Florida to CA, Coast to Coast!

I am planning on flying my RV-4 with my Dad from Punta Gorda, FL to the 8th Annual 2014 Page, AZ Fly-In and then on to see some of the sites west of there.

The Fly-in ends on 10-19 an I would like to go to Mariposa, via Furnace Creek, Lee Vining following Kings Canyon through to Mariposa-Yosemite. I do not have O2, so does anyone see an issue with that rout through the mountains following the valley? Obviously I will be PIC and responsible for any decisions so please do not be afraid to comment.

My plan is to maybe go into the Nat. Park and camp one night and then go over to San Francisco and ride the trolly to the sites there for the day and spend the night.

After that Id like to fly the coast but Im not sure if I should go North and see the Red Woods, Mount Shasta, etc. or head South down the coast and cut back over to maybe the Joshua Tree Nat. Park on my way back around the south side of the Sierra's to head back to FL.

This is my flight Plan, so far...

10-10 TO 10-14
PGD, ZPH, X35, 2J9, 2R0, BQP, DUA, HBR, DUX, AXX, PGA

If I can make it in 1-2 days I will probably go to Vegas to wait for the fly-in start on the 15th to kill time? Maybe someone wants to hang out or go flying in the area? I have an Aunt in Cedar City I could go see as a last resort, lol.

10-19 or 20 to 10-21
After the Fly-in at Page, Az, my proposed route is:
PGA, VGT, LO6, BIH, O24, MPI

10-21 to 10-22
Flight to SFO
MPI, LVK, HAF
I would LOVE to have someone to take me on a flying tour of San Fransisco's sights and would be happy to buy lunch in exchange.

After San Fran, I know I want to see the coast line a few other places before b-lining home so again, if you have an idea of a must see or are in the area along my route and want to grab some local cuisine, ill treat if you drive us there!

Can't Hardly Wait; Im probably going to freeze my tail wheel but Im still can' wait to get started!

Rent some oxygen. It just gives you so many more options. If nothing else, it is smoother up high, and remember the ground is 6000' over a lot of AZ.

Even in October you may need a reservation to camp in Yosemite.

Avoid the cable cars in San Francisco, they have huge waits, long lines full of tourists.

A flight up the coast either north or south can be nice. I recommend north, with lunch at Shelter Cove. Santa Rosa (KSTS) also has a restaurant on the field. Mendocino is a nice stop but you need to arrange ground transport from Little River airport ahead of time.

I forgot, LVK is blessed with vfr wx most of the time, has nearby hotels, decent hamburger place (golf course 19th hole) (ask ground for parking near 'Beebes').

HAF is often IMC with 400' OVC. Good LPV approach but no ILS. Several good places to eat.

I second what Bob said about oxygen. The Risk is not worth it. One night staying in a hotel because you couldn't get over weather or whatever will pay the cost. You may even find someone to borrow it from.

One suggestion - stop in and say hello to Craig Catto and his daughter when you are near Yosemite. Have a good trip.

+1 for Oxygen! Especially on long trips, even at medium altitudes (8500, 9500). I arrive feeling much better if I use Oxygen.

A short time, say one hour, at higher altitudes is OK. But spending all day at medium to high altitudes can be very tiring.

Unless you live at a high elevation year round, of course!

Also, Pulse-Oximeters are pretty cheap these days: http://www.clinicalguard.com/id/cli...6k6Vnp19OhoS_wL7gamdYCICvRUH27dvE-xoCz9nw_wcB

YMMV, my 2 dollars, etc.

Sounds like a fun and epic trip Jesse?have fun!

If you do head to Vegas to wait for the fly-in, there are a few RVs and some Raven formation pilots at Boulder City (KBVU) that might like to play.

Once you head towards Mariposa, here is another good choice for a route across the rocks (just another option). As you fly N of Bishop, look just left of your planned course line for an intersection on V-230 named RBRTS. Hang a left there and follow V-230 direct to CAINS intersection, then hang a right and go to KMPI. I know your current route is planned from Mono Lake, over Tioga Pass and Tuolemne Meadows, and that could be workable. However the V-230 route provides a little more terrain clearance, and as you head to KMPI from CAINS, you can always fade right of course, and get the majestic view up the Yosemite Valley.

I concur with the others about O2. It gives you an "up" option if winds and weather are impacting the Sierra, or you just want more terrain clearance (always a good thing!); and will let ya grab some more tailwind when you're headed home.

2 more centavos. Have a great trip!

Cheers,
Bob

Hey Jesse,

As it turns out I am making the same trip at around the same time. I am flying from Flagler to SFO (SQL) staying just south of the High Sierras, but mostly direct otherwise. I plan to leave on the 15th and I may try to do the Page fly-in, but will see. It's likely I have to be in SFO on the 20th early. Maybe I'll see you along the way.

BobTurner said:

Rent some oxygen.

Avoid the cable cars in San Francisco, they have huge waits, long lines full of tourists.

A flight up the coast either north or south can be nice. I recommend north, with lunch at Shelter Cove. Santa Rosa (KSTS) also has a restaurant on the field. Mendocino is a nice stop but you need to arrange ground transport from Little River airport ahead of time.

Click to expand...

Bob, Thanks for the advice and route suggestion. I looked at O2 system costs and think Ill probably need to rent. Do you know where I should look to find rental units?

rockwoodrv9 said:

I second what Bob said about oxygen. The Risk is not worth it. One night staying in a hotel because you couldn't get over weather or whatever will pay the cost. You may even find someone to borrow it from.

One suggestion - stop in and say hello to Craig Catto and his daughter when you are near Yosemite. Have a good trip.

Click to expand...

Thats another 2 Votes for O2, Thanks Rockwood and PCHunt. I do have a Catto prop so a stop in to Craig sounds like a good idea too.

rvmills said:

Sounds like a fun and epic trip Jesse…have fun!

If you do head to Vegas to wait for the fly-in, there are a few RVs and some Raven formation pilots at Boulder City (KBVU) that might like to play.

Once you head towards Mariposa, here is another good choice for a route across the rocks (just another option). As you fly N of Bishop, look just left of your planned course line for an intersection on V-230 named RBRTS. Hang a left there and follow V-230 direct to CAINS intersection, then hang a right and go to KMPI. I know your current route is planned from Mono Lake, over Tioga Pass and Tuolemne Meadows, and that could be workable. However the V-230 route provides a little more terrain clearance, and as you head to KMPI from CAINS, you can always fade right of course, and get the majestic view up the Yosemite Valley.

Click to expand...

Thanks Bob! Ill look into that route across the rocks too and thanks for the vote for O2 too.
Really looking like I need to figure out this O2 situation now.

apkp777 said:

Hey Jesse,

As it turns out I am making the same trip at around the same time. I am flying from Flagler to SFO (SQL) staying just south of the High Sierras, but mostly direct otherwise. I plan to leave on the 15th and I may try to do the Page fly-in, but will see. It's likely I have to be in SFO on the 20th early. Maybe I'll see you along the way.

Click to expand...

Ill watch for ya 777, maybe we can meet up and fly together a leg or two at some point and if Not I hope to see you at the Fly-in at Page!



If anyone has an O2 setup for sale or rent, it looks like Im in the market and will need to buy/rent it ASAP.

I'm planning a similar trip for December, but in the opposite direction. I'm staying more to the south than you - roughly going from Mojave to just south of Ft Worth for the first night, then down to the panhandle and west coast of FL to Ft. Myers for the second night.

Concerning O2, I think its a great idea in general, but I don't see it as a show stopper for your trip. Grab one if you can, but don't cancel the trip if you can't.

Jesse check your pm

Bruce

If you are not familiar with the Restricted areas and MOAs out west, take sometime and make sure you understand them. Some of them are only active during day time, some at different altitudes, some hot all the time, etc. They can be somewhat intimidating. You will have to navigate in the visinity of multiple MOAs and Restricted airspace if you plan on going to (out of) Furnace Creek.

Also, have some survival gear with you. 2 weeks ago a local guy had to spend the night on the mountains (10.5K ft) because he had an emergency. SAR was able to find him the next day.

If you need help around the Edwards Air Force area, send me a PM.

I just finished flying my 3 from philly so SF along the southern route. O2 was certainly nice to have, but not totally necessary. I flew most of trip below 7k and only once had to climb above 10k. I wanted to shave a little time off of my last leg from Las Vegas to Cali, so I hopped over the Sierras near Owens Lake at 14.5k. I would consider a PLB necessary equipment.

You might want to consider KCCR over KLVK. There is a hotel on the field and the Bart is within walking distance.

I wanted to thank everyone for the tips and a huge thanks to the VAF'r that lent me his O2 setup.

We got a little bit of a late star and left today around 10am. Everything was great when out of the clear blue sky we hit a hole in the sky! We both spent a little time with are heads against the top of the canopy. I had just opened a coke and it went Everywhere! Even still it seems that most of it went between my legs and soaked me. Everything in my side pockets ejected into my lap and I knocked the knob of the Dynon. It really was unexpected and was smooth before and after the "hole".

Continuing on we took turns taking control of the plane while the other wiped down what could be reached. After the excitement I noted a vibration that seemed to be dependent on Rpm so we landed to check it out and look over the whole plane. We decided to land at Quincy Municipal (2J9). On short final the engine began to run rough, with a bup of the trottle it came back strong. Knowing we had the runway made a dumped the flaps the rest of the way and closed the throttle. On roll out the engine stopped. I pulled off into the grass and tried to restart. It roared to life first try and we taxied towards the self serve. As I closed the throttle and rpms fell below 1000 she quit again. Don was working the FBO and offered us a shaded overhang to work on the issue. Bob, who keeps his rv there at the field offered up some tools. After some brainstorming, a few ideas and a call or two, the issue was resolved with a few taps on the carb with a wrench. Seems as though the float was stuck as a result of falling into that hole in the sky. A few test runs and all was good. A big thank you to Bob and Don at 2J9!

From there it was smooth sailing to where it sit now writing this. We landed at Morehouse Memorial (BQP), just outside of a town called Bastrop just after sunset. Fueled up, ordered a pizza and we are going to hit the sack here at the FBO instead of pitching a tent. Early departure tomorrow and on to the West!

Edit: some locals showed up and said they were going to shoot dear on the runway. Guess I'll be sleeping tight tonight.

Shoot um all! Better than running into them!!

Jesse,
It was Bob who offered the use of a shade hanger and Don has the RV-6 based a Quincy. Glad to hear you made it safely to Monroe, LA. Hope you and your Dad enjoy your trip and post lots of pics for those of us who can't break away from life to make such an epic journey.

Don