We had a cool Sunday here, 50 degrees, real welcome after the triple digits, though the days previous storms made for some fog banks. As usual on Sunday mornings, I listened to Ranger Doug's Cowboy Corral on the Sirius on the Willie Nelson Channel. Don't know why but that old time cowboy music, and especially the yodeling, just seems to go real well with flying the mountains. After that 1 hr. show is over I switch over to the BB King channel for their Sunday morning acoustic blues show, that seems to works real fine also. I find myself throwing the airplane around in time to the music, down low and in the middle of no where. I had a epiphany long ago while doing this: THIS IS REALLY FUN AND I'M A LUCKY SOB!

This one was just right, as I was going into Afton, and not Alpine, which was socked in.


The sinkhole/spring combo I spotted last winter, looking good! The plan is still to rappel down into it with scuba gear, and see if it's possible to swim out into the pool. Somebody needs to do that, probably not me though.



The money shot, the slight delay in the shutter action makes this tricky.


The Star Valley castle was looking good, nicely above the fog bank.

cbfraser wrote:Lake of the Hanging Glacier - SW BC

Beautiful. It really is beautiful scenery.

I was amazed at the plethora of beautiful, high altitude lakes along the general route from Tok to Fort Nelson in YK.

Brett

Seabee's went by last evening, headed for Pelican...

A few more pics, same trip, including Mount Adams





Mt. Adams is a very powerful 'broad shouldered' volcano. Intimidating to fly close to.



You can see there is still some activity in Saint Helens, more on the way I'm sure. In Washington, our mountains explode.







Short final into Pearson Field, Vancouver, WA.



Mt. Adams and Mt Rainier between the struts.

courierguy wrote:.....As usual on Sunday mornings, I listened to Ranger Doug's Cowboy Corral on the Sirius on the Willie Nelson Channel. Don't know why but that old time cowboy music, and especially the yodeling, just seems to go real well with flying the mountains.....

The Riders in the Sky used to host the "Tumbleweed Theater" on TV, showing old cowboy movies (Roy Rogers, etc) before and during which they'd make some music and do comedy skits. Ranger Doug (the hero of American youth), Woody Paul (king of the cowboy fiddlers), and Too Slim (a man of many hats) were great entertainers as well as proponents of living life "the cowboy way"!

For the last couple years I find myself flight planning around the show. Though it makes no sense why that old music, most from the 30's through 50's, should be so appropriate for mountain flying. At least I find it so The first time was leaving JC and headed towards Smiley Creek, while over Redfish Lake, up against the Sawtooths, that I realized something was syncing up real nice.

Ranger Doug and his sidekick always ask their listeners to write to them with requests, comments, etc., I have a few great mountain flying (and landing) pics I want to send them I took while listening, and I'll try and explain why the music is so simpatico with the type of flying I do, though I don't know why myself!

The more recent discovery of the acoustic blues show for another couple hours after Ranger's show ends, means even more flying Sunday mornings for me I guess.

My older Telex ANR headset with the audio from the SIRIUS plugged directly into it, my Temperfoam seat cushion under the super thick sheepskin, the already quiet Rotax plus the Swiss muffler, and the up to 10 hour duration I have, all come together to offer up some damn near orgasmic experiences! When the terrain passing by matches the music, at least in my head, it just doesn't get any better.

Landed out in the boonies today to pick berries, and discovered I wasn't alone. Was pacing off the useable for departure, looked back and saw a plenty big grizzly on the opposite side of the plane, about as far from it as I was. Fortunately there were enough berries to go around.

-DP

courierguy wrote:For the last couple years I find myself flight planning around the show. Though it makes no sense why that old music, most from the 30's through 50's, should be so appropriate for mountain flying.

Ha Ha.

Up in Kotzebue we had radio station KOTZ, AM 720. Just a quirky local station part Native, part NPR, and part who knows what. With GPS driving all the Nav, the ADF was repurposed into an AM radio just to listen to the drama and birthday wishes on KOTZ. "Wish you many many more. You can be bossy all you want. Play the Barney song." Over and over and over and over.....

On Sunday afternoons they played Prairie Home Companion. I love Prairie Home Companion, and I would change my Sunday routes so I didn't lose reception. In my Sled I could get KOTZ to the northwest as far as Point Hope, and to the south down in Buckland, Candle, and Deering. But to the east I lost it east of Noorvik or Selawik, which meant no way I was gonna go up the Kobuk River and miss my show. There are priorities!

Down in the civilized world I have XM hardwired in so we don't have those issues.

Gump

denalipilot wrote:Landed out in the boonies today to pick berries, and discovered I wasn't alone. Was pacing off the useable for departure, looked back and saw a plenty big grizzly on the opposite side of the plane, about as far from it as I was. Fortunately there were enough berries to go around.

-DP

Without a picture it didn't happen. Man up and get the shot! [Sarcastic smiley thing here].

Brett

UH-60andC-180 wrote:

denalipilot wrote:Landed out in the boonies today to pick berries, and discovered I wasn't alone. Was pacing off the useable for departure, looked back and saw a plenty big grizzly on the opposite side of the plane, about as far from it as I was. Fortunately there were enough berries to go around.

-DP

Without a picture it didn't happen. Man up and get the shot! [Sarcastic smiley thing here].

Brett

Hahahaha

x2!!

Taking a picture of the big fish is one thing, taking a picture of a big griz requires a whole different skill set. You get that one up close and you get the right to put a set of those chrome bull testicles on your trailer hitch.

175 magnum wrote:Taking a picture of the big fish is one thing, taking a picture of a big griz requires a whole different skill set. You get that one up close and you get the right to put a set of those chrome bull testicles on your trailer hitch.

Hahaha Unfortunately, it also requires a camera, which was in the plane at the time- go figure.

If you had gone back to the plane and got the camera AND got the close up picture you would have qualified for a blue set AND a chrome set. Bet those were the best tasting berries you have picked in a long time.(hehe)

Waldport, OR on a spectacular day

I had put it off long enough, so early today I blasted out to Magee Airstrip in Northern Idaho. Ran into a bit of rain but manageable. The place is beautiful and the strip is in great shape. Watch out for deer on the runway!

Couple of Cubs playing in on some grass strips in Colorado.

A little video from last week's run out to the desert. First time using iMovie and just checking it out. Still some bugs to work out.

Looks like a wonderful trip!

And I got to tell you, watching you fly that plane... I think if my family gets big enough to warrant it we'll be looking for a 205. Beautiful airplane and looks very capable.

Thanks! The more I fly it the more I love the plane. It's done everything I was told it will do. A lot of bang for the buck. A few more mods and it will really be a performer! All on 9.5 gph in cruise. I'd definitely recommend it. Definitely a sleeper type of plane that just isn't very well known.

GumpAir wrote:

courierguy wrote:For the last couple years I find myself flight planning around the show. Though it makes no sense why that old music, most from the 30's through 50's, should be so appropriate for mountain flying.

Ha Ha.

Up in Kotzebue we had radio station KOTZ, AM 720. Just a quirky local station part Native, part NPR, and part who knows what. With GPS driving all the Nav, the ADF was repurposed into an AM radio just to listen to the drama and birthday wishes on KOTZ. "Wish you many many more. You can be bossy all you want. Play the Barney song." Over and over and over and over.....

On Sunday afternoons they played Prairie Home Companion. I love Prairie Home Companion, and I would change my Sunday routes so I didn't lose reception. In my Sled I could get KOTZ to the northwest as far as Point Hope, and to the south down in Buckland, Candle, and Deering. But to the east I lost it east of Noorvik or Selawik, which meant no way I was gonna go up the Kobuk River and miss my show. There are priorities! geez Forrest, I thought I was alone on Prairie home companion.. Loved the music and

Down in the civilized world I have XM hardwired in so we don't have those issues.

Gump

geez forrest,,, didn't think I'd admit to Prairie home companion but I love the music and a quiet week in Lake Wobegon....right now I'm enjoying a gin and tonic on my patio and listening to Dr John radio on pandora.... we gotta get together.... how about Austin.... can't get any takers on our other site... all my friends are passing on one of the best fly ins in the west....