2/21/09

Last night I dreamed I found a block of Tillamook cheddar cheese in the food bin.  While I have definitely been enjoying the Mexican cuisine, it occurred to me when I woke up that perhaps I have been secretly craving some American delights.  I sort of start drooling, a la Pavlov’s dogs, at the mention of a Quarter Pounder with Cheese.

Anyway…we headed out of Villa Corona toward Zacatecas.  Wanting to avoid as much of Guadalajara as possible, we drove west on Mex 80 for about 10 miles until we got to a main intersection (shortly after a Pemex station on the right) marked for Buenavista.  Turning right, we went north to Mex 70 where we headed east toward Guadalajara.  From Mex 70 we got on the Pereferico Norte for a short distance before taking the exit to Tesistan/Colotlan.  This exit put us on a divided “highway” going northeast – then we made a right turn (from the laterales) onto Mex 23 marked Zacatecas.

Mex 23 is a two lane highway that winds through the countryside of Jalisco and Zacatecas.  While the road surface is well maintained, the southern portion is full of hairpin turns and hill climbs, so travel in a big rig would be somewhat tortuous.  But in the van it was a beautiful and rewarding drive, with sweeping mountain and valley vistas.  Also, Mex 23 circumvents most of the small towns, unlike the roads on coast which seem to always travel directly (and slowly!) through the center of each pueblo along the way.  However, La Cabanita in the town of Momex is an excellent stop to make – across from the Pemex, this little outdoor lunch counter serves the best burritos and micheladas we’ve ever had!

With all the turns and elevation gains, it took us almost seven hours to reach Zacatecas from Villa Corona.  Our camping book recommended the Hotel del Bosque for in town camping on the hill, but the camping area is a paved lot in front of the hotel which did not suit us.  However, we checked into their beautifully remodeled rooms which were less than half price due to the low season or low occupancy or ???.   We had a couple drinks at the new hotel bar which is a tastefully appointed room with floor to ceiling windows overlooking the city and 30 year old agave plants.  The staff was extremely pleasant, bringing us nuts to snack on….and then some cheese – a mild swiss, I believe, but in the European/American style of semi-hard snack cheese – proving dreams can still come true!!!