Friday, September 29, 2006, it was time for us to leave the pleasant village of Llera de Canales, and after enjoying a delightful breakfast at El Mesqite, a small roadside restaurant, located under a large mesquite tree, we "headed for them thar hills," on State Highway 85 south, in the general direction toward our day's eventual destination of Cd. Monte, via Gomez-Farias, all well and good, but to get there, we had to wind through the very green beautiful Sierra Madre Oriental mountain range, and we enjoyed a fascinating trip through this very green and almost tropical mountain range.

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Our goal was very simple, as we left the small town of Llera de Canales, our mission was to visit the fascinating mountain town of Gomez-Fereias, via the highway south through the Sierra Madre Oriental mountain range.  We left llera, and almost immediately entered the mountains, which receive more than ample rainfall, as even in early fall, the mountains were very green and moist, complete with high temperatures in the low '90's and the heat index to match.

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State Highway winds south toward Cd. Mante through the semi-tropical mountains, passing a few small villages, including the blink-and-you-miss-it town of El Guayabo, where we had the opportunity to visit a simply fascinating roadside vendor, who sells convenience snacks, soft drinks, and home-canned honey and salsa, and another vendor who sold refreshing mango drinks.  Although Highway 85 is a major north-south artery between the state capital of Cd. Victoria and Cd. Monte, it's only a 2-lane road that twists and turns through the green semi-tropical mountains, yet it's not clogged with traffic, and almost gives the traveler the impression of a country road.

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What is the drive like between Llera de Canales and Cd. Mante?  Relaxed, green and beautiful.  Even in late September, which is about as dry as it gets in the mountains, the vegetation is green and lush, and small streams and creeks are everywhere, flowing with clear, clean running water.  The mountains are largely unpopulated, except for scattered ranches, but each ranch seems to have some sort of enterprise facing the highway, as the citizens of the Mexican state of Tamaulipas are true entrepreneurs.  What sort of businesses can you expect to see? Small roadside restaurants, street vendors, craft stores, and convenience stores, Tamaulipas-style.  We stopped at a couple of these roadside enterprises, and you can read about our adventures by clicking on the hyperlink.

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Eventually we stayed in beautiful Cd. Mante, but not before touring the fascinating mountain town of Gomez-Farias, high in the mountains, and after a long day, we wound up in Cd. Monte.  But the drive through the mountains was a delightful experience, and the Sierra Madre Oriental are beautiful, green and uncrowded, and Highway 85 is a dream to travel.  What a nice day!

 

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