Just got back from a little spin through the western states. Key event was my sister's wedding at Lake Tahoe, and it seemed like a good excuse to fly the sights.
So, in four days of flying, it was (1) Alabama to Boulder, then (2) over the Divide at Rollins Pass and down the Colorado to Grand Junction, Monument Valley, Page AZ for fuel, overfly the Grand Canyon and Vegas, then north up Death Valley to Dayton Valley, which are definitely not the same thing. Post wedding (3), it was down toward Sacramento, then back over Tahoe to Wendover, Salt Lake City and a stop in Wyoming. Day (4) took me down across Grand Junction again, to the Gunnison area and over the big hills to the San Luis Valley, through LaVeta, and across the plains to South Alabama. I was parked at 08A before 5 PM Central, if that helps you understand why you're building an RV.
I took hundreds of photos, as this flatlander was agog at every view. Rather than bore my western brothers with one more beautiful snowcapped mountain, here are a few amusing shots.
Paul and Louise have a beautiful home at Dayton Valley, which I hearby propose we nickname "The Bunny Ranch". Seriously, they're everywhere!
This is that Starkey guy, the one who welcomes all the new people to VAF, here photographed in front of his World Headquarters:
The sky really is huge in Wyoming. Had a pleasant overnight in Evanston, one of those out-of-the-way places ignored by the rest of world. "Here, take this pickup truck into town for the night, and try not to run over a cow". No kidding; it's open range country, a serious novelty for an easterner.
Got fuel at Spanish Peaks, and discovered this warning sign right after taking a shortcut to the office, through the brush between the hangars. I took the long way back.
Weather was 100 mile vis everywhere out west, with a few windy places. I'd been cautioned about western winds, both for the mountain crossings as well as runway alignments. As it turned out, the sportiest landing of the trip was in Oklahoma, a stop for $3.12 fuel at Henryetta, where it was about 30 off the runway gusting to 28. And the Heart of Dixie saved up a typical "welcome home" convective mess for the last 100 miles. No problem, and the airplane really needed the wash.
So, in four days of flying, it was (1) Alabama to Boulder, then (2) over the Divide at Rollins Pass and down the Colorado to Grand Junction, Monument Valley, Page AZ for fuel, overfly the Grand Canyon and Vegas, then north up Death Valley to Dayton Valley, which are definitely not the same thing. Post wedding (3), it was down toward Sacramento, then back over Tahoe to Wendover, Salt Lake City and a stop in Wyoming. Day (4) took me down across Grand Junction again, to the Gunnison area and over the big hills to the San Luis Valley, through LaVeta, and across the plains to South Alabama. I was parked at 08A before 5 PM Central, if that helps you understand why you're building an RV.
I took hundreds of photos, as this flatlander was agog at every view. Rather than bore my western brothers with one more beautiful snowcapped mountain, here are a few amusing shots.
Paul and Louise have a beautiful home at Dayton Valley, which I hearby propose we nickname "The Bunny Ranch". Seriously, they're everywhere!
This is that Starkey guy, the one who welcomes all the new people to VAF, here photographed in front of his World Headquarters:
The sky really is huge in Wyoming. Had a pleasant overnight in Evanston, one of those out-of-the-way places ignored by the rest of world. "Here, take this pickup truck into town for the night, and try not to run over a cow". No kidding; it's open range country, a serious novelty for an easterner.
Got fuel at Spanish Peaks, and discovered this warning sign right after taking a shortcut to the office, through the brush between the hangars. I took the long way back.
Weather was 100 mile vis everywhere out west, with a few windy places. I'd been cautioned about western winds, both for the mountain crossings as well as runway alignments. As it turned out, the sportiest landing of the trip was in Oklahoma, a stop for $3.12 fuel at Henryetta, where it was about 30 off the runway gusting to 28. And the Heart of Dixie saved up a typical "welcome home" convective mess for the last 100 miles. No problem, and the airplane really needed the wash.
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