From Guanajuato, the TransMexico Norte bikepacking route took us into the country’s central volcanic belt, passing between two majestic volcanos and through two of the country’s most popular tourist towns. Along the way, we cycled among the steep-sided foothills of towering cinder cones, as well as through fertile lowlands of sugar cane and agave. Ubiquitous, colorful murals proclaimed Mexico’s love for Monarch butterflies, which overwinter each year among the pines on the slopes of a few, high, volcanic peaks. Just as the rainy season began in earnest, we reached the city of Toluca, where we would take some time off our bikes to let the rains pass.

The sweet fragrance of a guava candy factory, or the scent of tanned hides from a long line of leather shops. The heat of the sun from a cloudless sky, or a cool breeze blowing across desolate hills. The sound of church bells, or a roving band of mariachis singing songs of love and loss. And the beauty of a mountain overlook, or a tranquil plaza in a colonial village. Traveling this part of the TransMexico Norte bikepacking route has served up a feast for the senses - anchored on each end by two of Mexico’s fabled silver cities, which at one time generated most of the wealth in the world.