A fellow Maule joined us on the first section of the trip to a lovely little town in Sonora called Alamos. We set out from G-town to clear customs in Guaymas but couldn't make it non-stop due to horrible headwinds cranking out of the south. Our ground speed was down in the 90's at times!
Clearing 2 planes in at the same time took a while, the Commandante wasn't doing too well with the paperwork. Everyone was friendly and we got some fuel and were on our way.
An hour later we were in Alamos.
Alamos is an old Spanish colonial town in the heart of silver country. Cobble streets and old haciendas add to the charm of the place.
This is the posada we stayed at.
We could only stay 2 nights as we had to keep heading south. Our destination was to be Zihuatanejo, way south, 17 degrees north latitude in fact. We said goodbye to our Maule friends and set off early the next morning. With a fuel stop in Mazatlan, we flew over volcanic craters near Tepic.
5.3 hours of flying that day and we landed at the Ixtapa/Zihuatanejo international airport. They have a nice general aviation ramp there and we tied down.
Below is the bay and the city draped over the hillsides.
Time went by too fast. Fresh seafood and cold beers on the beach were the order of the day everyday! We went flying with our friends and saw whales, dolphins, turtles and manta rays from the plane.
Soon it was time to make the long trek home.
Our route back took us near Manzanillo and we cut the corner between Colima and Puerta Vallarta. We ended up with a great view of the volcano near Colima called 'Tzapotepetl' at 12600 ft MSL. It was a bit hazy but we got a shot of it anyway.
Another stop in Mazatlan for gas, they are starting to get to know us there! Then back to Guymas for the night. 6.5 hours in the saddle that day. A bit of rainy weather to deal with too. I was beat.
The next morning was a short leg to Nogales AZ to clear back in then on the home stretch.
Overall a fantastic trip. 23 hours of flying in total. Gas averaged between $4.00 and $4.50/gal. Landing fees were about $6 and parking was about $7/day.
Everyone was friendly and polite, the controllers were great.
Now, about that Baja trip this fall
