TEQUIS & BERNAL

THE NEXT DAY OF VAN VIEWS

It’s been windy climbing today and at some point I started developing a bad attitude because there are so many speed bumps and none of them are marked. I can’t enjoy looking around because I’m busy watching for them! I have to bring the van to a complete stop to safely get over these road hazards…

We finally get to the top of a beautiful wooded area and I pull into an abandoned facility to calm down. I feed the dogs and notice an enticing pine forest with paths behind the buildings. I take the dogs for a leisurely walk. It’s amazing how a walk in the woods can shift one’s attitude so quickly. We continue onto the road through the Monarch Butterfly Biosphere Reserve and it’s one little town and encounter after another. Just lovely!

TEQUISQUIAPAN

Tequisquiapan is a magical town whose name comes from Nahuatl and means ‘place of tequesquite’. Teqesquite is a type of mineral salt that has been used to flavor food since pre-Hispanic times. It consists mainly of sodium bicarbonate and sodium chloride (common salt) and some potassium carbonate, sodium sulfate and clay which gives it a greyish color.

Our camping spot for the night is just outside of town in a recreational park that has camping spots in the back. We are the only ones here. The solitude is almost eerie. There was so much driving today that even though we have stopped, it feels like the engine is on. I check it. The keys are not in the ignition. I realize it's my body still vibrating from all the road roughness!

The next day features a relaxing walk through the quaint downtown with small shops, murals and sculpture.

BERNAL

Peña de Bernal is the next magical town on our route and is home to the third-largest monolith in the world. The monolith is actually the the solidified magma from the interior of an ancient volcano. The exterior eroded away over millions of years leaving this monolith shape.

More wonders abound…