Isla Tiburon

I was joined by Lee, Paula and Matt for a little adventure into Mexico this weekend. The destination: Tiburon Island.

Tiburon Island sits in the Sea of Cortez between Sonora and Baja California. It is a sacred place for the Seri, one of the last group of people in the western world that still remain a distinct group.

I was lucky to be invited on a mountain bike trip to the island by my friend from Hermosillo, Sergio Quiroz. He recently quit his job at Banamex (a major bank) to make a go at eco-tourism. Visiting the island requires a permit from the Seri (as well as other Mexican agencies), and to be given permission to ride bikes on the island seemed took special permission. This trip was an ‘experiment’ to see if bikes would be allowed in the future.

After the usual confusion, disorganization and waiting around (about par with all trips I have made to Mexico), we were off in pangas (little motor boats) across the Infernillo Strait. “Little Hell Strait”, so named by the supposed strong currents that run across the channel. The ride was relatively smooth and easy, actually. 2 miles later we were sitting on the shore of Tiburon Island.

I rarely visit the ocean (I find mountains much more interesting), so when I do visit the ocean I am always intrigued. It’s easy to forget that most of the planet is underwater and that the globe is much larger than we have a concept of. It’s also so unknown–what could be down there? A tiburon? (Spanish for shark). On the beaches (of Punta Chueca or Tiburon Island) it was interesting to watch the gulls, pelicans and other birds zooming around gracefully or fighting for scraps. I love when they coast and skim the water, or dive in for a snack. We also laughed at the town cat who came begging for fish from the fisherman in Punta Chueca. He got what he wanted, spending the next half hour gnawing on a raw fish.

A short ride brought us from the shores of Tiburon to the mountains. Tiburon has an impressive mountain range on it–somewhere between 3000 and 4000 feet high, I’d say. We only climbed up 500 feet or so, but it was enough to bring us to a very nice, lush spot. The island was surprisingly green, with many flora I had never seen before. Elephant trees, paper trees, wild flowers, and all sorts of others I cannot name. Most notable (and refreshing), the Island has never seen the scourge of cattle ranching. I wondered if this explains the lushness and plant variety. If nothing else, it was nice to be exploring an area free of the cow pies and never ending ranch fences that infest the western United States and most of Mexico.

It’s funny what a real, natural boundary will do. They started with 20 bighorn sheep in 1976. Now the population has grown to an estimated 650 (or more). Humans (for the most part) and predators are kept out, and development is minimal. How cool.

I was surprised (and disappointed) to come upon two buildings where we were to spend the night. I had visions of primitive camping, but it turned out that most of the people in the trip slept in the houses. The houses are for the hunters, who pay for a bighorn tag at prices in the $160,000 range.

The ride was too short, so I was anxious to explore the little trail that led out. I convinced Sergio to take us up it. It soon dissipated into a flagged but not built trail, but it was quite fun to ride. I tried to climb the mega-fall-line section a number of times, but could not keep enough momentum and power to get through the final loose section. Along the trail there was a large rock that had some faint rock art on it.

We ate carne asada (driven up to our campsite by the only three vehicles on the island), then the four gringos went for a little hike. Paula got in a bit over her head as we climbed a minor peak to attain a wonderful evening view of the island. Part way up I became very concerned since any help was very far off, it was getting dark, and going down is always harder than going up. Paula did fine to the top, but we needed to find an easier way down. Lee found the line that brought us quickly down as the sun set.

When the sun set we were joined by the Seri Shaman, Chapo Barnett. He was a small, old man, whose face always seemed fixed and without emotion. He wore the traditional bright colors of the Shaman. He downed every Tecate that was put in his hand, and smoked a few cigarettes on the side. He also sang, and spoke, so we listened.

The songs offered were accompanied by his tin-can rock shaker, always with the same rhythm and with words almost chanted rather than sung (with little enunciation). But there was a melody and even a ‘catchiness’ to it. I heard several people (besides myself) that clearly had a particular melodic line in their heads during the night.

The songs were about the earth, the sky, the stars, the sun, the moon, and the people. They were about how everything is connected–the same and yet different. They were also about things of a superstitious nature, or about power he had. The moon, he says, sometimes shines a special light, just for him, lighting the path he should follow.

Superstition, and a lack of skepticism, was running a little thick on the island that night. I heard several ‘ghost’ stories, heard directly from some of the other people in the tour. Supposedly one of the organizers of the trip tried to reach the Seri graveyard on the island, but started feeling so poorly that he had to turn around. We were told to keep our bikes off the ground so the coyotes wouldn’t chew on the tires, and our camelbaks in the house so they coyotes wouldn’t chew the hoses. Others were worried about us sleeping 100 yards from the house, down in the wash (where it would be quiet, among other things). I’m not sure what they could have been worried about–coyotes, or was it the spirits?

The spirits spared us during the night and we were up and quickly on the road back to the shore. Once there we turned south on a 2-track that paralleled the shoreline for several miles. There was some challenging sand at times and the views were fantastic. We stopped to check out the shoreline at one point. We found huge shells, curious sets of bones and a nice view. Out in the water we spotted a group of dolphins popping out of the water.

The road turned away from the shoreline, back towards the mountains. We were now on the south side of the high peak, climbing into a beautiful valley framed by red rocks. At the end we reached a large fig tree (I think), took more fotos, then turned around to meet the boats back at the shoreline.

The engine on our panga had a few problems on the way back, but we eventually made it back to Punta Chueca. Here we had an interesting conversation with a Seri who was worried about the spirits attacking us on the island, since we are not Seri. We were respectful of his conversation (mostly just trying to figure out what he was saying). He seemed to not mind that we were biking on the island–I believe it was just concerned for our safety. But I really am not certain.

On the way back through Hermosillo we met up with Sergio to ride at La Caridad. La Caridad is one of many fine mountain bike trails constructed by ‘crazy luis.’ He has his sections of eroding trail, but overall, it was an absolute blast to ride. Smooth turns, steep climbs, nice benches, often through and under trees or cardons. It was definitely constructed for bikes, but unlike Fantasy Island, it’s in the mountains and features long climbs and descents.

Each rider pays the rancher 25 pesos ($2.50) to ride the track. It was $2.50 well spent.

It was a unique experience and one that cannot be captured in an entry such as this, perhaps more so than the experience of other rides I have written about here. I came away with a great deal of respect for the Seri people and for Tiburon Island. It’s amazing that they have held on to their identities and cohesion for so long. But the overwhelming change of the modern world is too much, even for the Seris. And you have to wonder how far conservatism (that is, refusing to change) should be followed. I am unsure. In minimum, I am curious to read more about the Seri people and the Island I had the fortune to experience, if only briefly.

I had a look at the landsat 7 image shots of Tiburon, and it was enough to motivate me to add the capability to TopoFusion. So, I now have background images for all of the GPS data I have in Mexico, as well as better “overview” imagery for the US. A new beta version is definitely in the works.

The photofusion page has the landsat map with GPS data of the trip as well as some photos.