Introduction:

In 2005 I joined Basil and Alexandra of Bike Mexico for a tour of Michoacan. Bike Mexico organizes small groups for bicycle tours of rural areas in Mexico. The fees are reasonable and my route was well chosen with scenic rural roads leading to interesting colonial towns. Basil does his homework then combines meticulous and detailed route finding with a love of Mexico to craft 'just right' tours of undiscovered Mexico. We stayed in pleasant modestly priced hotels, banded together to find local restaurants. I recommend their service, although for me signing on to a commercially organized tour was an unusual step. I have mostly organized myself, all appearances to the contrary, and guided myself to the places I wanted to see. This is the second time I've joined a commercial tour, see Great Divide 2003 & 2004. In both cases to join a commercial tour instead of going solo in order to join a group. I felt a little anxious about touring alone in Mexico and my loving wife was terrified at the prospect. After a very pleasant tour I think next time I could organize my own way, especially if I can find another person to join me.

Michoacan is a famous state in Mexico because of its stunning beauty and interesting history. The name Michoacan derives from a Nahuatl term that means "place of the people who have fish". The indigenous Purhepecha people successfully resisited the Mexica (Aztec) empire but succumbed to a Spanish invasion in 1522. The most famous site in Michoacan is Lake Pátzcuaro, a large mountain lake 7,200 feet above sea level. You can still see people apparently fishing with their ephemeral butterfly nets but it looks to me like the fishing is a show for tourists. Alas, the lake is heavily polluted, choked with silt runoff from the mountains, and shrinking from lack of water.

Eastern Michoacan sits in the central highlands of Mexico. This region has a very attractive climate, cool and dry much of the time. The route we followed mostly stayed in this high region, we stayed above 3,000 feet, generally at the 5,000 feet level. At this altitude the air is a little thin but the wonderful weather we enjoyed sure beat sweating out the heat and humidity of lowland coastal areas. Basil calls this tour "Eternal Spring", which perfectly captures the climate. A few cool spring showers, some sunny days warm enough for a swim, and green forests make this a kind of hidden spring, hiding away in the hot July when few people would look for it.

Getting There

I planned to meet the tour in Morelia, a large city in eastern Michoacan. Getting there was not difficult. A month earlier I flew into Mexico City with my bike in a large transporter bag. The Air Mexicana flight accepted my bike without difficulty. The international airport at Mexico City has carts but not many so I ended up carrying my bike and other luggage out of the arrival area after clearing customs. I had read not to flag a taxi on my own at the airport because of the risk of robbery, so I headed for the taxi stand and purchased a ticket for a trip to my hotel in downtown. The taxi driver accommodated the bicycle without a problem, then took us to our hotel. I left my bicycle at the hotel and joined my wife for some bus touring of Mexico. I have found that hotels in Mexico will keep luggage for travelers, presumably because it guarantees a return visit.

I took a bus to Pátzcuaro, not far from Morelia. Mexico has an extensive bus system with three classes of service, second-class, first-class, and luxury. I've found first-class more than comfortable, and the buses have luggage space of my bicycle. The hotel called a taxi which transported me and my bike to the bus station. The bus stations have quite a few porters eager to help people loaded with large packages, like bicycles. These porters are inexpensive so if you can afford it, take advantage of the help. Checking into a bus service works like an airline, you can even check your baggage.

In my case, I spent the week before the start of my tour revisiting the Pátzcuaro region and a small bed and breakfast spot in the small village of Ihuatzio my wife and I had found on the shore of the lake. I enjoyed riding my bike in the area to get my legs back in shape for a tour. The day before starting the tour the owner of the bed and breakfast took me by truck to my hotel in Morelia. The hotel was glad to keep my luggage while I was touring, it was waiting safely for me when I returned.

Up early in the morning, we rode our bikes through the nearly empty streets to the bus station for a short bus ride out to Carapan, an intersection with a couple eating spots.