Exploring Tapalpa, Mexico

Immediately after arriving in the picturesque mountain town of Tapalpa our group set off on a hunt for a place to spend the night. There were three cars in the procession…our friends with 3 kids leading, us next, and then one more couple (on a Senior Mission at the Guadalajara Temple for the LDS church) behind us. After checking out a fun places in town, we decided we really wanted a cabin in the woods. We drove out of the windy city streets and quickly found Cabañas Tapalpa. It was certainly one of the most expensive places we’ve found in Mexico (intended for all of the wealthy Guadalajaran weekend visitors)…but seeing how all 3 couples shared one cabin, the slip cost amounted to less than $60 each.  Here is the view overlooking some similar cabins:

The cabin was a sweet little 2 bedroom place with an loft. Jared and I took the bedroom with a queen (our girls slept in the main room on an air mattress), and our friends took the room with bunks in addition to a full size bed. We left the fun climb to the loft for our friends without small children!

The whole crew lined up for a photo outside:

 One of the requirements of getting a cabin in the woods was making S’MORES!  Without normal graham crackers to be found, we made do with “Marias Gamesas” instead…kind of a simple white sugar cookie (that Jared likes to call a cracker…because he doesn’t think it qualifies as a cookie). I will be honest…I don’t care for s’mores. But I’ll take some fire-roasted asparagus or zucchini any day!

Maiya happy as can be…

The kids had a blast playing in the woods, attacking adults, etc…

Dennis enjoying the view from the front balcony…

The next morning we took a drive through the outskirts of Tapalapa.

One of the big attractions in Tapalpa is going to see Las Piedrotas (the Large Rocks) in the farmlands.  It is a simple attraction—a field full of rocks.  The fun part is guessing where they came from?  Aliens? A volcanic explosion? And why are they only in this one area?  Imagine the image above being interrupted with rocks like this:

 From far away these rocks look like nothing…

But then you stand next to them and realize their enormity (can you see Jared below?):

The rocks are rounded and pretty climbing-friendly, so we spent quite a bit of time exploring some nooks and crannies.  Ethan definitely had the best seat for our explorations:

Anita & Dennis :

Dennis said it reminded him of his mission days in Ireland with all of the lush green fields to look at…

Me wondering where to start. So many rocks to climb…so little…um…energy?!