Sat, 31 Oct 1998 Hello Friends, new and old, What an adventure. I traveled from Patagonia, AZ to Los Mochis, Mexico via HWY 15. The road was great except for the few topas (Speed bumps that are small and can quickly turn into monsters) just ask me, I scraped myself off the ceiling along with the computer and a few loose items. Getting through customs was not difficult, but took patience. I did have to go from window to window to get copies and pay a visitors' fee. I arrived in Los Mochis ready to depart for the Copper Canyon at 5:30am the next morning. The Copper Canyon is 3 times as big as the Grand Canyon and 285 feet deeper. The train traveled through many villages, going from sea level up 6000 feet to the canyon rim. I saw many box cars at the base of canyons making me question my sanity. The trip was beautiful starting with desert country and going to Montana-like trees. I stayed in Creel where I hiked to cascades and visited a 1744 Jesuit Mission. The church had painted walls from the Tarahumara Indians, human skull on the altar, and an icon of Jesus on the Cross. The mission is still active and serving a very poor indigenous population. From there I traveled by train to the village of Barrancas to the hotel Mirador. It had a spectacular view of 6 canyons. They also had hummingbirds 10-15 deep waiting to get at 5 different feeders. I was told that there were 10 different species. The sunset gave a glow to the canyon that went from purple, orange, green and then blue. The hotel was excellent! I also met new friends who have given me great advice and instructions on how to get through the borders. A big thanks to all for the help! I did meet a very interesting group that went by dirt bikes through the canyon and another group that have antique motor rail cars that crossed the rail from Chihuahua to La Fuerte. (These are the old work cars that the railroad system used for making repairs, before trucks and pickups on the rail) They were kind enough to let me ride for three kilometers. I went through a tunnel, no lights!  I was grinning from ear to ear. The day I was to travel back to Los Mochis a car had derailed and so I was on hold. It was fixed by departure, but gave me more food for thought. Ha Ha Ha. Today I find myself in Mazatlan with my neighbors Jan and Karen. They are teachers at a local school and we are catching up on old news and exploring Mazatlan. Again thanks to everyone who has helped me along the way. Warmest regards, BEN