Creel to Chihuahua

Creel is one of those small towns with an overabundance of charm.  But before arriving we enjoyed a few stops to admire some sights nature has created. The Valley of the monks is my favourite- use your imagination and you can discover all kinds of animals, people and items hidden in the rock formations.  A number of girls were around to sell souvenirs and join us on a short hike through the formations.

The road into the area was unbelievable - these pictures don’t do it justice but trust me me, it was bumpy!

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The Valleys of the Mushrooms and Frogs are  less dramatic but lend themselves to a great photo opportunity.

The small Jesuit church is likely the simplest church I have ever been in. The benches were pushed to the sides but during services they become the pews with men on one side and women the other side.

I have been to Arareko Lake before and both times we were the only ones there and there was very little water.  Not this time - the lake was high thanks to all the rain they have received and there were lots more vendors there.  

The colourful dresses worn by the ladies are all hand sewn.  

Petra’s cave is set up to show tourists how the locals once lived.  The cave is named after a woman who lived here until her death about 4 years ago.

Creel is a pretty little town that acts as the Gateway to the Copper Canyon from the north.  El Chepe leaves from here.  

A highlight for many of us was the stop at the Mennonite museum.  The young girl who took us around is 5th generation from the Mennonites who fled Canada in the 1920’s. I certainly learned a lot about this community.

It was on to Chihuahua from there.  Our tour was cut short as everyone was pretty tired but we had time to enjoy some sights before enjoying food, beer and a Blue Jays win as we watched in El Presidencia bar.