02.17.05 thru 02.25.05 -
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I am back from Mexico and what an epic trip it was. We did about 3000 miles of driving and got some incredible pictures and video. We got some awesome video flying through canyons that border Texas and Mexico. I got some great helmet cam stuff and my videographer Greg Hanneman, (thanks to Greg for coming down from Oregon on his own dime to help out with the production!) got some cool video from above looking down from the top of the canyon ledge.

We didn't get to fly at basasaechi falls, strong winds and no landing zone. It is a spectacular view from above the falls and Greg did get some cool footage of me climbing onto and sitting on a rock archway just above the crashing water at the top of the falls right where the water goes over and down about 900+ feet. It was pretty intense being in that spot, knowing that a slip would mean a splash and quick ride down the falls...(adrenaline rush).

We also got to copper canyon which is really huge and very scenic. Divisadero hotel is built into the top of the west side of the canyon at about 7300 ft. above sea level. While exploring for a place to possibly take off, we found a dirt runway above the hotel about a mile up a dirt road. It was long and wide enough to get a small plane in and out of but had quite a few ruts in the middle of it. Don't think anyone had been using it recently. We got up early with a forecast that said 10 mph winds out of the NW, and possibility of winds shifting to the east.

With rain forecast for the next day it was now or never. We got to the runway right at sunrise and looked out over the canyon where the end of the runway drops off a cliff, straight down several thousand feet. The wind was strange right from the get go. Sometimes blowing out of the east at 5 to 10 and then dropping to zero. I got in the rig and we talked about the contingency plan one more time. I was carrying water, beef jerky, GMRS radio, GPS, etc. If I were to have a motor out, the plan was to land somewhere in the bottom of the canyon, (maybe pick the trees as they looked softer than the rocks). Try and communicate with the radio to give my position from the GPS, and determine if I could possibly walk out. We set some way points back at Creel and at Divisadero Hotel so I could hike in the right direction.

I attempted a couple of take offs and had the wind change directions while kiting and aborted. The wing actually over flew me a couple of times and required that we start again. After battling the wind changing etc. for about an hour, I attempted one more forward launch. I was just about to leave the ground heading east away from the canyon when the helmet cam came loose from the helmet and of course went into the prop. Ahhhhhhhh! Our window of opportunity faded away as the winds came up more and started shifting east and then west. I decided to cut our losses and we did not get the footage over the canyon that would have been a once in a lifetime kind of experience. That small voice in the back of my mind kept saying "Maybe there's a reason you weren't suppose to get up and fly today". The clouds moved in and we packed it up to head for the good old USA.

I had to hand over a pair of binoculars to the commandant at a federal checkpoint so he would let us through. Once I told him he could have them, he told the others to close it up and waved us through. They did a 30 minute inspection of the truck and trailer with the drug dogs at the US border after a long day of driving. It was about 8:30 pm and we finally got back into Texas.

The next morning brought cold and rain so we headed towards Del Rio on old Hwy. 90. A quick stop in Langtry to shoot some footage at Judge Roy Beans place, The Law West of the Pecos in the late 1800's. and then on to the Pecos river bridge. We may go back to this area when the weather looks promising. The canyon is spectacular and the bridge is 260 feet above the river, (Texas' tallest bridge). It would make for great video with a few PPG's flying down in the canyon and maybe under that tall bridge. Overall we had a great adventure and scored some awesome footage for the movie. Our next official trip on the movie schedule will be the National Convention in Florida in April.
Stay Tuned...