That ranch is just east of Beckorth / Nervino and north of Truckee maybe 25 miles or so. The high ridge is in Nevada.

tweeker

It's been hot here in the Central Valley this holiday weekend, but that hasn't stopped me from climbing in the sweatbox 180 the past couple days for some buttkicking pattern work through the afternoon thermals.

Took a little break from the takeoff and landing circuits to head over and check out the preparations for Barron Hilton's fireworks show in the Delta off Mandeville Island. Every year he brings a barge out into the shipping channel and shoots a buttload of fireworks off between his house and duck club. It brings out up to 3,000 boats to watch, as it is inaccessible from land. Looked like there were only 500 - 1,000 boats this year, I'm guessing. Maybe the attendance has dropped since they closed Lost Isle. Hilton puts on an incredible fireworks show, and what can be even more impressive is watching a couple thousand drunk boaters all try to leave in the dark at the same time to get back home. Hilton does it right - he flys in and out by helicopter.



I must have been there a little too early this afternoon, didn't seem that enough bikini top lubrication had been consumed to get some of them to come off. Course with the bright blue paint and big N numbers I wasn't gonna get TOO close.

Sorry my pics suck, I need to get a better camera.

Flynengr

I flew over the delta today too on my way back from socal, not as many boats in the morning though but there were still quite a few.


I found this strip about 3 miles from my Wife's parent's house. It sits on top of a 3800ft ridge and its a little over 1600ft long. We tried to go up there and get permission to land but its gated off on both sides, I haven't been able to find any contact info online either. The strip is on an area known as Sky Haven Ranch just above Lake Hughes, it used to be owned by Roy Rogers. It would be a cool place to land when we fly down there, and a lot closer than Lancaster. Does anyone here know anything about the strip?

Rob,
I have flown over that strip a few times also. Never had the nerve to land there yet without permission. There are a couple more uncharted airstrips around there also.

I saw another strip just north of there by Shea's Castle, it had faded out X's on it.

Way up high in Nevada

Just ran to Skagway and back to drop off my daughter to pick up fishing clients. A bit rough due to wind but two really good landings.

Shorton, how is the fishing your way? Have you been getting a lot of rain ?

Flynenger this is about 7 miles west of hiltons fireworks. We were there all weekend.
Robw56 this is about 5 miles sw of rio vista. Avid knows where it is.
It was shot with an iphone and my buddy had never stood at the liftoff end of the strip.
I was going to post this in aktahoe's practice strip post. Anyway there is a 1200ft practice strip in the delta.

To a crane job I completed yesterday. I had been eyeballing the road landing while working there the last few days, and as I know the guy who owns the property/road and he affirmed it was still his and not a county road yet it was go for landing. The contractor/builder is his son, and I needed to get a bill to him today so it could get paid on the next bank draw, a day later it would take a month longer to get paid. As I was coming back from a quick trip to northern Nevada I dropped in and handed the bill over, saved a stamp too!

You can't see it but the road has a crook right where it goes out of the frame to the left, so pretty short but it had a little uphill slope which helped. The trac hoe and skid loader were urban obstructions, and presented some challange both on landing and takeoff. This was my first landing on asphalt, though off airport, in months. . Though I go into smaller hard surfaced airports fairly regularly, I always land on the gravel or grass along the tarmac, that's why I have bushwheels, and why they still look like new.

The only thing I saw you catch was your VG's... Was that bag really full of fish??

Very nice I must say. Really nice airplane!! Minnesota is a great place!!

AKT

Not as exciting as those of you who went somewhere...drove to STK, flew 20 minutes or so to Merino CO, back to STK and changed out the brake pads..then drove 47 miles back home.

The bag was only part of it in order to harass my uncle Dan and keep him guessing. So alas no, it was the wrong time of day on that lake. Trout there usually hit in the evening. But I could only get Jim to fly the Found over there after lunch. I REALLY need to get floats back on the Cub so I dont have to keep bumming rides to the better waters!

It's a great state to fly in. We have access to a large percentage of the waters for skis and floats. And a good % of the population has grown up with airplanes as part of the natural mix.

BDR, the video is nicely done. When I was a kid I use to spend my summers up in Ely. Have you every been there?
Just asking.
Ken in Alaska

Nice, Brad. I wish I could get back to MN again this summer, but there's too much to do around here. Glad to see you posting videos again.

BRD nice video. Really nice plane!!

Troutdale to Sandy River to get Paul my safety pilot. I got to go out and shoot 6 instrument approaches. RNAV 17, 34 and LOC 17 at Aurora, Oregon. Then RNAV 22, 4 and ILS 22 at McMinnville, Oregon. Then down to Independence for lunch and back to Sandy River to drop off safety pilot Paul.

Then started the oil change and clean spark plugs. Finished the day at the local car cruise in. Must of been 700 cars and bikes. Great day!

Cheers...Rob

Hi Ken, My uncle and aunt live in Ely (Bearhead State Park area on Pickerel lake) so yes we get up there quite often. It's a beautiful part of the state with lots of water (not all of it is in the BWCA). One of the few places in the lower 48 where you see canoes being hauled on float struts (legally anyway...

I hear you're heading off to Merry Old England instead Zane...what have they got we don't? Besides "old world charm", and even higher fuel prices?

Thanks Rob, we just shot some video so I could edit/play with FCPX for the first time. A few things to work out yet, but so far, despite all the naysayers, I REALLY like it! Much more intuitive and faster than FCP7.

BRD wrote:I hear you're heading off to Merry Old England instead Zane...what have they got we don't? Besides "old world charm", and even higher fuel prices?

Somehow, Minnesota just didn't make the cut for the honeymoon. Although I'm not sure why-- we could have found funny accents, bad teeth, and fried food in any respectable MN town.