Five Riders Dual Sporting in the Copper Canyon

[David]

A year and a half ago, just on a whim, BIll Hawkins and I rode to the Copper Canyon. It was a quick trip and we largely stayed on paved roads. But it was so spectacular that I determined to head back there for more of a dual sport adventure, and so six months ago the planning began. Not in earnest, but at least determining a date.

 

We ended up with five: me, David Bearden (GTR), Mark Davis (madavis), Kenny Haynes, and Dex. Here's a brief tale of our adventure (thanks to Mark for a few of these pictures).

 

The Copper Canyon is largely a southern extension of North America's Grand Canyon, only it's deeper and largely unexplored. There are certainly no motor homes to pass on a double yellow.

 

Thursday, March 3

 

Bearden and I live in Nashville, so all we needed was for Mark (Atlanta) and Kenny (near Knoxville) to join us. They pulled in that evening and we loaded the trailer, full of anticipation. We would put all four bikes on Bearden's aluminum racing car trailer and tow it with his diesel Dodge Ram truck. I barely slept that night thinking about how all the months of excitement were about to unfold. After a great steak dinner Julie put on for us, there was nothing left to do but head to bed.

 

Friday, March 4

 

We left early (6:00a), knowing we wanted to make it past Dallas and spend the night in Fort Worth. We drove 750 miles that day and made it as far as we planned.

 

Here is Bearden:

 

 

Here is Kenny:

 

 

And here's Mark--note the severe excitement!

 

 

They just couldn't wait to get going so we set them on the trailer for a bit!

 

 

Saturday, March 5

 

Dex, from Houston, got up early and rode 800 miles to Presidio, TX, where we also met him after another 550 miles. (Texas is one big ass state.) We'd decided to cross the border from there into Ojinaga. It's the closest crossing and it's not nearly as busy as the more commercial ports of entry. We pulled into our "luxury" hotel:

 

 

...and quickly unloaded so that we could get the truck and trailer over to an auto parts store where Dex had arranged storage:

 

 

They'd decided to close early that day, but kindly left us a sign indicating where they lived. So I went searching for a key and we were all set:

 

 

After repacking for the trip, Mark and Kenny rode to Big Bend while Bearden and I practiced on this hill behind the hotel. I'll let Bearden decide if he wants to confess anything.

 

 

Sunday, March 6

 

Ready to go! The big day has arrived. The border crossing is less than a mile from our hotel, and we arrive at 7:15 and park the bikes while we get all the paperwork in order:

 

 

Everything went as planned until the last person--Bearden--got to the front of the line. In spite of some misinformation on an official Mexico web site, it's not enough for the owner of a bike to be there when the non-owner wants to get a temporary importation permit. The two parties must be closely related or married.

 

Our spirits quickly sank as we pleaded and begged for an exception to no avail. We'd decided that Bearden would ride my KLR to the airport (250 miles away) and fly home from there, where we'd collect the bike on our way home, or we'd all just bag the trip and ride in Texas instead.

 

While chatting with the border guards they mentioned that our only hope was to talk to the new boss (El Director de Operaciones) who would be here "en una media hora" (a half hour). Having nothing much to lose, we waited until 8:15; then 9:15; then 10:15; then 11:15; then 12:15, when he finally arrived. He was a former attorney and a nice gentlemen. We chatted in Spanish and I explained our situation calmly and respectfully, noting that I'd been a good citizen for 13 years, that we'd driven 1,300 miles and planned this trip for months, and could he please make an exception for us? He graciously agreed to do just that and another round of paperwork began. But the relief among our little group was palpable and we were once again on track.

 

The sooner we got on our bikes the better, so we did. Here are shots of the two KLRs--loaded for bear. Fred Sanford would be proud.

 

 

 

We made our way into the Mexican desert, stopped at the edge of the "free zone" to ensure that our paperwork was in order, but were waived through the military checkpoint just down the road. It was just over 300 miles to Creel, but since we got a late start, we ended up riding the last hour and a half in the cold and dark at 8,000 feet. Not the brightest thing to do in Mexico, but a risk we were willing to take. I led with my newly and gratefully installed HID lights and night turned to day.

 

Monday, March 7

 

Monday, after a tough previous day, I suggested that we delay our trip down into the Canyon to Batopilas and instead go to Divisadero, which was an easy paved trip, and then go off road along the canyon's rim. It was a good plan on paper but didn't turn out quite that way.

 

The morning started with frost on the bikes:

 

 

Though it warmed up pretty quickly:

 

 

Our first stop was Divisadero, and the view from there into the west canyon is spectacular:

 

 

 

 

The smile here belies my fear of heights:

 

 

There's not much here except a place to stay and a market, both of which cater to tourists on this little train whistle stop through the canyon:

 

 

From there we rimmed the edge and then turned west to descend to Urique. We'd heard that this road could be impassable, and it was very, very rough going. Slow and tortuous at places:

 

 

We got two-thirds of the way before turning around--we were going to run out of daylight and the bikes were really taking a pounding. But it was a great first day in the canyon, and we returned tired and glad to be riding where we were.

 

Tuesday, March 8

 

This was a big day. We packed knowing we'd not return that evening, instead electing to spend the night in Batopilas instead. It's a teeny village at the southeastern edge of the base of the Barancas del Cobre, the Copper Canyon.

 

The first part of the trip is paved, and we stopped at one particularly picturesque spot among many to shoot some pictures:

 

 

 

 

About 45 miles from Creel, we refueled at a lone gas station (there are none in Batopilas, though you can buy it out of 55 gallon drums) and hit the dirt. The first portion is a winding dirt road through beautiful pine forests. The riding is not challenging (yet) and allows for some nice site seeing. What a nice relief from the bone jarring ride of the day before. Here's Mark standing at the road's edge:

 

 

Soon we rounded a sharp corner and the depth of the canyon opened before us, and we decided that it was the perfect place to stop for lunch, which typically was some fruit, snack bars, and bottled water we'd purchased the night before. No camera can capture this vista, but maybe these will give you some idea of what we saw:

 

 

 

 

 

 

Here's Kenny getting ready to confess all his sins until we told him there wasn't time.

 

 

And here's Bearden relaxing in the moment...

 

 

...only to later decide to call his business partner on the satellite phone to rub it all in.

 

 

Here's a 20MB video clip of our descent down to the bottom of the canyon, where the Urique river marks the center of the canyon. It's 3:30 minutes long. Click here to watch the QuickTime movie. There are three clips. In the first, we come around the corner to see the canyon below and I pull over to get a still. In the second, I catch up to the guys where they've stopped for lunch and where nearly all the pictures above were taken. In the third, we continue after lunch as it begins to rain. Note especially the sharp left corner after which you can see the riders behind me to the top/left of the frame, as we turn back around on ourselves. We got soaked right after this.

 

Next we began a steep descent to that river in the picture above. It's hard to see from this first picture, but the winding strips below are the same road depicted in the second picture (I can't remember where I got this aerial or I'd give the author credit):

 

 

 

Here's Dex waxing philosophical just before it began to rain pretty heavily on our descent. That was a bit treacherous on the slippery rocks.

 

 

Later we stopped to take off our rain gear.

 

 

One of the bikes toppled when the side stand dug into the soft earth and here Kenny and Bearden effect a JB Weld repair:

 

 

We passed a bull on the narrow, one-lane canyon road and Mark was eager to get a picture. So eager that he waited 20 mins for this shot. Unfortunately, he only got the bull's rear end because Dex scared it as it passed through the viewfinder.

 

 

This white tree, up on the hill side behind us, seemed to be "poured on the rocks." It seems quite out of place:

 

 

The majesty of this place seemed like the perfect spot for a brochure picture of the 12GS:

 

 

And a bird enjoyed performing for us...

 

 

Before it was time to outrun the approaching storm behind us:

 

 

We finished the 40-mile dirt trek into Batopilas and our scouting party (actually, it was just Dex and Bearden hunting down beer) found our "hotel"--a room with four beds:

 

 

But there was room to park out front and so we unloaded and settled in for the night:

 

 

I didn't hide the key to the tequila cabinet, and found the boys having a little fun without me:

 

 

And even Bearden joined the fun. And no, I don't think the red face was from the sun!

 

 

We found a "home restaurant" a few blocks away and had supper while a sandal maker worked away just outside:

 

 

 

Here are a few shots from the courtyard just outside "Carolinas."

 

 

 

 

It had been a long day, but we enjoyed some cigars on a patio outside our room where I'd never seen so many stars in one sky:

 

 

 

Wednesday, March 9

 

We slipped out as soon as it was light and headed deeper into the canyon to the "Lost Cathedral of Satevo." It's a small church in the middle of nowhere (4.5 miles from Batopilas) at the end of a nasty "path." We were wishing we'd walked instead of ridden.

 

Here's a 13MB video clip of our trip along the path to Satevo. It's 2:20 long. Click here to watch the QuickTime movie.

 

Here's a pretty view from the trail, which was barely wide enough for one car. Notice the colored tree at one end:

 

 

The church itself was interesting, if for no other reason than its existence is a mystery.

 

 

 

 

A little girl told us we could borrow a key from the nearby home, so we went inside to find a very simple monument with some interesting features:

 

 

 

 

We got a shot of the kids who were obviously skipping school to come and say "Hi" to us:

 

 

Then picked our way back across the trail, through Batopilas, and back through the 40 miles of canyon roads to pavement:

 

 

 

 

We stopped briefly at an interesting lake just outside Creel:

 

 

 

Thursday, March 10

 

We packed up and loaded our dirty, somewhat scarred bikes and headed the 300 miles back across the border:

 

 

Friday, March 11

 

My bike had a problem we couldn't diagnose (more on that later, but it turned out to be nothing) and Bearden's wrist was hurting, so he and I drove to Fort Stockton while Dex, Mark, and Kenny explored Big Bend a bit more. Dex peeled off toward Houston and Mark and Kenny met us in Fort Stockton. We loaded the two remaining bikes on the trailer and headed to the Midland airport, where I flew to St. Louis to pick up a waiting vehicle and the three of them continued on to Nashville.

 

I'll start a separate post about how our various bikes fared, and I also have three hours of video to edit down to some short clips, but this is long enough as it is. I'm a US citizen and love this country, but just honestly, Latin America is "home" to me, having lived there nearly all my young life. I don't even think of it that way when I'm going about my daily life up here, but when I get down there, something changes and I feel so much more "at home." It was a good trip and a great adventure. Thanks for Julie, Deece, Christine, Grace, and Lisa for letting the five of us go. And gentlemen, I'll never forget this trip! Good companionship. Good riding. Good food. Good weather. Good about everything.

 

[Les is more]

A beautifully told and even more beautifully illustrated tale, David.

 

Thanks!

[Tasker]

AWESOME ! ! !

 

AWESOME ! ! !

 

AWESOME ! ! !

[Tom02RT]

David...

 

Great story. As a new GS owner I would love to know more about how the GS handled this trip.

 

I've said it before..these "Ride Tales" are the best part of this site for me.

[David]

Great story. As a new GS owner I would love to know more about how the GS handled this trip.

 

Thanks, Tom! I decided to keep this more about the trip and put a "performance report" on the GS in the first forum. See if that answers your questions, or feel free to ask any others.

[GTR]

David:

 

A great trip and a great recap of our 10 day trip. Thanks for documenting it and sharing with the board.

 

In the spirit of honesty and candor, I must admit that 3/4 of the way up the hill your KLR (that I was riding) either ran out of power -- or I ran out of skill? I think it must have been the latter.

 

Great ride companions, terrific sights, and a wonderful time. Where next and when?

[ian408]

Great ride tale! One of my favorite pix is the last one for 9 March. It could

easily be a pen & ink drawing--it's beautiful.

 

Ian

[David]

Thanks, Ian. Knowing how much you enjoy photography, I can see you getting lost in this place. You ought to think about a trip down there some time. From where you are, I'd be tempted to cross into Baja from San Diego and then take the ferry across (east) and then ride south, or make your way up from Los Moches.

[David]

BTW, David, you were asking about meeting DanTop in Creel, wondering what happened. I got an email from him last night which says, in part: "The day before we were to get there, we were about 200 miles from Hidalgo del Parral on a very rough, remote mountain road (the worst road by far in all 4600 miles of riding on this loop through Mx) when one of my buddies went down on a slow speed getoff on a steep, sandy, potholed right hander. He probably cracked two ribs."

 

So that's why we missed meeting him there. I hope everything turns out alright.

[skinny_tom (aka boney)]

What an awesome ride! Thanks for sharing!

 

Ian:

You ought to think about a trip down there some time.

IN!!

[RichEdwards]

Wonderful pics and video, David. I especially enjoyed the shots of Mexican children.

[LJR]

[John Ranalletta]

There wasn't a day out of the last 10 that I didn't wonder where you guys were and how you were doing, and I'm sure I'm not alone.

 

Thanks for letting us take this ride with you guys. You took a lot us with you in spirit.

[Pigdog]

Brilliant - I am soooo envious.

 

The photos - brilliant as they are - obviously do not do the place justice.

[David]

There wasn't a day out of the last 10 that I didn't wonder where you guys were and how you were doing, and I'm sure I'm not alone.

 

Thanks for letting us take this ride with you guys. You took a lot us with you in spirit.

 

[Jim VonBaden]

Great report David! I like the video clips and the pictures were very well done.

 

I am very interested in the report on how the bikes did. I have a KLR and am thinking GS instead of ST for my new bike. So both interest me.

 

Jim

[Voodoo]

I'm simply without words.

[RightSpin]

In a word, wow! That must have been an awesome experience. I haven't watched the videos yet, but the pics brought the rugged beauty of Copper Canyon to life.

[TonyM315]

 

Wow - what an incredible tale. Thanks for sharing, David in the way you always do. Felt like I was there and only hope to one day experience an adventure such as this. Absolutely amazing!

 

[BPeterson]

beautiful David. wow.

[Dex]

DCB,

 

Thanks for posting the ride tale and for taking such marvelous phots.

 

This was indeed the trip of a lifetime. I thoroughly enjoyed sharing it with you, Dave, Mark and Kenny. Thanks for including me.

 

Now two confessions:

 

1. The side cases don't always come off when they contact dirt.

 

2. I was just showing Bearden how to get on the saddle.

[Dances_With_Wiener_Dogs]

I think that I enjoyed the people pics the best. However, the aerial shot is phenominal! I am wondering about two things though: Did you guys ride across that wooden suspension bridge?

 

Regarding the pictures taken of the Mexican people, is it customary to ask permission before taking the photo? I do, when I photog people. I've heard that some cultures don't like to have their pictures taken.

[Francois_Dumas]

Wonderful pictures, I enjoyed your trip 'with you' !! Certainly beats riding around in foggy 'polders'

 

Francois

[Erick]

Wonderful, David. Excellent.

I loved the shots of people in the streets, and the simple houses. Seeing how these people live makes me wonder how we still dare complaining about everything in our modern World.

[David]

I am very interested in the report on how the bikes did. I have a KLR and am thinking GS instead of ST for my new bike. So both interest me.

 

Jim, a GS does fine--a KLR is a better choice. It's lighter and far easier to ride through this sort of stuff. If you are going to ride all the way from DC, a GS is the ticket. If you are going to trailer to the border, a KLR would be better. There are some fairly rough areas on this route.

 

But like I said, either is fine and I wouldn't hesitate to go again on the GS.

[David]

beautiful David. wow.

 

Strap that DRZ to the back of your GSA and head on down.

[David]

I think that I enjoyed the people pics the best. However, the aerial shot is phenominal! I am wondering about two things though: Did you guys ride across that wooden suspension bridge?

 

No. I used to do that stuff as a kid, but now I have insurance and it wouldn't be prudent. Seriously, that was just a shot from the road we were on.

 

Regarding the pictures taken of the Mexican people, is it customary to ask permission before taking the photo? I do, when I photog people. I've heard that some cultures don't like to have their pictures taken.

 

If you are taking them as a tourist it is customary to ask. But if you are taking them as a human, there's no need. If I have any question, I ask.

[StretchMark]

I'll agree with the "Trip of a Lifetime" comments!!!

Thanks to David for pulling it together, and thanks to Bearden, Dex and Kenny for being such great travelling companions.

 

This was my first trip to Mexico, and my first to practice speaking the Spanish that I studied for 3 years in high school. Needless to say, mi espanol es pathetico. But luckily, being a 6'7" extremely pale blue-eyed red-head donning freakish motorcycle garb, I blended right in with the locals

 

I really enjoyed the simplicity of the culture, the friendliness of the locals...and ummmm...the food!!

I marvelled at 3 young boys entertaining themselves for hours by playing a game with a crushed bottle cap.

The rugged beauty of this place is really beyond what words or pictures could capture...you just have to go see it.

Here are a few other shots that I really liked:

 

We hit some really fun pavement before we ever got to the dirt stuff. Here's the group carving up a turn:

 

Some nice twisties, but the chip and seal asphalt really took a toll on our TKC-80s:

 

The Divisadero overlook was just astonishing. No picture could fully capture the depth and granduer of this spot:

 

The dirt road to Urique was pretty rough. I personally think the side case looks better in this configuration:

 

The roads were pretty tight, so if one of the logging trucks came your way, it was best to just pull over and let them by. I love the dog riding up top. These guys were pretty trusting to ride on top of these logs with just one chain holding them down:

 

Coming down the road to Batopilas, it started raining just as we were finishing lunch at one of the most amazing overlooks I have ever experienced. A tour guide pulled up as we were gearing up to see if he could take our lunch spot.

 

Here's a shot of Dex with the storm rolling in overhead:

 

After 20 minutes of rain and muddy roads, we outran the storm. Here is what it looked like. Later we ran into that guide in town and he told us the storm produced some snow. Pretty amazing:

 

 

 

 

 

So many great shots n the way down, it was hard to decide which pictures to take. Here's Kenny at one overlook:

 

 

Here we all are at another great view:

 

Check out the color of the water and the twisty dirt road...awesome!

 

You can barely make out Kenny crossing the bridge:

 

I like this one:

 

Even though this shot is fuzzy, I'm putting it in there because I worked so hard to get it. I had a few scary moments climbing down the side of the cliff to get this. I guess the heart rate was too fast since I could not hold the camera still

 

 

We definitely enjoyed the refreshments on the upper porch of a little cantina in Batoplilas. I enjoyed them a bit too much, but I practiced the ancient Tarahumara ritual of giving a little back to the land and all was well:

 

The ride the next moring to the Lost Cathedral of Satevo was really, really tough for me. Putting on a helmet when your head is pounding, smelling last nights tequila in your helmet, and riding one of the roughest segments of road on the trip were not exactly what I had in mind that morning.

But it was worth it:

 

 

 

Kenny and I were'nt quite ready to load the bikes on the trailer, so the last day, we followed Dex over to Big Bend National Park. Well worth the side trip.

 

Here's a shot of what Dex thought was Mexican Sage along the river road (170) which followed the Rio Grande to Big Bend:

 

Here we are riding on the river road:

 

Nice rock formation:

 

Incredible overlook way above the Rio Grande.

 

 

Here's Kenny at one of the river access points. I almost dumped it in that sand when I grabbed too much front brake:

 

 

I laughed at Christine when she gave me some toddler wipes to pack, but as you can see, Dex was very thankful after a little emergency visit to the desert:

 

Pretty cool sign in the park:

 

As Bearden said, "Where and when next?". I'm in!

We have a good life, don't we boys...and if you don't agree..."It ain't nothin' for me to come down there and whup your a$$" (I'll let Kenny explain that tag line that became the battle cry of our trip

[David]

Thanks for adding a bunch of pictures, Mark. Looking forward to seeing Kenny's, too.

[catattoo]

You guys are lucky. Looks like an excellent trip. The trip reports are DE-LUX!

[BPeterson]

beautiful David. wow.

 

Strap that DRZ to the back of your GSA and head on down.

 

If I could I would. I can't wait for the BMWST Copper Canyon rally. How's that going?

[David]

I can't wait for the BMWST Copper Canyon rally. How's that going?

 

Thinking about March, '06. I'm thinking we could easily gather 20-25 participants.

[Tasker]

Thinking about March, '06. I'm thinking we could easily gather 20-25 participants.

 

Yep!

 

BTW, your pictures of the stars are amazing. I'm not sure I've ever seen night skies more beautiful. I can only imagine the real thing!

[Dex]

Here's a shot of what Dex thought was Mexican Sage along the river road (170) which followed the Rio Grande to Big Bend:

 

The flowers were quite beautiful, but I got them confused with some other flowers we were seeing in Mexico. These are actually a variation of the famous Texas Blue Bonnet called the Big Bend Blue Bonnet. They were everywhere along the roadside and really added a great visual dimension to the desert.

 

At one point we saw several horses standing in a patch of them right next to the road.

 

Although I ruined the only good animal shot we had, there were numerous instances of local Mexican wildlife on or next to the dirt road heading to Batopilas. There were several herds of goats and many wild burros. The goats were really amazing and could climb the rock cliffs with incredible agility. The burros, although somewhat skiddish, would generally just stand there and watch us go by.

[Bob Palin]

I can't wait for the BMWST Copper Canyon rally. How's that going?

 

Thinking about March, '06. I'm thinking we could easily gather 20-25 participants.

IN!

[David]

I can't wait for the BMWST Copper Canyon rally. How's that going?

 

Thinking about March, '06. I'm thinking we could easily gather 20-25 participants.

IN!

 

Bob, do I remember correctly that you've ridden that area already, with the Rosen folks?

[Bob Palin]

Bob, do I remember correctly that you've ridden that area already, with the Rosen folks?

No, wasn't me, I went to Tierra Del Fuego with Pancho Villa.

[Kenny Haynes]

We’ve now been back for a while, back to work today, but I find it difficult to think of much other than our trip. The text and photos in this tale make it even fresher, and I can’t wait to get my antique print film developed to see what awaits. The stars in Batopilas were amazing as you can see, the roads everywhere were great fun, though I had to run my wheezy klr flat out to keep this accomplished group in sight, or even radio range on the pavement. These guys can ride. The level of concern for everyone’s safety and well being was incredible, with each watching out for the other. One should choose vacation partners very carefully, and I chose very well without ever worrying. After all, it ain’t nuthin to me to whup a man’s a$$. http://www.asswhupper.com/ (could contain offensive language to some)

If you get a chance to try out this area of the world, do it. More later.

[David]

Thanks for that link, Kenny. I just listened to a couple samples, like this one:

 

http://www.asswhupper.com/samples/mp3/eddies.mp3

 

...and it made me laugh again. For those of you wondering if we've lost our minds, Kenny played these stories for us on the trip and we laughed our asses off. From then on, any chance we got we'd repeat some silly line from the tapes.

[Dex]

We’ve now been back for a while, back to work today, but I find it difficult to think of much other than our trip.

 

Isn't that the truth? I haven't been able to think of anything else for three days.

[ian408]

I keep looking back at the stars. Since I know, photographically, what that

picture took, I can only imagine how beautiful it is at night.

 

Ian

[David]

I keep looking back at the stars. Since I know, photographically, what that

picture took, I can only imagine how beautiful it is at night.

 

Ian, I didn't have a tripod with me on this trip, so I just set the camera on a box and used auto exposure with a 1.67 f-stop bracket. Then used the timed shutter release (2 seconds) to make sure I didn't bump the camera. The exposure for that "mountain in relief" shot was about 18 seconds, but even in that brief time period, the earth's rotation can be seen in the movement of the stars.

[johnlt]

David,

 

How did your various maps work out. |I'm interested to see if the Mexican mapset for your G|PS was any good at all. tks,

 

john

[Chrish1234]

Very cool, gentlemen!

It's those kind of adventures that make for a rich, fulfilled life

 

Welcome home

Chris

[David]

How did your various maps work out. |I'm interested to see if the Mexican mapset for your G|PS was any good at all. tks,

 

Well, to put it succinctly, the "Zona 2" Mexico maps were kinda useless. I turned them off/on several times and saw no difference on any of the "roads" we were on.

[Kathy R]

Worthy of being published. Thanks for sharing it all.

[dhb]

Absolutely outstanding ride report David. I really enjoyed your photos as well since they are well taken and seem to capture a flavor of the place. I imagine that space was at a premium, so am curious what photo gear you wound up taking. Did you have it protected from dust, vibration in any special way?

Nice job, Thanks

 

Dave

[Joe Frickin' Friday]

Ian, I didn't have a tripod with me on this trip, so I just set the camera on a box and used auto exposure with a 1.67 f-stop bracket. Then used the timed shutter release (2 seconds) to make sure I didn't bump the camera. The exposure for that "mountain in relief" shot was about 18 seconds, but even in that brief time period, the earth's rotation can be seen in the movement of the stars.

 

David, I cranked up the gamma on those two star shots just to see what was there that I couldn't pick out from the originals. Here's the first shot:

 

[Joe Frickin' Friday]

And the second shot (I may have overcooked this one, as it's a little gray):

 

[David]

Absolutely outstanding ride report David. I really enjoyed your photos as well since they are well taken and seem to capture a flavor of the place. I imagine that space was at a premium, so am curious what photo gear you wound up taking.

 

Dave, I took the Canon 1DsMarkII and only two lenses: 16-35/f2.8L and 24-70/f2.8L. In retrospect I wish I'd taken the 70-200/f2.8L IS. There were times when I could have used it. The 24-70 was the walkaround lens, though, and quite versatile.

 

You're right--space was very limited.

 

Did you have it protected from dust, vibration in any special way?

 

For theft protection, it was locked in the topcase. For vibration, I had it in a simple Lowe Trekker "around the neck" case with the 24-70 attached. For dust, I did nothing except change lenses carefully: turn off sensor; blow dust away; have camera body pointing down. When I got home I discovered some dust on the sensor which I'll clean, but it does show up in a few shots.

 

The 1DsMarkII is a very sturdy, robust camera. The L lenses are the same. But even with that limited selection of gear, pretty much nothing else fit in the topcase.