We are Tom and Lynn Matthews, owners of Turkey Creek Motorcycle
Tours. In 2005, we rode the Ruta de Rio Sonora in
Mexico for the first time and were enchanted by the people,
the culture and architecture. A week in Banámichi, Sonora
and we did not want to leave.
Many more trips, including guided motorcycle tours took place
over the next two years. In the summer of 2007, we purchased
an adobe building on a large corner lot just one and a half
blocks from the town plaza. The house is between 80 and 100
years old and had not been lived in for 25 years. It had no
working plumbing other than an outside water faucet and one
electrical outlet. Old farm equipment was stored in the yard
and a hen and rooster had taken up residence in one of the
rooms.
In January of 2008, the restoration began. The building originally
had a traditional dirt and adobe roof. The structure has been
restored to its original height and style. We were fortunate
to have a photo of the house from Independence Day, (September
16) 1942 as a guide.
New plaster and stucco, electrical and plumbing, new doors
and windows and paint and the restoration was close to complete.
The original covered patio, added in the 50s was rebuilt completely.
The ceiling features rough-cut wooden beams with latillas
of carrizo above. A traditional fireplace was constructed
on the patio to take the chill off cool evenings.
The original building houses the office, a gift shop, a future
coffee shop, public restrooms and a small garage just right
for motorcycles. Here is the building on Independence Day
2008, sixty-six years after the original photo.
Work began on the hotel in August of 2008. The ten-room, two
story building is built in classic Sonoran Colonial style
with modern electrical and plumbing systems and both heating
and air conditioning. The hotel opened for guests in September
2009. Each room is individually decororated . Rooms feature
bathroom vanities built of mesquite wood by local artisans
and furniture that features original atifacts from the "Casa
Viejo," (the old house.) The large private interior courtyard
houses intimate gardens, water features and seating areas.
A second story terrace provides views of the town, the surrounding
mountains and, stargazing.
The entire project was built using local artisans and craftsmen
using materials acquired locally as much as possible. Our
goal was to create an intimate, romantic setting and remain
faithful to the architecture and be in harmony with the environment
of the Rio Sonora.
