2003-10-17,18 The Journey 2003-10-18,24 Creel 2003-10-19 Rock Climbing 2003-10-20 Valley of the Monks 2003-10-21 Copper Canyon 1 2003-10-22 Copper Canyon 2 2003-10-23 Copper Canyon 3

From Austin to Creel (Friday, 10/17/2003 and Saturday, 10/18/2003)

T.J. and I met up with David at his house near Hunt (which is itself near Kerrville, which is itself sort of near San Antonio.) After piling ourselves and our gear into David's king cab, with mountain bikes on the roof and trailer in tow, looking like some sort of odd roving meteorological appratus, we hit the interstate bound for El Paso.

We stayed the night in El Paso, after linking up with Dirk, the president of Adventure Club San Antonio, and Igor, a Mexican national who had ridden up on the bus from San Luis Potosi. The following morning, the band of 5 crossed the border at Juarez and drove the remaining 8 hours across the Chihuahuan desert and into the Sierra Madres to the village of Creel.