Alamos, Mexico - Hacienda de los Santos - March 2006
Al & Teri's repeated insistence that the
Hacienda's periodic "Club Pilotos" bashes qualify as a do-not-miss attraction
finally wore us down, so in late March Teri's slick Cardinal (with Al at the
helm) and John & Dani in the scruffy Skylane departed under, through and over
some chilly & rainy SoCal weather toward the sunny climes further south.
Click on the thumbnails to view full-size picture.
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Guaymas
An excellent stop for customs & fuel. We
'RONd' there to get a jump on the arrival. |
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Hangar Greeting
The Hacienda has a first-class hangar at
the airport. MY hangar doesn't have tablecloths (or table either, for that
matter) |
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"Landing Juice"
A margurita tastes mighty good at the
end of your flight. |
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Hacienda de los Santos
Highlighted here, the Hacienda is close
to the civic center. |
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The Hacienda Entrance
Like most establishments in Alamos the
entrance gives little hint of what is inside |
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Pool
One of two, well enclosed in courtyards |
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Pool #2
This was "our" courtyard pool |
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Veranda
Each room opens on a veranda perfect for
socializing or just kicking back |
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Bedroom
Romantic, yes? |
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Bedroom
Most rooms have a fireplace for chilly
nights |
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Bathroom
Lavish use of tile gives the bath a
truly Mexican flavor. |
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The Bar
Huge collection of "stuff" lends
atmosphere to the bar. |
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Dining
While there are fully enclosed dining
rooms, the weather usually makes dining pleasant in the "veranda" area. |
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Cusine
Artistic and delicious, the food should
satisfy! |
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Around Alamos
On the mainland about 110 miles southeast of
Guaymas and maybe 45 miles inland...for Baja buffs, at about the same latitude
as Mulege...the old Spanish Colonial village of Alamos has found favor as a
retirement/wintering ground for Americans. Some of the villas they now
occupy date back to the 17th century.
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Central Square & Church
Heart of the town, the church spire is a
marker visible from anywhere. The Hacienda is a few short blocks away. |
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Villa Doorway
From the outside, only the beautiful
woodwork of the doors give a clue as to what may be within. |
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Villa Courtyard
In Spanish style, rooms open onto a
central courtyard, invariably beautifully landscaped. |
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Color is Popular
Some interiors follow the Spanish
passion for vivid color. |
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Villa Kitchen
Definitely not in the ultra-modern mode,
this kitchen features a mural by a local artist. |
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Break in Touring
Touring the town is heavy work; a quick
stop at a local ice cream parlor hit the spot. |
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Ranch BBQ
One evening featured a BBQ at the
Hacienda's "Ranch" adjacent to the airport. |
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Live Music
Music is featured every evening, for the
ranch BBQ it was a traditional mariachi group....and pretty good, too. |
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Marguritas at the "Ranch"
What's an evening in Mexico without a
little traditional libation? Or two? |
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Teri & Friend
Maybe he's a little down because he has
been replaced by a new air-conditioned Ford Excursion? |
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Smile for the Camera
A last round before BBQ ribs & chicken
arrive. |
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All Quiet at the Hotel
Things close up fairly early in
Alamos...at least on weekdays. And if this looks blurry, maybe it was the
Marguritas? |
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And Some Flying, Too!
A a group of us launched one morning for a
round-robin flight over the famous Copper Canyon area. Billed as 'Mexico's
Grand Canyon', the area encompasses some wild & wooly terrain, yet isolated
homes and small villages are scattered everywhere.
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Tuning up for Flight
A (semi)organized air tour of the Copper
Canyon area filled one morning, with eight planes aloft and GPS waypoints set. |
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Alamos Airstrip
4000 feet now, with expansion in
progress on the west (right) end. Airport of Entry status is in the works. |
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Rail Bridge, Lower Left
Constructing the Copper Canyon railway
was a world-renown engineering feat and of course is today an equally renown
tourist run. |
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Canyon Rim Hotel (1)
The town of Divisadero is one main rail
terminal, with overnight stays at these spectacular hotels a popular option. We
were at about 7400 feet at this point. |
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Canyon Rim Hotel (2)
Think this one is the
Divisadero-Barrancas, but not positive. |
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Candamena Canyon & Basaseachi Falls
Falls are barely visible slightly above
and left of center. It drops, at a guess, about 1400 feet and would be
spectacular during rainy season. They were mis-identified to us as "Abigail
Falls", which are in the same canyon. |
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Basaseachi Falls
A closer look. These falls mark the head
of Candamena Canyon. The Sonora area is experiencing a prolonged drought which
is becoming a real problem for many towns and for agriculture. |
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Hi Speed Tfk Passing
Charles Patton's Lancair zooms past the
Skylane in a blur |
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Debriefing (AKA BS Session)
Pilots love to fly and love to talk a
good flight. Or maybe we were solving the world's problems. Whatever. |
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Variety is the Spice...
Great variety of aircraft represented at
this gathering, ranging from Sam & Sandy's CJ1 all the way down to.....(next
picture) |
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...Of [flying] Life
....John & Dani's rode hard and put away
wet Skylane (sure it gets love....tough love). |
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Bottom line on this trip: This excursion was
a little pricey by our normal short-trip standards but definitely worthwhile.
They treat you right!
For more on the Hacienda de Los Santos, check
out their WEBSITE
