Flickr photo set
Dad and I made it to Stanley Friday afternoon. It was pretty much solid 1500 ft overcast the whole way up, but the visibility underneath was excellent, so it worked out fine. Not many other people made it in on Friday, but there was a large contingent of drive-in traffic.
Perhaps an hour before sunset an unpainted US-registered nose-dragger RV arrived in the pattern and landed, and the locals who hosted the US visitors earlier in the year feared that perhaps Vlad had returned. Families rushed to lock up their food, and there was concern about whether there would be enough corn for the corn boil. But, it was a false alarm, and we remained Vlad-free all weekend (or at least until we left on Saturday afternoon - perhaps he showed up later).
The bonfire, corn boil and live music on Friday night were all much appreciated, as was the fact that is was cool enough to keep the mosquito population under control. The low cloud slid off the east around 6 PM.
Stanley is "in the middle of nowhere", and the effect the lack of light pollution had on the night sky was amazing. I hadn't seen so many stars for years, and I can't remember the last time the Milky Way was that noticeable. The trip was worth it for this alone.
Saturday started with a lowish overcast and some fog patches, but it cleared out quickly and turned into a beautiful day. There was a steady stream of arrivals all morning, including perhaps a dozen RVs.
Dad and I had to leave earlier than hoped, as the weather back in Yarmouth had been unexpectedly poor for most of the morning, with 100 ft ceilings. The fog bank moved late in the morning, but the forecast (and wind direction) suggested it would roll back in sometime. So we packed up and left shortly after lunch.
The Yarmouth weather was still good when we arrived, but the fog bank was only 1.5 nm west of the airport, so it was a close-run thing. My first attempt at a landing was one of my worst ever, and I hope no one caught it on video. I managed to bounce the touchdown, tried to recover for a second touchdown, but that gave an even worse bounce, and the third bounce was worse yet. Not liking this trend, I went around. Sure, it hurts the pride, but not as much as an accident would have, so it was the right decision. I was much more focused for the next landing, and it was a perfect, roll-it-on touchdown. Oh well.
It was good to spend time talking to old friends, and meet many new friends.