
Pancho is a legend of sorts: a career working man turned into a mountain man. At age 80, Pancho enjoys hosting offroaders and 4x4 clubs and was very welcoming to us. He especially enjoys cooking for his guests, and was eager to share with us his food and stories.
We were joined by Ab de la Garza, who owns a cabana on the mountain above Pancho’s home. Ab de la Garza, who splits time between Cola de Caballo and Houston on business, offered his cabana for our use for the night.
More food and more pictures followed the next morning, as we bade our farewell to our new friends and headed home. The return trip was uneventful. Wanting to try something different, we used the Colombia Bridge on our return and crossed back into Texas without any difficulty.
I wish to thank all of our hosts for their warmth and gracious hospitality. Special thanks go to my great friends Lino Ortega and Eduardo Orona Ramirez for making our trip successful. Also, thanks to Vikingo and rest of Aguerreros 4x4 for such a wonderful experience. Special thanks go to Abiel Guerra for his invaluable help. So many new and wonderful friendships were made.
Por Epica! Por Texana!
In keeping with the spirit of Go Native Overland, the opportunity to enjoy and experience the culture of Mexico cannot be measured or described by words.
Build bridges, not walls.
Through my research, I established a dialogue with several individuals from the offroading community in Monterrey: Lino Ortega(Pitbull 4x4), and Eduardo Rey Orona Ramírez (Terkos Mty 4x4). Through our Facebook friendship, I put my trust in these men to host us. I was not disappointed.
On Friday, March 15, I left work and drove to Laredo. Following a late arrival, I awoke well-rested to meet my friends Roger Redmond and Jake Bickham. Roger would join me for the trip, but Jake had a family commitment and could not go. After a quick breakfast, Roger and I stopped at the nearby Casa Cambio to exchange US dollars for pesos and headed for the International Bridge #2 to cross into Mexico.
Going through US and Mexico customs was a breeze. Since Roger was pulling his Trekmate trailer, he was directed to another area and we were separated. Luckily, my phone was still receiving a signal from towers on the US side and I was able to reach him. After several minutes of driving down one way streets in downtown Nuevo Laredo, we finally reconnected and headed to receive our visas.
The visa process is fairly simple and uncomplicated. As it was the Saturday morning of a 3 day holiday weekend in Mexico, the immigration office was very crowded. I also had to obtain a temporary import permit for my vehicle. Roger had ordered his online and received it in the mail. I went through the same process, but mine had not arrived before I left home. I soon discovered that my application for the TIP was rejected. The vehicle license plate number on the title did not match my vehicle registration (I had purchased new plates). This was quickly resolved, and we were on our way.
The drive to Monterrey was uneventful. It turned out to be a valuable learning experience on what to expect from other drivers and pedestrians in Mexico. This experience would be very helpful when we were navigating the streets and highways inside Monterrey. I did pick up some habits that were not appreciated by other drivers when I returned to the US.
We first met up with Roger’s friend Abiel Guerra, who lives in Monterrey. Abiel joined us for our trip, riding with Roger. His service as an interpreter was vital since neither Roger or I spoke Spanish. His friendship was an enormous bonus.
Our first stop was to meet with our friends Lino and Eduardo (and Lino’s sons Daniel and Diego) for a delicious lunch. As I was soon to discover, our gracious hosts took great pleasure in providing our meals. We did not go hungry! Eduardo took his leave, as he had work to do. He would join us on Sunday.
After lunch, we battled the traffic of Monterrey to meet up in Cola de Caballo with Miguel, Lino’s father. We were soon off, headed up into the mountains through La Cienega de Gonzalez and Laguna de Sanchez to the mountain village of La Cebolla. It was here that we would camp for the night.
La Cebolla enjoys a commanding view of the surrounding mountains. There is a shrine to the Lady of Guadalupe (patron saint of Mexico) located there.
As everyone set up camp, I attempted to cook supper for myself. I needn’t have bothered, as our hosts gladly provided us with plenty of delicious food. This, I discovered, was a hallmark of hospitality. Our hosts loved to cook for us! It was the last meal of the trip that I would cook. After a hearty meal, we retired for the night.
Morning light provided us with a glorious view of God’s creation! Following breakfast, we broke camp and posed for photographs before hitting the trail. We were headed to meet up with Eduardo and a larger group of 10 vehicles that had been out for two nights already.
We met up with this larger group, a club known as Aguerridos 4x4, led by a character called Vikingo (J Miguel Ramirez Rdz), alongside the Rio Pilon near a waterfall known as Cascada Almanza. After posing for pictures in Rayones, a few of the group departed for home as the rest of us continued on to Iturbide.
At Iturbide, we stopped at a local tortilleria. These were hand-made and cooked on a comal. After some “samples” and purchases by our hosts, we set out along the road to our camp for the night.
We enjoyed copious amounts of grilled beef and cerveza once camp had been set up in a clearing the size of 2 two car garages. Somehow, we managed to fit all the vehicles and tents, plus a campfire and a kitchen set up under a canopy. Even the rain did not damper our spirits.
Monday dawned and the rain relented enough to allow me to take a short hike to take in the views. Had the valleys not been obscured by the clouds, I would have been able to see the city of Linares in the distance. As it was, the view was stupendous.
After breaking camp and posing for more pictures, we drove down into Iturbide for a stop at the tortilleria on our way to Linares. At Linares, we bade farewell to the entire group except Vikingo and his sons (after more pictures).
Vikingo led us back to Cola de Caballo and down into La Cienega de Gonzalez once again. We turned off onto the road that led us into the Canon del Alamo. We drove for about 12 km through the canyon to the cabin where Pancho Castro lives.
Pancho is a legend of sorts: a career working man turned into a mountain man. At age 80, Pancho enjoys hosting offroaders and 4x4 clubs and was very welcoming to us. He especially enjoys cooking for his guests, and was eager to share with us his food and stories.
We were joined by Ab de la Garza, who owns a cabana on the mountain above Pancho’s home. Ab de la Garza, who splits time between Cola de Caballo and Houston on business, offered his cabana for our use for the night.
More food and more pictures followed the next morning, as we bade our farewell to our new friends and headed home. The return trip was uneventful. Wanting to try something different, we used the Colombia Bridge on our return and crossed back into Texas without any difficulty.
I wish to thank all of our hosts for their warmth and gracious hospitality. Special thanks go to my great friends Lino Ortega and Eduardo Orona Ramirez for making our trip successful. Also, thanks to Vikingo and rest of Aguerreros 4x4 for such a wonderful experience. Special thanks go to Abiel Guerra for his invaluable help. So many new and wonderful friendships were made.
Por Epica! Por Texana!
In keeping with the spirit of Go Native Overland, the opportunity to enjoy and experience the culture of Mexico cannot be measured or described by words.
Build bridges, not walls.
