I am doing a ferry trip for a 182 on straight floats from Jackson MI to Homer, AK. This is the log so far.

1st day, the wind was kicking throughout the area. My first try got turned around due to winds and a line of thunder storms. It turned out that this was a good experience since I found out the when the fuel selector was on "both" it was pretty much only taking from the right tank. On the second try I was down to 65-70 kts over the ground (including over the water of lake michigan), which made the trip about 40% longer than it should have. Since it was a new plane to me, I was worried about the fuel burn, but it turned out to be really good, 35 gallons for 3.3 hours. By the time I got to Shawano WI (pronounced Shawno, as I was politely told by a rather burly bartender) it was too late to continue to Minneapolis, so I decided to stay the night. I was told to go to the Landing Pad bar by Clarence the owner of the FBO. The "Pad" as it is known rocks, $1.25 for a draft beer, and $5.00 personal pizza, it only got better as a lesbian couple of firefighters bought me drinks and a tshirt when they found out I was from Alaska and a firefighter as well. I plan on getting out of here at 8:00 am, and hope to make Ft. Peck tomorrow. Hopefully weather cooperates. Highly recommend Shawano Airport, very seaplane/pilot friendly, 100LL on field.

Left the next morning hoping to make Ft Peck, but only made it to Bismarck, ND.

Adventure is out there!
As I sit in a Bismarck hotel watching the snowflakes fall, I am reminded of a better time and place....10 days ago in Bismarck. Instead of 70 degrees that greeted us last week, I arrived to 30 degrees and 1000' ceilings.

I took off from Surfside seaplane base just north of Minneapolis under light scattered clouds, climbed to 6500 for very smooth ride, about an hour into the 3.5 hour flight the scattered started thickening into broken. About 50 miles from Bismarck there was a large hole so I descended, and started to pick up ice....I hate ice. Heart rate up. A fortunate rain shower came along and washed off the ice. Heart rate down. Flew the rest of the way at 1000 agl due to the now overcast clouds. Landed on the Missouri river in the same place as last trip, just below the southern most bridge, and taxiied to a different marina than we used last time. As I headed into the entrance it looked really shallow so I radioed to the fuel truck to asked if they were sure that it had been dredged. Their answer a resounding 'ummmm.' I was on one mag and carb heat on when I ran up on the sand bar.....

An hour later, I had unloaded the landing gear and extra fuel cans onto boat sent to tow me off, I was walking back and forth in the sometimes thigh deep, very cold water with a rather large peanut gallery on shore watching what I am sure was the most exciting thing going on in town. Tied up to the boat and a I stood under the tail and used my shoulders to rock the plane, it came right off and I taxiied to the other marina. I called my contact, and new friend since last trip, in Fort Peck who told me the weather was low ceilings with a mixture of snow and rain, being as I had just filled my icing quota for the day and the fact that I was soaked from my waste down I opted for a hotel and a long very hot shower.

Met my tugboat captain and his friend at a local bar to buy them a 'thank you' beer, and we ended up at another bar called Freddie's on the river front. I found where I should have been coming to in Bismarck in the first place. Yes, I did enjoy the bar, but, it also has a perfect dock for a seaplane with access to the parking lot for the fuel truck, and no poles. The docks at the marinas have 10' high poles all around them to allow for the rise in water, his doesn't have them and you don't have to navigate the fairly narrow entrances to the marinas.The owner said he would love to have a plane docked there, it would attract more customers.

The weather is supposed to get a little better this afternoon, so hopefully I can at least get to Fort Peck.

Recommended: Surfside Seaplane base on Grass Lake MN, 100LL on field. Bismarck Aerocenter is the only folks to call in Bismarck, other FBOs wouldn't even consider bringing fuel off airport. Aerocenter went out of their way to help out. Freddie's bar and grill, can't even say enough about how fun the place is, and it would be the place to dock up next time.

Snow and rain on the ground = ice in the air...old or bold? I kept the hotel for another day. Tomorrow I should be able to continue on.

Please continue to keep us updated on your adventure. Vicarious adventure is WAY more available to most of us than the real thing. (Vicarious adventure-sorta like a pacifier?) I may have an airplane and squeeze an occasional adventure in, but 'life', and the details thereof, intrude rather consistently in most of our lives. Mine anyway.

So "Thank You", and please keep us informed..........


LC

Yeah, Keep on posting. I've had some traveling adventures also where you met people and did things that weren't planned. Lot of times had a stomach ache not knowing what was going to happen next and then when I got home would think back about how neat that turned out.

And please post pictures - of the lesbian firefighters

I can't believe how nervous I was about taking off out of Bismarck the next day, memories of the sand bar kept jumping up. The third day dawned beautiful and off I went to take off. However, first I had to get the plane unstuck again. I had heeled the plane in at the marina, and the river level lowered by about 2 feet. I was using my back under the tail to lift, while two guys pulled on the lines. eventually it got free and I hopped in and taxiied out and took off the river to the south. As I headed west to Ft. Peck the clouds remained puffy and scattered. This is the portion with the least water to land on. 199G is an amazingly tight airplane, it really flies true and can be trimmed up so it flies like an autopilot. I landed below the dam on the river and my buddy met me with AvGas and a subway sandwich. 2:32 from Bismarck to Ft. Peck. The day was warm and sunny, didn't want to leave.

Took off and headed west to Sealy Lake, the weather was great until the mountains. Took Rogers Pass just east of Missoula with vis getting down to 2 mi due to snow. Finally found the road and went north, landed at Lindey's Landing at Sealy lake after 3:18 flight time. Mike, the owner of the seaplane base and steak house that is 50 feet from the dock fueled me up as I was watching the clouds come down. Sometimes things from the ground are deceiving, looking worse than they are. I was now two days behind schedule so took off to try for Couer D'alene. Things weren't deceiving...right after take off ran into a mix of snow and rain, turned around landed tied up and went up, and ordered a beer. Mike was obliging and as I drank my first sip the sun came out....doh! Had a GREAT Steak. No shit, this was the best steak I have had. Highly recommend. Mike let me stay in his dad's apartment below the restaurant. I can't believe the view, this area is amazing. I woke to a thick fog over the lake, got a picture of the plane in pure glass water with nothing but fog and a couple of ducks in the water next to it. Great for photos but horrible for my schedule (I have to be back in Homer flying on the 11th). Mike came around and picked me up to show me his cub that he rebuilt, it is awsome! took him nine years to rebuild, but I have never seen a nicer cub.

Finally got off the lake at 12:00, it was my first true glassy water take off, and I couldn't believe how long it took me to get off the lake, I have been averaging about 18 seconds, this one was 27 before I could finally pull one float out. I should have taxiied back and done some circles to get some waves. The pass I was supposed to take was filled with clouds, so I headed south to Missoula, the plane has a Garmin 250 which doesn't show any terrain, so it was pilotage time. Got to Missoula but couldn't take the faster but higher pass into Couer d'alene, ended up going north at 1000' agl to the Clark Fork River. By the time I got to Brooks seaplane base my planned 1:40 trip took 2:50.

Good to see the guys at Brooks again. Max the dog was friendly as ever. I went across the street for great asian food, came back and fueled up. Watched them take up a couple loads of Mother's day tourist in the beaver and then headed out. The weather turned into 8000 scattered and the ride into Seattle was great, the Cascade mountains were beautiful and even had a tail wind. Took Snoqualmie pass into town and landed at Kenmore. 2.6 hours. I have to leave the plane here for a couple of days while I go look for fires in Fairbanks, but then I will be back to get 199G to its new home.

Woo Hoo! Finally home, I arrived yesterday after going down to Kenmore to finish the trip on the 29th. Flew into Port Hardy with low ceilings and rain. After the start of this trip, I was due some good weather and got it just north of Port Hardy. Blue bird weather all the way to Seward then high overcast into Homer. After Port Hardy cleared customs at Ketchikan, then to Sitka where I spent the night. The mountains southeast of Sitka are incredible. Northwest to Cordova on the longest leg of the flight, past the Malaspina glacier which they say is as large as Rhode Island, unbelievably beautiful. Landed at Eyak Lake at Cordova SPB, filled up and headed home. Whales were jumping around Cordova. Did a fly by at Beluga lake so my girlfriend could get a picture and landed. 33.5 hours total flight time.

Wes, glad you are home, just in the nick of time. We are in Seward tonight and probably tomorrow night then we will be DRIVING to Homer. I'll give you a call and hope to pick your brain. I hope to fly from Lake Hood to Juneau and Sitka sometime after the 10th. Would really like some advice on where and how to handle this part of the trip.

I talked to Pat Fenstra on Monday and he had just flown up the same route as you did from WA. Said he had to land on "the big water" twice due to weather. That doesn't sound like something I want to do so your help will be appreciated. You are one lucky guy to be flying around up here, just fantastic. Later, FF

Ford,
PM inbound. Call when you get to Homer.
Wes

Today we got to Homer, AK in our rented chariot(Winnebago). Had lunch at the Land End's Restaurant and then called Wes, aka, headoutdaplane. He was working, flying for Smoke Bay Air and we decided to try and have a beer after his work. Shortly after this call Wes called back and wanted to know if I would like to go with him on a mail delivery. Asked the boss(wife) and she said go, and I did. He had a 206 stuffed with boxes and off we went over a large channel ? and thru a beautiful pass to a First Nation village with a gravel strip. A smooth steep decent and a nice landing, waited a bit for somebody in a truck to show up and off loaded the mail.

Nobody else around, shut the doors and launched, pretty short roll and off we went. Went around a point with good size mountains with plenty of snow and there was another village with a banana shaped gravel strip. Cleaned the belly with the tops of some trees, just kidding, another nice and curved landing, back taxied and took off again with a quick turn to the right. I had forgot how roomy a 206 is and this one performs very well, especially at sea level. Wes does this all day long and makes the approaches/landings in these small strips look routine. My Baja dirt strips are pretty easy compared to these.

Wes said that MTV was a real help in his getting the 182 on straight floats across the country. He also had no idea what Mike's background was and how much he has helped me as well as many others.

Anyway, thank you Wes for a little air time today. I hope we can have that beer as I still would like to chat about the route from Anchorage to Juneau.

One pic is the Homer port where the Time Bandit is parked, the other two is the strip we dropped off the mail, looking both directions. TBC