Lago Santa Maria del Oro, between Mazatlan and Guadalajara

South of Mazatlan, Highway 15 offers the only section between the US border and Guadalajara that isn't yet four-lane. So we made somewhat slower going. That was okay, though, as our destination wasn't too far. We would camp at the beautiful Lago Santa Maria del Oro. I had read about it in a guidebook last year and had immediately wanted to go there.

But first, a glimpse of air pollution, an all-too-common sight:
Shortly after Tepic, we left the autopista, which was a nice four-lane toll road again, and meandered some kilometers to the pleasant town of Santa Maria del Oro. Out of town, we stopped at the overlook to the lake. A couple of Huichol women were selling their beadwork there, but nothing happened to speak to me.

It's not hard to tell that the lake is in an ancient volcanic crater!


We stayed at a small resort with campground beside the lake, the Koala, run for many years by a delightful Englishman named Chris French, though he may not always be there -- he tells me he has plans for some travel himself. There's a photoalbum of the Koala campground and the Santa Maria del Oro lake on his site too.

Walking around the lake -- and there's a trail all the way -- we passed this charming rustic cabin. Chris later told me that his oldest daughter and her husband own it and that she runs a restaurant in it every Sunday.

When the trail intersected a dirt road, we decided to circle back on it. We did encounter some traffic:


We enjoyed a quiet evening at the Koala and thought of staying over an extra day. As with everywhere we go that appeals to us, we enjoyed brief fantasies of living there. I could certainly imagine going back for a longer retreat!