Hey all

Ferrying an S7S to Dodge City, KS over the next 2 or 3 days. Leaving Modesto as early as possible in the morning hoping to make it to the Grand Junction/Montrose area for my first RON...don't wanna end up in a dry county

Planned routing (subject to change of course) is Mammoth pass, Tonopah NV, Beaver UT, then Mack Mesa/Grand Junction/Montrose area. Next day will be following I-50 through Monarch pass and down the Arkansas river to destination.

Wx is looking good with a nice high pressure system sitting right over most of my route..

Any tips or suggestions on places to stay, and which airports in the area are easy to get to food and lodging, are appreciated!!

Aaron

If you're planning on making it to Grand Junction the first night, maybe stay at Caveman Ranch instead! I'm sure Rod would take good care of you.

I saw that on the chart, was wondering if it was the same one mentioned here!

Sounds like an awesome trip! Stay low east of Tonapah. You may see some wild horses roaming around.

Have a great trip.

58Skylane wrote:Sounds like an awesome trip! Stay low east of Tonapah. You may see some wild horses roaming around.

Have a great trip.

like this?

robw56 wrote:

58Skylane wrote:Sounds like an awesome trip! Stay low east of Tonapah. You may see some wild horses roaming around.

Have a great trip.

like this?

Yes!! Was that taken east of Tonapah?

Probably about 30 miles or so northeast.

I picked up my S7 at the Factory in Hays KS last Feb. Flew a little further south since I was stopping in LA to visit on the way home to Sacramento. Stopped in Albuquerque overnight at AEG then LA the next day. Was pretty much just trying to get there between weather systems but it was fun. Caveman sounds good. Have fun!

Get a hold of Ladd at Mack. He is a wealth of information about flying in the area and can give you some ideas about the rest of your trip. He can likely find a hanger for you and there is an apartment on field you can probably use or you are welcome to crash for the night in my hanger. It has a fold out couch and is next to the bathroom. Mack has fuel. Caveman does not but it not too far from Canyonlands and they have fuel. I would avoid Junction($$) unless you need to head into town. Mack, Canyonlands and Caveman are fairly remote but the is a courtesy car at Mack and Fruita is ten minutes away. Taxis are usually available from Canyonlands to Moab but ($$). Junction and Montrose have hotels and food about a 15 minute walk outside the gate.($$) Wx this week here is 50s for high and 30s for lows. Be safe and have a fun trip.

A bit off-topic, but speaking of horses....I read somewhere that with the economy the way it's been, some horse owners who are having a helluva time buying feed etc for their stock are taking drastic measures. Any reports of domestic horses being dumped out in wild horse country? And do all "wild horses" come from a long line of wild horses, or are some of them feral (escaped/turned loose from a ranch)? For that matter, are horses native to North America or were they brought here by the spaniards (or whoever)?

Your a lucky guy bart. Makes me want to get my commercial just so I can have adventures like this.

hotrod150 wrote:A bit off-topic, but speaking of horses....I read somewhere that with the economy the way it's been, some horse owners who are having a helluva time buying feed etc for their stock are taking drastic measures. Any reports of domestic horses being dumped out in wild horse country? And do all "wild horses" come from a long line of wild horses, or are some of them feral (escaped/turned loose from a ranch)? For that matter, are horses native to North America or were they brought here by the spaniards (or whoever)?

Yes domestic horses are frequently found with wild horse herds. Not all wild horse herds are actually wild. The Challis herd for example came into existence in the 1880's. It is made up of ponies, saddle horses and draft horses.

Aaron, the high is producing a lot of wind here in the mountains of Colorado. Here in Summit county (9,200 ASL) the wind is howling and lot's of wind clouds. I just checked the Monarch AWOS and it's reporting 40, G 49 at 2:20 PM. Weather guessers say it's gonna blow again tomorow. I was flying Monday afternoon here in the Rockies and it was ok as long as you were less than 2000 agl and stayed in the valley's. Above that and it worked on the 185. Been lot's of wind here in the Rockpile lately. If winds don't quite down might be better to fly the Rans south and follow I-40 to Dodge.
Ron

Aaron - that must be Marks? He sell it?

Yes it's marks plane, a nice one too, he is sad to see it go!

S12...I'm overnighting at Mack Mesa, what a cool little airport!! Ladd set me up with the awesome minivan staying at the apartment, and put the plane in a hangar for the night with plugs for the engine heater. Great guy!! We bs'd for a while and I checked out his awesome carbon cub. Wish I could stay a couple days and do some flying, but I'd probly get in trouble, lol.

Covered about 580 miles today with about 430 left for tomorrow. Hopefully the WX holds...today's WX was absolutely perfect!!! Sunny, smooth air and Tailwinds...really couldn't have been much better!! Some big mountains to cross first thing tomorrow, and all down hill after that.

Did see some horses, and some awesome terrain. I'll post some pics when I get back!

I was going to suggest Richfield KRIF as a better pit stop than Beaver but you had already passed. Be safe-

How was Beaver?

Glad the trip is going good! Can't wait to see some pics.

bart wrote:Yes it's marks plane, a nice one too, he is sad to see it go!

S12...I'm overnighting at Mack Mesa, what a cool little airport!! Ladd set me up with the awesome minivan staying at the apartment, and put the plane in a hangar for the night with plugs for the engine heater. Great guy!! We bs'd for a while and I checked out his awesome carbon cub. Wish I could stay a couple days and do some flying, but I'd probly get in trouble, lol.

Covered about 580 miles today with about 430 left for tomorrow. Hopefully the WX holds...today's WX was absolutely perfect!!! Sunny, smooth air and Tailwinds...really couldn't have been much better!! Some big mountains to cross first thing tomorrow, and all down hill after that.

Did see some horses, and some awesome terrain. I'll post some pics when I get back!

Sounds like a good trip so far. Hope to see some pics. Ladd is a class act and the main reason Mack is such a cool airport.
Come back in the spring for the Caveman fly-in and we can show you around.
My hanger is the one next to the apartment.
Fly safe and be careful crossing the hump.
Charlie

Well I made it! The second day was just as good as the first. After departing Mack Mesa airport (thanks again Ladd), had a super smooth ride all the way to Monarch pass. Started to get just a few little bumps just over the pass at 12,500 and the rest of the way to Pueblo for my last fuel stop, but that was it. After some coffee, popcorn and a cookie at Flower Aviation in Pueblo, I headed for Dodge City. Sure missed the scenery from the previous part of the trip once over eastern CO and KS, but stayed low to make sure I didn't miss anything!! Talk about FLAT!! Winds were pretty strong on that part of the trip, 5-15 mph headwind component, but not bad considering I had it so good crossing the big rocks.

The new owner was pleased with the airplane, and took it for a spin just minutes after I landed...had a big smile on his face when he got back. After taking care of the paperwork, we went for dinner, then gave me his jeep for the night so I could get to the airport in the morning. Next morning hopped the regional flight to Denver, It was First Class on Alaskan Airlines back to Oakland (Lots of miles saved up!) where Mark picked me up and brought me back to my pickup in Modesto.

From a WX standpoint alone it was an epic trip, made that much better by the stellar performance of the Rans and the good people I met along the way! I really love cross country flying and don't get to do it that much, I'm glad this opportunity came up and that it worked out so smooth.

Here's some trip info (GPS) and pics from the flight:

Routing; Modesto, Tonopah, NV; Milford, UT; Mack, CO; Pueblo, CO; Dodge City, KS.
Total distance:1,228.8 miles
Avg. Fuel burn: 4.87 GPH
Avg. Speed: 99MPH
Time: 12.4 Hours

Mono Lake just before crossing the first set of big rocks. While climbing up and cruising just before crossing Tioga Pass, I had a pretty significant tailwind (132 mph GS at one point). This worried me a little thinking I would get slammed by the mountain wave on the other side, but thankfully it never materialized.


A group of horses I found about 50 miles west of my second fuel stop in Milford, UT


The absolutely stunning topography and geology of the continental divide. It was a great time of day to be crossing this area with the sun relatively low on the horizon, really made the color stand out on the rocks. I wish I had more time and a better camera, the pictures don't do it justice.







An Elk leg bone sitting on a barrel outside a convenience store in Mack...


Turns out it was for this guy


Monarch Pass ahead in the distance. Was glad to see there wasn't a cloud in the sky!! Crossed at 12,500 with little turb



All in all a great trip, would do it again tomorrow if I could! Once I get my Super Cub out of the shop i might head back out sometime this winter and go play in Eastern UT and western CO.

Great trip report and pics!