as the terrain toughens up instantly.
Where the Walker runs down to the Carson Valley plain…
Yerington, NV was home base for Steve Fossett.
Walker Lake and Hawthorne, NV with it’s expansive munitions storage facility came next.
First landmark announcing Death Valley is Ubehebe Crater on the northern edge of the Cottonwood Range…
as alluvial fans fanned out.
Between the Panamint and Inyo Range in the fore and middle ground and the snow capped Sierra Nevada Mountains, runs US-395 south from Carson City.
Then came Stovepipe Wells.
I had the ramp to myself at Furnace Creek. The Ranch - Resort was open for business with the upscale Inn closed for the season. At 119 degrees, it was not the hottest of days they said. At night, the temps dropped into the 90s and outside on the golf course I could almost read by the light of the stars.
Early AM Torrance (KTOA) was IFR so I filed to pick it up at Palmdale just in case and went exploring…
South and east…
Then back north up the Panamint Valley toward Rt.# 190...
the desert views dazzling.
I needed 10,000’ for radar services through the various MOAs and restricted areas.
I passed China Lake and the ranges, but was held outside of
R 2515 at Edwards AFB…
and saw the sweeping turn of the interstate.
The view over the San Gabriel Mountains was murky and IFR felt right ...
as almost immediately an Emirates Airbus slid beneath me in an arcing descent into LAX.
A quick look at the Long Beach airport…still at 8000..
some descending turns over the marine terminals…
and Zamperini Field was my home for tonight...
in the best of company.
