Colorado and Arizona

I think I've mentioned before that I have a good friend in Colorado. Her house was the location of our first over-nite stop on last year's 48 State trip.  I recently employed the 'old friend in Colorado' gambit as a pretense for another trip in our RV-7A.  On this outing, we will also check off a few boxes that we missed last year on a different trip that included Tuscon and Las Vegas.  Namely, Sedona and Meteor Crater.

7:00am on a Tuesday morning saw us headed east.  I was very excited that we were leaving on time.  I don't want to mention any names, but someone on this trip, let's call her Marol, is hard to get going early in the A.M.  Never-the-less, we were in the air and it was still early morning.  Amazing!  First up: the sun rising over the Sierras.

From an elevated point of view, Nevada is a nearly endless series of mountain ranges aligned roughly North-South with desert valleys in-between.  I enjoy the change of scenery from California for a while, but hey Nevada, why not mix it up a bit?  

We had originally planned for our first stop at Price, UT, but nature intervened.  An unscheduled potty break brought us to earth at Ely, NV for a few minutes.  Their main runway was under construction which was a nice surprise on entering the pattern there.  The good news for my bladder was that they have another runway.

After a brief chat on the ramp with a local pilot and RV-6 owner, we departed Ely in a mad climb to get over a nearby mountain ridge.  RV's are good climbers, but a mountain wins in a game of 'chicken'.  So we made one S turn and then we were high enough to clear the ridge.

After refueling at Price UT, we began our ascent on the Rockies.

This flight over would give us the chance to try out our new oxygen system.  The "system", such as it is, is really just an oxygen tank mounted in the baggage compartment with a couple of tubes coming out that you stick in your nose.  The main advantage of having oxygen on board is that it allows us to go directly to our destination by attaining an altitude that permits us to fly over even the highest peaks along our route.

In the picture below, Carol is checking her oxygen level using a pulse oximeter.

We climbed out of Price UT, and leveled off at the VFR cruising altitude of 15,500'.  At this altitude, the airplane's engine doesn't produce a whole lot of power, but in the thinner air, we have less drag which partially compensates for the loss in power.  At our cruise altitude we were still producing about 45% power which yielded a climb rate of about 300 feet per minute.  We could have kept going right on up if we needed to.  At least up to 17,999' beyond which, I would need to be on an IFR flight plan.

But 15,500' was plenty high to get over the mountains that lay along our route.

That white blob was the only cloud that lay along our entire route.

We had good weather, a slight tailwind, and smooth air.  I'll have to say that crossing over the Rockies was pretty much a non-event.  This crossing stands in stark contrast to our previous experience with Colorado.

The last time we visited Centennial CO, we ended up racing a thunderstorm to the airport after weaving our way through high mountain valleys all the while endeavoring to stay beneath an ominous cloud layer.  

This time however, the air was clear and calm, and as I mentioned, we saw only one little cloud along our entire route over the Rockies.   KAPA is the closest airport to our good friend and host Melanie's house.  The airport is very busy with GA and business jet traffic and so I was expecting to get vectored around a bit before landing, but I was only taken off course a few miles before getting turned back in for a 3 mile right base for runway 35 left.  A few minutes later we were back on terra firma and taxiing over to the Signature FBO.

Melanie arrived in the lobby as we did.  I think she was surprised that we were already there. Or more likely, that my arrival time estimate had been accurate.  After a few minutes of paperwork at the front desk and we were out and on our way to lunch.  After which, we spent much of the afternoon at an outlet mall in nearby Castle Rock.  Later that evening we were treated to a delicious home cooked meal by chef Melanie herself.  Our tummies full, we settled in and enjoyed some more serious conversation.  Here Melanie discusses the benefits of wine vs. a remote control.  It's better to have both, I agree, but if you could have only one...

During our visit, we availed ourselves of the sights of Denver, and we ate.  We went bowling and we ate.  Carol and Melanie went to a concert at Red Rocks amphitheater while I ate.  Actually, Melanie's brother-in-law took me out for pizza and beer.  The next day we ate then went to a Rockies baseball game and then we ate again.

I'm still working out the kinks in this whole selfie thing.  

Carol on the move.

I've learned that there is a lot of eating to do in Denver.  We had a great time and I was able to visit at least four brewpubs and tap houses.  But, alas, all good things must come to an end.  Had we stayed another day, I'm not sure that we could have gotten off the ground.

After three beautiful days of clear weather, we woke up to an 1800' overcast on the morning of our departure.  We said our good-byes and thank-yous to Melanie and then settled in for a long wait in the Signature FBO's lobby.

Perhaps you are thinking that the 1,800' ceiling is plenty high enough to get going?  Ordinarily, I would agree, but in this case we have the Rocky mountains to cross and they're a bit higher than that.

And so I moved our bags out to the plane while we waited for the weather.  Here is some Dry Dock Apricot Blonde, one of my beer discoveries from our previous trip to Centennial.  No way was I leaving Colorado without a liquid souvenir.

After about two hours I was done waiting.  We still had the overcast, but I learned that it was clear to the south.  We departed Centennial under the ceiling and continued southwest for about 40 or 50 miles before the ceiling gave way to clear skies.  Then we set our course for Meteor Crater and started climbing once again to cross the Rockies.

Our course took us over Durango CO where the Rockies just kind of petered out, and landscape below became more and more brown until the color green had been completely vanquished.  Here is Ship Rock off to our right just west of Farmington NM.

And then to my surprise, the greenery returned on the tops of the high mesas as flew further into Arizona.

In between the mesas, the reds and browns of the desert landscape prevailed.

Some very interesting canyons carved into the mesa tops.

And this one though the desert valley.

Eventually, we arrived at Meteor Crater.  Quite literally, a big hole in the ground.

The crater was formed only 50,000 years ago, so erosion has not yet been able to erase the evidence that the universe is actually out to get us.  Of course, by geological standards, this is a very recent crater and I have no doubt that some of our local pilots may well remember it hitting the ground.

We did a clockwise loop around the rim and then continued on toward the nearby town of Sedona.  I was especially cautious on entering the vicinity of Sedona; not only because of the convergence of spiritual and harmonic energies, but because the town is a trap and I am a tourist.

Entering the Sedona area from the east, one climbs out of a broad valley and then skims over a flat ridgeline or mesa that extends north and south.  The mesa then gives way to another broad valley below with the town of Sedona set centered in-between several jagged prominences striped horizontally in red and brown layers of sedimentary deposits.  The landscape is quite striking and it was a challenge to stay focused on planning my approach to the mesa topped airport just above the city.

Descending down into the valley,  I momentarily lose sight of the airport as I fly between and behind two of the jagged mountains as I set up the left 45 degree entry to the airport pattern.  The wind at this altitude was gusty but completely manageable.

Here we are on final to runway 21.

Once on the ground I quickly tie down and head into the terminal building looking for transportation.

We were able to get a cab ride from the terminal without any difficulty, although we did have to wait for the driver to finish his lunch first.  It is a very short ride into town, but in that short moment, the cab driver managed to regale us with tales of the various celebrities he has driven into town over the years.  I was much relieved to arrive at our hotel after only a few minutes drive, although it seemed longer.

As I unloaded the trunk, the driver was searching his iPhone with the characteristic rapid finger swipes of someone looking for something really good.  I knew his efforts were rewarded when his face lit up and he quickly offered us a look at the phone.  Yep, that was he and 70's TV star Lynda Carter -- it was Wonder Woman herself.  

I don't want it to seem like I am making fun of the driver.  He was just trying to be pleasant and interesting and he wasn't entirely unsuccessful.  After all, had I been photographed with Lynda Carter, I too would want everyone I met to know about it.

Our hotel faced the main street with all of the restaurants and gift shops, contrasting the natural beauty beyond.  Here is the view from our balcony.

After checking in we crossed the street to a bar and grille for lunch. Although the flight in was not at all stressful, it was fairly long at 3 hours 10 minutes.  It was nice to kick back and enjoy a pint.

Then we walked the length of the main drag, both sides. The natural beauty of the landscape surrounding Sedona seems to be commensurate with the number of shops selling crystals and geodes. Which is to say that there are quite a few. I suspect that if a new shop wanted to open somewhere in Sedona, it would first need to build a new picturesque mesa to maintain that proportionality.

In Sedona, there are almost unlimited hiking opportunities offering breathtaking views of the rugged desert landscape.  There are jeep tours for those not inclined to perspire.  There is a natural water park at Slide Rock state park just outside of town.  We didn't do any of that.  Instead, we strolled lazily along the main thoroughfare. Now and then Carol foraged a gift shop for the perfect souvenir while I mostly waited outside at a convenient park bench or other such means of specifically not shopping.

It was hot and I was tired.  For no legitimate reason that I can think of, but watching people shop has that effect on me.  We were in the home stretch now (I could see our hotel just up the street) when we happened across an Ice Cream shop.  Considering the afternoon heat, this was certainly a welcomed discovery.

I asked for a cup of chocolate ice cream which I thought would be a simple order.  The cheerful teenaged clerk informs that I get two scoops of ice cream.  Fine, "I'll have chocolate and chocolate."  For just a split second I thought I had stumped the young woman, but her confused look quickly changed to one of thinly veiled agitation.  I had clearly failed to make a proper ice cream order.  I didn't get the eye roll that this situation clearly called for, but that expression was probably reserved especially for her parents.  "What kind of topping would you like?", she asked now with just a tinge of impatience thrown in.  Wow, this ordering of ice cream is complicated, I thought.  "Butterfinger crumbles, of course."

The ice cream was a welcomed afternoon treat and we soon made our way back to the hotel.  Later I snapped this picture in the fading light from our balcony.

Carol's prior research had revealed that there was a recently opened brewpub nearby, so we decided to give it a try for dinner.  Along our walk to the brewpub, we passed the Peace Place and I just had to take a picture.  I think I felt more amusement than tranquility, but to be fair, I was at least 50' away.

It turns out that the Sedona Beer Company was out of my first beer selection, but my second choice worked out OK.  Over the years I've learned not to take a brew pub's beer menu too seriously.  I always have a plan B and C ready if at all possible. Unfortunately for Carol, they did not offer any vino whatsoever.  She did nurse a Kombucha, but only as a preventative of dehydration.  I'll say that our dinner was passable, but we didn't really linger as we were not really enjoying their low energy vibe.  Since it was Friday night, I guess we expected a little more.  There was probably something wrong with my chakra.

Saturday morning we were up and out by the crack of mid morning.  We paid our tie down and fuel bills and we were ready to go.  The airport was quiet when we buckled in, but by the time we taxied out several aircraft were in the pattern.  We waited as one by one they landed, while we cooked to medium rare under the bubble canopy.

We departed Sedona to the northwest and enjoyed more of the beautiful scenery.  

We were headed home now, but we still had a couple more sights to check off before we got back to Grass Valley.  Grand Canyon dead ahead!

Unlike almost everywhere else, at the Grand Canyon you just can't fly around anywhere you want.  There are five designated areas for VFR traffic to cross the Grand Canyon.  Before this trip, I made special waypoints for our Garmin navigator that would place us in the center of the corridor called TUCKUP.  Having these waypoints really made finding the corridor easy:

After leaving the Grand Canyon VFR corridor we turned northwest on a course that would just miss the restricted airspace north of Las Vegas.  Here is a view near Mesquite AZ looking northeast toward St George UT.  The image doesn't leave much doubt about where the water is.

And then we pass by Groom Lake, AKA, Area 51 from 12,400 feet 25nm distant.

I considered a fuel stop at Tonopah NV, but my desire to get home outweighed my desire for a potty break and we had plenty of fuel either way.  In another hour we were crossing Lake Tahoe.

We began our descent from 12,400'  as we were crossing the west shore of the lake.  I can already see Grass Valley some 40 nautical miles away.

20 minutes later we were on the ground at Nevada County Airpark, Grass Valley CA.  Another great trip made possible by the little plane that could.  The trip home from Sedona totaled 3 hours 36 minutes, covering 535 nautical miles, and naturally, headwinds all the way.

Altogether, we flew 1730 nautical miles in 11.8 hours. We crossed the Rockies and the Sierras, twice.  We visited a friend, saw a baseball game, and flew over a big hole in the ground.  It was awesome.