I'm back in Baja now and making my way home. Everything went well. I did find myself running short of time to drive the coast and the Hoy No Circúla rules made getting around Mexico City to the north a hassle and time consuming. I knew about the rules based on license plates, but I didn't know that tourist passes are only available for newer vehicles and that they had started enforcing driving restrictions in Puebla too. Annoyingly that meant flying the last leg to be in Oaxaca on time. That was my plan c after plans a and b didn't work out.

Anyhow, I had a lot of fun and I'm glad I did it.

Sadly after I got back to Mazatlan I learned they'd had a night of violence while I was away in Patzcuaro. https://elpais.com/mexico/2024-10-28/la-guerra-entre-el-mayo-y-los-chapitos-alcanza-a-mazatlan-la-joya-turistica-de-sinaloa.html

Stay safe all.

Y'all aren't making this easy on me - I have to keep reminding myself that I can't do it all.

Although I guess I do have a return trip in a couple weeks so maybe I'll do two Michoacan stops so I can see more of the area. Maybe it makes sense to skip Paracho until the return. If I end up with a guitar I won't have it it bouncing around the back of my truck as long.

I went to Paracho via Morelia and Uruapan by bus in 98 but never visited any of the other villages. I think it has always been in the back of my mind.

Makes sense. Uruapan just seems like a decent place for a hotel and base but maybe ill find a spot in Paracho or nearby.

We usually stayed at Hotel Victoria in Uruapan, and El Jardin in Tequila, right on the zocalo.

Please, everyone, don't forget a trip to Paricutin!!!

Uruapan is not exactly very touristy; I would skip and either Morelia or Patzcuaro from Tequila.
Also stop and see Quiroga [the shopping mecca and carnitas] also the ruins at Tzintzuntzan.

Uruapan has a national park that is a must-see in my humble opinion. The Mexican civil engineers have taken a river and broken it up into dozens of rivulets. They surround you as you walk through the park.

Of course, Morelia and Patzcuaro and Janitzio and Tzintzuntzan and Santa Clara del Cobre also are all must-sees when you are in Michoacan. They are all reasonably close to Zihua.

Ug that must be really rough for the people living out there. Part of me wants to drive it anyway and share some pesos but I am on a mission. And I really don't care for Acapulco.

Thanks again for all the insight.

You guys have been hugely helpful.

So new plan:

Mazatlan -> Tequila (or maybe Amatitan)
Tequila -> Uruapan (visit Paracho)
Uruapan -> Patzcuaro (visit Santa Clara de Cobre)
Patzcuaro -> Oaxaca (with an overnight somewhere halfway)

Uruapan is not exactly very touristy; I would skip and either Morelia or Patzcuaro from Tequila.
Also stop and see Quiroga [the shopping mecca and carnitas] also the ruins at Tzintzuntzan.

Thanks again for all the insight.

You guys have been hugely helpful.

So new plan:

Mazatlan -> Tequila (or maybe Amatitan)
Tequila -> Uruapan (visit Paracho)
Uruapan -> Patzcuaro (visit Santa Clara de Cobre)
Patzcuaro -> Oaxaca (with an overnight somewhere halfway)

This time I took the TMC ferry which mainly carries semi trucks and trailers. I planned to be on the deck so I could put the camper top up and stay in my vehicle, but despite talking about it with the cargo dudes (they told me no problem) instead I ended up on the ramp at a sharp angle, next to the engine room, and a stanky fish truck with the reefer unit running.

There was no airflow and besides the discomfort I also didn't want to die of CO poisoning.

So I slept out in the open on the top deck with a blanket and a pillow. It was not a great nights sleep but the stars were amazing.

$6300 pesos. I think the Baja Ferry is cheaper. They have a website with pricing.

Its been 12 years since I last did this trip. Ferry from LA Paz to Mazatlan.

Two or three times we've taken the ferry from La Paz, but each time to Topolobampo, overnight in Los Mochis, then south to Mazatlan.
Did you take a room/berth on the ferry to Mazatlan? It's an overnight trip, right? How was it? We found the cost a tad high for our budget, and didn't relish spending the whole night in the bar.

You're talking about 200? I can see some road closures on google maps.

Is there a particular section of the road that is heavily damaged? I've already been warned off from hwy 200 near Puerto Vallarta.

Is there serious damage from zihuatanejo to Acapulco or Acapulco to Puerto Escondido?

Many thanks for all your input.

Two bridges were washed out by John between here and Acapulco, and the road itself suffered quite a bit of damage and deterioration. Though temporary bypasses have been erected, I'm hearing that the normally 4-hour drive to Acapulco currently takes 6. And south of Acapulco where John slammed into the coast, it only gets worse. And that's when there are no roadblocks. There have been almost daily roadblocks by people needing help from the damages caused by John.

John made a real mess of the roads both north and south of here, and it wasn't the first one of the season. Rob is undoubtedly right=the coast roads are a mess. Passable, but not good.

OK. I get it. I just read up on John. I can't believe this wasn't on my radar. The storm looks like it was rough and all this was only a few weeks ago.

Between the storm damage, the current weather (so humid!), and my Oaxaca timeline, I don't think it makes sense to follow the coast.

This is a bummer as I had been thinking nostalgically about past adventures but I am going to turn my attention to the interior.

I am going to make time for Paracho and maybe some of the other towns near Patzcuaro that I've never been to. I'm not sure if I can craft a good route through some of my other favorite colonial mountain towns, but maybe I can visit Queretaro, Zacatecas, Guanajuato, etc.

Is there a particular section of the road that is heavily damaged? I've already been warned off from hwy 200 near Puerto Vallarta.

Is there serious damage from zihuatanejo to Acapulco or Acapulco to Puerto Escondido?

Many thanks for all your input.

I remember the twisty road from Oaxaca to PE well. My windshield wiper flew off while driving in a storm as night was falling (bad planning on my part). I managed to find and reattach it in the rain and made the trip down. I stepped into a cafe to warm up and listen to the musicians busking for change. It was a good time. I understand there is a new autopista that is faster and less twisty.

I am looking at roads around Acapulco. I'd like to avoid driving through the city. Traffic and police hassles are on my mind. Not sure what the best bypass is but Google Maps shows 200d is closed just NE of the city.

And as for safety ... it is indeed a game of risk tolerance. If an area has been destabilized to the point where crime becomes more common it does give me pause. I travel a lot in Baja these days. I know of a couple places where it's just not a great idea to be based on advice from locals and accounts from travelers. The rest of the peninsula is a playground if you take normal precautions.

I just don't have that kind of experience along this stretch of coast. So any advice helps me tune my tolerance for risk.

You do NOT want to drive the coastal road to Oaxaca. There is too much damage from Hurricane John.

The best way to get around Acapulco is to take 95 at Bajos del Ejido.