[See 2008 Odyssey below for details on the van/camper/aircraft in which we're traveling. This year, we've added an inflatable canoe to the transport list.]
Nikki and I flew the plane from Fairbanks to Carrizozo, NM (see Phase 1 below) to pick up the Sienna & TrailManor we left there last September (see 2008 Odyssey, far below). From there we headed to Murfreesboro (Nashville area) (see Phase 2 below). Next, northeast, to get to New England to see the fall colors (see Phase 3 below). One diversion: Ken's 50th high school reunion was in North Platte, Nebraska, and we flew there from Murfreesboro, spending Sept 16-20 in North Platte. We spent several weeks in New England (see Phase 4 below) before heading back to Murfreesboro (see Phase 5 below). Slowly homeward bound, via Tempe, AZ, for Thanksgiving with family.
[More photos will be added as we have time to sort them out. Check date/time of updates, above, to flag additions.]
..........Flying Map............................Driving Map.........
10Nov09 -- Lexington, TN
Ken: Said our 'goodbyes' to Dawna & Joe as they headed to work. Packed up and headed to Manchester to get the TrailManor. It was done, but the responsible fellow wouldn't be in until 2pm. Stopped for breakfast, then in to the RV shop. We set the TrailManor up & spent quite a bit of time going over the various squawks. We'd been in hard rain the whole morning, and discovered the vents were still leaking. So back down it went and into their shop to get dried off and more caulk applied. A couple of other minor items were attended to, lamps replaced, final adjustments made, and we packed it up to head west (still in the rain). Stopped for lunch, drove back to Murfreesboro airport (driving out of the rain and into fairly decent flying weather). Nikki headed onto the highway and I got a briefing and fuel in the plane. By the time I was ready to fly, it was after 4pm. I hadn't set the Garmin 496 back to Central Standard Time, so thought I had till 5:45pm for sundown. Ramp guy reminded me that I had less than an hour to make my hour long flight. So I scampered through the details and took off. I was flying almost directly into the setting sun, but at 4500' I had a great tail wind. I was showing ground speeds between 150kt and 170kt!! At that rate I thought I might make it to the intended stop of Bolivar, TN before sundown. Didn't happen. As the sun merged with the clouds on the horizon, I made the divert decision (once more), and turned right to a nearby strip not too far off I-40. Beech River Regional is only 3+ years old (closed three other smaller airports to focus on the new one) and is a GREAT airport. A fellow directed me to the front of a hanger, into which we pushed the plane. When I asked about the fees, he said they don't do that. They are trying to recreate an earlier age of flying, and I'm impressed with the whole operation. I called Nikki, she hadn't passed the exit to Parsons (nearby town), and diverted to pick me up. We dropped the trailer on the ramp between hangers, then went into Lexington (TN) to find a motel and dinner. Tomorrow we intend to move to Ouachita State Park, near Hot Springs, AR.
12Nov09 -- Hot Springs, AR
Ken: Up in good time, back to airport to hitch up the TrailManor, and Nikki headed for Hot Springs. Usual drill of moving plane out of hanger, getting briefing, walk around, and launch. Flight was shortened by good tail winds (showing 130-140 kt. After passing Little Rock, I terminated flight following and descended to get below the scattered clouds. When I got down there, I found some of the clouds almost to the ground, and it was an interesting few minutes finding a VFR path around them and into the clearer airspace around Hot Springs. I should have stayed above. Landed, tied down, unloaded and borrowed the courtesy car to drive out the 15 miles or so to Lake Ouachita State Park. Checked out the sites, selected on with good lake access, got us registered, then returned to town to grab a sandwich and get to the airport. Nikki arrived shortly after, and we headed out to the campsite. Set up the TrailManor, then drove off for groceries, etc. When we returned, we had two neighbors. Otherwise, not many folks in the park. Neighbors invited us to join them for dinner of stew and cornbreak. Two couples from Eastland, TX, traveling together with two good sized fifth wheel houses. It was a nice evening of socializing.
13Nov09 -- Hot Springs
Ken: Nikki wanted to experience the hot springs spa, so we drove in to town and explored "Bathhouse Row" on foot. The National Park Service owns most of the area, but has concessionaires running one of the historical bath houses as they were years ago. After lunch, Nikki went in for the full 2+ hour treatment, while I relaxed over lunch and then found an internet cafe. After that, we went to another of the historical bath houses that has been converted into a Modern Art Gallery, and we saw some amazing leather sculptures there (plus a bunch of great 2D art). Nikki had located a resort on Lake Ouachita that advertised WiFi in the dining hall, so we headed there for dinner and a bit more internet work. Then back to camp.
14Nov09 -- Hot Springs
Ken: We signed up for a kayak tour of parts of the lake with a ranger. Met up with her at 0900, met the other couple (from Kansas) going with us, got a briefing on kayaking, loaded up and headed out. We spent the next nearly six hours following the shoreline, hearing about the geology, history, wild life, etc. of Lake Ouachita. The lake has several hundred miles of shoreline, so we didn't cover any significant portion. Stopped for lunch for a while, otherwise, we paddled the whole time. Really lovely day. Built a fire and just relaxed with our reading until it got dark. Then did dinner around the fire, capped off with s'mores. Nice finale to a relaxing stay in a very lovely spot.
15Nov09 -- Frankston, TX
Ken: We got out of the campground by 0830. Nikki dropped me at the airport, and drove on. Briefing showed low ceilings, cold front moving in from the west, not a good day for flying. I hung out for another couple of hours, got an update which showed some improvement, and decided to go have a look. The idea was to wait long enough for things to clear up from the morning fog, etc., but not so long as to have the cold front arrive at Tyler, TX, before me. I did the whole flight at 2500'. That was below the clouds and much of the time I had good visibility. The only problem areas were where the sun peeked through the higher layers and cast columns of light and shadow. Along with the glare from the general haze, that made visibility worse. Deviations were few, progress was slow in headwinds (showing 95-105 kts ground speed), and I made it in. Nikki had arrived just minutes before me, and was waiting to collect me at the airport. Down the road a few miles to Frankston, and the Lake Palestine Resort. Grabbed lunch, and the rain began. It was heavy while we ate, slacked off while we put up the TrailManor, and drizzled for a while. But at 70+F, it wasn't unpleasant. Relaxing in our mobile home with slow WiFi just reaching out to the camp site.
16Nov09 -- Frankston, TX
Ken: Drove in to Tyler looking for a laundromat with WiFi. After checking several out, we finally opted to just do the darn laundry and find WiFi somewhere else. We did stop at a house that had a large "Baha'i Center" sign out front, but nobody was home. Lunch at a funky BBQ place, grocery shopping, then back to campground, late dinner & bed.
17Nov09 -- Austin, TX
Ken: Awoke to a beautiful morning. Nary a cloud to be seen. Packed up and headed for the airport to drop me off. Nikki drove on toward Austin, while I packed the plane, got a briefing and prepared to depart. Forecast was for at least moderate turbulence below 8500', and it was pretty bouncy climbing out. Once above a few puffy clouds that had ventured in to the area, I found smooth air at 6500'. Almost a direct crosswind which required 15-20 degrees of crab and resulted in ground speeds in the 110-115 kt range. But the winds were steady and it was 'feet on the floor' smooth. I began seeing a curious pattern on the ground. Roads winding through the countryside had short side roads, each of which ended in a rectangular cleared space. Each had some machinery at the side of the space. And they were covering the landscape like a patchwork quilt. I'm guessing they were oil wells... Arrival at Austin was fun. I was handed off to Austin Approach about 40 miles out. They were BUSY. They called out maneuvering traffic a few miles away (small airport there) which I never saw. They didn't call out the Cessna that passed in front and a bit below me. Much of the traffic was scheduled airlines and private jets, though there were two other C182s in the mix. One of them was not responding quickly to calls, making approach repeat them. Finally, the controller told the guy "I need you to listen up." About 15 miles out I was vectored for spacing. I was told I'd be following a Leer Jet which was crossing my path a few miles ahead -- but I never was able to find it. Handed off to the tower on a wide right downwind to 35R. While I was on base, they launched a small jet, and I paid attention to its rotation spot. While I was on final, they launched another C182, and I wasn't sure they weren't going to let another go while I was on short final. I had a small jet behind me, too. I was trying to keep my speed up and still make the first turn off the runway. Indicating 80 kts on final is higher than I like, but my groundspeed was showing 50-60 kts! The headwind was so high that I was down and having to taxi half the distance to the first turn off. No instructions from tower, so I turned off and taxied to the first taxiway intersection, then called ground for guidance to the FBO (which turned out to be directly in front of me). I'd selected an FBO based on the AOPA fuel price listing, and was a bit intimidated when I was ushered to a spot surrounded by small and medium jets. But the staff treated me just like the big boys. When I asked about a place to get lunch while waiting for Nikki, I was handed the keys to a crew car and given directions to a Subway. I could have parked the plane in a hanger for $40/night, but chose a tie down. So they whisked my plane out of the line to their tie down ramp. Nikki pulled in before I finished my lunch and we headed for the RV Park. Really nice one with sculpted bushes separating spaces. They got us a space, escorted us there, and gave us general directions -- before having us come back to register and pay!! We set up in record time, registered, and headed out to the Lady Bird Wildflower Center. It's a major research center on indigenous plants, and there were some really interesting plots and displays. Lots of sculpture scattered around the place, too. Nearby is a most interesting cycling path. It's 3+ miles of 2-lane asphalt, winding around and back on itself. The path is one way, and there were some power bikers working out at high speed. Plenty of space for passing and all skill levels welcome. We packed the bikes back on the rack, and headed for the home of Karen Haschke, a friend I'd known from grad school in Illinois. When we left the park, the GPS estimated about 25 minutes travel time. Met with a bit of rush hour traffic, making the trek closer to an hour. Nice evening of "catching up" chatter over Texas BBQ, then back to the TrailManor to wind down the evening. Tomorrow is gallery and museum day in Austin, and maybe biking along the river.
18Nov09 -- Austin, TX
Ken: Drove to a park that advertised a Japanese garden. Didn't find the garden, but saw interesting parts of Austin. Then drove to Univ. of Texas campus and the Blanton gallery. Spent some time with their several collections. Left van in the parking garage and walked south to explore downtown Austin. Passed through the capitol, and continued looking for a couple of other galleries that looked interesting. Neither was open. Walked back to the van, drove off to explore another artsy area south of the river. Drove back north to find the home of Elizabet Ney, a noted sculptor from late 1800's - early 1900's. It was closed for renovations. Time for ice cream, then back to the TrailManor.
19Nov09 -- Van Horn, TX
Ken: Packed and closed up the TrailManor, and dropped me at the airport. Nikki headed for Van Horn, TX while I waited for the FBO to pull my plane around from parking. Settled my bills, then went hunting sectionals. The only place on the field known to have them was not open! So I was left relying on the Garmin 496 (and a good briefing from FSS). The flight to Van Horn was about 3 hours, and uneventful. Fun little airport, out in the desert. Only other plane on the ramp was a small jet. I called the number listed to get fuel, tied the plane down and got my stuff out. When the manager arrived, he suggested we wait until morning to refuel, as we'd have to haul the plane over to the pump and it was already tied down. He offered a ride to the KOA, so I could wait there instead of at the airport. I got our space reserved and paid for, then set up my computer on the front porch of the office building and worked a bit until Nikki drove in. She had made very good time, so we had some afternoon left to take a bike trip down the road a ways and back. Dinner in their cafe was fine and we turned in fairly early.
20Nov09 -- Lake Patagonia, AZ
Ken: The flight from Van Horn to Nogales Int'l was a bit interesting. Of course I needed to stay at least a few miles north of the US-Mexico border. The routing was direct to the El Paso VOR, then direct to the Cochise (CIE) VOR. Restricted area 5115 showed as a very small circle on the GPS, directly in my path. Center advised me of it, and I said I would deviate south. Approaching the area, I spotted a tethered ballon well above my altitude (8500'). These are used to fly high altitude radar for interdiction activity. Fascinating! After CIE I had to continue west to stay outside an active MOA. ABQ Center handed me off to Libby Approach, which is the military controller for the area. They cleared me through the MOA direct to Nogales. Coming in to Nogales I announced about 10 miles out. No response. So at 5 miles I announced intention of entering left downwind for Runway 3. A disgusted sounding voice replied "Well, WE are on a left downwind for 21." So I overflew, entered the 21 downwind and landed. Runway elevation is just shy of 5000'! Tied down and unloaded my packs. Airport is a true international one, with staffed Customs office. I watched them process a turbine Mirage that had just come in from Mexico with four folks. Drug sniffing dog, geiger counter sweep, interviews -- the whole routine. Nikki made it within a couple of hours and we drove back to Lake Patagonia State Park to pick a spot and set up the TrailManor. We spent a bit of time setting up a tent for Angie (Ken's daughter) and Roger (her Irish husband) to spend a couple of nights with us later.
21Nov09 -- Lake Patagonia
Ken: Busy day. Went to the visitor center and were just in time to join a boat tour birding trip led by a naturalist volunteer. This explored one end of the lake for a little over an hour. Then we got hiking permits and drove to the trailhead for a 3 mile hike through a variety of terrain. Back to the TrailManor, got out the bikes and biked around the campground for a while. Then we inflated the canoe and spent the last couple of hours of daylight paddling around the marshy areas watching the wild life. Ended the day by driving in to Patagonia town for dinner at a wonderful Mexican restaurant -- capped off by coconut pie made with chunks of freshly cut coconut!
22Nov09 -- Lake Patagonia
Ken: Drove up the road a ways to the Tumacacori Mission, and took the tour. Fascinating view of the Spanish occupation of the west through constructing Catholic missions. In this case, it was established by Jesuits. But they fell out of favor, and the Franciscans came in and built a while new church. Some of the buildings still stand, while others have literally melted into the landscape (unprotected adobe doesn't withstand rain). Drove a few more miles north to Tubac, an artistic community. Lunch, visit a few galleries, wander around admiring the architecture. Then back to Nogales for shopping (Walmart) and home to the TrailManor. Big camp fire, grilled dinner, s'mores. Life is great!
23Nov09 -- Lake Patagonia
Ken: Drove to Tucson, to the Pima Air Museum. Dave, Bev, Angie and Roger drove down from Tempe and met us there. The guys did the Air Museum while the gals did the art/shopping/lunch scene. We were so long at the Air Museum that Roger and I got locked in and had to call for someone to come let us out. Rejoined the gals for dinner together. Bev and Dave drove back to Tempe while we took Angie and Roger with us for a couple of nights at Lake Patagonia.
24Nov09 -- Lake Patagonia
Ken: Woke up early to watch the flocks of Red Wing Blackbirds make their daily migration over the camp. Big camp breakfast, then packed snacks for a hike along the same trail Nikki and I had two days before (but in reverse). Roger needed to get his run in, so he went ahead while the three of us poked along enjoying the scenery. When we rejoined, we drove back for short naps. We rented a double kayak for Angie & Roger, and the four of us spent about 2 hours paddling around taking pictures of Great Blue Heron, a variety of ducks, a few deer on the shore, and lots of lovely scenery. Back at camp, we again built a big fire and grilled a gourmet shiskabob meal. Sat around the fire enjoying the lovely evening.
25Nov09 -- Tempe, AZ
Ken: It took us considerably longer to pack up camp. In addition to the usual TrailManor routine, we had the tent camp to take down and stow. And we had quite an audience of other campers interested in how the TrailManor worked. We finally got away from Lake Patagonia, headed to Nogales airport. Part of sharing with Angie and Roger was for them to fly with me for the leg back to Phoenix area. Nikki dropped us off and headed down the road. We started setting up the plane for three of us, and quickly discovered that the extra seat belts and headsets were still in the van. Fortunately, Nikki had stopped for gas just a few miles down the road. So she dug out what we needed and ran them back up to us, before turning around and heading for Tempe via Nogales. The three of us finally got everything configured, gas in the plane, gas and tie-down paid for, and took off headed north. I was soon connected with Albuquerque Center for flight following and we were enjoying the desert scenery. Our path took us over a couple of the airports I'd been considering for storing the plane over the winter (Eloy and Casa Grande), and I was able to get a general idea of their layouts. We checked out a couple of huge copper mines as we flew over. Destination today was Stellar Air Park, in Chandler. It is the closest to Bev & Dave's home, so one I wanted to check out for storing the plane. Tied the plane down (in a reserved spot, it turned out), unloaded, and waited for Bev to pick us up. No one around to chat with -- back another time to make contacts. Off to the Tempe home for a family evening. Kevin arrived from Fairbanks, also.
26Nov09 -- Tempe
Ken: Kevin & Josh and I headed back to Stellar to give them a plane ride around the area. Found the note telling me to move the plane from the reserved spot. We packed up and headed out on a short flight. I used this trip to overfly two other airports I'd identified as possible storage sites: Estrella Sailport and Phoenix Regional. We also flew over Casa Grande again, before returning to Stellar and parking in a legitimate transient spot. I found one resident to chat with and found out he used to live in Alaska. He said there were multiple planes (many super cubs) in hangers around the air park that make treks to Alaska in the summers. Back home to help prep for Thanksgiving dinner, and then stuff ourselves according to the custom. Card games, snacking, lots of chatter among various groups filled out our Thanksgiving day.
27Nov09 -- Tempe
Ken: Outdoor activity day. Angie, Roger, Kevin and I decided to do an 8 mile hike through the Superstition Mountains. Nikki and Bev drove us to the trailhead, then went around to the lake at the terminus and spent the day painting. Hike took us more than 5 hours, and was lots of up and down. Quite tiring, but very rewarding to all the hikers. Photos will be posted as I have time. Dinner at Macaroni Grill, then home for cards and chatting.
28Nov09 -- Tempe
Ken: Dave, Kevin, Josh and I headed out to an airport dedicated to Radio Control airplane flying, east of Phoenix. Big airshow was supposed to be going on. Gate was locked when we got there -- Dave dug out the flyer and discovered it had been last weekend! So we went to visit Danae's (Dave's daughter) husband, Jeff, for a bit. We drove out to Phoenix Gateway airport to check out plane storage there, and got a nice "golf cart" tour of the tie down and open quonset storage areas. Lunch at Culvers (nice hamburger joint), couple of shopping stops, then back to Tempe home. Danae, Jeff and Darien came over for a while. Dinner, cards, chatter.
29Nov09 -- Tempe
Ken: Nikki and I got up early and drove south to Eloy, to check out that airport for plane storage and local RV storage possibilities. Eloy has the largest skydiving activity of any other airport in the world. While we were there, a Twin Otter and a Casa were continously hauling big groups up. It was common for there to be 10-14 canopies in the sky at a time. Bunches of folks were packing chutes, tending to rigging, etc. etc. etc. There are no tie down fees here, which makes it a very attractive alternative to other places with their $40-$65/mo fees. We checked out a few storage units as possibilities for storing the van and TrailManor, but nothing looked workable. We drove through the Baha'i Desert Rose Institute near Eloy, but didn't contact anyone. It's a possibility for storage of van/TrailManor. Then we went to a huge RV park just off I-10, and it's a definite maybe. Only thing better would be if we could find a private property with space for the van/TrailManor. We'll check on one possibility Monday morning, then we'll just have to park it and get to the final preparations for long term storage of all three vehicles. Back to Tempe for more family (Dave's daughter, Danae, and her husband and daughter) mealtime. Some folks are watching a football (US style) game while I work on the blog.
30Nov09 -- Tempe
Ken: Nikki and I drove back to Desert Rose to check it out. Walking through the residential apartment complex we were greeted by a couple of residents, one of whom Nikki knew from Alaska. Some discussions, walk arounds, and phone calls later we'd established that we could store our rig here for about the same as the least expensive commercial storage site we'd found. In addition to having it watched by friends, we'll have access to one of the four full hook up sites when we come back. So this will be our launching point for our next adventure, whenever that might be. Back to Tempe to find an RV store to shop for tire covers, etc. Nothing available at the huge one we found off I-10. They suggested another in Mesa, but we ran out of time to get there today.
1Dec09 -- Tempe
Ken: Cleaned out the van and the TrailManor in preparation for long term storage. Closed up the TrailManor and got it hitched to the van, then drove Dave's truck to the Mesa RV shop to get tire covers for the TrailManor and plane. Nikki, Angie and I headed out in the van/TrailManor to drop us at Stellar. The intent was that Angie and I would fly to Eloy while Nikki drove. Then all three of us would take the van/TrailManor to Desert Rose for final preparations and storage, and then all three fly back to Gateway. HOWEVER, I forgot the key to the plane. Called Bev, who found the key and agreed to meet us halfway. On the way to that meeting, we decided that we'd see if Bev & Dave wanted to drive down to Eloy -- just not take the plane at all. They did. And while all that was being negotiated, we got a call from Josh that he would be going through Casa Grande about the same time as we would. So we all met at a truck stop near Eloy. Josh came with us to Desert Rose. We did the final set up of the TrailManor, dumped the septic tanks, finished packing and arranging, and closed it up for the final storage. Stored bikes in the van, and drove into the storage spot. Put tire covers on trailer, turned in our keys, and headed to Eloy to get lunch. Dropped Josh back at his truck to continue his run to Louisiana, and headed for Tempe. By this time it was too dark to move the plane, so we relaxed for the rest of the evening.
2Dec09 -- Fairbanks, AK
Ken: Finished packing. Angie went with me to fly the plane from Stellar to Gateway. Took a while getting signed up for tie down space. Dave drove us back home for a quick lunch. Then off to the airport to catch Alaska Airlines home. Our house sitter, Chery, met us with the van, and we are finally HOME!! The 2009 Odyssey is officially ended.
