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Loreto Trip : January 31 - February 3, 2019 (Part 1)

January 30: Imperial CA

The trip started ahead of schedule with an overnight in Imperial due to a storm forecast for Thursday.
It turns out Ospreys use the field as a refueling base.

Hot-fueling an Osprey	cIMG_0255.JPG	pIMG_0259.JPG	cIMG_0275.JPG
pIMG_0289.JPG

January 31: Imperial (KIPL) to Loreto (MMLT)

After filing the required eAPIS notifications and flight plans, it was off into Mexican airspace just a few minutes south of Imperial. The scenery enroute was quite spectacular! The 465nm non-stop flight took 3.7 hours.

Into Mexico	cIMG_00136.JPG	San Felipe Airport	cIMG_00157.JPG
Bahia Santa Maria	pIMG_0297.JPG	Puertecitos	Isla San Luis
Punta Bufeo	Punta Willard / Isla San Luis Gonzaga	pIMG_0317.JPG	pIMG_00191.JPG
pIMG_00194.JPG	Minera Boleo	Santa Rosalia	Mulege
El Gallito Airstrip and Hotel Serenidad	Playa Santispec	Isla Requeson	cIMG_00208.JPG
Loreto	On base at Loreto

February 1: Puerto Lopez Mateos whale watching

I was up in time for a nice sunrise in Loreto, followed by a buffet breakfast and the short flight to Lopez Mateos for our whale watching excursion.
The whales hadn't moved into the lagoon yet, so we went out into the swells to look for them. Most were a short distance away, but on the way back a young one visited the boat.

cIMG_0354.JPG	cIMG_0355.JPG	cIMG_0357.JPG	pIMG_0364.JPG
pIMG_0371.JPG	pIMG_0373.JPG	pIMG_0381.JPG	pIMG_0382.JPG
La Mision	pIMG_0391.JPG	cIMG_00242.JPG	cIMG_00246.JPG
Puerto Lopez Mateos	pIMG_00267.JPG	pIMG_0458.JPG	Ospreys mating
pIMG_0462.JPG	pIMG_0466.JPG	cIMG_0468.JPG	cIMG_0473.JPG
pIMG_0479.JPG	cIMG_0486.JPG	cIMG_0487.JPG	American White Pelican, cormorants, and gulls
pIMG_0503.JPG	pIMG_0505.JPG	pIMG_0512.JPG	pIMG_0513.JPG
pIMG_0516.JPG	pIMG_0545.JPG	pIMG_0550.JPG	pIMG_0551.JPG
pIMG_0560.JPG	pIMG_0570.JPG	pIMG_0582.JPG	pIMG_0596.JPG
pIMG_0603.JPG	pIMG_0607.JPG	pIMG_0612.JPG	pIMG_0622.JPG
pIMG_0633.JPG	pIMG_0638.JPG	pIMG_0640.JPG	pIMG_0642.JPG
pIMG_0662.JPG	pIMG_0671.JPG	pIMG_0677.JPG	pIMG_0682.JPG
pIMG_0689.JPG	pIMG_0699.JPG	pIMG_0701.JPG	pIMG_0705.JPG
pIMG_0714.JPG	pIMG_0725.JPG	pIMG_0738.JPG	cIMG_0757.JPG
cIMG_0771.JPG	cIMG_0779.JPG	cIMG_0783.JPG	cIMG_0784.JPG
cIMG_0788.JPG	pIMG_0796.JPG	cIMG_0800.JPG	cIMG_0802.JPG
cIMG_0805.JPG	cIMG_0810.JPG	cIMG_0813.JPG	cIMG_0824.JPG
pIMG_0839.JPG	pIMG_0842.JPG	Coyotes	pIMG_0857.JPG
pIMG_0859.JPG	pIMG_0860.JPG	pIMG_0862.JPG	pIMG_0866.JPG
pIMG_0868.JPG	pIMG_0871.JPG	cIMG_0876.JPG	cIMG_0879.JPG
pIMG_0889.JPG	cIMG_0895.JPG	cIMG_0900.JPG	Osprey
cIMG_0906.JPG	pIMG_0929.JPG	pIMG_0938.JPG	pIMG_0952.JPG

February 1: Aerial whale watching

On the way back to Loreto, we flew up the coast to do some aerial whale watching.

pIMG_0989.JPG	pIMG_0993.JPG	pIMG_1002.JPG	pIMG_1009.JPG
pIMG_1010.JPG	pIMG_1014.JPG	pIMG_1034.JPG	pIMG_1045.JPG
pIMG_1050.JPG	pIMG_1089.JPG	pIMG_1103.JPG	pIMG_1116.JPG
pIMG_1130.JPG	pIMG_1146.JPG	pIMG_1153.JPG	pIMG_1162.JPG
pIMG_1184.JPG	pIMG_1207.JPG	pIMG_1213.JPG	pIMG_00284.JPG
cIMG_00288.JPG	cIMG_00295.JPG	cIMG_00297.JPG	cIMG_00298.JPG
cIMG_00312.JPG	cIMG_00313.JPG	cIMG_00317.JPG