Back to Mexico By MichaelAJO, AZ

The FAA doesn't allow passenger rides
in ultralights in the United States. In fact
the only approved use of a 2-person
ultralight in the U.S. is certified instruction.
But, as though we needed to be reminded,
Mexico is not the U.S. That's me in the
red shirt, about 45 seconds prior to take-off.

It’s frustrating living in our shell of a house, with six weeks still remaining before we batten the hatches and head back to Fiji. I mean, I don’t mind being here, I really like Ajo and I often enjoy doing this work we chose to do, but it’s hard being away from home, from Del Viento. It’s especially hard when I’m in regular contact with friends and others casting off and heading across the Pacific for the first time. I know what awaits them, I can feel it like it was yesterday, the anticipation before the crossing, the exhilaration that comes a few days out when you’re in the groove and you realize you’ve made enough miles that the air temperature has gone up. There’s nothing like it. Manakai and MonArc and Terrapin and others are all feeling it.

And they’re all leaving from Mexico too, where we left from.

And we’re so close to Mexico.

And a family friend was visiting.

So we battened the hatches for a few days and went to drink some cold Tecate on the shores of the Sea of Cortez. After all, it's the reason we bought a house in Ajo.

It helped, a lot.

--MR

Full power and we were off the ground in about 30 feet,
and our ground speed was super slow, headed directly
into the afternoon onshore flow from the Sea.

I got a bird's eye view of the harbor at Puerto Penasco.
This whole place is like Cabo in the 1980s. Five

years from now this view will be utterly different.

Turkeys.

I'd love to know how they came to have a twin-Beech in their backyard.

"But you got to ride in the ultralight, Dad."

My woman in her element: a drink
in each hand and close to the water.

These beautiful Katrinas were ceramic, the larger ones
about 3 feet tall.

Ally, Frances, and Eleanor on ground level, same harbor.

An excellent taco meal, I'm up playing soccer with the owner's kid.
He didn't stand a chance.

Eleanor, our dear friend Ally, and Frances.

The ocotillos were in full bloom, throughout the
Sonoran desert, but especially on the Mexico side.