[Updated 16Sep09 @ 1430 CDT]27Aug09 -- Northway, AK
Ken: We'd hoped to make Whitehorse, but final packing took too long. One delay was a failed ELT for the plane, and only finding a replacement at the last minute, thanks to Chena Marina Air Service. I did the online filing (with TSA's Border Protection) of an outbound border crossing, anticipating we'd make Whitehorse today. Ha! I called the Alcan Customs folks to say we didn't cross as filed. They really didn't know what to do with me. The guy I talked to said they don't deal with outbound, but he'd been told I could simply put a note in my next inbound filing stating the delayed date and time we actually crossed. I allowed as how I hoped he was right, as it was my tail that would be in a sling if he was wrong. We'll see, and I'll post the results when we get to Montana. So we're in a motel room...but we have an internet connection. And we are finally under way!!
28Aug09 -- Fort Nelson, BC
Ken: To Whitehorse to clear customs and refuel. I almost always enjoy dealing with Canadian customs folks, and this one was no exception. On to Watson Lake to refuel. Then to Fort Nelson,
to dinner and a motel room. With the load we're carrying, I'm limiting us to 45-50 gal of fuel. So we're doing shorter legs than we might
have otherwise. Gives us a leg stretch and a pit stop more often, which our aging bodies appreciate.
While waiting for the motel shuttle in Ft. Nelson, we watched this glorious sunset.29Aug09 -- Lethbridge, BC
Ken: Fort Nelson to Fort St. John to Whitecourt to Lethbridge. Not making impressive speed, but we're seeing diverse country, meeting some interesting folks, and (after all) we ARE on vacation. Lethbridge hotels are full -- must be an end of season thing. Young fellow at the FBO
called around and got us their corporate rate at one of the few available. We are in the Lethbridge Lodge, which has a big atrium and pool in the middle. Our room looks out over it all, including the lounge with live singer.30Aug09 -- Sheridan, WY
Ken: Well, I filed the entry eAPIS online, needing only two retries on one page to correct omissions. Then I found Cut Bank customs requires 2 hours advance notice, so I called as soon as we got to the airport. I was feeling pretty good about taking care of the details until almost time to depart, when I remembered that I hadn't filed a flight plan, nor had I gotten the required squawk code. Frantic phone calls took care of those two items in time to pile in, crank up and go. Lethbridge to Cut Bank is a 40 minute flight. We touched down within a couple minutes of the filed time. One of the most pleasant and reasonable customs inspections and greetings ensued. Like Alcan, the inspector needed to drive from the border station to the airport of entry. What's more, Cut Bank is a transient pilot's 'paradise'. They have several bed rooms with real beds and linens. Down the hall is a shower and a separate toilet room. There are two (2!) courtesy cars, with keys on the clipboards in the terminal. There is a huge table surface to spread out charts for planning. There is a computer terminal and a telephone. Bottled water
and a couple of vending machines round out the amenities. Self serve fuel awaits on the ramp. We'll remember this for future trips. Again, we didn't get away very early, and the next leg of 2:40 was to Sheridan, WY. High desert area. Lots of interesting patterns on the ground along the way. We got in too late to continue to Cheyenne. Tomorrow...31Aug09 -- Carrizozo, NM
Ken: A long, but great day of travel. We got up at 0600 and were ready to fly close to 0800. Filed Sheridan to Cheyenne, and headed out. At 9500' it was a smooth flight. About 50 miles from Cheyenne, low clouds closed in below us, so we diverted to Scottsbluff, NE. Fueled and filed to Pueblo, CO -- just south of Denver. I had been concerned about getting directly across Denver, but flying from Scottsbluff put us along the east side of the TCA. Well out, I contacted Denver approach requesting flight following. Once we had a long distance squawk code and were under surveillance, we could relax a bit. Lots of traffic on the radio, but we never saw another airplane. Pueblo was strange, with a short parallel runway with a separate tower frequency. Ground control directed us to self serve, right past at least one FBO waving at us. Self serve was away from any other facilities. With the help of a local coming by in his pickup, we found a toilet in another hanger, and I was able to get a briefing and file via cell phone. Away from Pueblo, I immediately contacted Denver again to get flight following. We headed south, a bit east of the mountains, sometimes following the interstate. Somewhere along the way I called Flight Service to amend our arrival time, only to find I'd never activated the flight plan. With some back and forth, that was fixed and on we went. About 40 miles north of Carrizozo, center released us as we were getting outside radar range at our altitude of 9500'. We circled the home of our friends, landed and found a tie down spot. The airport manager and local mechanic ambled out to greet us and help tie us down. Chatted with him until our friend Steve Fortelny (former Fairbanksan) drove our van out to pick us up. Nice dinner with Steve and Ann, walked with them for 1.5 hours around the golf course, then off to Ann's place for the night.
1Sep09 -- Carrizozo
Ken: Slept well, breakfast at Ann's, then off to get the TrailManor. Tires were quite low, so we pulled it slowly to a filling station and got the tires up to pressure. Drove it all out the Malpais, the Valley of Fires campground (BLM managed), and proceeded to set it up for the first time in a year! We found nothing amiss -- no critters having taken up residence, no weather damage, etc. Finally gave up, got the van jump started (one of us left the lights on while we worked), and drove back to town for lunch. Great healthy food at La Brewja, and wireless to let me get this much done. Last September, just before we took it down for the winter, two of the plastic vent covers had been punctured by hail. I'd put duct tape (of course) on them until we could replace. Now, Steve suggested just patching it with some fiberglass fabric and a hotshot poly caulk he'd found -- which he did forthwith. Back to a lovely dinner with Steve & Ann, then staying at Ann's house for the night.
2Sep09 -- Carrizozo
Ken: Drove the 20 miles to Capitan to do laundry and grocery shop. Then back to check in with Steve on packages we were expecting. No joy. Back to the trailer to BBQ chicken and yams for dinner with Steve and Ann. After dinner we all walked one loop of the lava trail and to the end of the campground and back.
3Sep09 -- Carrizozo & Tucumcari
Ken: More organizing, packing, etc. Then we took down the TrailManor and pulled it to a mechanic to be sure the wheel bearings were greased. In getting that done, he pointed out that both tires were wearing badly on the inside edges, with breaks in the rubber! He found a pair of replacements in town, they were delivered, balanced and mounted. Spare needed inflating, too. While there, it started to rain (unusual for here). With the ground vehicles ready to go, we drove to the plane to move some gear into the van, then Nikki dropped me at Steve's studio and picked up the last two packages which had just arrived. It wasn't good enough flying weather for me to launch, but Nikki headed out for Tucumcari, NM. I had dinner with Steve and Ann, and spent another night at Ann's house. Nikki got to Tucumcari and had the trailer up just about dark.
