Saturday 14 April 2018

To New Mexico and hippie Santa Fe!




To New Mexico and Santa Fe!!

over Texas in the Beech
A much better day than yesterday, that’s for sure!
Sweet Vicky and her mum pick us up in the pitch dark at 6.30 and take us to our aeroplane.

the illuminated wind sock at Menard airstrip
We are amazed the strip is even lit and the windsock as well! Whilst the wind is slightly better than yesterday it’s still blowing and it’s also freezing cold!!


Flippie gets the plane ready and by 7.10am we are up in the air! Vicky and her mum wave us good-bye and Vicky takes this great video of our take off. Thank you both so much for your kindness!

Our first sector lasts only 25mins as we dip into San Angelo to refuel. We warm ourselves with some coffee and cookies (no breakfast again) and get going after only a short stop.
at San Angelo finally!
The flight of nearly 3 hours now takes us over the vast empty countryside of north-western Texas with its extensive farm land and ‘nodding donkey’ oil pumps.

The patterns of the round shaped fields with its irrigation machinery and the colours of the soil was captivating and I take plenty of shots.




It is freezing cold in the cabin and I wrap myself into everything I can find, blankets, search for my long trousers and pullies and socks!

Until Phil finally manages to put on the heating…pew, that feels better.

We are cruising between 8,500 and 10,000ft and we noticed that the outside air temperature was -10 degrees! What a contrast to the places we had only been a few days before!
Luckily the flight is much more stable and calm at this level and I manage to catch up on my diary and enjoy just watching the scenery whilst Phil and Flippie discuss farming and air traffic issues in the front.

Then the land suddenly changes. We are entering the state of New Mexico. High snow-capped mountains appear on the horizon and the land gradually rises to 7000ft amsl.
first sight of the mountains and canyons of New Mexico
It’s time to prepare for a landing at Santa Fe – our destination for today. Flippie makes a perfect approach –filmed on gopro but too long to upload here – and we are down!
the snow mountains of Santa Fe!
One look at the refueling boys tells me, that this place will also be freezing cold and I put on my down jacket when I open the door. Bright sunshine and gin clear skies though promise a lovely day.
welcome by the cosy Jet Center FBO at Santa Fe
As there is one hour time change it’s now only 11 am! Brilliant. A friendly FBO lounge welcomes us with hot coffee whilst three Hueys do a low level fly past.


By lunch time we arrive at the noble looking Inn of the Governors in the old city of Santa Fe. Despite a very late official check in time of 4pm we are kindly offered our rooms and dump our luggage.
plenty of pueblo and adobe style hotels here 
Phil and I busy ourselves with a tour of the town where we remember a few places from our honeymoon drive through the States – 14 years ago. It's spring time and the flowers and blossoms are wonderful to see!


It’s still a very quirky, hippie place full of arts and crafts shops and great pubs and restaurants.


Flippie stays in the hotel and prepares for the next sector to the Grand Canyon and Monument valley and catches up with phone calls and other business.
beautiful art deco and some old wood carving


We regroup in the early evening for dinner and discussions. The first plan for now is to rest and sleep and NOT to get up too early….


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