Gomez Farias 2004

Picture Album

Random Recollections
  • We spent the night before we entered Mexico in a Red Roof Inn in Brownsville. We drove around trying to figure out how to get into Mexico, and really didn't get it all figured out until the next morning. We were able to barely get back and find a money exchange booth that was able to convert dollars to pesos.
  • The next morning we were able to get everything accomplished at the border without too much difficulty. However, they do not move at the same speed that we are accustomed to. It took quite a while to go through all of the paperwork, etc. After some time, we were able to cross into Matamoros and get on our way. One thing that I noticed while we were waiting, was that most of the people that I encountered were quite short. I'm not very big, but I felt much taller than usual.
  • Shortly after we entered Mexico, we passed by a dead horse or burro on the side of the road. When we returned seven days later, it was still there. Evidently they don't go to too much effort to keep the shoulders of the roads clear.
  • We found the road that went from Brownsville to Ciudad Victoria (Highway 101), to be a very nice road. And Highway 85 from Ciudad Victoria to Gómez Farias was also fine. All along Highway 85 mountains accompanied us. It was a very nice drive with the coastal plain to the east.
  • Gómez Farias is in the foothills of these mountains at 350 m (820 ft) above sea level. We drove into town and found our hotel, Hostal Casa de Piedra, in the late afternoon. The hotel had a patio separated from the main building which overlooked a large ravine. On the other side of the valley were the mountains that make up the 356,422 acre El Cielo Biosphere Reserve.
  • We spent the rest of the afternoon walking north along the road that leads to the reserve. We didn't get that far, but we saw some great birds nonetheless. We also started getting a feel for the local environment and its inhabitants.
  • We had a wonderful dinner at the hotel. They asked us after we arrived what we would like to eat that night. They gave us several suggestions, and we chose what sounded good, and it certainly was.
  • Our room was spacious and clean and we had a good night's sleep before getting up early to make sure that we didn't miss any birds.
  • We birded on the road just below Gómez Farias on the way back towards Highway 85 at sunrise. We then walked down this road looking at birds, native orange trees, and cultivated cactus without bristles or thorns. The local people stared at us a little, but I think they are becoming accustomed to American birding tourists.
  • One of the things that we noted all throughout Mexico was that individual houses ran businesses from their front porch selling various produce or homemade items. And true to the stereotype, most of the people that we encountered were quite laid-back.
  • We went back to the car and drove to the base of the foothill that Gómez Farias sits on. We found a beautiful river and picked up some more life birds, as well as having lunch on the banks of the stream. If you haven't seen a blue crested Motmot, I highly recommend having lunch with some right across a small stream under large shady trees with perfect temperatures and quiet surroundings.
  • After lunch we returned to Highway 85 and headed south to Ciudad Valles where we ate lunch. This was a fairly large town with a lot of traffic and development. We ate sandwiches at a place that sort of reminded me of Subway. The only thing unusual about this place was that the restroom was part of the main dining area, separated only by a stall against the back wall. It was not out in the open that much, but it did make you feel a little strange that you didn't go into a completely separate room. All in all, it worked out fine and the food was good.