A little over a year ago I bought my Maule in the Seattle area and flew it back to Virginia. Now we have jumped on an opportunity to move back to the northwest for quasi-retirement. We've signed a lease on a house in Port Townsend, WA and will live there while we build a retirement home somewhere in the Olympic rain shadow. We will drive the cars and the dog back there at the end of September, then I come back to pick up the Maule and fly her home.

So, I'm looking for suggestions on a route for the Maule flight across the country. When I flew east, we did a southern route so my wife could see the California coast and we credit card camped in hotels. We went through Tehachapi Pass and across Arizona and New Mexico before swinging way north to avoid thunderstorms.

A buddy will join me for this trip west, and we'd like to spend several nights airplane camping. Any recommended camping strips for a mid-October flight across the US? Any areas we should studiously avoid? I've got 800s on the gear, and a 180 on the nose, so no seriously soft or short backcountry strips are viable. What are your suggestions? I'm afraid that I'll miss the High Sierra fly-in because I doubt I can get started west before the 15th of October.

Flyhound,

Gastons in N. Arkansas on the White River east of Bull Shoals Dam has camping and a very good restaurant. Also fishing cabins. Best to make landing to the west and takeoff downstream to east but turn an go down the river and over the big wire on the west bank. The grass runway is plenty long and there is a wide gap through the trees going east.

Stop by Aurora, Missouri (2H2) and I will buy you lunch, after, if you get off that late.

Have a good trip.

Jim Dulin
[email protected]

Gastons is great. If you go south I second that recommendation.

If you go north, you are welcome to stop by our farm in Wisconsin.

Congratulations Gary. Of course you are welcome to stay with us here in Boulder as you come through. My wife and I lived in Port Townsend for a while.

When you get to the other side Tieton State is lovely.

http://www.wsdot.wa.gov/aviation/AllSta ... nState.htm

If you go north follow I-80 or I-90 through the mountains.

Policies could have changed, but normally Gaston's would not allow camping. Call ahead to be sure.

Try Beaumont, KS to taxi into town to the hotel and food..... Grass but no lights.

If further north, have lunch at the Amana Colonies, IA SSW of Cedar Rapids. No gas but a grass strip and a couple of blocks to walk to family style German food.

Not by 80 or 90 but West Fork Lodge has rooms and food on the strip.

Thanks for the feedback so far. Keep the suggestions coming. I will update the community as my plans firm up and the departure date approaches. Whatever initial plan I have at departure is subject to the inevitable challenges of weather and other unforeseen and unpredictable facets of the flying life. When I flew east, I had no intention of flying into Nebraska, but thunderstorms pushed me up there. North Platte wound up being a surprisingly pleasant stop along the way. Part of the fun of the planning process is uncovering a range of options so as I adjust my route "on the fly" I'll already have a good idea of what a changed course has to offer.

Gary

Good rental hangars are hard to come by, but if you're looking to buy a hangar at Port Townsend I know of a couple for sale.
PM/email me if you're interested & I'll put you in touch with the sellers.

Get on Foreflight, or your favorite planner, plug in a direct line from origin to destination. Now, look along that route for likely stops for gas and overnights.

If you have good weather at that time of year, you are going to want to boogie, at least through the mountains. As you noted weather is goin to make a lot of decisions for you.

But, unless your goal is time building or sightseeing (both of which are totally legit), I'd PLAN a more or less direct route, and deviate as necessary. The northern route (direct) would be my choice, because it's shorter. That time of year, the northern Rockies may be in aindian Summer, and if so, youll see some spectacular country on that route and some great weather to enjoy it.

MTV

If you find yourself in New Mexico again then send me a message and we'll get together.

Rezrider wrote:If you find yourself in New Mexico again then send me a message and we'll get together.

Ditto for Albuquerque

Arne

Thanks for the NM invites Rezrider and Magnet. There is a pretty good chance I'll fly through there since our daughter moved to NM after graduating from college out east. We lived on the back side of Sandia Mountain in Cedar Crest for 2 years and I guess she had fond memories of those days. Right now the wife and I are still scrambling trying to get ready for the move. Packing up 11 years of slowly collected stuff and figuring our what to get rid of as we downsize is not an easy process. It is good to shed some of that load though. I think I should move every 5-8 years just to keep the garage clean...

I based out of Moriarty for a while flying pipeline for Brentco.