John & Anne Wiley

2010/07/23

Jackson to Jackson

Filed under: Aviation,Flying,Happiness,Has Photos,Inner World,Nature,NxNW Adventure,Random,Tripp — John @ 05:09

First some catch-up: Tripp’s cover didn’t last. I tore it this evening trying to pull it tightly closed. The faulty instrument turned out to be the auxiliary fuel pump (working fine, but noisy and seldom used so I didn’t think to check if the switch was on!). The fog didn’t lift until 10am, and we heard on the radio it was clearing at SBA then too (oh well). We didn’t actually take off until 11am.

Because we had full fuel, Tripp flew more like Flash used to with a lighter load. Well, not that sluggish. But we did need to divert North a bit to climb over the Sierra Madre before turning direct to Kernville. On that detour we passed close to the Jackson estate so I snapped this.

8034 Michael Jackson's Neverland

8034 Michael Jackson's Neverland

So just after takeoff, our trip began with a Jackson moment.

Since things were going well,  just past Bakersfield we turned slightly more North heading toward Tonopah and crossed the Sierras not far South of Mt. Whitney. Tripp faithfully hauled us up to 10,000′ or so, and Flash couldn’t have done that even without the baggage and 64 gallons of fuel aboard. Go Tripp!

8047 High Sierras

8047 High Sierras

I think one of the peaks is Mt. Whitney, but I haven’t figured it out and of course it looks different on every flight due to the different angles we see.

The valley presented the unusual as usual. This time the colors, textures and shapes were different not just due to our different route further North and flying higher, but also the rainy spring. I like this snap on its side, because my eye is less trapped by knowing what it is so I can more fully enjoy the Art of it.

8056 Geo Art

8056 Geo Art

I love so many of the photos from today, but I’ll skip ahead so this doesn’t get too long. Wish you could fly along with us and see how much more magnificent our planet is, than words or photos can begin to describe.

8074 Tonopah

8074 Tonopah

We stopped at Tonopah to check weather and stretch our legs. There are some fascinating decrepit old WWII hangars there, and this new building at the other end. Turned out it was too hot for a real walk and their internet wasn’t working. So back aboard our magic for more enchanted memories.

After a full day of glorious flying and geographic art, we arrived at today’s other Jackson: Jackson Hole, WY. We’d only been here once, as part of a long driving trip decades ago. So fun to see it from the air coming in, and tomorrow we’ll probably go for a closer look before continuing on toward WI. For now, we sleep, and dream about this unbelievable day.

8163 Jackson Hole WY

8163 Jackson Hole WY

Smoke clinging to the peaks appears to be from a wildfire. Hope it’s clear tomorrow.

2010/07/22

Warmth

Filed under: Aviation,Happiness,Has Photos,Inner World,NxNW Adventure,People,Random,Relationships — John @ 00:01

It looks like we’ll be taking off today despite a bunch of last minute glitches. Of course, we haven’t gone to the airport yet to make sure Tripp’s ready and willing to carry us beneath her sturdy wings.

As we ripped through lists in the last few days an especially heartwarming thing began to happen. Friends and neighbors spontaneously offered to keep and eye on our place. It feels so good to receive their caring in this way! The first time it happened the warmth of this offering swept over us in a wave. As others have come forward, we’re swimming in warm seas of support. It’s not the increased chance our modest home will be intact for our return. Much more, the experience of being cared about and that people “have our backs.” Wonderful!

The other theme of warmth we’re exploring today, is what the weather looks like on the first leg – north to Yellowstone. We’ll be lucky to take off before dusk, so today’s hop may be short. Maybe just to Kernville airport at Lake Isabella, unless we decide to fly by the light of the half moon and land in the dark somewhere in the desert of NV or UT and hope for a hotel. For a glimpse of the warmth, here’s a contour map of Celsius surface temperatures from this afternoon. Hopefully the high desert locations will cool down in the evening!

AfternoonSurfaceTemps

Afternoon Surface Temps

Could be worse I guess, since those purple areas are about 100-110F. Maybe the white part is on fire?

2010/07/09

Shall We?

Filed under: Aviation,Flying,Happiness,Has Photos,NxNW Adventure,Random,Tripp — John @ 04:08

We’re seriously contemplating a “North by Northwest Adventure” – another long flying trip – this time in Tripp. This time going to the aviation extravaganza that was called “Oshkosh” when I first began dreaming about it 30 years ago. Now it’s apparently AirVenture, but is still at KOSH airport in Wisconsin. The dream right now is a two-day flight out, several days tenting KOSH and flying the area by day (maybe into the DC area), then up into Canada and across to at least Edmonton. Probably then on to Smithers, BC and then detour back to follow the Alcan Highway up to Alaska before heading home down the West Coast. Lots of planning already happening beyond what was required for Big Adventure I, due to the border crossings and possible DC flying.

So we’re seeking your help. Shall we go for it? Which of the two initial tentative routes on the map below do you suggest, and why? Where are the places we must see on the fairly direct flight to KOSH, and the slower flight from there? Any stops with on-airport camping that you’d recommend on these routes? Should we carry a bear gun even though we’ll be flying the highways? Any other questions we should be asking?

BA2 Route v.2

BA2 Route v.2 (click to enlarge)

So above are the current options on the table. As with most images on this blog, click to enlarge and keep clicking until you’ve seen the largest version. The orange line from SBA to OSH is our second idea, enabling a glimpse at more states (yes we’re going back in early Fall!). Also possibly a detour in SD to see Badlands and Rushmore at least from the air. This will be our first time flying there, though we’ve toured by car before we met. You’re invited to Comment or use the Contact link to reach us privately. More news as it happens…

2010/07/05

Flying the Fireworks!

Filed under: Aviation,Flying,Happiness,Has Photos,Random,SB Region,Tripp — John @ 05:42

At past fireworks displays we’ve seen, I noticed plane(s) circling and wondered what it would look like from up there. So this year, with Tripp tied to the ground looking frisky out at SBA, we decided to check out the show from above.

7682 Wow!

7682 Wow!

The first one we saw evoked a gasp! How truly magnificent it was from the air! Even though we were 1/2 mile away it was crisp and breathtaking. Something about slowly circling them gave a special “3D” quality to the display. Plus we were above all the smoke that usually dims the show from the ground. The only thing missing was the “Oooh” from the watching crowd, but we did see a surging flicker of camera flashes all during the show for miles in every direction. In the one above, you can see lights of Stearn’s Wharf on the left and harbor on the right, and light reflecting on the sands of West Beach. Note that some of these are much larger than the version displayed with this text, so if there’s one you like you can click on it.

7641 Well Red

7641 Well Red

Because we were above the smoke, colors were especially brilliant and the light reflecting from the white sands of West Beach amplified the effect.

7651 Fire Flower

7651 Fire Flower

The smoke was gently wafting out over the water, so when we were flying over the water the smoke showed up more as backlit foreground. After some high bursts, lower ones would be partially in smoke and this one created a pink floral arrangement effect.

7661 Canon Fire

7661 Canon Fire

We enjoyed the fluffy white ones, and the way the starbust accented it. I also like how this snap caught the canons firing more.

7734 Green Machine

7734 Green Machine

I like how the sand bar mingles with the reflected green in this one, and how the wharf joins beach and harbor to frame the next against the inky black water.

7755 Framed Fire

7755 Framed Fire

7791 Red Domination

7791 Red Domination

Timing is everything. As the blue was just fading, the red burst and all but wiped out the brilliant blue that still remained.

7830 Blue Streaks

7830 Blue Streaks

The smoke from the previous firework blooms anew in blue as the next burst lights it from close by.

7934 Red Curtain

7934 Red Curtain

There’s a curtain of red trailing to the beach below this one.

7954 Finale

7954 Finale

Another plane joined us at the end, so we went further out to give them a spot closer to the show. Just as the spectacular finale began we went behind the smoke, but this shot of the start captures some of the intensity. Wish these photos could begin to convey how amazing this was! I wonder if watching fireworks in any other way will ever be the same.

2010/07/04

BFR

Filed under: Aviation,Flying,Happiness,Inner World — John @ 02:51

Pilots already know what this post is about, but for everyone else BFR = Biennial flight review, yet another safety feature for aviation. Basically it means that every two years, pilots go flying with an expert flight instructor who reviews our knowledge and skills. This is my second one (both with Terry Harris), and again I had fun and learned some things.

This time we purposely flew into IMC (more pilot jargon, basically meaning clouds in this case). My license and interests both prohibit that kind of flying, but like all pilots I’ve had some training in it and like many pilots I wanted to practice my skills. So flying with Terry today gave me the opportunity to safely and legally practice flying in clouds with someone who teaches airline pilots how to do that. 🙂

Santa Barbara was uncharacteristically cooperative in this. Usually our town has clear skies this time of year, as it did yesterday and probably will tomorrow. Today though, the low clouds lingered late into the afternoon. ATC (sorry, Air Traffic Control) cooperated too, by allowing us to fly a long time at the altitude that would put us in clouds.

By now any non-pilots reading this may be muttering, “Why would you make so much effort to fly in clouds, when you could easily have flown in the clear above or below the thin layer?” Because I never fly in clouds, I want to feel confident in case I ever have to. It’s very rare, but sometimes pilots have inadvertently flown into clouds and become disoriented. I was already comfortable, and now I’m more confident.

I found it tiring, because there was a lot to keep track of with the added layer of complexity involved in following ATC instructions rather than just putting the plane on a course for getting back out of the clouds we simulated having inadvertently flown into. I’m glad of that extra distraction, because it further increased my comfort in handling extra challenges.

The fun part though, is getting even more comfortable with an entirely different type of flying than my normal. Rather than trusting my body’s strong signals about what to do, I demonstrated ability to trust what the instruments and my brain were telling me. If you’ve never done this, no amount of verbiage can convey the experience. Nor does flying with “foggles” that simulate flying in clouds by blurring your view outside the cockpit. Flying without visual reference like in actual clouds has magical powers to confound your senses. It feels like navigating around on a constantly tilting surface in total darkness – weightless. Unlike foggles that often leave me mildly nauseous, flight in clouds is just slightly giddy and dizzy feeling.

Now I have a question for you: was this totally boring? I’m curious, because it’s obviously of interest to me but I don’t know if anyone else cares about stuff like this. 🙂

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