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Copper CanyonLos Mochis to Chihuahua - January 2, 1986Catching a cab to the station was a snap and we had our packs stashed in the overhead above our seats and had staked out a proper vestibule when the train lurched to a start at 7:30 thenext morning. The trip to Chihuahua takes all day and this time we would be doing it without a multiple day layover. We knew which side to satnd on wehn and what was coming up i te way of sights. We lumbered back up into the hills, crossed out of Sinaloa and back into Chihuahua state and through the same towns and dingy rail yards. We passed a well burned caboose that had obvioulsy produced quite a bit of excitement in the hours before we arrived and we passed teh same converted boxards that railorad employees' families called home. Wehn we got to Divisdero, we were off the train with the rest of the toursits, not to buy baskets (got mine the afternoon we got out of the canyon) but to get a couple of burritos to go. I was standing in line when I heard the train horn that tells one adn all to get backon the train as the show is about to move in about a minute. My burritos were not ready so I told that lady that I was sorry but that I had to go, like right now. She insisted that there was no hurry. I told her, no, I ahd to go and again she siad the train would not leave without me. Like I'm going to fall for that so she can net another twenty five cetns. i stepped out of line and as I moved for the door, a hand grabbed my shoulder and told me to stop, that there was no hurry. then the train blew its horn one more time, the last time and I said no,i gotta go. The fellow behind me, however diagreed and introduced himself as the engineer and told me that the train was not waiting for me but that it would wait for him. The gal behidn the counter hadned me my two burritos and handed the engineer about sic of them . . . along with a cold si pack of beer to chase them down with. teh two of us walked out of the tienda together to the train, I climbed up into the first coach and he passed the six packs up to his fireman before he climbed up the steps into the locomotive cab. I'd swear that the ride down after about a half hour was smoother and the engineer's touch on the throttle had none of the couple banging crack the whip effect it had before the stop at Divisidero. We passed through Creel and then down onto the high plains that lead back to Chihuahua city. Again, we arrived after dark but that was no problem, we took a cab back to the sam hotel as before and later found a nice hole in the wall restauant that cooked a mean dinner that we were more than ready for. Dan's knee was feeling mcuh better, his stomach had settled a few days before and we were taking in Mexico, lingo and all.
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