mountainmatt wrote:Looks like you had favorable conditions for your flight home today. Have a safe and fun trip back home.
Thank you. We had a good trip. Left KLMO at 2:00. Flew north and then west around the top of the mountain range, skirting rain showers. Bucked some good headwinds after we turned west, seeing ground speeds in the 80's of mph. Flew my left fuel tank to exhaustion after 2hrs and 45min. and switched to the right. I was planning for KEMM but the winds were 18 gusting 27 with enough crosswind component that I wasnt very comfortable with landing there. I looked for more favorable landing locations but everything seemed to be pretty strong on the ground (for me to be comfortable). Found Logan, Utah in a little protected pocked with single digit winds. Perfect! Calculate fuel.... plenty.
Landed KLGU at about 6:15. Pretty spot. Very green and surrounded by mountains. There is a tower on the field that is no longer in use. It looks pretty modern. I dont know when it was converted away from being towered. We went inside the FBO to see about fuel and accommodations. Inside were two young girls running the store. I happened to ask them about the unused towers and one of them volunteered that the tower was in use when it was a military base in WWI or WWII. I'm not making that up. The airport probably came around due to WWII, like so many of them but ........ anyway.
We found no place to simply crash for the night here. I didnt want to go into town for a hotel as I wanted an speedy departure in the morning. We decided to get fueled quickly and move on. I calculated time to Gooding, Idaho and decided it was no problem to get there with good daylight still; about 8:30. We had be to Gooding (KGNG) on our way east and found it to be a pretty laid-back little farm-land airport. They have a nice little pilot lounge too. So we launched from Logan for points west.
Arrival at KGNG was as planned and uneventful. I topped off the one tank we had been running and and tied town for the night. Inside the pilots lounge we found two couches, a vending machine, bathrooms & showers, and a map that covers an entire wall. I love those things!! We crashed on the couches. I was up at 4:40am; my dad shortly after that. We gathered ourselves slowly after a poor nights sleep and headed for the plane. Outside we found the two air tractors that base there out on the ramp and ready to go spray some fields. Also, a small helicopter with spray booms. They all took off for work while watched and munched on my breakfast of animal cookies.
We rolled out at 6:00 for KGCD Grant County. This is a cool spot; never been here before either. Inside there pilot lounge that have really nice bunk beads with new-looking mattresses. It looks to me like you could throw your sleeping bag up there and be well-rested in the morning. Darn the luck!! This place is also in a very picturesque surrounding. I recommend it.
Topped up the tanks and made the last leg of the trip back home. Landed in my yard and taxied up to the house at about 10:30. I made it home completely unscathed. No one is more surprised than me!
After unloading the plane, I climbed back into the pilot seat and figured out a way to mount my ipad landscape direction so I will no longer be afflicted with VVS (vertical video syndrome). I want to apologize to all that I harmed.
I also want to thank the army of strangers on here who were willing to take tme out of there busy lives to offer me information, advise, and guidance.
Thank you,
Jeff
