The day dawned with the crowing of the Toa Vacas’ fighting cocks. As usual, the temperature was 45 degrees Fahrenheit. Dense fog infiltrated the pine forest at the canyon rim.
The Toa Vacas sent the geologists off with a tremendous breakfast. Farewells were given, and the geologists repacked the old Dodge van. A tearful Rosita gave Gary a last embrace. They promised each other that they would try to stay in contact, but they knew this would be difficult given the Mexican phone system and poor accessibility to the Internet. Dr. Toa Vaca said, “Let me know what you find out about the disk. By the way, I just heard on the news that a Mexican presidential candidate was assassinated in Juárez. You guys better watch your step. There are going to be a lot of security checks on your way to San Pedro del Gallo. It would probably be best not to camp out until you reach your destination. By the way, how do you plan to get there?”
Arturo said, “I think we are going to head for San Luis Potosí and then take the road to Torréon. From there it’s about a two-and-a-half-hour drive to San Pedro del Gallo. Since it is a long drive, we may have to stay in Torréon at a motel tonight. I hope we get at least as far as Torréon.”
Toa Vaca said, “Vaya con Dios, mi amigos. I hope that we meet again someday.”
The trip to Torréon was uneventful until the field party reached the town of General Zepeda just west of Saltillo. When the van passed the police station, Miller noticed about twenty men standing outside of it. Shortly thereafter, two pickup trucks full of men, each carrying some sort of weapon, stopped the van and insisted on searching it for weapons. Arturo told them that there were no weapons in the van and that all of the passengers were geologists on their way to San Pedro del Gallo in Durango. The armed vigilantes were given soft drinks and beer to keep them happy. At this point, one of them said that there were remains of a dinosaur in the Sierra de Parras north of General Zepeda and offered to lead the geologists to the site. Arturo told the vigilantes that the dinosaur was probably similar to those found in Big Bend National Park in Texas. He politely declined the vigilante’s offer and said that they were on a tight schedule and needed to move on towards Torréon.
By the time the geologists reached Torréon, it was already seven o'clock. Miller said, “I guess we had better spend the night at a motel here. I don’t want to arrive at San Pedro del Gallo after it gets dark. It will be too difficult to find a place to camp.”