Cam and Nancy: October 29th - Pemex # 6678

An uneventful night in CD Victoria if you don't count the barking dogs. We are adjusting quickly as we did when we lived in Fort Simpson with the huskies howling. The hotel has a big shepherd and he serves as night watchman. In the morning 2 truckloads of federales wheeled in and out of where we were parked. I have come to think of that as a really good thing. I think they just want to let us know they are providing good security. "Gracias por su seguridad " and I mean that. Although I feel no less secure in Mexico than in the U.S. or many parts of Canada.

CD Victoria is in a valley between two mountain ranges: the Sierra Madre Oriental to the west and the Sierra de Tamaulipas to the east.

We drove through the Sierra Madre Orientals. The Brave lived up to its name, passing semis on the up and down climb of the valleys. Saw one truck wreck, it was carrying some sort of grain and about 30 Mexicans were busy gathering the spilled booty into containers and sacks. I was too busy watching for people and vehicles to think of a photo and that would have been a bit macabre anyway.

Well, the Brave got decarbonized today. We started out at 313 metres elevation in Cuidad Victoria, and climbed up into the high central plain, to 1671 metres at Valle Hildago, SLP, with the CRV in tow. 55 Km/Hr. at 3200 rpm seemed to be the sweet spot, which it would hold all the way up the mountain. Temperature gauges never moved. The highways are new, and in very good (better than 90% of Canadian roads) condition. We hit the first of the cuota's (toll roads) which were a treat, up to par with the best roads in the States, and running through largely pristine valleys. As we got higher and drier, the Joshua trees and Organ Pipe cactus appeared.

Beautiful country mixed green of treed valleys and near barren desert in other portions.