Phase 1: We left Fairbanks on 28Aug11, flying our plane to Phoenix (Chandler Muni), AZ, as the staging ground for this odyssey. We set aside time for the wedding of Ken's oldest, Josh, on 7Sep. We left Phoenix area 13Sep11 to fly to Wisconsin by way of Worland, WY, then on to Ephraim-Gibralter airport in Door County, WI, on 15Sep11. Nikki helped teach a 5 day watercolor class at Bjorklunden, near Bailey's Harbor, with her mentor, Helen Klebesadel, starting 18Sep11. On 25Sep11, we flew on to Murfreesboro, TN, to explore representation and teaching possibilities at a soon to open gallery, "The Palette".
Phase 2 had us flying around North & South Carolina for most of October, before returning to Chandler to store the plane for the winter. Ken returned to Fairbanks in early November,.Phase II blog follows this one.
Phase III: Nikki wandered around the SW US in the new ACE RV for two more months. She had been accepted as a vendor at the Baha'i Grand Canyon Conference in Phoenix, Christmas weekend. Ken rejoined her to help with that, before we both flew home early January. Phase III blog follows Phase II.
.............Phase I Flying Map.............
28Aug11 - Whitehorse, YT
Ken: We had hoped to get out early -- right! Finally in the air about 1330, on to Tok. We had used the MAC pilot's lounge computer to file eAPIS (Customs & Border Protection), and had filed two flight plans (FAI-Tok, Tok-Whitehorse). Refueled in Tok, called XM to activate our Pilot's subscription (which happened sometime soon after leaving Tok), called CANPASS for entry to Canada, and were off for Whitehorse. Weather had sounded "iffy" from Haines Junction, and that proved right. We had a total overcast somewhere above the 5500' we were flying, and around Haines Jct. we picked up scattered ground clouds below us. With each turn we expected to be turned back. But there seemed to be a channel right along the highway where we flew quite comfortably, and we made Whitehorse. Cleared Customs with the usual phone call (essentially "welcome to Canada, here's your clearance number"). Tied the plane down and walked to the Skky Lodge to get a room and dinner. WiFi in the room, nice king bed, hot showers. Life is good, and it's our first day! The Garmin 496 is still the most wonderful tool. Having the map screen with the road to follow, and the terrain screen to see those hazards, added to the confidence of flying the last 45 minutes into Whitehorse -- even though we had good visual contact and would have safely flown without the GPS. Now to check weather for tomorrow.
29Aug11 - Whitehorse
Ken: Got up reasonably early, checked out, walked to Flight Service. Too many clouds to fly. Over to the cafe in the terminal to spend the morning doing stuff on the computers (no WiFi any more) and eating a bit. Back to Flight Service, clouds are moving east VERY slowly. Nice day in Whitehorse, but can't get much further east. So we reserved a room at the Westmark, took the shuttle in to town, and have been exploring here. Hoping for better flying weather early in the morning. Sigh...
30Aug11 - Oliver, BC
Ken: We did a lot of discussion last night and finally accepted that we just don't have time to get to Leiah's in Wyoming on the way. Van HAS to get to the shop Friday, so it's ready for all the wedding related transport starting this weekend. So we decided to fly as directly to Phoenix as weather allowed. We actually caught the 0530 shuttle to the airport! Weather briefed, flight plan
filed, we were loaded and off by 0700. This image is shortly after leaving Whitehorse. Flight to Watson Lake was beautiful. We had a lot of valleys off to the sides filled with fog or low stratus. At Watson Lake, fueled, weather briefed, flight plan filed and off to fly the trench to Prince George. We had a great tail 
wind and what usually would be a 3.5 hour flight was done in 3.2 hours. The first half was quite cloudy, and we actually made a climbing 360 at one point to check out our options. But we found a way, and from the north end of Lake Williston on it was like a clear channel right along the lake and river. At Prince George, fueled, weather briefed, flight plan filed and off to Oliver BC. This is all getting to be very familiar territory, as we've been through here in one direction or another at least four times. The Okanagan Valley is a natural route when coming north through coastal states. We've been in Oliver before (with van/camper/airplane) and I've stayed in Kelowna a couple of times heading north. From here to Phoenix is through the western parts of the Rockies, and I'm just starting to do detailed planning on how we'll do that in the next 1-1.5 days. More tomorrow...31Aug11 - Elko, NV
Ken: The routing I came up with consists of one 8 minute leg and four 2-hour legs to get from Oliver to Phoenix. The 8 minute leg was to get from Oliver, BC to Oroville, WA, where we cleared customs, and fueled.
I had filed eAPIS via computer with an estimated border crossing time, called Oroville to give notice of arrival, called NAVCanada to file a flight plan (required) and get a transponder code (required). I called US WxBrief and got a briefing on the whole trip, in case we could put that many hours in. Outlook was for 8K' to 12K' ceilings, and only thermals to contend with. So we launched for the first leg, Oroville to Baker, OR. Uneventful. Refueled, briefed, and filed to Elko, NV. Away we went, but this 2-hour leg was one of the most tiring I've ever flown. It was after noon, and we fought thermals for the whole time. I essentially went on instruments just to keep the plane more or less headed the right direction and at the right altitude, while Nikki watched for traffic. I ended up with both hands on the yoke to keep my 
arms from cramping. And as we approached Elko, a special weather notice was posted for winds gusting to >20 knots. Fortunately it was right down the runway. Tied down, gassed up and found our way through the FBO to the Red Lion Inn and Casino. Nikki and I walked half a mile down the road to a Basque restaurant I'd been in two years before. And after dinner, Nikki got a response from her friend Julie Eaklor (former Fairbanksan), who's just shown up at the hotel and we're having a good chatter. About 4.5 hours of flying to get to Phoenix tomorrow.1Sep11 - Tempe, AZ
Ken: We were in the air before 0800, and it was quite cool as we loaded. 2 hours to St. George, UT, went quickly and comfortably. Flying through these mountains was a different experience. I finally saw what John McPhee was writing about in his book "Basin and Range", as we flew across/around narrow range after narrow range, separated by broad valleys. St. George has a brand new airport, and the terminal building is still under construction. A Cherokee had landed just ahead of us, with a female on the radio. When we came into the terminal, there was a young lady, barely out of her teens if that, and an older man I'm guessing was her grandfather. She had just gotten her private license, and they were on a cross country fun trip from southern California to Colorado. Fueled and filed and headed out to Eloy, AZ. This leg was like the last one
yesterday -- thermals, thermals, thermals. When we finally landed I was beat. Route took us over Prescott, the Grand Canyon (this image) and directly over Phoenix. Eloy is 15 minutes south of Phoenix, the airport near where we store our van/trailer, and is the most active parachuting base in the world. We've been there at times when there is a constant takeoff/landing of jump planes. Today, no activity at all. Folks from Desert Rose came over and drove us back to the van/trailer. We loaded up, got the TrailManor reconnected, and headed back to the airport. Nikki dropped me off and headed for Tempe. I flight planned for the brief trip back to Chandler airport in the SE of Phoenix area, and got there safely. While waiting for Dave to pick me up, I talked with the airport operations office and found that I could get a month's parking for $47.50, but the FBO would charge me $8/day. Since we're here for at least 10-12 days, that was an easy call. Dave arrived and we moved the plane to it's spot for the month, then back to "home" in Tempe. Angie (our daughter living in Ireland) and her daughter Emma were waiting for us. Spent the evening chatting and playing with granddaughter. Also dropped the van at the shop for work the next day.2Sep11 - Tempe
Ken: Awoke from a great sleep, showered, and called the shop back. Van was already done. Bev and I picked it up. Much cleanup work needed on it now. Also the TrailManor had rodent guests during the winter, and Nikki is working on cleaning all that out. Kevin and Jerrica arrived from Fairbanks, and were with us a few hours before heading to Denver, where Kevin and Jerrica's family will meet each other for the first time. I got the van cleaned inside and out at a local shop. Nikki continued work on the TrailManor. Josh and Rose arrived after delivering the load, so we finally got to meet the newest addition to our extended family. Had a lovely dinner together, with lots of good natured kidding, memories of times past, etc. etc. etc. Dave and I took a break from the chatter to try flying the small remote controlled helicopter he has. I'll want to work on that some more while I'm here.
3Sep11 - Tempe
Ken: Exciting day -- went to Fry's Electronics and got a bag of small black wire ties to secure the GPS power cord in the van! With temperatures above 105F, not much incentive to get out off the house and do things...
4Sep11 - Tempe
Ken: A small group went to church. Then Nikki, Josh, Rose, Roger, Angie & Emma drove to near
Sedona to hike Boynton Canyon. It was a bit cooler there, but not enough to tempt me. Here are the bride- & groom-to-be on the trail. I took the day to quietly get caught up on paying bills, getting Quicken up to date, responding to e-mail, and making hotel reservations for the next three nights. I also got back out to the plane to retrieve the push-to-talk adapter for the co-pilot. Nikki's headset had been having intermittent noise-making problems the last few days, and I had found a cold solder joint in the mike plug on the adapter. So I'll break out the soldering iron and fix it as time allows. Time for bed, now.5Sep11 - Tempe
Ken: Beginning of build up to the wedding on Wednesday. Lots of folks running in various directions on errands, hair appointments, etc. Roger, Angie, Emma and I spent some time in REI. Nikki and I moved to a nearby motel. Josh's step-brother, Alex, and his son, Fred, arrived from Seattle in the afternoon. BBQ at Josh's step-sister's, Danae, in the evening. Kevin and Jerrica returned from Denver 10pm. I'm in the hotel now, winding down.
6Sep11 - Tempe
Ken: Errands, people coming and going, wedding prep, etc. etc. etc.
The girls went for pedi-and mani-cure. Left to right are Rose, Angie, Jerrica and Danae. Rehearsal at the church for the immediate wedding party. A few of us stayed at the house to get dinner ready for most of the wedding party and attendees this evening. Leiah and her two girls arrived from Wyoming.7Sep11 - Tempe
Ken: Wedding Day! It was a lovely day. Wedding & reception
happened as planned, with little anxiety on anyone's part.
Nikki, Kevin, Jerrica and I had fixed up the Sienna as a "limo" to
carry the newlyweds from wedding to reception. Center seats out, 
satiny sheet covering back seats and floor, cooler with sparkling cider and chilled glasses to toast them. This photo is of the newlyweds leaving the reception amidst a shower of bubbles.8Sep11 - Tempe
Ken: Up early to give the newlyweds a brief plane flight over the desert, at Josh's request. Rose had not been in a small plane. Fortunately, we were up early enough that the thermals were not strong. Many trips to the airport to get guests headed back home, and the rest of us are unwinding.
9Sep11 - Sedona, AZ
Ken: Roger, Angie, Emma, Nikki and I packed the trailer and headed for Sedona for a couple of nights campout. We chose a lovely camp site at Lolo Mai. Drove in to Sedona for lunch and found the delightful Chocola Tree Organic Vegetarian Eatery!! Sat in their fenced in outside meditation garden, with a hammock that Emma enjoyed. Wonderful!! Drove around a bit, parked by one gallery complex, explored it, then walked a couple of blocks to another. Tlaquepaque is a most interesting complex of shops and restaurants. Both families found a piece of art they really liked, but put it under consideration. Then to an organic foods grocery to stock up for the next two days. Back to the TrailManor to put food away, finish setting up and play some cards.
10Sep11 - Sedona
Ken: Awoke to a lovely day. Breakfast outside on picnic table. Packed sandwiches and collected hiking gear, then off to the West Oak Creek Canyon Trail. The trail starts at an historic homestead site: remains of cabins, storage cave in rock wall, extensive apple & pear orchard still producing. We all chowed down on apples (site manager invited
picking of apples). The trail winds back and forth across the creek, with rocks placed to ford, though many folks just waded across the very shallow fords. We ended up going about half way in, stopping at an inviting group of large flat topped rocks perfect for lunch seats. Canyon narrows as you go in. Spectacular red rocks looming 
high overhead, making lovely contrasts with green foliage. Group decided to head back out, so we'd have time for other activities. Green apples made for most unpleasant part of hike -- mad dash for toilets at the end of the hike. Back to Tlaquepaque where we caught the tail end of a lively festival that day. Live mariachi music, booths with local artisans wares, etc. Back to TrailManor to check out the "Tarzan hole" swimming in the creek. It was crowded with kids, so we went back to the pool and jacuzzi, which Angie, Emma and Nikki enjoyed. Ken napped. Roger read. Dinner came with the discovery that you can't use dandelion greens just like spinach in a stir fry. Hungry group ate most of it anyway. Too pooped for cards, early to bed. Rocked to sleep by the wind as a rainstorm started, amidst the sound of the cicadas and thunder, and lightning flashes of course.11Sep11 - Tempe
Ken: We'd all been awed by the sound of cicadas since we arrived. Roger found one nearly inert in the cool morning, and brought it around for all to see. Those things are the size of a humming bird! We spent more time packing up the TrailManor, as we planned to leave it closed up until we returned to Tempe in late October, or early November. Headed back to Tempe by way of lunch in Cottonwood. Drove to Angie's sister, Danae's, house to drop off Angie, Roger and Emma for the night. On to Tempe to plant the trailer in its resting spot for the next 1.5 months. Mexican dinner out with Josh, Rose, Bev, & Dave. Back home to chat a while and get some sleep.
12Sep11 - Tempe
Ken: Spent the day doing laundry, organizing our stuff as to what stayed in Tempe in the van and what came with us in the plane, chatting with various family members coming and going, flight planning for early departure next morning.
13Sep11 - Worland, WY
Ken: Headed for the plane soon after 0700! Packed the plane, got it fueled, filed and headed out. I got a chuckle over the air from a controller when he cleared me to climb from the 7000' assigned altitude to 9500', and I said I wished we could do it that fast. First leg was to Canyonlands near Moab UT. Nice flight over fascinating country, including far eastern parts of Lake Powell. Went past a meteor crater, but didn't realize what we were seeing until later. Got fuel, and were taxiing out when someone asked over the unicom if our registration was temporary. I said no, then asked why they had asked. They said the numbers were so small as to be unreadable. I informed them they were legal for this age of aircraft. No further comment, so we took off and slowly climbed out from the 6000' density altitude airport. We took a dogleg slightly east of the direct path to Worland, which got us around a couple of mountains higher than 9500'. Somewhat bumpy flight, but not quite as bad as those two legs heading toward Tempe. Arrived Worland a little after 5pm, and everything at the airport was closed up and folks gone home. Called Leiah, who picked us up shortly. Went to her home (the first one she's owned!), dropped our bags, then went to playground to get her two girls, Meadow & Juno, and say hi to their father, Lloyd. Quick dinner at Habaneros, then a bit of driving tour of Worland before heading home. Played with girls, talked, bedtime.
14Sep11 - Worland
Ken: Here is Leiah, with Juno (left) & Meadow (right).We dropped Meadow at school, Juno at
her dad's, and Leiah at work, then Nikki & I took off in her car to drive east into the mountains. Ended up going all the way to Buffalo for lunch. Message from Leiah that she could take off early (and had just been named Employee of the Month). So we finished lunch (but Ken dawdled over the book he was reading), and headed back. High parts of the pass had been socked in with clouds both directions, so going was slow for some of the way. We ended up getting back about the time Leiah would have gotten off regularly, and felt like kids who'd had the car out too late. No problem, though. Back to Leaih's to fix dinner (she did a lovely stuffed zucchini), do some flight planning, and get us all off to bed fairly early.15Sep11 - Bismarck, ND
Ken: We intended to get to Eau Claire, WI, but it wasn't to be. Worland was socked in with ground fog when Leiah dropped us there a little after 0800. We packed the plane, did the walk around, then spent the time in the FBO flight planning, filing, killing time. Fog finally lifted around 1030, and soon we did too. We had filed for Mobridge, SD, trying to get around the north end of an extensive line of showers and clouds along the Rockies. Satellite pix and composite radar indicated we should be clear of the clouds along that route. However, we did a good portion of it VFR on top, with scattered breaks in the clouds. The closer we got to Mobridge the worse it looked and we kept heading more north of the path to stay along the edge of the major cover. Getting METARs on the Garmin 496 in flight helped a lot in finally deciding to divert even further north to Bismarck. It really was in the clear, but we didn't leave the clouds until about 40 miles out. Squirley winds made for interesting landing. FBO more than made up for it, offering courtesy car to get to lunch, and good suggestions for a place. Given our late start, really needing a lunch stop here (little breakfast), and a time zone change, we were not ready for the next leg until nearly 1800. That would have put us into Eau Claire well after dark. We looked at an intermediate stop, and couldn't find anything that looked worth the effort. So we accepted the courtesy car a second time and drove to our motel. We'll get some rest, catch up on this blog, and flight plan for tomorrow.
16Sep11 - Sister Bay, WI
Ken: Awoke to low overcast in Bismarck. Went to airport early anyway, did our flight planning and waited for conditions to improve. By 1000, it was apparent conditions were not improving very rapidly. Given the terrain and cloud clearance, we decided to have a look. Away we went about 1000' above the surface. Visibility was great, and the Garmin 496 obstacles data base gave us a backup. I gave one tall tower on the 496 a wide clearance, and, watching it go by a half-mile off the wing, we could see it was at our altitude. Sobering. The terrain fell away as we went east, and the cloud base rose. Did the last of the flight at 3500', into Alexandria, MN. That was our decision point, as to whether we'd go in to Eau Claire, to Madison or directly to Door County, WI. Nikki connected with Diane and it was obvious we wouldn't get to Eau Claire in time to see her before she left on a trip with her daughters. We decided to go directly to Door County, and have a couple of quiet days before starting the teaching with Helen at Bjorklunden. Out of Alexandria at 3500', soon to get to 5500', finally going to 9500' above a scattered cloud layer. Stayed at 9500' crossing Green Bay at Menominee, circling down over the Ephraim-Gibralter Airport to land. We'd made phone reservations at the Open Hearth Lodge, and they came out to pick us up at the airport. Lovely place, lovely owners. They've even loaned us a car for the couple of days we're here!! Found the Mission Grille in Sister Bay, and it was fabulous food, nice atmosphere. Back to crash in our room.
17Sep11 - Sister Bay
Ken: Slept well. Showered. Breakfast. While Nikki explores moving music onto her new little MP3 player, I'm working on this blog. Then we headed off to drop Nikki on the waterfront to
paint (in Ephraim) and I found the laundromat. Two hours later, picked her up (with two new paintings) and headed for lunch at Julie's in Fish Creek. Wonderful lunch. The couple that own Julie's is the daughter & son-in-law of the couple that own the Open Hearth Lodge where we are staying. We'd contacted Julie's first. They were full, but pointed us at the Open Hearth. So we wanted to try their restaurant. Glad we did. Off to a State Park with entrance right behind Julie's. Drove several miles, stopped at a light house and several pull-offs to take 
photos. Parked at a 75' high observation tower. Nikki climbed to take photos, giving this view. We then went on about a 3 mile hike through the woods, down the cliffs, along the shore, and back up. Great scenery, good exercise. Back to the car, and drove to the north end 
of the peninsula and back just to look it over. Decided to go back to Julie's for dinner and awesome desserts we'd eyed at lunch. Now back in our room -- Nikki soaking in tub, I'm messing on the computer (as is often the case at night).18Sep11 - Bjorklunden, near Bailey's Harbor, WI
Ken: Owner of Open Hearth Lodge offered us a ride to Bjorklunden, so we packed everything and headed out. Arriving at 1130, the Studio was still occupied. So we dumped our gear on the front porch, and walked into Bailey's Harbor for lunch. Chose a place kind of at random, and it turned out to have a lovely restaurant and good food. By the time we walked back to Bjorklunden, the family was just finishing moving out of the Studio. We waited for Helen and Akeem to arrive, but it started clouding over and threatening rain, so we went ahead and moved in to one of the bedrooms.
The Studio is a stone house, originally the home of the owners of Bjorklunden. It's had an addition sometime since the first section was built in the early 1900's. It now has two large bedrooms, two bathrooms, and an open area that includes a kitchen along one wall, a large fireplace, couches and chairs in the middle and a large dining table along the wall farthest from the kitchen. Very comfortable for the four of us, and gives us a great place to chat away the evenings over tea, board games, whatever. Helen and Akeem arrived, unpacked personal stuff, then we helped them unpack the teaching materials at the main lodge. Our first dinner here set the standard for the week -- everything is prepared in the lodge kitchen by the young staff (all Lawrence U grads), and is always superb! There is another group here for a class on "Rails Across America", and it's fun getting acquainted with them as well as the participants in Helen's and Nikki's class.19Sep11 - Bjorklunden
Ken: Daily routine: breakfast at 8-9; classes 9-12; lunch 12-1; afternoons open to paint, study, take walks, etc.; dinner 6-7; evening open. I spent Monday morning catching up on e-mail. The four of us went for a walk after lunch. Nikki & Helen drop in to the teaching area in the afternoons, as there always seem to be some who are in painting during the open times.20Sep11 - Bjorklunden
Ken: It was sunny and not too windy. So I called John, owner of Open Hearth, to invite him for a flight over the peninsula. He and his daughter, Sandy who owns Julie's, met Akeem and me at the airport. Took a bit to unload our travel junk, get back seats folded down, and load up everyone. We spent a bit less than an hour doing aerial photography and site seeing.
We headed for the west shore of the peninsula and took pictures of Sandy's home, Julie's Cafe/Motel, John's sailboat in the bay, and Open Hearth Lodge. We crossed the channel to make a lazy circle around Washington Island, then back down the east shore of the peninsula over Bailey's Harbor to take more photos of Bjorklunden. Landed, tied down, reloaded junk in the plane, and Akeem and I made it back to Bjorklunden for lunch. I took advantage of a guided nature walk in the afternoon. After dinner, the four of us headed back to the Lodge for board games, but all were a bit sleepy after the lovely dinner. Akeem promptly fell asleep on the couch, so we just talked and read cards from "Urban Myth" game before heading to bed early.21Sep11 - Bjorklunden
Ken: I've been trying to find a Chicago Sectional and Terminal Area Chart for a couple of stops. This morning, Akeem and I drove down to Sturgeon Bay to see if an FBO there had them. No luck. Looks like we'll either have to rely on the GPS, or stop along the way out. Green Bay is the next place to try, and it's a short hop down the peninsula. So I guess we'll plan on a stop there on our way out on Sunday. We plan to stop at Danville, IL, for fuel on our way to Murfreesboro, and that puts us along the west shore of Lake Michigan, right over Milwaukee and Chicago. This afternoon, Nikki and Helen are guiding some plein aire painting for those who want to do that, while I catch up on e-mail, this blog, some flight planning, etc. After dinner, the four of us played cards until midnight!
22Sep11 - Bjorklunden
Ken: A series of phone calls netted me: Chicago Sectional and VFR Terminal Area Charts at an FBO in Green bay (holding for me); reservations to a theatre production of "Guys on Ice" for Friday night; reservations at Mission Grille for dinner before the theatre.
So we're set for part of the weekend needs. The "Rails..." class showed the film "North by Northwest", and Akeem and I took that in. Several of us went on a walk up the North Trail, coming back along the waterfront. Fish Boil for dinner. Big pot on the fire, 
first with a basket of potatoes and carrots. When they are nearly done, a smaller basket with the fish is placed 
inside the larger. Once it's at a good boil and the fish oils are boiled off, a small can of kerosene is thrown on the fire to finish it. Basket on left is smaller one with fish. After dinner we had a bit of chatter, and all headed for bed early.23Sep11 - Bailey's Harbor, WI
Ken: I've had my arm twisted to model for portraits in the class this morning, so I checked weather for the next couple of days and flight planned while waiting. Ended up with three participants doing portraits of me. Lunch was our last meal at Bjorklunden, then the four of us packed up to move to a cabin for the next two nights. Hauled bags to the plane, then off to the cabin to check in and unload bags. Across the peninsula to Mission Grille for another lovely dinner, then down the road to the American Folk Theatre's production of "Men on Ice". GREAT show, lots of laughs, especially if you've spent time in Wisconsin. Back to the cabin to chat, research ideas for our time Saturday (might get to do another Segway tour!), and get to bed.
24Sep11 - Bailey's Harbor
Ken: We called the Segway tour company and they were willing to do a tour for us today, despite the rain. Found a nice place for breakfast, then off to meet the Segway tour. Gentle rain when we
started, which continued the whole two hours (evidenced by blurry spots on image). Our guide, Josh, was a good trainer for use of the Segway, and a fun tour guide. Nikki and I have done two Segway tours (Washington, DC, mall; Fairbanks riverfront). Akeem had been on a Segway for a few minutes somewhere and Helen had never been on one. It didn't take long for both of them to get the feel and we were off. Tour was of the natural areas to the north of town, along the coast. Rain got heavier about an hour into the tour, and we all had soaked pants & shoes. It was delightful for all!! Back to the cabin to change into dry clothes and warm up, then off to find lunch. Bookstore stop, then back to the cabin for a lazy afternoon with no obligations or expectations. Life is good! Down the road to a very ritzy place for dinner. Excellent food. Sound level way to high!! Back for a round of cards before bed.25Sep11 - Mt. Pleasant, MI
Ken: Awakened to lovely weather, so we got moving fairly early. Packed up, checked out and headed for Julie's. Great breakfast, then to the plane. Got all our stuff out of the van, said our goodbyes, and Helen & Akeem headed out. We packed, but the clouds had moved in again, and it was IFR to the south and west. We took the courtesy car off to do a little driving down to Egg Harbor, shopping in a farmer's market, and lunch. Back to the airport to check weather. Still not good south and west, but weather was looking much better on the east side of Lake Michigan. So we plotted and filed a route following the islands north of Door County to fly around the north
end of the Lake to start south at Mackinac Bridge, headed for Mt. Pleasant. Here, Lake Michigan is on the right as we approach the Bridge. We just kept climbing and were able to fly at 9500' for much of the way, only descending to 3500' below lower clouds about 50 miles north of Mt. Pleasant. The heavy cloud layer, and lots of humidity, made for a dark flight the last 20 minutes. I turned on the panel light for the first time in many, many years. We arrived before official sundown, though. Tied the plane down, called the airport manager and were given an OK to take the courtesy car. Room at the Hampton, elegant dinner at next door I-HOP, and we're both reading new books. We're only 4.5 hours flying time from Murfreesboro, and hopefully we'll get there in good time tomorrow.26Sep11 - Murfreesboro, TN
Ken: Back to the airport under low clouds. Spent a while watching weather, talking to FSS. Took the courtesy car to K-Mart for a couple of needs, then back to the airport. About 1330 the weather at Anderson was fine, and the picture over the route was for VFR. So we loaded and left. About 40 miles south we came to a batch of clouds around an area with precipitation showing on the NexRad feed on the GPS. Wending our way among the clouds, I was suddenly in one. Immediate 180 on the instruments and we were back out in a minute or two. We dropped lower, and saw better visibility to the west. So we skirted the precip area and after 15 minutes or so were beyond this band of problems. Headed back east to rejoin our track, flying at 2500'. I tuned in Kalamazoo center and followed the traffic. We were outside the Class B airspace, but not by much. One approaching plane was warned of traffic at 2500' southbound, and he reported that it was a Cessna, and appeared to be on the extended center line of the runway. I looked toward where Battle Creek should be and there was that runway, so I checked in and got a code for flight following the rest of the way to Anderson, IN. Headwinds were huge at altitude, so we stayed at 2500' all the way into Anderson. We were fueling when a fellow came out to chat.
Introduced himself as Mark McLaughlin, and it turns out his father had owned our plane. This guy had spent quite a bit of time in it in his youth. Here he is checking out the McLaughlin logo almost hidden under the new paint. Back in the air about 1630. In another 50 miles we were out of the high overcast with only scattered puffy clouds around. We climbed to 8500', which put us above that layer, in very smooth air, and with a bit of a tailwind for a change. Quite a bit of traffic around Murfreesboro, but we fit in easily and were down shortly. Called FSS to close the flight plan while Nikki called her sister, Dawna. Tied down, unloaded, and were soon picked up by Dawna and Joe. Wonderful to have a home cooked meal and some good evening chatter.27Sep11 - Murfreesboro
Ken: Nikki and I have a lazy day while Dawna and Joe are at work. Laundry, e-mail, blog, etc. After they got off work, we gathered two of Dawna's kids (Jeremy & Chelsea) for dinner at Gojo, the Ethiopian place we'd found the last time we were here. Stone Slab Ice Cream rounded out a lovely dining experience.
28Sep11 - Murfreesboro
Ken: Nikki and Dawna headed out early for a garden area to do some painting. I slept in, caught up on finances, read. Late afternoon, the four of us headed SW to check out a small barn Dawna is considering for gallery and studio space. Dinner at the Samurai grill included a performance chef cooking our food in front of seven of us (Jeremy, Dalton and his girl Jenna). No ice cream tonight - everyone stuffed!! Tomorrow begins Phase II, and a new blog post.
