Google Earth Views

Webmaster's Notes: The world is becoming smaller and smaller. When I last looked at satellite imagery for this area, the resolution was lacking. That has changed dramatically. Now a portion of the area we travel has up-to-date resolution and landscape features previously unavailable are clearly visible. If you have not experienced Google Earth, it will open your eyes. This is a free product and is required to view the links below. Once the software is installed, the links should directly open Google Earth and display the location. These will take you to some of the places we visit in our travels. See the notes at the bottom of this page if you experience problems.

This page is under development and additions are being added as time permits - enjoy. As usual, write us with any questions or comments.

Rancho del Oso:
(Some of this imagery lies just off the adjacent high-resolution section)

Back-Country Locations:
(You can find photographs of most of these places throughout our website)

Google Earth Location	Description
Cerro Gallegos Overlook	There are two overlooks, this is the highest of the two and provides a panoramic view of the Urique Canyon.
Guapalayna	This is the last town downstream from Urique along the river.
Naranjo	A small community where we frequently stay overnight and visit the local school.
Huicorachi	Another small community where we stay with Doňa Nati, a local Tarahumara woman.
Los Alisos	Once a settlement centered on gold mining, Los Alisos is one of our camping spots on the trail to Batopilas.
Los Terreros	On the trail to Batopilas, we stay with a family here at our last campout.
Munerachi	Munerachi is boarding school for Tarahumara kids in this region.
Cerro Colorado	Cerro Colorado is a small community where our trail drops into the Batopilas Canyon. It is named for the red (colorado) cliffs to the east.
Batopilas	Famed originally for silver, Batopilas today is increasingly a tourist destination.
Batopilas - Shepherd's hacienda ruins	In Batopilas, you can tour the hacienda remains of this once thriving silver operation.
Pie de Cuesta	A remote and isolated Tarahumara boarding school.

Lluvia de Oro:
Long a subject of interest to us, Lluvia is described elsewhere in this site as well as within this photo gallery. Here are some different views.

Google Earth Location	Description
Lluvia de Oro - Original Mine Entrance	This is the entrance pictured in the photo gallery and consists of a very dilapidated boardwalk by which miners entered the mine. Foundation outlines of homes are visible to the southwest across the drainage.
Lluvia de Oro - Mill site	This is the site of the milling operation for the mine as well as the community for the people who lived here.
Lluvia de Oro - Cemetery	This is the location of one cemetery, there is another one which we have not visited.
Lluvia de Oro - Water plant site at El Chorro	Almost all of the original structures are gone today. A few foundations outlines are visible. Take a look at our historical photos for a different perspective.
Lluvia de Oro - San Francisco Dam site on the Rio Fuerte	This site is where electrical power was generated and transmitted to the mine. The dam and remains of the generator are submerged by the lake waters in this view.

Notes: If the above links download and Google Earth does not automatically run, most likely your computer does not recognize the file extension as being associated with Google Earth. In Windows XP, right-click the downloaded file, select <Open with..>, and associate it with the Google Earth viewer. Alternatively, go to <Start>, <Control Panel>, <Folder Options>, <File Types>. Select the "New" button and define the file extension "kmz" to be associated with the Google Earth program. You can also remove the sidebar and increase the viewing area on your monitor by toggling <View><Sidebar> on the program's menu. The controls located in the upper-right corner of the image allow you to rotate and tilt the image for a pseudo-3D view of the topography.