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II was an incredible task. Eighty-six tunnels had to be carved into the Sierra Madre Mountains and 39 bridges were That‘s easy the Grand Canyon of the Colorado. The one in Arizona, ‘ ' Wrong again! Aw . . . c'mon! The biggest canyon is called Copper Canyon and it‘s about 200 miles from Topolobampo. It's so spectacular it could swallow four Grand Canyons. The interesting connection between these two little-known geographic quotients is a railway. The Chihuahua- Pacific it's called. The story of that railroad alone is an unbelievable romp into the fantastic. The railroad was started in the 19th cenâ€" tury. as part of the rail boom to link the in- dustrialized east with the opening of the Pacific coast. The job wasn‘t completed until 1961! Well. it's a little fishing village on the Mexican west coast near the southern end of the Gulf of California. And we‘ll get back to that. But . . . question number two . . . What's the biggest canyon in North America, possibly in the whole world? The shortest distance between the American midwest and the Pacific coast is probably by way of San Francisco right? Wrong. Through Los Angeles . _. . right? Wrong. Try Topolobampo. Topolobampo? Where and what is Topolobampo'? Travel M 88943â€"155 SPECIALISTS IN EUROPEAN STYLE, 0 ASSORTED COLDâ€"CUTS, ROAST BEEFâ€" \‘ PASTRAMI, SMOKED TURKEY, CHEESES JFROM HOLLAND, GERMANY, CAKES and . PASTRY. FAMOUS FOR PARTY TRAYS (COLD or P’ HOT) OR MIXED, CHEESE TRAYSâ€"SALADS, ETC. FOR A SUCCESSFUL PARTY CALL BERNARDS EBERNARD'S BAKERY L: & DELICATESSEN Really mild...surprisingly satisfying Warning- Health and Welfare Canada adwses that dange: to health Increases with amount smoledâ€" avoid mhalmg Mrage per cngarette: ng SIIE: 4mg “tar” 04mg nucotme. By STANLEY JENNINGS W Topolobampo and the Copper Canyon 265 BAYTHORN DR.. THORNHILL Almost daily, year- round, the vistadome train leaves Chihuahua about 8 a.m. and com- pletes the trip to the coast region before midnight. At the same morning hour a sister train is leaving the Pacific side for the reverse journey. While the rails come to the US border at Presidio, Texas, (famous for warmest U.S. tem- peratures) passenger service begins at Chihuahua city, 140 miles down the line. There are good highways to Chihuahua from both Presidio and El Paso. And of course there is air service to the city of a half-million people which also gave its name to the little breed of Chihuahua dog. For the mildly ad~ venturous the Chihuahua- Pacific is a ride to remember. There are places. on switchbacks, where the 14-car vistadome liner does that classic chasing-its-tail act_ It's possible to have three levels of track in view at one time, two of them on the opposite side of the canyon you‘re descending. The Pacific terminus offers air and sea con- Now, the Chihuahua- Pacific is beginning to pay off in tourism and commerce in a roadless wilderness. nun»: uuun nu lwvlllb the Pacific side for the i The "3‘" Climb“ in“) reverse journey. increasmgly rugged Actually the westem' 112232;" iXé‘iL‘ies‘? £83“ terminus is at the town of‘ p g . . ito leaning crags. L05 MOCh'S' 10 m'les Mountain peaks reached inland. Los Mochis is in a; to H 000 feet rich salad and sugarcane; Suddenly . . lh ' Id produc1ngvalley.'l‘hemp‘dropped away. @353ng is a ea dive si f r‘ . . gr ‘ r 9" 0 at Dmsadero Barrancas anyone commencmg a C f h G leisure] tour of Mexico ( anyon 0 t 8 real y - hiuirlol Thic hrnath. needed to span the raging rivers of the gorges‘ The road had to climb to 8,000 feet before it could begin its slide to the sea. Suddenly the world dropped away. We were at Divisadero Barrancas (Canyon of the Great Divide). This breath- taking abyss is frequently called Copper Canyon. Our reserved seats had abundant leg-room and they swivelled a full 360 degrees for viewing scenery on all sides. There was lots to see. Rolling ranchland gave way lo irrigated orchards walled by hundreds of miles of stone fences. 38978158 (5 An air-conditioned bus whisked us to Chihuahua. The city has a fair choice of hostelries. but the vintage ISO-room Hotel Victoria oozes colonial charm. Hard to beat at $14 per day double (US). American food is good there: Mexican food excellent (not overly spicy). Chihuahua is not a tourist trap. The hotel gave us 21 pesos to the dollar. equal or better than bank rater At Presidio I was able to arrange a round trip with accommodations on a moment‘s notice. Normally. train reser- vations are not necessary but accommodation at one of the hotels in the big canyon region should be booked in advance. nections with La Paz. Guaymas. Mazatlan and most of the famous west coast resort areas. Don't hold me to it . . . in the face of rapidly changing fuel costs . . . but at the beginning of the year Chihuahuaâ€"Pacific fares averaged only two cents a mile. Several guided tours are available. Five hostelries are located nearby and in the canyon Usually ac- commodation is American plan with three ample meals and a room with fireplace costing an average $36 per day per couple. Accommodations are rustic. much stone and log in evidence and In the canyon labyrinths live the Tarahumara Indians. surely the most primitive people north of the Amazon. Some of them will be at the canyon overlook to sell you wood carvings. S K h I, om SOI'I : g p â€"-1 THE GIFT OF ELEGANCE a URN IHUHSDAY AND FRIDAY “LL 5 F M CLOSED MONDAVS - “7 Mmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmm 114 CROSBY AVE. EAST RICHMOND HILL 884 J. VALENTE & SON LTD. Choose now while our selection is at its best. ‘. Here are just a few suggestions. Dame IA-ZBoy am Lane cm‘creszs Boston Rockers, Curio Cabinets, Grand- father Clocks, Hall Consoles, Original Oil Paintings, Decorative Plate Glass Mirrors, Occasional tab/e groupings, Fine quality stiffe/ table and floor lamps. Giftware of all types including Brass, China and Mexican Onyx. A small deposit will hold your purchase till Christmas. Give your home the festive look with fine quality furniture and accessories from Thompson ’5. Gifts the whole family can enjoy all year round. They work in the worst kind of driving conditions so people and products can keep moving across the province, even in the worst winter weather. As soon as you see the snow plow’s blue light, slow down. B_epatientâ€" Clearing snow from our highways can be a 24-hour, sevenâ€"days-aâ€"week job for the men who drive the prov- ince’s snow plows. DECORATE YOUR HOME WITH FLOWERS FROM VALENTE from Thompson’s OPEN THURSDAY AND FRIDAY YILL 9 P M CLOSED MONDAYS some have no electricity. There is some excellent trailriding and trout fishing in the depths. Unreal as the canyon vista appears, it‘s barely a sneak-preview of the awesome scenery ahead. The downhill run is a kaleidoscope of roaring rivers, towering pin‘ nacles. valleys you'd have to be born in to get there. A shutter-bug must be fast to capture blossoming trees and plumes of waterfall, since every few minutes the train dives into a stygian tunnel and in a moment *POINSETTIAS *CYCLAMEN *CHRISTMAS CHERRY *TROPICAL 8 MUMS *AZALEAS PLANTS, ETC. Ontario highways... we keep them open. You keep them safe. 'I‘rail's end. L05 Mochis tpop. 40.000). boasts tall palm trees and several good hotels. Rooms with bath average 820 double. There‘s a well worthwhile all-day guided tour of the area taking in the harbor at Topolobampo and a lunch stop at one of the excellent seafood restaurants Topo offers some of the world's best deepsea sport fishing. the scene will be of a different shangrila. Any scenery you've missed because of the darkness. you'll see on Ihe return train ride. 884-9582 for you and them. Help them do their job. Then do your pan: be extra alert, adjust your speed and driving tactics to suit weather and road conditions. don’t try to m; that’s dangerous Ontario William Davis. Premier James Snow, Minister of Transportation and Communications GOV'T HOME INSULATION PROGRAM Rebate up to $500. CALL 486-5757 OR 884-5758 2347 YONGE STREET TORONTO, ONTARIO M4P 2C8 Suburban Home law/aria” ltd. YOUR HOME FOR AS LOW AS IF YOUR HOME WAS BUILT PRIOR TO’1961 AND IT IS YOUR PRINCIPAL RESIDENCE â€" YOU NOW QUALIFY FOR THE . . .. IO Keele St.5.,K1’ng City, Ontario Telephone (416) 833 .5311 - 832-1520 Free parking at IGA Parking Lot after 6 pm. Toronto Area THE LIBERAL. Wednesday. December 12. 1979 â€" C-7 - ROOF VENT INSTALLATION - 1v, STOREY SPECIALISTS oc.M.H.c. 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