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On the Road to Zimapan
One of our new friends along the road! Zimapan This weekend we decided it was time to venture into the Sierra Gorda mountain range. Along the northern edge of the state of Queretaro, are the Sierra Gordas. An amazing culmination of canyons, rivers, jungles, mountains and desert, it is an area profoundly effected by the forces of nature. The temperatures at the highest points (10,000 feet above sea level) can be below freezing, the deepest canyons (900 feet above sea level) can register temperatures of up to 110º F. At the upper elevations, the terrain is forested. At the lower elevations, it is tropical and hot, and the landscape is comprised of both rocky gorges and jungle vegetation. The driving in this part of the state of Querétaro is slow moving. The road through the Sierra Gorda winds and twists in such a way that you are never sure if you are coming or going. We wanted to go to Jalpan, but after learning the drive was 6-7 hours we settled for Zimapan. Zimapan looked like a unique village and it is located next to a massive dam that created a lake that makes Lake Cumberland (in Kentucky) seem like a small pond. We set sail early on Saturday
On the Road to Zimapan
Some of our new friends along the road! morning.
The drive was fun. Along the way we met sheep, goats, donkeys, chickens, cows, and mountain lions (ok, no mountain lions). But most of our new friends were either in the road or alongside the road. The mountains were everything we had heard and the valleys were equally amazing.
After 2 hours of driving we arrived at Lake Zimapan. When you first view the lake from the winding road high atop the lake, it is breathtaking. It is sparking way down below in the sun and you cannot see the end in either direction. The lake is surrounded by mountains and there appears to be no way to get to the lake. To drive around the lake you must enter a series of tunnels. The first is over one-mile long. You come out of the tunnel and travel about 300 yards and enter a second tunnel. This one is less then a half-mile. When we clear this tunnel there is a military check point - he does not stop us. The third tunnel is short, perhaps a ¼ of a mile. Now a very rough dirt road appears to go down to the lake. We start down the road
On the Road to Zimapan
Some of our new friends along the road! and then turn around deciding to go onto Zimapan first. We continue our journey and about 30 minutes later arrive in Zimapan. A pleasant mountain landscape serves as the entry to this beautiful mining town. Like most of the towns in Mexico, the main church (The Church of San Juan) sits in the town square. It was built by the Agustinos in 1773. It has a large clock, framed by small towers, and the interior has carved stone engravings.
We walked in the square and ate our picnic lunch. I found some pineapple filled pastries that were very unique to this little town. Teresa gobbled it down and said it was the best she had eaten in all of Mexico! They were warm inside as if they were just baked but most likely it was from the heat.
I had read that 10 minutes outside of town there was a famous bohemian Royal Spa and Hotel. We left the central area and found it with no problems. It was nice and it contained tennis courts, pools, and offered every known spa or massage treatment. It was designed to offer an atmosphere of peace and tranquility. By Mexican standards it was
On the Road to Zimapan
One of our new friends along the road! pricey. By US standards it is a real bargain. The rooms were between $75 and $120 depending on size. A 2- hour sauna and body massage was $95.00.
We may return again around the 24th of May when the city holds its popular celebrations - a local fair with rides and fireworks, artistic crafts, artisan stuff and agricultural products from the region.
After we left the spa we returned to the lake via the dirt road. It was really the only viable road that we saw. The other two that we saw looked as if you would need a very serious four-wheel drive to get down to the lake, if you could even make it. When we got to the bottom there were a few adults and kids milling about and wading in the water. There were three or four very small places to get something to eat. We wanted to go out on the water and there were several small boats tied up at the dock but there didn’t appear to be anyone around to take us for a ride for a price. I went to inquire in one of the little restaurants (actually it seems ridicules to use
On the Road to Zimapan
Some of our new found friends. that word. Actually it was just a small cement building) and there was an older Mexican man eating his afternoon dinner - a big fish! - who said that when he was done he would take us out for a hundred pesos for thirty minutes. We readily agreed as it was a beautiful afternoon and we really wanted to get on the lake.
Well, we waited about ten or fifteen minutes for him to finish his dinner and then he came out ambling down the hill. He promptly gave us all life preservers and helped us into his small motorboat. We had a very enjoyable ride with our driver stopping periodically to give us information that he thought we would find interesting. Other than one other boat with a lone fisherman, we were the only other boat. It was very peaceful and out there on the water the breeze felt wonderful. The water looked clean and felt warm although he told us that it is very deep - something like 600 hundred feet deep! There are no houses or anything on the edge of the lake so it seems very secluded - like you’re in the middle of nowhere. Well,
On the Road to Zimapan
Some of our new found friends. actually, we were kind of out in the middle of nowhere. The tunnels and concrete work that were built to contain the lake in one area that we boated by was very impressive. An incredible engineering feat. We would have liked to have gone to the end to see the dam but he said by boat it would take about eight hours to get there. This is a large lake!
The boat driver ended our ride after 25 minutes and took us back to the dock. We were disappointed to have to go so soon but we had our long return drive home and with the twists, turns, and plethora of farm animals that definitely meant we needed to stick to our no driving after dark rule.
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norma
non-member comment
nostalgia
estas imaganes son nostalgicas cuando no estamos cerca, son parte de una identidad, parte de nosotros, por supuesto los que sentimos algo por zimapan, encuentras la belleza en cada centimetro de recorrido.