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New Years Baja Trip!

kgood

Well Known Member
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!
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Temps in the mid-60's, beautiful sunrise!
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The buggies were fast! We blasted around the desert and along the beach. There are some cool dunes between the beach and the homes.
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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!
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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...
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Alfonsinas: Scott Schmidt and others from VAF have landed here many times. In the interest of time, we didn't land. Next time...
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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.
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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.
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Sportsman on short final for the dry lake strip:
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Plenty of room for parking
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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!
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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.
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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
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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...
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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...
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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.
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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.
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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.
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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!
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We joined a couple from Guadalajara for a two-tank dive at Isla Coronado.
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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.
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A final photo as we prepared to leave for home on Friday. Can't wait for the next trip!
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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)
 
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)

haha! We've got 520 hours on the RV9 and 350 hrs on the Sportsman. Nothing's broken so far.... Knock on wood!
 
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.....

;-)
 
Thank you for your wonderful essay. We live in the Sacramento area and go to Baja every year. This year, we're taking the -9A -we use avgas :-( - but found lots of inspiration and information from your postings. I would love to learn more and pick you brain about flying down there.
David
 
Nice trip write-up

We try to go down every year in the 10. Scott Schmidt is who introduced me to the area.

It's great to see other pilots' experiences. Thanks for sharing!

I know Baja Bush Pilots have recently had problems getting their paperwork for departure. I think it was at MMAN which is on the mainland not Baja.
 
Thanks for the write up! I'm putting Baja on my list!

That's why I decided to do the write-up! - So folks would put Baja on their list. It's a ton of fun to go down there, and it's not that hard to do. Seems like every time I talk to people about going to Baja, they're nervous about going outside the US, border crossing, paperwork, etc. But once you get the hang of it, there's just something about Baja that does a person good, just the whole tranquil vibe of it. The food is always great, the service fantastic. At least for me, when I'm there I notice the glaring difference between their "customer service" and ours here in the US. I get the feeling that wherever I go, folks are truly grateful to have me there.

Another thing: Don't believe everything you hear about Mexico on the news...

I could go on and on... But the point is, get in your plane and head south! You'll be glad you did!

Kurt
 
Fond memories of Baja

Having started flying down to Baja in late 80's and driving down both 4 wheelers and motorcycles since the late 70's, I have been to all the places you high lighted and enjoyed them all. I did my diving off of Punta Chivato instead of Loretto. Lots of years and little has changed. For those who fly gas burners, fuel supply is always one of the foremost considerations. This can be mitigated by flying into Guaymas (pronounced "why-mas") MMGM which is on the mainland, a port of entry and 35 minutes away from Mulege (I fly a 6). As soon as you take off, you can see the mountains of Baja. Guaymas is probably the easiest port of entry to go through Customs in Mexico. One short counter to do all the paperwork for a relatively short gas and go!

During the mid 90's our EAA Chapter 663 put on a couple of airshows to raise funds for the local dental clinic supported by the Rotary Club and spearheaded by an old friend Jim Christopher who past away about a year and a half ago. Great times and we were able to do things that would take months to get cleared by the FAA. One minor thing to clear up, the Hotel Serenidad does not own the airstrip although they contribute to maintaining it. When you fill out your Mexican flight plan, your destination airport is officially designated as El Gallito (sp? pronounced el-ga-yee-toe).

One question I have for Kurt, how much is the Mexican liability insurance for the plane these days and how did you handle the e-apis communications requirements?
 
Baja Trip

Outside U.S., perhaps modified since 90's, thought, @ least then - app. 10" N#'s required. Yourself, Vlad's trip to N. Latituides, etc., both normal size. Obviously either changed, or not req.?
 
Having started flying down to Baja in late 80's and driving down both 4 wheelers and motorcycles since the late 70's, I have been to all the places you high lighted and enjoyed them all. I did my diving off of Punta Chivato instead of Loretto. Lots of years and little has changed. For those who fly gas burners, fuel supply is always one of the foremost considerations. This can be mitigated by flying into Guaymas (pronounced "why-mas") MMGM which is on the mainland, a port of entry and 35 minutes away from Mulege (I fly a 6). As soon as you take off, you can see the mountains of Baja. Guaymas is probably the easiest port of entry to go through Customs in Mexico. One short counter to do all the paperwork for a relatively short gas and go!

During the mid 90's our EAA Chapter 663 put on a couple of airshows to raise funds for the local dental clinic supported by the Rotary Club and spearheaded by an old friend Jim Christopher who past away about a year and a half ago. Great times and we were able to do things that would take months to get cleared by the FAA. One minor thing to clear up, the Hotel Serenidad does not own the airstrip although they contribute to maintaining it. When you fill out your Mexican flight plan, your destination airport is officially designated as El Gallito (sp? pronounced el-ga-yee-toe).

One question I have for Kurt, how much is the Mexican liability insurance for the plane these days and how did you handle the e-apis communications requirements?

You're right, the air strip at Serenaded is called El Gallito; I apologize for the mistake. I pay nothing for Mexican liability insurance. Somewhere (I think in Loreto), I was given a copy of a letter from the Mexican aviation authority (I can't remember the acronym) stating that as long as your regular policy includes Mexico as a "covered territory", and most of them do, they are fine with that.

Since Mexico started requiring an Eapis manifest, E-apis communications are done through the Baja Bush Pilot's website. SO much easier that way. One form, same as the US form, and it goes to both countries. You receive your Mexican confirmation from Baja Bush, and the US confirmation from US CPB. Could not be easier.
 
Outside U.S., perhaps modified since 90's, thought, @ least then - app. 10" N#'s required. Yourself, Vlad's trip to N. Latituides, etc., both normal size. Obviously either changed, or not req.?

I think the 10" N number is still a requirement, but I've never had anyone say anything about my smaller numbers. I've had the RV9 down there three times, and the Sportsman twice.
Kurt
 
Good Stuff

Thanks for the pictures and write-up. Can't wait for our next adventure.

Why did San Felipe not have 100LL? I hope they get it back.
Not that you need it for the RV's.
 
San Felipe Fuel

Avgas is back on line in San Felipe. Apparently they had a mechanical problem with their system, and it was down for about a month.

The Baja Bush Pilot website kept its members in the loop, so folks just planned around it...

Kurt
 
Nice!

Avgas is back on line in San Felipe. Apparently they had a mechanical problem with their system, and it was down for about a month.

The Baja Bush Pilot website kept its members in the loop, so folks just planned around it...

Kurt

Perfect, I need to get back on their website. Thanks.
Glad it was not permanent.
 
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