It's Thursday; guess we should be packing!

Our plane leaves here at 7 AM tomorrow (Friday) morning, and that's 15 hours from now. By time most of you will read this, we'll be almost in Cabo, or we're already there, and have had tacos and a cool one.

We have most of our clothes and other gear out; it's just not packed into the suitcases yet. Our plan is to travel lightly, something we learned from our Rick Steves tour three years ago. Each of us will be taking a 21" carry-on plus a backpack. We're not doing that to save baggage fees; we do it so we have less to tote around with us, and once we land, we're on the go -- not waiting for luggage to arrive.

Keep an eye out for pictures, maybe even some video along the way. We are truly looking forward to this awesome adventure to the Copper Canyon, a great trip put together by Copper Canyon Travel that's based right there in Cabo San Lucas, Mexico -- http://coppercanyonmexico.com. Hasta manana; see you in Mexico!

Reading up on Copper Canyon

We found a really interesting article in the November 2008 issue of National Geographic called "A People Apart." It is about the Tarahumara Indians -- who prefer to call themselves Raramuri -- the indigenous settlers of the Copper Canyon area. As we're preparing for our trip there this coming week, it was enjoyable to read a fact-based story that tells why they settled there, and the struggles they are having as they try to cope with modernization, while keeping their culture alive.

The highlight of the article to me was hearing about their Easter traditions, and the long build up to their celebrations. My guess is that "time," as we normally think about it, isn't as important to them. Honoring traditions is paramount, and they're not in a rush to go anywhere. I know that, even though we'd like to be immersed in the area and activities, we will still be treated as guests. That's a good thing, so I'm hoping that we will be able to experience the feeling and ambiance of how they live.

Pictures should start appearing this Saturday the 16th, depending on the internet availability for posting. I hope you enjoy going along on his trip with us!