Well, I planned out everything for May Creek. My wife threw in a last minute audible and here we are in ... Barrow. Stopped for dinner at the Bettles Lodge. The new owner, Eric, was very accommodating. Lynn made us some smoked pork sandwiches and a homemade potato salad that were fantastic. The flight through Anaktuvuk Pass was amazing. There is literally nothing for 200 mile after that. Wow. Photos to come later. Pretty cool landing with the Arctic Ocean on both sides of you.

Gonna visit the point and the heritage center tomorrow. We'll see later if we get weather to come home. Might be residents here based on the recent weather patterns.

Brett

Sounds like a cool trip! I wanted to head up there to see it before I left but the timing never worked out.

I had to get some tractor implements out of the hangar (swapping out the PTO snowblower and front snow blade on the Kubota for the brush hog, first runway mowing is coming up) , and as a result I had to open the hangar door. Then I figured as long as the door was open, better pull the plane out, making it easier to maneuver the tractor. Next thing I know 15 minutes later, tractor work forgotten, I was at 8100' at a ridge top site I visit a few times a year. Dead calm winds so I was able to land it a different direction then usual. It's always fun to mix it up a bit. The wildflowers, while not at their peak yet, are starting to appear



Then, on the short flight home, I found a new site and did the usual: eyeballed it as I flew by, then turned around a minute later and went back for another look, then starting making faux approaches, probably 15 at least, then landed it. The near center ridge top, with the 5' brush on short final, surprisingly no big rocks like nearly all the other ridge tops in the area. It looked too good to be true so I was suspicious and finally decided it wasn't trying to sucker me in.

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Though I took off on the opposite side of the ridge (about a 8 mph cross wind on landing, but right on the nose for takeoff) it was a similar slope. To an old hang glider pilot like me these steeper take off sites are a godsend and a no brainer. Other then the novice mistake of stalling out they are idiot proof, just point the nose down and before the throttle is all the way in you are outa there.



Then it started raining, again, and we are socked in today, again. Been one hell of a wet spell here. One more shot, short final, i think I drug the tail wheel through that brush, it's always amazing how just a little obstruction like that can shorten the available LZ.

Awesome. This is the type of flying that I look forward to doing.

Barrow to Nome yesterday by way of Kotz. Dropped the names of a couple folks on here while in Kotz and got either the cold shoulder or demands for debt repayment. Interesting.

Did some touring today around town and the surrounding areas. Hoping to make our way to anchorage tomorrow. Haven't checked the weather for it yet. Also haven't decided on lake hood or Merrill. Would really like to go to LH, but I'm concerned about the availability for transient parking. Read everything from Cam's thread on procedures and where to find the transient area.

Brett

At least it wasn't, "Have you seen my Daddy?"

Gump

UH-60andC-180 wrote:Barrow to Nome yesterday by way of Kotz. Dropped the names of a couple folks on here while in Kotz and got either the cold shoulder or demands for debt repayment. Interesting.

ROFL. You're obviously going to have to start consorting with better than the likes of us to get any benefit out of name dropping!!!

With Memorial Day weekend booming, no better time to be off the highways and cruising the skies. The Bacon Strip Spring Fly-In was to be this weekend, so with half an idea of how to get there and a sectional chart, we were off.

First stop, Brian Ranch for the annual "World's Smallest Airshow" consisting of ultrlights, skydivers, and LSAs. Neat place.



Plus they have a U-Pick orchard with seasonal fruit.



But that was too tame, so headed off to visit a buddy's private strip before then hopping onto the placid surface of El Mirage Dry Lake. Watch out for land sailers!



Finally, after much traversing of desert and canyons, the Bacon Strip Ranch was found.



And although only one other plane showed up that afternoon (weather in the LA Basin kept many at bay), a grand time was had with those in attendance. Certainly worth having some future fly-outs here! The facilities really are snazzy for such a far-out place.



Then, the next day, with visions of lake beds still on the mind, a quick stop at Rabbit Island at Lake Isabella was due. Was a little breezy, but the winds seem to favor the "runway" heading quite well.



But it's really the dry lake beds that beckoned, so on up the Owens to Cinder Cone Dry Lake. A popular glider land-out field; even has a windsock.



And the cinder cone by which to name the place.



But wait, there's a trail...



So after a brief walk through the apocalypse...



You reach the end of the world.





Oh, and there's still tomorrow. So we'll see where that goes.

Fiddler wrote: ....Finally, after much traversing of desert and canyons, the Bacon Strip Ranch was found. And although only one other plane showed up that afternoon (weather in the LA Basin kept many at bay), a grand time was had with those in attendance. Certainly worth having some future fly-outs here! The facilities really are snazzy for such a far-out place.



.

If that other plane was a polished & green RV6, that was my buddy Warren from Pahrump. I emailed him sat morning & told him about the fly-in. Too bad there wasn't any turnout to speak of. He thought it was a petty cool place though.

After another night of pelting rain I felt lucky to have an opening in the weather long enough to dash into the sky for a few laps of the pattern. Another wave of showers chased me back to the hangar with just 3/10ths on the tach.

I would guess my fellow Colorado aviators agree: it is about time for some clear skies!

Back at the hangar watching the showers over W-Mountain:



Tucked away after a rain bath:

Tuckerman's Ravine still has some snow.

Logging some more hours.

AK_Logan wrote:Logging some more hours.

Hey, I recognize that broken to overcast.

We departed nome after breakfast, had lunch (microwave sandwiches from the general store), and made it into Kenai via ptarmigan pass. Success getting through the mountains was in the balance for a bit, nut the rain showers and 3K ceiling stayed clear of Ptarmigan.

What a tremendous adventure for our family. The kids don't understand the distances and variety of experiences, but we sure do. Into lake hood tomorrow afternoon for some time with in-laws before returning to fairbanks Saturday. Hope to write it up fully, but following through with a TR is always a challenge.

Brett

UH-60andC-180 wrote:

AK_Logan wrote:Logging some more hours.

Hey, I recognize that broken to overcast.

We departed nome after breakfast, had lunch (microwave sandwiches from the general store), and made it into Kenai via ptarmigan pass. Success getting through the mountains was in the balance for a bit, nut the rain showers and 3K ceiling stayed clear of Ptarmigan.

What a tremendous adventure for our family. The kids don't understand the distances and variety of experiences, but we sure do. Into lake hood tomorrow afternoon for some time with in-laws before returning to fairbanks Saturday. Hope to write it up fully, but following through with a TR is always a challenge.

Brett

I lucked out and it never got below 4800 and then the clouds parted and it got really warm in the front seat with the sun shining

Got out to sniff around the Monarch Pass area east of Gunnison. I was looking for a window in the weather to cross into the Arkansas River Valley and onward into the Denver metro. Turns out the briefer was right--mountain obscuration. Dang! Not even entertaining the idea of asking my 85 horses to haul me up for VFR-on-top, I decided to putter on back to Gunni. The upside is that the rain has turned our high mountain desert a beautiful lush green, and I got to add 1.6 to the tach on a Tuesday when I should have been working!

Kenai into Lake Hood. YES!!!! That was so cold! Cam, it's worth whatever to get in there once. Crossed Turnigan Arm at Potter and did the Tudor Overpass arrival. I'd only studied it for a couple years. Helped that I was 5 miles behind a bearhawk and just tried to sound as cool as he was. More difficult to visually find the strip than I though.

Greased the landing though a little long. Off at hotel 2, through the gate, lakeshore drive, right on victor, left into Alpha parking, and found the transient spots in the back.

I'm sure it's hum-drum for a lot of folks. It wasn't for me. Wish I'd taken pictures, but it doesn't matter. Helio Courier after sky wagon, after beaver, after super cub, after bush hawk. Wish I could have walked the lake, but not time today. We'll be here until the weekend, so maybe another day.

Brett

UH-60andC-180 wrote:Kenai into Lake Hood. YES!!!! That was so cold! Cam, it's worth whatever to get in there once. Crossed Turnigan Arm at Potter and did the Tudor Overpass arrival. I'd only studied it for a couple years. Helped that I was 5 miles behind a bearhawk and just tried to sound as cool as he was. More difficult to visually find the strip than I though.

Greased the landing though a little long. Off at hotel 2, through the gate, lakeshore drive, right on victor, left into Alpha parking, and found the transient spots in the back.

I'm sure it's hum-drum for a lot of folks. It wasn't for me. Wish I'd taken pictures, but it doesn't matter. Helio Courier after sky wagon, after beaver, after super cub, after bush hawk. Wish I could have walked the lake, but not time today. We'll be here until the weekend, so maybe another day.

Brett

Sweet! Way to go!

UH-60andC-180 wrote:Kenai into Lake Hood. YES!!!! That was so cold! Cam, it's worth whatever to get in there once. Crossed Turnigan Arm at Potter and did the Tudor Overpass arrival. I'd only studied it for a couple years. Helped that I was 5 miles behind a bearhawk and just tried to sound as cool as he was. More difficult to visually find the strip than I though.

Greased the landing though a little long. Off at hotel 2, through the gate, lakeshore drive, right on victor, left into Alpha parking, and found the transient spots in the back.

I'm sure it's hum-drum for a lot of folks. It wasn't for me. Wish I'd taken pictures, but it doesn't matter. Helio Courier after sky wagon, after beaver, after super cub, after bush hawk. Wish I could have walked the lake, but not time today. We'll be here until the weekend, so maybe another day.

Brett

Cool! I'm hoping to be able to fly either the gravel pit or the tudor. We'll see what they let me do. Hopefully I've got local traffic to follow, too!

Felix wrote:

Tranquility

Logged some time in a Beaver on wheels today. Also got two pulls to 3k in a glider. I had no idea acro in a glider would be so much fun! They sure get quiet on the top of a wingover .