BajaNomad

Fly or drive?

fishbuck - 12-11-2009 at 08:33 PM

$294 to fly from TJ to La Paz. Plus I'll need a rental car.
Or drive to S. Rosalia for about $200 in fuel
What's better?
And how much for a Gal. of gas in Baja now?

noproblemo2 - 12-11-2009 at 08:53 PM

guess it'll depend on how much time you have for the trip....

fishbuck - 12-11-2009 at 09:01 PM

Yeah. I have a decent Christmas break.
Dec. 24- Jan.4.
I was just checking some Mexfish archives from last year and I'm kind excited about the S. Rosalia yellowtail bite.
I was in La Paz at Christmas once and the fishing was slow and the weather a bit cool.
I did camp on the beach 1 night with my then new Mexican girlfriend. It was alittle cold but not bad.
I figure it will take me 2 days to drive to S. Rosalia. Fish a day or 2 and head home.

noproblemo2 - 12-11-2009 at 09:05 PM

Plus you'll get some nice stops in along the way. Have a great trip and Happy Holidays to you.

David K - 12-12-2009 at 09:14 AM

FB, I think gas is still close to $2.20/ gal. south of the border region.

Diver - 12-12-2009 at 09:24 AM

If I had the time, no question that I would drive.
Your own car, all your toys and all the fun along the way.

Maybe you can even find a nice TJ girl who needs a ride south for the holidays ? :biggrin:

MitchMan - 12-12-2009 at 12:50 PM

I am glad that some one is talking about airfares.

I was lucky a month and a half ago, I got two round trip tickets on volaris TJ to La Paz for a total of $315, but the pricing for future flights on Volaris has turned south. It used to be that future flights TJ to La Paz round trip were fairly low, now Volaris prices their future flights at the price range of their mid price flights, around $315 RountTrip for one. They omit pricing for the lowest level ticket. Man I mis Alma airlines where I regularly got RT TJ to La Pa for $150 to $200 USD most anytime.

I pity the nomads who need to fly in to Loreto.

MitchMan - 12-12-2009 at 12:54 PM

Flash, at this very moment, you can get a one way ticket on Volaris from TJ to La Paz on Feb 20 to 25th and on March 23rd and 24th, 2009 for only $39 USD. But, my guess is that it is a temporary error, and will soon be corrected... so hurry up.

bajabass - 12-12-2009 at 02:52 PM

Drive! I've done Mulege to Orange in a long day. Get 2 extra days of fishing, no rental car, all your stuff.:yes:

woody with a view - 12-12-2009 at 02:54 PM

drive. take 2 weeks!

toneart - 12-12-2009 at 03:20 PM

I have driven that road so often that I would welcome a flight. The reason I drive is:
1. I have a big dog.
2. I have a house in Mulege and am always hauling crap back and forth.
3. Nagging responsibilities at my destination. (No, not that! I am not married).

The drive is wonderful, if you allow yourself the luxury of exploring and stopping over wherever and whenever you want. The desert is a marvel! Just review Roger's (Pompano) fantastic travelogues and photos. He has the time, the talent and the interest to do it right!

Speeding through it is grueling for me. There is a lot of scenery I miss. You owe full attention to that treacherous road. Marathon drives are dangerous. You get drowzy. I do it though, because I have a destination house with responsibilities; clean up and repair after each flood. I just want to get the drive over with.

Time constraints are no fun. If you fly and rent a car, you will have more time at your destination to fish, explore, eat and enjoy new friends.

To fly would be my clear choice from my perspective. Your decision, Fishbuck, may well be to drive, for reasons of you own. Whatever you decide, have a great vacation and catch lots of fish!:bounce:

Bajahowodd - 12-12-2009 at 03:31 PM

Not too long ago, rental cars were very cheap down there. No longer. I'm guessing that with the flight and the rental, the whole thing would be a wash. EXCEPT, you will also have to put gas in the rental. My feeling is that the costs either way will be close enough that you'll just have to decide whether you would like to spend the driving time, and perhaps stop along the way, or if you want most of your time to fish. And I'm sorry, but doing a one day drive to Mulege is nuts. Sure, it can be done. But, what will you feel like when you get there?

bajabass - 12-12-2009 at 03:43 PM

Guess I am a little nuts, but I have done it three times. Having a beautiful co-pilot helps with the drowsiness. :cool:

Bajahowodd - 12-12-2009 at 04:56 PM

Hey. I've done Cabo to Orange County with a single overnight in San Ignacio. I just do not recommend it to anyone.

bajabass - 12-12-2009 at 07:23 PM

For a vibrant young man like Fishbuck, to do a couple long days in the saddle, when it means 2 extra days in the panga, no problem. Most of us old folks, think about it. Kidding. This time of year, with short days. That really is to many hours in the dark. I did Ensenada to Mulege, Mulege to Cabo, the morning after my wedding in Ensenada. I was destroyed after that. Drive and take a couple extra days, you deserve it!

Alan - 12-12-2009 at 07:41 PM

I just checked and if you go 12/25 - 1/5 Volaris is $219. I think the big thing is what and how much you want to bring with you. (Everybody is still charging extra for rod tubes). Plus the ridiculous rental car rates. If you take full coverage so you don't have to hassle with their BS claims of "new scratches" on the junk they rent, you need to plan on about $80/day.

fishbuck - 12-12-2009 at 08:20 PM

My big concern now is the weather.
I rained real hard here today in Costa Mesa.
If I buy an airline ticket I might ge stuck with cold windy weather.
If I drive I have a little more control.
But yes, I would definately drive it in 2 days. My guess is 13 hours or so from the border to Santa Rosalia.
San Q the first day and S.Rosalia on the second. I need to stop in San Q and check on Campo Fishbuck. That means patrolling my lots while drinking cervesa. Maybe lighting off some fireworks.
I'll stay at Villa San Quintin.
Leave at the crack of 10 and drive the rest of the way.
Or maybe I'll rent the Piper and fly myself down. That way I can call down and if the weather and fishing are good I jump in the plane and haul!
About 4 hours in the Piper to S. Rosalia. Maybe I'll fly to San Marcos Island and camp at the runway. If it's warm enough.
:cool:

capt. mike - 12-13-2009 at 07:57 AM

"About 4 hours in the Piper to S. Rosalia"

in Tom's 6? no way - you can do it in 3 WOT. 3.5 max. or are you counting check in time at SF?

alafrontera - 12-13-2009 at 11:57 AM

Rent the Piper and take me with you, cut your cost in half ;D I fish, very experienced angler from St Thomas; and I share in some of your other Baja "recreational" interests :cool:

Bob and Susan - 12-13-2009 at 12:07 PM

i drove down yesterday
rain till just south of ensenada

clear after that

time from the border to mulege 14 hours with rain

time to get to the border 12.5 hours with out rain

$100 in gas down
$100 in gas up

MitchMan - 12-13-2009 at 12:13 PM

How come everyone is discussing "to drive or not to drive" when there is another alternative... the bus? If you are contemplating driving, then you have to consider the gas, the auto insurance, the driving hazards. With the bus from the border to Mulege, Loreto, or La Paz, it would be cheaper and only 20% longer to take the bus. The only drawback I can see is not having your own transportation once you are there at your destination. Then again, flying comes with the same local transportation problem. So, why not take a bus?

[Edited on 12-13-2009 by MitchMan]

fishbuck - 12-13-2009 at 02:49 PM

Quote:
Originally posted by Bob and Susan
i drove down yesterday
rain till just south of ensenada

clear after that

time from the border to mulege 14 hours with rain

time to get to the border 12.5 hours with out rain

$100 in gas down
$100 in gas up


Ha ha. My driving time and fuel estimates were right on.

fishbuck - 12-13-2009 at 03:01 PM

Quote:
Originally posted by capt. mike
"About 4 hours in the Piper to S. Rosalia"

in Tom's 6? no way - you can do it in 3 WOT. 3.5 max. or are you counting check in time at SF?


4 hours was a rough guess.
But yes, I'd climb it to about 7500-8500 feet and full throttle will be about 65/75% percent.
About 150 mph ground speed.
So what is Mulege from the border? About 500 miles?
Still about $1000 at $140/hour with all the landing fee etc...

fishbuck - 12-13-2009 at 03:38 PM

Quote:
Originally posted by MitchMan
How come everyone is discussing "to drive or not to drive" when there is another alternative... the bus? If you are contemplating driving, then you have to consider the gas, the auto insurance, the driving hazards. With the bus from the border to Mulege, Loreto, or La Paz, it would be cheaper and only 20% longer to take the bus. The only drawback I can see is not having your own transportation once you are there at your destination. Then again, flying comes with the same local transportation problem. So, why not take a bus?

[Edited on 12-13-2009 by MitchMan]


If I fly myself to Mulege maybe I can take a bus to Santa Rosalia for fising.
No way I would ever ride a bus from the border to S. Rosalia.

capt. mike - 12-13-2009 at 04:48 PM

if you get to mulege on wings - just fish from there.

fill that 6 up with 3 others, cheap fun.
See if Tom will rent you his Pa-24 280. Fast.
or his 182 - faster than the 6 for less $$/hr.

boe4fun - 12-13-2009 at 06:10 PM

I personally prefer driving as I get more of a kick about the "journey along the way" than the final destination. Visiting with good friends, seeing new sights along the way, experiencing new adventures, ..............

fishbuck - 12-13-2009 at 06:22 PM

Quote:
Originally posted by boe4fun
I personally prefer driving as I get more of a kick about the "journey along the way" than the final destination. Visiting with good friends, seeing new sights along the way, experiencing new adventures, ..............


That's fun too! But this is a different type of trip.

Pick a spot, get there as quickly as possible, do the thing you went there for (catching as many fish as possible), and go home as quickly as possible.
Try it. You'll still see plenty of things.
I don't have time to go wandering around Baja right now.:cool: