The next day we made the climb from 200 feet elevation to 8,000 feet on highway 130.  I don’t think many people drive this route because of the steep and twisting highway but it wasn’t bad at all (if you are used to driving in mountains anyway).  Unlike Colorado, there are villages along side the mountains as it is green with a mild climate no matter how high the elevation.  We could see so far down it was like being in an airplane.  Unfortunately, pictures just can’t convey the heights and views.  The scenery was absolutely breathtaking and reminded me of pictures of Guatemala mountains.  This route has been described as the “Little Switzerland of Mexico”. 

Eventually, the climb ended and the humidity was gone.  For a short while the scenery was very multi-colored and pastoral like before getting into a drier looking area similar to New Mexico.  We were on the highway to Tula, when about 35 miles before getting there, we were passing through a congested town and Jack saw a sign that said turn right to Tula which made no sense at all if you can read a map.  He turned and we followed.  Once again, we were on very narrow residential streets that believe me, were like a maze.  We kept turning this way and that.  After a while, we were on dirt streets and then dead ended at rocks laid across the street.  Chris got a taxi to lead us out of the maze.  She offered the driver 20 peso’s after he got us back on the highway but he refused any money at all. 

We got to Tula too late in the day to see the Aztec ruins and spent the night beside a little hotel.  As usual, Jack put in his two cents on how we parked, even though he always parks first and we don’t say anything.  Jack suggested we park next to the side of the building so we couldn’t be seen from the road but we would have been parking on top of trash, broken tiles, and who knows what.  I told Jack we didn’t want to park on top of trash.  He argued that.  So I said HE should park on top of the trash.  He told me to zip my lips.  I said “no, I am not going to zip my lips and for once he should let me and Steve make our own decision”.  After that, Steve decided we were going our own way. 

Pictures taken from the motor home as we were crossing the mountains on highway 130 

These last two picture were when we were lost in the maze headed to Tula. Jack and Chris in front of us with the taxi leading us out.