This morning we shake off the cobwebs from a somewhat noisy night. Every sound from the street below, including the old drunk guy screaming is funneled up between the buildings and our room is on the street side. That is reason enough to walk across the street and change our reservation to an interior room.

We are looking forward to an ‘American’ breakfast, according to the motel literature. Mike and I are thinking eggs, bacon, pancakes, etc. We instead get cold cereal, toast and a ‘continental’ breakfast in a secret room that has a paper sign ‘cafeteria’ on the door. The food is second only to the ambiance.

Getting out of town is easier than getting in since we are on the southern end of town, that is once I figure out that exits are on the left along Constitution Ave. Even though I miss the first exit we take the next one and the software keeps us on track.

The road 85 south to Linares runs between two mountain ranges. During the day Mike and I will feel as if we’ve been in Colorado, Utah, Arizona, Nevada and New Mexico. The scenery will change from high mountain passes to long straight highways heading to the mountains to high plains with large farms.

In Linares we turn onto 58 west and the fantastic scenery begins. When I'm staring at a range of mountains and know that I have to go through the guessing game begins. "Where is the pass and between which two peaks?" It takes less than 40 miles to climb over 6,000 feet through the mountains toward Galeana. One section has an unpaved gravel corner which is like a jolt of espresso and I’m instantly alert.

Near Galeana we head south on Hwy. 2 through a mix of curves and straightaways to Doctor Arroyo. The road runs through high prairie with open range. In case you didn't know it was open range, the cow you just ran into will remind you. Yes, they are on their own schedule and you can either wait, be VERY alert to their unusual behavior, or turn around. The horses are another story. They decide there is a problem AFTER they've crossed the road. Why don't we ride at night in Mexico? Besse, Mr. Ed, and friends....

Somebody please tell me why there are ostriches across the street from the Pemex? I’ll avoid chicken tacos in this town. For a change, there's not a mini-mart at the gas station, but rather they have auto parts. Apparently, they know how to break into the cola machine. There are also some of the largest cactus I’ve even seen in this town. Hence the ostriches. You need exceptionally big birds to perch on vegetation that size. The guy who runs the store is very impressed with the women in the car that just pulled up and seems to think they are for sale. I'm looking and think that the price better be very, very good for this group, maybe about the price of a coke? The ostriches are starting to look pretty good.

Today’s destination is Real de Catorce past Matehuala and Cedral. In Matehaula we can’t figure out how to get on the Cuota and take the Libre instead, which is probably the right choice anyway.

Cedral is loaded with local police and radar. Fortunately they are occupied. We would see a lot of radar on this trip, more than seven other trips combined. There would also be a lack of federal police checkpoints. The new President of Mexico has decided that checkpoints are not an efficient way to fight drug traffic. Good for us as we only have to open our bags at the border and once in the country.

Past Cedral on 62 is the turnoff to Real de Catorce and the road must be experienced. It’s almost 15 miles of rough cobblestone. The road was made in this manor to support the weight of the vehicles traveling to and from the silver mine. At 10 mph the bike sounds as if it will shake apart and it triggers a seismograph at White Sands. At 35 mph the ride smoothes out slightly, but crashing becomes a concern. It would be your last crash.

Once you have braved the road you are faced with a 2.3 km long tunnel. You expect to see donkeys pulling carts coming out of this tunnel. It is not the kind of tunnel you see in the US. The first spooky vision is of an altar carved into the rocks inside the tunnel. Then you see the wood cross beams with large boulders pressed against them. There are no fans in this tunnel and this creates a lovely mix of dust and exhaust fumes. I don’t believe the dust ever settles. About half way through the tunnel the road makes a right hand turn which makes me believe someone made a mistake when they were digging it. No lasers were used in the construction of this tunnel.

So, the photos may not be great. Picture trying to ride though this dirt tunnel and no you can't stop. Then, try to hold your bike steady down a dirt and cobblestone road at over 9,000 feet and take a picture. The tunnel has a dim light. The photographer is a dim wit.

	The light at the end of the tunnel more than lives up to its welcome representation. The town traffic doesn’t and the roads go straight up and down with more cobblestone. A rain storm would be disastrous on these streets. Mike and I squeeze by a long line of outgoing traffic. Did I mention that the tunnel is one way and traffic builds up on both sides?
	Real de Catorce is definitely a case where image doesn’t meet with reality. In this town several movies were filmed like The Mexican and a couple of vampire flicks. Originally it was a silver mining town that became a ghost town and was revitalized as a religious destination. Now it is a tourist haunt with all manner of religious souvenirs. You can buy your salvation here. Most times you can get it at a discount.

	In all fairness, people like me are part of the reason Real has this affect on me. Tourism is both a means of survival and the pariah that hurts this town. There is no direction to grow and one entrance which jams the town with traffic. It’s almost impossible to find a parking spot and if you do it won’t be near where you want to be. A clear image of this is an older American women trying to drag a large suitcase along the cobblestone streets to her motel.

Finding the motel is not easy. Getting to the motel is even harder and would not be safe on these streets. Mike goes in search of a place to stay and I head to the town square, which is of course straight up. I do recognize the church from several movies, but other than that there isn’t a lot to see here. Surprisingly, we are over 9,000 ft even though walking up and down the hills hasn’t been a problem.

After much discussion, Mike and I weigh our options and elect to head back to Matehuala for the night. We stay at the Las Palmas Motel and are thrilled with our choice. The room is comfortable with covered parking for the bikes. We have a very good meal at the motel restaurant. The bikes did very well over some very bad roads and we are thrilled with the performance of our Stroms.