Day 2 - Euphoria to Doldrums in an instant.

The short version is: We are out of the race.

This was the route on Saturday, Day 2

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Saturday was our longest on the road, with a scheduled 11 hours from check-out to check-in at the Hotel Soberano. About 15 minutes before our start time, Paul and Tim climbed into the car and got belted up. Ray and Tom had already left to be ready for us when we arrived at service. Paul started the car, but there was no response to the accelerator pedal. We both got out and determined something had come disconnected between the pedal and the carbs. Tim ran down to the start to check in on time, while a couple of crew guys from another team who had not left the lot yet came to our rescue. They quickly found a linkage that had fallen apart and snapped it back into place. We left the lot only three minutes after our out time, but since we had checked in on time, we did not get any lateness penalties.

It was a two hour transit to the first stage, much of it on four lane expressway. The given average speed to travel the distance was 60 mph, but Chihuahua Express cars get a free pass to exceed the posted limits. Not officially, of course. We caught up to some of the other cars and stayed in the formation. Good thing, too, as we got a Police Escort through the town of Cuauhtemoc, allowing us to travel through a few dozen traffic lights without stopping. We arrived at the first stage and checked in on time. Barely.

Today was Paul's turn to panic. He left his glasses on top of the car when he got in and had to remove his belts and window net and get out again to locate them. We checked in on the correct minute, but a bit later than usual. Paul was still clicking his belts into place as we pulled up to the line to start the stage. By the time we got the countdown he was ready to go.

A typical lunch stand oven.

The day's run consisted of three stages, service in the town of Creel, three more stages, then lunch at Divisadero Barrancas overlooking the Copper Canyon. We ran the first three stages, each about 12 Km in length, without incident, then checked in at the town square in Creel so Ray and Tom could top off fuel and give the car a quick once over. The next three stages were pretty close together, the longest was 17 Km, the shortest, 8.4 Km. Near the end of the final stage we encountered two cars off course, a Studebaker and the Lincoln Zephyr. It appeared both had clipped the turn and spun backwards off the road. The Lincoln returned after lunch, but the Stude was out for the day. We checked in for lunch at Divisadero and went to view the natural beauty of the Copper Canyon.

Lety prepares lunch for us

Instead of dining at the hotel overlooking the canyon, Paul and Tim climbed the stairs lined with souvenir booths for lunch at one of the stands next to the railroad depot. There are several stands run by local women, serving local fare: deep fried poblanos wrapped in a flour tortilla, corn tortillas stuffed with beans and cheese, with several options of meats and vegetables and sauces. The cooking is done on wood-fired stoves made out of 55-gallon drums with a flat plate on top.

There are wild dogs wandering everywhere. Not wild as in mean, just that they don't have homes or owners. They live by begging food or scrounging their own.

Paul walks down the stairs from the
railroad stop, past souvenir stands.

There are many local women and children, members of the Tarahumara tribe, trying to sell baskets and other small items made from local materials. An hour's visit was much too short to this beautiful area of the world.

Back on the road the same way we came, the first three stages were quick with no issues. We stopped in Creel for service one last time, then headed out to finish the final three stages of the day. On the second of those, a brisk run with only a few tight turns, Paul downshifted from 5th gear to 4th for a mild turn, only the shifter slipped into 2nd instead. The engine made a very high pitched whine for a moment, then went flat. It had over-revved, damaging valves and rocker arms. Since it was a long downhill section, we continued to coast until we found a wide spot. to wait for Ray and Tom to pick us up. Ray had kept the trailer attached to the truck for just such a possibility.

End of the event for our team.

We pushed the car onto the trailer and began the three hour journey back to the hotel. Ray already had two passengers in addition to Tom, so Tim rode in the truck, while Paul caught a ride back with another team that had stopped to see if we needed assistance.

So our adventure at the 2013 Chihuahua Express ended. We decided to pack up and leave early Sunday morning. Paul was able to change his flight plan and left for the airport before daylight. Ray and Tim headed out in the truck about 5 a.m. and made it to the border four hours later. We breezed through all the checkpoints and made it to El Paso before 10 a.m. Tim checked into the same hotel where we had stayed before crossing into Mexico to await his Monday flight home.