As a motorsports journalist, my job has sent me all over the world to write about and photograph some of the greatest locations accessible on an ATV. I've even given myself the title of "Urban Camper" since I'm on the road for the job more than I am at any single place that I can call home. One trip a few years ago teamed me up with Pete Sheppard from the ATV Mexico, a touring company that provides guided tours through some of the most remote, beautiful and treacherous locations that the country has to offer. That initial tour with Pete took me to Copper Canyon in Chihuahua, Mexico, and a recent phone call from Pete informed me of a similar tour happening again. The biggest difference with this tour is that it would venture from Copper Canyon to the Sea of Cortez and back with a group of paying clients.
This trip was definitely an adventure waiting to happen, and between Pete and myself we hope to give you a true look into the makings of an epic ride. While Pete comes off as the professional tour guide that he is, I'll provide my own form of entertainment for you. So sit back in your favorite lounge chair or on your bathroom throne and enjoy reliving my exciting trip through the Mexican desert.
Nerve-racking one hundred...
Nerve-racking one hundred foot drop-offs litter the winding rugged trails throughout this tour.
It's not uncommon to find...
It's not uncommon to find children pumping your petro at the small filling stations along this route.
I met with Pete and his business partner/wife, Ana, a few days before our scheduled departure with their clients on the trip. He proceeded to go over all of the responsibilities that he has as a tour guide operator. The number one priority was keeping everyone safe as well as entertained and moving, since many of the overnight stops were quite a distance from each other. "There are times we've run ATVs completely under water, and no matter what, you have to keep moving," said Pete as he informed me of the maintenance they have to do on the machines on the trail. If things didn't run smoothly, and we didn't make it to the scheduled hotel for the night, tarp sleeping was the alternate. And yes, tarp sleeping is exactly what it sounds like.
Ana is the one who handles the stressful task of arranging our accommodations south of the border. She explained to me how many of the hotels in Mexico have a bad habit of cancelling your rooms if a larger group arrives before you do and needs the room. Normally this wouldn't be an issue in a city, but in a canyon with only one hotel a late arrival could result in the aforementioned tarp experience. Pete also made a point to express how photographers are typically slow, cumbersome and generally a nuisance to have along on trips like this. "They always want to stop and get good pictures while I'm trying to forge ahead to the next destination." From our previous experiences, Pete knew he would have his hands full having me along on this trip.
The departure day for our trip is one of the longest and most stressful for our tour guides. We prep our gear, buy groceries and fuel and head off to meet the clients in El Paso, TX. Team Kansas and California were groups of two that were in relatively good physical shape and had good equipment for our long journey. Nothing panics our guide more than to see customers show up for a tour with a 20-year-old three-wheeler in the back of someone's truck. From the hotel it was time to cross the border into Mexico, and this is where Ana went to work again. Mexico has very difficult importation laws, and sometimes it seems it would be easier to balance the nation's budget than import an ATV into their country. Luckily she has the brains and looks to soften up their border agents and make the crossing easy. She was also the only one in our group who could get away with slapping one of the agents on the butt saying "gracias" as we left the building. Pete said she has vowed never to do it again.