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First cross country or How to Burn Paycheck

Vlad

Well Known Member
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With this in mind I planned my first cross country trip. Intentions were to double the distance but vacation request was denied and the trip was shortened in half.

There were several contributing factors. I just hit big 50 and still didn't grow up. Paul Dye did 50 rolls and loops on his 50, Rosie threw a big Vegas party worth 50G, what would I do? Let's log 50 hundred miles of high quality x-country flying and spend 50 crispy twenties on gas. Great idea! Extra holiday day earned coupled with two weekends will make the trip for grown kid possible. Did I mention the beach?


Early Friday morning I beat all the traffic to the airport. Anyone can do it at 3 am. 50 minutes drive. Plane was fueled weather checked. There was a front somewhere over Continental Divide but I am still one day away from it. Plus I know at least two people who can influence weather if I give them at least 50 hours advance notice.


Over PA countryside



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passing Akron OH



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stayed out of Cleveland departures


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in four hours


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I arrived at Warsaw. No, not the City of the Treaty.


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Quick fueling, couple pushups and here we go again.


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Approaching Big Lake.


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Crossing it.


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Passed Land of Oshkosh and got closer to Bob Collins and Stein.



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Turned VAF TV on and wow the family is watching. Nice!


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At that time I didn't know that Pete has oxygen refilling station down under.


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Beautiful Minnesota! I did a lot of flying over Europe and Asia when I was twice younger and it reminded me Ural region.



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Somewhere here Hobbs flipped funny digits.



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And in three hours and a change I was approaching Todds Field 14Y with cheap gas and 50 cents CoolAid.



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Third and last leg for the day will end in North Dakota. Landscape started to change. Big white birds were ruling the sky I didn't know what kind but they were up to 6500'.


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Looks like mustard fields of Ukraine collective farms.


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Crossing mighty Missouri River.



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Spotted an interesting crowd on the beach. As somebody told me later these are antelopes.


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Mercer Regional Airport is a dream for transient pilot. Strategically located in the middle of everything of equal distance.


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They have a bedroom available for $50 for two days. Well I paid $25 for one night :) They have courtesy van in excellent shape. The van is indoor in smaller hangar the bedroom key opens that hangar. Supermarket and affordable places with good food only 10 minutes drive.



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My RV was very lucky to sleep in big communal hangar with King Air and Air Tractor. She was very happy. And I will own the cubs :D


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Good night to all!



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Great write up!!!

Great write up Vlad. I admire your "get it done," attitude. Can't wait to hear more details from your trip. The earlier stuff was entertaining!!!
 
Looks like a fun way to celebrate your 50th! Way to go Vlad! Pretty soon a lot of us here are going to be able to say " Yup, I met Vlad "..... (And I did.... last winter at CYRP)

Have YOU met met Vlad? GO VLAD! Happy Birthday!
 
This is quite a crazy way to celebrate your 50th. Few has the guts and stamina for such an adventure! Enjoy your flying and be safe!

Blue sky, tailwind, and LOP!
 
meeting Vlad wasn't on my bucket list, but I'm glad I was a follower and got to be part of his weekend adventure.
 
You guys like him now, wait until he's a couple hundred dollars into you for LUNCHES!! Then we'll see how much of a legend he becomes!!
 
I just hit big 50 and still didn't grow up.

Happy BIG FIVE 0 Vlad.

BTW, remember this post:


At undisclosed location in NC in a hurry. An RVX taxiing to the pump, I am ready to go. Trading words within a minute or less.
Aaaaaaaaaa, youuuu.....
Ya that guy....
I fly to that grass strip often... that grass... what's his name.....
Yaaaaa I know.....
A guy who flys with you... that atc guy come to meet someday... on that grass...
Okay bye bye....

That was me!

Glad you made it out West. I'm from Oregon and Idaho and have had the RV out there several times. Beautiful country!
 
Glad to see you covering "Great gobs oh' Country" thre Vlad - what a great way to celebrate!

Looking forward to the rest of the story.
 
You guys like him now, wait until he's a couple hundred dollars into you for LUNCHES!! Then we'll see how much of a legend he becomes!!

Some things in life you just have to write off. Look at it as repayment for the wonderful stories he tells. Many of us could only dream of the adventures Vlad has had.
 
7S9

Vlad
If you are coming to Aurora, join us for coffee at Lenharts (7S9) on Friday.
The troops arrive from all over about 10 AM. Free coffee and donuts for guys like you and lots of RV's, homebuilts and antiques on the field.

We are 3.5 nm SE of Aurora.
Jim Frisbie
Hangar 63
RV 9A 250 hrs.
 
Happy BIG FIVE 0 Vlad.

BTW, remember this post:




That was me!

!



Tobin I am glad you said it here. Some people didn't believe me :D was nice meeting you at KONX!

Just before you landed a jet blasted me a bit the guy apologized later on other professional forum. He owes me two beers now one for each engine :D

Vlad
If you are coming to Aurora, join us for coffee at Lenharts (7S9) on Friday.
The troops arrive from all over about 10 AM. Free coffee and donuts for guys like you and lots of RV's, homebuilts and antiques on the field.

We are 3.5 nm SE of Aurora.
Jim Frisbie
Hangar 63
RV 9A 250 hrs.


Jim, I am already home. The trip report is coming a bit late. Thanks for invitation.
 
Vlad, I think I met you at KSFQ this summer. There can't be two rv-9s with such an awesome panel clock.

Happy 50th! What a great way to celebrate.

Tailwinds,
Dale
 
Vlad,

I'm sorry I didn't get a chance to meet you when you were here in our area. Dang weather! I hope you come back sometime.

Meanwhile, Happy 50th birthday! What a great way to celebrate!
 
Vlad, I think I met you at KSFQ this summer. There can't be two rv-9s with such an awesome panel clock.

Happy 50th! What a great way to celebrate.

Tailwinds,
Dale


Dale thanks, I think I remember you. Were you around after the rain? Were you looking at my unprimed empennage? :)

Vlad,

I'm sorry I didn't get a chance to meet you when you were here in our area. Dang weather! I hope you come back sometime.

Meanwhile, Happy 50th birthday! What a great way to celebrate!


Bruce there will be always another year. I plan to go OCONUS via your woods someday ;)
 
Hazen ND to Townsend MO

Second day of the trip promised to be very interesting and it was. It even exceeded my expectations. The plan was to fly from ND to MO to visit an aspiring air racer and her driver then direct to Copalis Beach S16. Scores of RVs landed on that one and only FAA airported sand and I was very jealous.

After S16 I planned overnight stop in Yakima, a CubCrafters tour and TonyBoy seeing. KatieB had already arranged everything for me. But Mother Nature had different plans.


Had to wait couple minutes for official sunrise.



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Climbed to even +500' jammed the stick and had a snack. Decades ago military doctors had a theory that dark chocolate stimulates the brain. Let's see how it works.



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Indeed it brightened up the vision. Darkness went away :D



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Landscape was gorgeous.


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Soon I crossed the state line.



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Those little pyramids reminded me burial mounds of mongol ancestors in Kazakhstan.


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Terrain was gradually rising.



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Green Flash

The first photo above reminds me of the "green flash." I have been looking for it for 40 years or so and haven't seen it yet. It does exist and situations like the above would seem ideal to see it.

Anyone seen it from the RV?
 
Sitting in total comfort and enjoying the views. Dark chocolate worked I got smarter. Soon I saw first mountain range. I never took any formal training for mountain flying but I've read a lot about it and had general understanding of those tricky air masses. So, I diverted to this free standing range to check if those articles I read were right.



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Strapped myself tight to the seat and flew straight into the gorgeous.


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One, two, three..... boom... good kick from the rear bottom... ended couple feet high pitch up and in 45 degree bank. My iPad screen went aerobatic, cursed and crashed :D


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Cool. One more time :)



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Nice. Articles were right there are weird airstreams in those valleys.


Time to go back on track. Brian (hydroguy2) is probably tracking me and wonders why I deviated so strangely. After I crossed last range wall and started to decent I heard on advisory: N666BK are you on frequency? Sure I am. Good work Brian you should switch your dam work for ATC :D


Here comes Townsend.


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Runway repavement was completed yesterday. They probably knew I was coming :D



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Aurora was in swimsuit.


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The driver in T-shirt. What they were doing in the hangar I don't know :D


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Brian introduced me to his friends. Cool folks.



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He liked that Catto three bladed prop and thinking of putting one on Aurora.


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Then we went through the town with three churches, five bars and one bank


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to Pink Flamingo for a bite.



It seems to me this town likes everything pink. Roads in the vicinity are pink


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baby antelopes have a slight coral tint



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and reformed school bus is a dream of every bar owner in Greenwich Village



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We ate tasty burritos then Brian and his friends drove me back to the airport. I got great audio tour of the surrounding areas on the way.


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Brian briefed me on best altitudes and told me to come back any time I want. This leg was direct Copalis Beach S16.

Climbing out of Townsend I noticed something deep. I've seen some quarries in Siberia where radar altimeter showed drop several hundred feet below but this hole....



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is deeper. What do they mine here?


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After this lake pretty and hospitable Montana town dissolved. I was on my own.


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Telephone signal was still strong and I was able to pull 5 minutes radar. Things ahead started to change...
 
Holy Hindukush! Stunning beauty and a bit scary! I need to fly over mountains more often. Very unusual feeling. I've already trained myself over open water but over mountains? Not ready yet. Now I know what Tony was talking about.


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Let me get higher, plug the oxygen in and eat more dark chocolate :) Two hours to the beach.


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That's a gold mine near Jefferson City, MT

Also I think the number of Churches and Bars are equal these days...besides in Montana bars are considered a place of worship. :D

No hanky panky in the hangar. I had Aurora stripped down for exhaust repair, she likes to be free.

I was tracking you and saw the deviation towards the Castle Mountains. I figured after coming across ND, you were wondering "what the heck are those big bumps over there?"

Glad to have you stop by. On your trip back I showed Neil and Tracy your APRS tracker page. They really thought it was cool.
 
Vlad, Thanks for reminding me....

...of great memories of my Oshkosh trip in 2010. I stayed in Hazen ND both ways. Going to I stayed in a motel. On the way back I used the room at the FBO. Courtesy van was great. Because of weather I was AOG for an extra day, which I used to tour Lewis & Clark/Sacajawea historical sites.

I have flown through Lolo Pass a number of times. However, on the way back from Oshkosh, I turned south at Bozeman to try to make it through Raynold's Pass. It was closing in so I turned back and stopped at Ennis. Next day, I took the advice of Bill Kidd (a local realtor who was working on his Mooney when I landed, and graciously invited me to stay at his house), and flew direct from Ennis to Lewiston, ID. What a spectacular trip!

Larry Tompkins
N544WB RV-6A
W52, Battle Ground WA
 
...of great memories of my Oshkosh trip in 2010. I stayed in Hazen ND both ways. Going to I stayed in a motel. On the way back I used the room at the FBO. Courtesy van was great. Because of weather I was AOG for an extra day, which I used to tour Lewis & Clark/Sacajawea historical sites.

I have flown through Lolo Pass a number of times. However, on the way back from Oshkosh, I turned south at Bozeman to try to make it through Raynold's Pass. It was closing in so I turned back and stopped at Ennis. Next day, I took the advice of Bill Kidd (a local realtor who was working on his Mooney when I landed, and graciously invited me to stay at his house), and flew direct from Ennis to Lewiston, ID. What a spectacular trip!

Larry Tompkins
N544WB RV-6A
W52, Battle Ground WA

Larry nice place that Hazen isn't it?
 
More then hour to the beach and radar picture doesn't look good there. Layer of condensate got thinner and I jumped underneath.


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I could not make it on top the developing nuclei were shooting deep into class A and I am not instrument rated :D. I descended to a safe altitude and entered a pass.


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What a beautiful scenery they have in WA! Stunning views!


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Hey traffic how is the ceiling there? What? NORDO? OK.


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The guy was quite fast for his craft. Maybe he was running from something. Let me check the radar one more time. Wohoo! Time to ask somebody what's going on. Text goes to Tony, freqs are set for KSEA. Might ask to zoom over them if needed.



There was a gorge which leads on the other side of the range but no way I am entering this stampede without terrain radar and afterburners :D


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Exited the pass. Tony texted the trend the cells were moving my way. He commanded me OUT!


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I caught a glimpse of Seattle skyline before it disappeared in rain. There was an air park I could plop on but a tenant didn't respond to my request a while ago and I don't like sudden show ups. Time to bow out. Too many clouds full of stones.


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The way back was even more spectacular.



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Where else you can see rivers flowing vertically higher then you? On Pandora moon maybe?


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One more traffic... hey guy don't go there!!!


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They should establish an advisory frequency there for self reporting or something. Even here over Hudson river we have a dedicated airwave. Good thing they are all yellow.


Exited the same door where entered.


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If not bladder I would make one more pass in the Pass it was so beautiful. Landed at a tiny airport Cle Elum. Couple moderately dilapidated buildings and nothing else. A young gentleman was doing annual on his 150 I asked about restroom and he pointed to the bush :D Life is good!
 
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The Beach is this close. Let me try from the South.

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I tried here


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and here


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and around there



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No way to get to that shore today. So I picked up a scenic route and enjoyed it all the way to Columbia Gorge Airport KDLS.


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There I fueled, rested a bit, learned that Yakima got beating and called Brian I am coming back to the town with three churches, five bars and one bank. It was late afternoon.


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Bye bye Big Hill. My second cousin told me about you.


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So long Propeller Valley. See you next time I am up for a journey.


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Hello Backcountry. I behave :)


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iPad

Beautiful write up.
What app are you running on the ipad that appears in some of the photos?

Thanks
 
I heard and read others accounts about Idaho backcountry. But I never imagined how magnificent it is. I am very glad I visited that part. There were cells here and there but nothing dangerous.


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Fantastic sights!


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In couple three hours I was back to Montana. Checked a localized fire



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and made straight in approach to 8U8 Townsend.



Something was not right here. I went around.



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Second approach and touch down were sloppy as well. What's going on? I looked at windsock and laughed - I landed with tailwind :D Exhaustion took the toll and that triple click weather thingy was out. In one day from ND to WA and back to MO may be too much but worth every minute.


Brian met me at the ramp and escorted to the bunk where I crashed dead :D


Tomorrow I go East...
 
Sorry you didn't make your destination. From those pics I might have tried a bit harder, but not with your wood prop!

Either way, you got some great pics and a TON of experience. I would have circled Mt. Hood to say hello to my builder!
 
Hello Backcountry. I behave :)


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funny :D but respectful, especially crossing that area late afternoon during the weather we were having. It can go down the crapper fairly quick.

On your straight in, Neil said it looked like you were doing 200mph, saw you go around and figured you would teardrop back in for RY16. the tailwind was 15-20:eek:

didn't mean to just abandon you, but you looked exhausted and needed rest instead of company. Come back and we'll spend of BS time.

Enjoyed your write up.
 
Hazen & Beulah, ND

Well Vlad, after all the time I spent there, I came to several conclusions:

1. Really, really nice people

2. No restaurants The best place to eat in both towns combined was a DQ! The steakhouse was out of business.

3. Each town had a Thrivent Financial planning office.

My speculation is that the local population is overwhelmingly Lutheran, they don't go out to eat and they invest the money they save eating at home with Thrivent (fka Financial Aid for Lutherans) Financial Planning :)

Larry
 
Time to wrap up the write-up

trip took only three days but I can not finish the report in a week


... Neil and Tracy hosted me for the night. Last evening I only remembered a bed but this morning I would clearly see that I was in a palace. This is the guest bedroom in their hangar full of antiquities and aviation history. I woke up well rested 4:30 in the morning, Neil and Tracy were already up. They wished me good luck. Good folks. Famous too, did a lot of good deeds for general aviation.


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Up and on Eastern heading.


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VAF TV doesn't transmit live early morning only recordings. I was trying to wake up a guy or two in Wyoming with no avail. So I turned and explored this rugged state on my own.


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Looks impressive isn't it?


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The deeper into Wyoming the more fascinating it becomes. Sometimes you feel like you are in a space ship somewhere on Mars.



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Then I crossed the most picturesque high elevation forests I've seen in my life. Camera was faltering and images are not of good quality.


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Then a reporter on VAF TV woke up (Diamond) and suggested to turn left to see something and there I went :D


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Where I went? :D


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Clamping pressure on my BOSE became unbearable and I removed it. There was also some scary screaming in it :D Did you notice all my electric instruments quit?



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A circle around forbidden monument and out. It's hot probably radiation from the Tower :D




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Landed at local airport for fuel. There was a retired police cruiser as a courtesy limo but I could not find a key.


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At the airport I met fine gentleman, homebuilder and engineer Glen Sterling and he gave me a ride to the town where we had a breakfast in a rustic settings. I had a great tour! Glen told me several stories about Devils Tower and Big Chief who is in charge of guarding evil spirit. Sometimes when they see airplane close to the Tower they ride to the airport and put some heat on unaware pilot :D


I offered Glen a ride and he gladly agreed. Being pilot himself he was impressed with RV.



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I overstayed for couple hours. My domestic ATC already asked what I am doing there so long. These controllers guys are so good at calculating time :D I may not be able to make it home tonight.
 
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High elevations ended and there was pretty much familiar terrain.


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Stop at Le Mars for fuel and weather. Nobody around. SS pumps are simple trucks without CC readers. They do have 91 octane unleaded I poured 18 gallons and left my address where to send the bill.



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A bit of RV comedy. Our aircrafts are so stable and cockpits so roomy you can trim it off and take a nap :D



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Somewhere over here a text message came. It was sent from flight levels I strongly believe.

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The message said if I encounter some weather I could land here.



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I didn't land there I landed here.


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Took this government bus and drove to Holiday Inn Express of Van Wert, OH



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Next morning after quick three hour run I was back in Hondaland at Princeton Airport I took off three days ago.


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38 hours flight time in three days. $1,023 on fuel. Now it's time to throttle down. Almost 500 hobbs hours and it's time for first condition inspection.




Oh, forgot the beach. I couldn't make that beach S16 so I flew to some desolate stretch of sand on my coast for simulated engine out practice. Guess what I found in my wheel pants?
 
Mars

The deeper into Wyoming the more fascinating it becomes. Sometimes you feel like you are in a space ship somewhere on Mars.

Vlad....no doubt when Van designs his kit for the RVX-9A Galactic Explorer Kit....you will build one and go on Vladventures to Mars when you get 4 day weekends!!! :D
 
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