John & Anne Wiley

2011/03/06

Colors

Filed under: Aviation,Flying,Happiness,Has Photos,Inner World,People,Random,Relationships,SB Region,Tripp,White North Adventure — John @ 04:27

It started when Anne looked out the window this morning in San Jose and shouted “There’s so much Color!” Then she turned to me, and pointing to her eyes said  “My rods and cones are flooding!” She was talking of course about seeing bright colors for the first time in weeks, because snow covers and dims colors as do overcast skies. After a warm time with sisters, brother-in-law and niece in San Jose, we got a late start and flew Tripp relatively fast (120kias) and high (7.5kagl) to arrive abeam Lompoc just as the sun slipped into the relatively warm Pacific.

5906 Sunset Welcome

5906 Sunset Welcome

Coming out of San Jose, ATC asked me to make a rapid climb to help another pilot, and Tripp so easily obliged he was startled (not knowing when I told him she’s a 172, that she’s a Q model and that makes a big difference when we want to go up quickly). Most people familiar with planes have never heard of a 172Q, so it’s fun to show her off. Two pilots casually looking her over at the Spokane airport asked about the “Cutlass II” logo on her side. “Isn’t that a retractable?” “No, the nickname for that type is ‘Gutless’ due to all the extra weight of the landing gear mechanism.” It was fun watching their eyes get big when I quoted them some of Tripp’s performance statistics. Then they looked at her again with admiring expressions, imagining having that performance and the 172’s frugal operating expenses.

Now our Trusty Tripp (as we sometimes call her) has brought us home to SBA. Driving home from the airport felt familiar, as if today’s flight were just around town. It was great to see our place all tidy and welcoming thanks to friends. We’ve turned the gas, water softener and assorted electronics back on, the fan’s running to air the place out, and we’re having fun doing the first round of unpacking.

Though tired we’re energized with an inner glow. Our hearts, minds and eyes are overflowing with colorful memories of people, places and flying. Now the notion of flying into hard Winter no longer seems exotic. Like having flown from San Diego to Maine to Florida and back on our Big Adventure, or from here to Sault Ste. Marie to Alaska and back on our NxNW Adventure, such things seem almost as familiar as a hop over to look at Neverland Ranch.

Which is better: to go on an adventure, or to arrive home from one?

Seems to me each is made more wonderful by the other, and both gain immensely from sharing with the Perfect Partner. 🙂

2011/03/05

Change

Filed under: Aviation,Flying,Happiness,Has Photos,Inner World,Nature,People,Random,Relationships,Tripp,White North Adventure — John @ 17:59

Sometimes things turn out differently than we imagine. We start the day dreaming of a stop in Boise for lunch with our precious friend, and an interesting easy flight to San Jose. Looking out the window of our Spokane hotel, noticing the gathering clouds we begin to wonder what will come from this difference from the forecast. Looking online, it soon became clear the day would involve some change.

After a quick tour through beautiful Spokane on the way back to the airport, we changed to a nearly direct route to San Jose.

5864 Farewell Spokane

5864 Farewell Spokane

We soon discovered another change from the forecast: strong headwinds. Flying at our normal speed we weren’t going much faster than cars on the freeway. Of course, they had to bend many miles this way and that while our route was a straight line in most places. When we went through mountains, I more closely followed the highways as an extra safety measure. In that terrain with lots of snow and trees, it adds landing options near helpful people and most airports are dotted along highways. Sometimes I imagine what it was like for barnstormers whose planes weren’t so reliable and when highways and airports were very rare. Unlike the forecast, we only saw the sun a few times. But we did of course see lots of spectacular sights from a vantage point those cars on the highway couldn’t imagine.

5868 Lake Abert

5868 Lake Abert

We started off with ample fuel to reach San Jose, because Tripp gets great mileage and has large tanks. The headwinds of course changed that, and we decided to stop in Alturas, CA near the Oregon border just South of Goose Lake at the eastern corner. Opening the door my vision of warm California instantly changed to remembering Winter in high desert is not warm (15mph wind blowing across snowy fields at 35F). A shortcut we planned from there through Mt. Lassen Volcanic National Forrest changed when I noted the road wasn’t plowed, so we didn’t turn direct to San Jose until near Redding. By then it was getting dark, so the brilliant lights of I-5 were a welcome sight.

This morning waking in San Jose, the sun was out. What a change this is! Balmy air and brilliant colors! Anne was literally jumping up and down when we opened the window in our sister’s cozy home. Change makes life interesting. 🙂

2011/03/04

Closeness

Filed under: Aviation,Flying,Happiness,Has Photos,Inner World,People,Random,Relationships,White North Adventure — John @ 15:17

When we were in Edmonton, the closeness we enjoyed with our delightful daughter and her new little family was heartwarming. All the conversations, activities and just hanging out were a treat. Maybe all that closeness is why California seemed so far away, and even relatively nearby Calgary seemed far. As we approached that city, it looked much smaller than we’d imagined.

5767 Tiny Calgary

5767 Tiny Calgary

In that expanse of snowy prairie it looked as far away as Edmonton had seemed before we got up close. Our plan had been to fly by it at some distance, over Springbank airport, but ATC routed us closer to keep us out of the way of airliner traffic at the international airport.

5799 Calgary Closer

5799 Calgary Closer

I’d forgotten that Calgary has a “space needle” and noted that like all the great Canadian cities we’ve flown so far it’s nestled next to a river.

Even as the hours and miles increased the distance from my daughter, we savored our increasing closeness. Yesterday there was a special warmth in the hum of Tripp’s engine as we flew over the frozen landscape, reminding me somehow of the safe warm feeling of a small child in the back of the family car on a long trip passing through King City where we flew just days ago. Today we take another long flight, with our goal being San Jose to visit my sisters and share more closeness. Flying and family are an excellent combination. 🙂

 

Migration

Filed under: Aviation,Flying,Happiness,Has Photos,Random,Tripp,White North Adventure — John @ 06:29

We feel like happy ducks. We started off the morning here.

1661 Hard Winter

1661 Hard Winter

There’s a man (feet visible under Tripp) and a tractor working hard along with me, pushing Tripp through the snow so we can hook up a Tannis heater to warm up the engine and battery. It’s -10F in blowing snow with a chill factor about -32F. I used that brush I’m carrying to clear snow off the plane twice before it finally cleared and we took off. Anne was worried about some accumulated ice on the rear of the fuselage, but we managed to get most of that off by thumping it gently with our gloved hands. When we landed in Spokane five hours later, it looked like this.

1694 Golden Greeting

1694 Golden Greeting

On final approach to Felts in Spokane, it was 34F and felt like Bali. That’s liquid water in the river. Something we’ve not seen outdoors for quite a while. I know why ducks migrate. But everything that goes with that 66 degree temperature difference is only partly why we’re happy tonight. We’ve just met our new grand daughter and enjoyed a Winter wonderland. Maybe tomorrow I’ll post more pix, but our migration continues early tomorrow so we can stay ahead of approaching storms.

Made It!

Filed under: Flying,Random,White North Adventure — John @ 01:47

We got out of Edmonton late due to a lonely snowstorm hovering right over the city. Still managed to arrive in Spokane just now, 20 minutes early. In normal scenarios that would be good news, but CBP is making us sit waiting in the plane until they arrive for their suspicion dance at the appointed time. Anne’s bladder will be gladder then.

Pix to follow in a few hours once we’re settled in our hotel. Some remarkable scenery we’re excited to share.

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