The Journey - Friday, December 10

P19(Stellar Airpark, Chandler, AZ) => MMGM (Guaymas, Mexico) => MMPR (Puerto Vallarta, Mexico) - Leg Completed - 5.3 hours

Hello to everyone from Puerto Vallarta. Jerry and I had a very uneventful 2 legs of flying today, and we are safely into the hotel.

I apologize as I am having some issues getting everything working continually on the site...it appears as though every link is working, but some images are missing...sorry, I will have everything fixed and working tomorrow....hopefully!

But for now, as Jerry just said, "It's time for 'una cerveza.'"

edit: Ok, looks like I got it fixed. Talk to you all tomorrow. Buenos Noches!

On the flight Saturday morning...

After much turmoil yesterday with the website, I've decided to write the previous day's report while flying the following day or not. Basically, I'm going to write them when I have time, a working computer and an internet connection. It looks like pictures and videos will be the same way, but stick with me. Anyway, without further ado, the Friday, December 10 trip report:

A brisk 6:00 am morning at Jerry's house went smoothly and quickly. We consolidated baggage, packed the airplane and made sure final details were set. Then, we did a thorough preflight and were on our way to the fuel pumps to top off the tanks. Doug met us there to take some pics, which we appreciated. From there it was a quick taxi to the end of the runway, a run-up for airplane checks, and an uneventful takeoff. It felt like any other trip until Jerry made our upwind call, "Stellar traffic, N779TW, upwind runway 1-7, departing to the south." And a friendly voice that acknowledged the call said, "That's WAY SOUTH, isn't it Jerry?" I guess that's the first time the trip started to set in.

The second time was somewhere between Nogales and Hermosillo. There's always something about crossing the border southbound that makes me relax. . .I don't know if it's the 'no problema' Mexican culture or the Superbeats over the XM Radio, but when Jerry and I started talking about the trip we realized that we had done tons of planning, stressed out way too much and had many places to go, but, well, we had nowhere to be. I sort of just sank into my seat and thought, "No problema." I'll tell you in a minute about when I realized it set into Jerry.

The arrival into Guaymas was like any other we've done. We enjoyed a quick lunch at the airport's 'comedor' and then it was on our way to Puerto Vallarta. The second leg was as easy and enjoyable as the first with perfect weather and the usual breathtaking ocean views. We had some fun panning the G1000's map out as far as it would go to look at our upcoming route and some fun wrestling with the big VFR charts. We dodged airlines on the approach into Puerto Vallarta, landed in a small crosswind and taxied into the ramp. A small amount of paperwork and a cab to the hotel, and we were set.

Now, for my epiphany of Jerry's relaxation moment. . .For those of you who know Jerry, you may fall out of your seat, and for those of you who don't, well, sorry if this is an inside joke. It went like this�We were sitting at the bar figuring out plans for the next day and I said, "What time do you want to take off tomorrow, 0800?" And Jerry's response was, "How 'bout later? Like 10?" Trying to compose myself, I followed with, "Well what do you think then, breakfast around 0800?" And he replied (and I'm not kidding), "Nah, let's make it 0830." Not knowing what to say, I simply sat back and thought, "I guess Jerry is thinking the same way I am."

I wanted to stop the report right there, but then I wouldn't be doing our dinner restaurant any justice. La Bodeguita Del Medio - Cuban food on the boardwalk area in Puerto Vallarta. Jerry and I both had the same thing, which came out as simple looking as ever; chunks of pork on a plate with sautéed onions and a separate plate with a mixture of rice and beans. Well, I don't remember what we were talking about before we started eating, but I do know that we didn't say a word to each other until all three plates on the table were spotless. The after dinner conversation consisted of one line repeated many times over, "Best food I have ever eaten in my life. . .ever."

Talk to you all tomorrow.

-Marc