Espinazo del Diablo (The Devil's Backbone)

Mexican legend says when the Archangel Michael threw Satan out of Heaven, his broken spine formed a jagged ridge that winds across Mexico's Sierra Madre: Espinazo del Diablo - The Devil's Backbone.


The Mexican government has launched a massive modernization project to straighten and make the road straighter and allow for greater speed from Mazatlan to Durango.  However, we were still able to ride the famous road as it still exists, and what a ride.  You start in Mazatlan at sea level and when you get to the top your at about 9,000 feet.  From tropical beach to mountain pine in about 100 miles!

About halfway up we stopped in a small roadside town to eat the leftover pizza we had from lunch the day before in Mazatlan.  Also woofed down some bananas and the failsafe chocolate cookies.  According to Curtis this place had the world's worst bathroom - so bad that he said going beside the road for all the world to see would be preferable.

For this leg up to the entrance to the Backbone I attached Curtis' GoPro camera to my helmet but instead of taking video we set it up to take a picture every 2 seconds.  Early into the ride we came upon a sharp righthand curve the bottom of which was a big rig trailer where 2 guys were slowly salvaging by hand piece by piece.

Here are some select shots from the GoPro of the trip to the top:

Landslide Area Next 30 km

But, sometimes on a road this twisty you come upon slower traffic, like semi-tractor trailer rigs (the ones that don't go off the edge) and you've got to pass despite the yellow line:

In what appears to be a very helpful local custom, truckers (and some passenger cars and trucks) will turn on their left signal when the see it is clear up ahead for you to pass:

Note the red left signal 

Again, note the red left signal

And we go by

And execute a safe pass despite the yellow line

But we finally did get to the top and the entrance to the Devil's Backbone, we discovered one of the most bizarre and interesting things -- when we turned off the GoPro it reported to be at 666 pictures taken, when it had actually taken well over 1,050!  Coincidence or the work of the Devil?

Here is what you are greeted with at the top and entrance to the section of the road known as the Backbone:

Entrance to the Backbone looking west.

Entrance to the Backbone looking east.

Massive commemoration to the construction of the road

Here is a video slideshow of some of the select GoPro images set to several of Alex Fardon's 2010 classical guitar covers.

Next we'll post Curtis wearing the GoPro up through the Backbone, and our encounter with the Mexican Military checkpoint at the top.