I'm headed up Sunday for an eyeball but I'll have to fly back commercial after finalizing things and getting the airplane down from 86WA to Scappoose. We're going to give it a good looking over but we've decided that at the price with all the paperwork more or less in order, I'll be money ahead even if I have to part it out.
I don't have enough time to knock all the rust off my sorry pilot ass, get sufficient dual to keep the insurance company happy and get back before life requires me to be home. I'll head back up mid month and bring Patches to Reno.
It's strange really. I've been looking for the "perfect" airplane for so long and this damn thing sure ain't it, but I'm also convinced that it ain't out there. I'm trading my Harley for this one, more or less. Both machines weigh about the same but the Luscombe has a bit more power; it's just transferred different. I can barely touch the ground with both feet on the Harley. In the Luscombe I hope I never do.
Theres a lot of damn black water under the bridge since I last owned an airplane. A couple of times this week I've wondered what the heck I'm doing. I'm certain I can fly, I'm just not sure the "system" is ready for my participation again. The last time I flew into a controlled field the tower yelled at me because I didn't repeat their taxi instructions back before moving. Hell, they're looking at me out the tower windows for crying out loud, they can see where I'm going as well as I can. Things change don't they? I've never liked that.
A word of warning to all you young jacks out there. Stay current. I feel like I'm about to climb a mountain and I'm out of wind before I've even started. I used to be the smartest son of a biscuit on the beach you know? Not so much any more.
I need a GPS to come home on I guess. I'll get a Seattle, Klamath Falls and Frisco sectional and probably put a pencil line on there and keep a time distance speed log just because I always have. My current GPS is a Lowrance 100. You can google that. I think I'm going to get a Garman 696 with XM just because, but I don't want to buy it right away. Between the charts and the dinosaur GPS and the TDS log I'll probably not get too lost. I need an Airport directory too. What's the pattern altitude at podunk? I just haven't thought about this stuff for awhile. It's embarrassing. Headset, check, spare handheld radio, check, camera, check. Coffee thermos and a pisspot? I probably should get a Stealth 170 or similar so I can regale us all with my 600 mile +/- saga. That would be cool. One fuel stop. Montegue? Yeah, that's the ticket. Maybe I'll come down the east side through the gorge though. Bend, Klamath Falls then nothin'. Just all that beautiful country that's been outside too long. It's wore out. Or the west route. Salem, Eugene, Roseburg, Montegue, then follow 395 over the hill. Yeah. Nice ride. About 25 gallons of gas.

Hard to beat that.
I'm just talking out loud here because it's late. There's probably two dozen places to stop for lunch. They'll have to roll me out of the airplane I'll be so fat. I'll keep y'all posted so you can keep a lookout. I'll be in the little 8C with the missing paint job. Me and Patches don't need no stinking paint.
EB