In Mexico there are two options for roads to ride on – toll roads or free roads. The toll roads are fast, but expensive. While the free roads have no costs, they go through many small villages and have the famous Mexican topes (speed bumps). Something else to consider on the free roads is the gauntlet of big trucks and the traffic on two-lane mountainous roads.
Being one for adventure I decided to travel on the free roads. I encountered many small villages and hundreds of topes for the first half of the trip. I was ready to give up and pay to travel the toll road but, I decided to travel a few more miles on the free road. To my surprise I finally broke free from the heavy traffic and was able to travel with more comfort.
I was in a mountainous area with great landscape views. I also rode through a beautiful cactus forest along the way. It was a 300 mile ride on twisty mountain roads with many trucks and just as many topes. I estimated that it took nine hours of riding time to arrive in Oaxaca, Mexico.
I passed a cactus forest along the way.
One of the colorful villages along the way