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New Years Baja Trip!
After a wonderful Christmas Holiday with family in northern Utah, and after shoveling a lot of snow, my two sons, my son in law, and I decided to head down the Baja. We've flown down there many times over the years, but this time we took a different approach. Our goal was to fly low and slow, taking in the views along the way, landing and enjoying some of the places we normally fly over on our way down.
Our first stop was San Felipe. A good friend has a nice place there, along with some awesome buggies! After landing and completing the standard paperwork shuffle, we went into town for some famous fish tacos! Parking at San Felipe: we were informed beforehand there there was no Avgas available. No problem! They have plenty of Jet A! My two sons flew the RV9, and my son in law and I flew the Sportsman, both diesels. The fuel nozzles in Mexico are too big for our fuel inlets, so we carry funnels. The fuel guys didn't like the funnel, so out came the pipe wrenches and they took the whole fuel valve and nozzle off the Avgas hose and put it on the Jet fuel hose! Gotta love their "can-do" attitude! ![]() Temps in the mid-60's, beautiful sunrise! ![]() The buggies were fast! We blasted around the desert and along the beach. There are some cool dunes between the beach and the homes. ![]() After spending the night in San Felipe and the next morning on the buggies, we headed south to Punta San Francisquito. We recently put some 8.00x6's on the RV9, along with a larger tail wheel. We were anxious to try them out! ![]() Puertecitos. There's a hot spring that's supposed to be pretty nice when the tide's out, but we heard that the airstrip is in pretty bad shape, so we decided against landing. You can see about half of the strip in the lower left... ![]() Alfonsinas: Scott Schmidt and others from VAF have landed here many times. In the interest of time, we didn't land. Next time... ![]() Punta San Francisquito. We've always wanted to land there. Apparently someone built a fishing camp there in the '60s, hoping to draw pilots and off-roaders. It's a long way from the nearest pueblo, all dirt roads. ![]() There are two airstrips here; one that used to be "paved", but has deteriorated back to gravel, and one in a dry lake bed next to the old paved one. No need for big tires here. It was super smooth. ![]() Sportsman on short final for the dry lake strip: ![]() Plenty of room for parking ![]() |
Sweet! I drove the length of Baja in a 4x4 back in 1991 and overnighted in Puertocitos. Drank beers with a resident named Emmitt Priest. His cinder block shack was one of only three there at the time, and there was no airstrip. I see from your pic that it has grown a bit!
I've flown my Mooney IFR down to Cabo many times but it's always been in the flight levels. Would love to take my RV down there "low and slow" like you did. |
New Years Baja continued...
Parking at Punta San Francisquito. Tyler sends a message to mom via the DeLorme, letting her know we've landed safely in paradise!
![]() As we parked, a nice young man named Lionel showed up in battered Jeep Cherokee. Did we need a ride? No, we need to stretch our legs.. I asked him if the restaurant was open. Sure! We walked over to the restaurant. ![]() The whole place is in pretty run-down condition, with only two cabanas still standing; the rest have been destroyed by hurricanes and neglect. Here's the nicer of the two cabanas. Fairly clean inside, each with 3 single beds. That's all. $20 per person per night ![]() After looking around for awhile, lunch was served! These were the best fish tacos we've had in a long time. Fresh catch of the day! The kitchen and restaurant were very clean. Everything runs from a generator. They even have wifi. We were their first visitors for the week. it was Tuesday afternoon... ![]() On to Muleje, on the north end of Concepcion Bay. We barely made it before dark. Mulege's a great little town with a stream running through it. It starts to green up, the further south you go... ![]() Short final to Mulege. The strip is well-maintained; it belongs to Hotel La Serenaded. As we announced our arrival on 122.8, someone from the hotel came on, welcomed us, and let us know that it had recently rained and to avoid the mud about mid-way down the strip. There was room to get around it, but I advised my son to land long and avoid it all together. ![]() Hotel Serenidad. Parking is right up to the hotel wall. The hotel is in fantastic condition compared to how it was when I was there five years ago. The restaurant was great. Everything, including the rooms, was super clean, and the people are friendly. It was a bit cool (at least for the locals) when we landed, and they had fires going in several fireplaces to provide a warm atmosphere. Even the rooms little fireplaces in them! The next morning, we walked into town for a nice breakfast. We ran into several gringo "Snowbirds" staying the winter there. The whole Muleje experience had a nice vibe to it. ![]() ![]() ![]() |
New Years Baja continued...
Next stop: Loreto. The airport is nice and the people are friendly. Each time we go there, they have made improvements, and are trying to streamline the paperwork process. There are nice hotels in Loreto and nearby Loreto Bay at Nopolo. We always stay at the Oasis, which has a more traditional flair to it.
![]() Our main reason to land in Loreto was to get fuel and go diving. We went straight to the dive shop to get registered and geared up. We have dived with Dolphin Dive for years. They're the best! ![]() We joined a couple from Guadalajara for a two-tank dive at Isla Coronado. ![]() The water was 68 degrees, but comfortable in our wetsuits. Not as much to see as when the water is warmer, but we did see a huge sea turtle, a big ray, and were entertained for quite awhile by the sea lions. ![]() A final photo as we prepared to leave for home on Friday. Can't wait for the next trip! ![]() |
Wow, Thanks for the story and pics.
New destinations on the bucket list.... |
Great trip. Thanks for the write up.
Flew commercial to Cabo in December. Always wanted to head down there in the RV. |
Looks like a really cool rip Kurt. Thanks for sharing.
Can't wait to get out of Phase 1 and start my own adventures. |
WAIT!
You can't do that with an alternative engine; everybody knows they won't fly for more than a few minutes without something breaking.... Charlie (Mazda Renesis FWF in progress) |
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If you make the same posts about the trip over on the alt engine page, I'm betting at least 4 or 5 Lyc drivers will call you a liar.....
;-) |
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