Taking in most suggestions and adding a couple more that I thought might be fun, here's v2. With all of these it only adds 3.5 hours of flying, which is really not too bad. 22.5h so far @135kt without stops, so really 24-25h+ with those added in. I might/should get better than 135kt with the P-Ponk, but until I find out for myself I will plan on the slow side. Broken up over 4-5 days this is certainly doable, but I don't really want to push more than about 6h in a day especially if I'm getting bounced around. This will also have the 2-3 day break in SJC in the middle.

I added several backcountry strips as waypoints for now. Some may exceed my skill and be best left for a fly-over, but I expect I'll hit up a few along the way. I'll try breaking this up into ~3 hour blocks and see where that puts me for fuel/bio/social breaks.

Thanks for the offers to use your strips! I am going to really try and include those.

I'm saving the OR coastline suggestion for a subsequent trip wherein I cover most of the NW US, maybe some of Canada. This won't be the last one. I have a feeling after seeing some of this I might make a regular thing of it..

colopilot wrote:Taking in most suggestions and adding a couple more that I thought might be fun, here's v2.

Man, looks like a great trip!

colopilot wrote:Taking in most suggestions and adding a couple more that I thought might be fun, here's v2. With all of these it only adds 3.5 hours of flying, which is really not too bad. 22.5h so far @135kt without stops, so really 24-25h+ with those added in. I might/should get better than 135kt with the P-Ponk, but until I find out for myself I will plan on the slow side. Broken up over 4-5 days this is certainly doable, but I don't really want to push more than about 6h in a day especially if I'm getting bounced around. This will also have the 2-3 day break in SJC in the middle.

I added several backcountry strips as waypoints for now. Some may exceed my skill and be best left for a fly-over, but I expect I'll hit up a few along the way. I'll try breaking this up into ~3 hour blocks and see where that puts me for fuel/bio/social breaks.

Thanks for the offers to use your strips! I am going to really try and include those.

I'm saving the OR coastline suggestion for a subsequent trip wherein I cover most of the NW US, maybe some of Canada. This won't be the last one. I have a feeling after seeing some of this I might make a regular thing of it..

Looks like you are missing the vast wasteland of Nevada

qmdv wrote:Looks like you are missing the vast wasteland of Nevada

Yup. I was initially hitting the southern edge, and considered coming further south on the return leg to overfly Burning Man, but both put me off the mark a good bit. BM would be interesting, but that's a lot of time and avgas just to watch a bunch of drugged-out hippies run around naked (I can drive to Boulder for that). I wouldn't mind getting over Yosemite/Muir/etc which was originally what had me in S NV, but I can add that diversion between MRY and SJC too.

McCall is a good fuel stop after leaving the ID. back country. There is a good restaurant you can walk to.

I haven't been into Memaloose yet. But, it can be soft early in the year it's high and can be a bit rough. Get a pirep before you go in if possible.

Joseph KJSY is a very nice town. The airport has a car and bikes to get into town. Lots of art and good food. The lake just to the south of the town and the resort will make you feel like you be transported to switzerland. At least take a lap over the lake.

Another vote for Reds Horse Ranch. We fly there a couple times a year from Portland. Awesome back country flying. Go in before 10am as a tailwind develops every day at that time. Land after the horse path that crosses the runway. This is not a hard strip, but will require your full attention. Walk over to the new lodge at Minam for a cold beer sitting on the deck in the middle of the Eagle Cap Wilderness. They also serve a great dinner (not cheap).

Getting anything out of Walla Walla is a time commitment. You will need to rent car and spend some time driving around to get the most of it. It's a nice town but might take a full day to enjoy.

In my limited experience Penderton is generally to be avoided. The airport is a long way from town and the fuel prices are high.

LaGrand is a good fuel stop with a nice FBO. It has cars to borrow.

If you skipped Walla Walla and instead flew to the Dalles (just a fuel stop and aways very windy) you would be positioned to fly down the back side of the cascades. It's not often you fly past a whole line of volcanic mountains. With a little luck you should see St Helens, Hood, Mt. Adams, Batchelor, Three Sisters, Mt Jefferson

Stop at Sisters. They have bikes to get into town. Nice western themed tourist town with lots of food options.

Sun river is an option for a stop. The shuttle will take you to the lodge for a meal or a room for the night. Not super cheap, but nice.

South of Sisters bear a little east to see Hole in the Ground. 4324N12111W It looks like a mile wide impact crater. And Fort Rock. It's a caldaria in a dry lake bed.

I haven't been in to Prospect. I heard a rumor the Prospect hotel will pick you up at the airport and may have an option to get up to Crater Lake.

As other have said. A trip out the gorge and down the Oregon coast is awesome, but you can save that for next time. Having said that, I fly out of Hillsboro just west of PDX. If you need any support in that area, give me a shout. Given that your company has an office in PDX and in SJC, I guessing we are in the same nerd industry.

TriPacerPilot wrote:...Whole lot of really good suggestions...

Awesome!

As other have said. A trip out the gorge and down the Oregon coast is awesome, but you can save that for next time. Having said that, I fly out of Hillsboro just west of PDX. If you need any support in that area, give me a shout. Given that your company has an office in PDX and in SJC, I guessing we are in the same nerd industry.

Will do! If the weather is looking clear I may add a leg to PDX, I just don't want to dance with IMC (at least yet, that's another "project"). We'll see how the forecast ends up, and if I get into that area I will make a point of connecting with some of you there.

Colopilot-

I'm watching your thread with interest! I am in the beginning stages of planning a similar trip out west this summer myself. It looks like a LOT of fun. Keep us posted, when I start putting mine together I'll make a different post so I won't hijack your thread! Maybe we can cross at some point.... although my timeframe is much larger.

gunny

I might suggest Arnold Aviation at Cascade, ID U70 instead of McCall. Ray Arnold has been flying mail and air taxi since New York was a whistle stop and is worth the stop just to talk to him. Fuel prices are always lower than McCall and they give a cash (check) discount as well.

If you want to stop in the Walla Walla area why not give Martin Airfield S95 a go. They have both hard and grass strips, 100LL and MoGas. Family owned and if you are planning to stay in the area hotels are pretty close by you probably can get a free shuttle if you call....be sure to tell them you are NOT at KALW.

TD

I'll check them out! Thanks for the PM too.

I will likely keep most fuel stops at around 3-3.5 hours of flight time, unless I am going somewhere remote and want to make sure I really have enough for the unplanned. With 55gal usable when topped off, I can go quite a while at 12gph even on these earlier 182 small tanks. I'll also try to place my fuel stops at places with a reason to get out and explore the local scene a little as suggested, or meet up with people along the way.

Nice plan. Will be fun and rewarding.

One comment I respectfully make for the central coast:
Santa Maria is a nice airport with nice people, helpful tower, and a hotel on site. The town is nice, too. But the short runway is ~5200 feet and the main runway ~8200 feet. KSMX is not on the ocean, but sits in the middle of a impressive year-round ag industry.

If you do not need SMX, Oceano airport (L52) is only 17 miles further and is really close to the ocean. Has fuel, bikes, nearby resturants and lodging. Adequate 2300 foot runway.

Both airports are fine; Oceano will provide a more "California Coast" setting.

--Bill

c180bill wrote:If you do not need SMX, Oceano airport (L52) is only 17 miles further and is really close to the ocean. Has fuel, bikes, nearby resturants and lodging. Adequate 2300 foot runway.

Both airports are fine; Oceano will provide a more "California Coast" setting.

--Bill

Noted! I don't need SMX, it's just a waypoint that gets me around Vandenberg's airspace nicely. I'll figure my stops and see where I end up, but I may be fueling up around there so I'll keep L52 in mind. I anticipate stopping just south of Palm Springs at TRM to top off before I head to Catalina, I just need to see where the timing puts me after that.

TRM is OK, but it's out in the desert and below sea level. Big Bear, L35, is a few miles north, FE is 6750' and they usually have the best fuel price in the region. You won't have to give up so much altitude before heading to Catalina.

handsrdirty wrote:TRM is OK, but it's out in the desert and below sea level. Big Bear, L35, is a few miles north, FE is 6750' and they usually have the best fuel price in the region. You won't have to give up so much altitude before heading to Catalina.

Thanks!