Winslow, Arizona to Kingman, Arizona via the Grand Canyon

We woke to an outstanding day for both weather and flight itinerary.  Blue skies and calm winds, set the stage for an overflight of the Grand Canyon in an area designated for general aviation.  You can see what a perfect day it was in this video.

On their way to the Grand Canyon,, Bill & Will had an outstanding view of the Meteor Crater at about 5,000 feet above the rim.

While I was driving I-40, headed to Kingman, the "Meteor Crater" signs were calling to me.  I had to stop and see the crater made by a meteor (approximately 50,000 years ago) traveling 26,000 mph when it hit the earth.  What an impact that must have been!!!!  Here's my picture of the crater using the panoramic option on my iPhone at the observation deck.

From the crater, Bill & Will increased their altitude to 10,500 feet and flew for about an hour toward the Grand Canyon.  About 5 miles from the rim of the canyon, they lined N20190 up to fly into the designated air space and climbed to 11,500 feet.  They were flying north/northeast and crossed at the eastern end of the canyon.  

Once they made it to the middle of the canyon, Will took this amazing video.

After they crossed the canyon, they then flew west and descended down to 10,500 feet.

Finally, they turned south and flew across the center of the canyon in the designated air corridor..

Canyon tour complete, they said good-by to the Grand Canyon and headed to Kingman, Arizona.  This path involved flying over some rugged terrain where the daytime air was heating up.  As a result, the flight was rather bumpy.  None the less, they beat me to Kingman by about an hour.  🐢

What a day for all of us as we viewed how Earth's ancient history has scratched its marks upon her face.  Cosmic disturbances and mother nature are ever changing the surface of our home; some occur in an instant, others over millennia.  Seeing these transformations on such a grand scale as we did today, filled us all with a sense of awe.  

Santa Rosa, New Mexico to Winslow, Arizona

Began this morning in Santa Rosa, New Mexico with a VFR (Visual Flight Rules) departure involving sky conditions of 1,200 foot broken clouds.  Bill and Will had to make their way through gaps in the clouds to the clear conditions on top.  Heading for Albuquerque, they rose to 12,500 feet to a beautiful sky.

Meanwhile, I made an embarrassing phone call from the car to a family friend who lives in Phoenix.  Why did I think that Phoenix was on I-40?  I don't know - but I did.  I had told our friend that we would be passing through Phoenix and would love to visit with him.  So, I had to explain how confused about our country's interstate system I was....embarrassing.  Please forgive me, Mike.  😌

On their way to Gallup, New Mexico, Bill & Will flew over the Albuquerque International Airport.

They stopped and refueled in Gallup, New Mexico, and gave me a call.  I had just reached the Continental Divide.  They were ahead of me but not by much.  But I knew once they took off for Winslow, I'd be waaay behind them.

Being from the Mississippi Delta, the high desert landscape between Gallup, New Mexico and Winslow, Arizona was uncommonly beautiful to all of us.  Below is a picture Bill took of a unique land formation with rain showers in the distance near Winslow.

Bill & Will landed in Winslow about 12:40 pm (Mountain Standard Time) and made themselves comfortable at the airport terminal which was really quite nice.  Thank God, because they had to wait about an hour and a half until I arrived.  Reunited, we made our way to the historic La Posada Hotel which began civilizing the west in 1930.  We weren't able to obtain room reservations but we were able to enjoy an outstanding meal in the enchanting Turquoise Room.

After our delicious meal, we walked to the iconic street corner.   Take it easy!

Clinton, Oklahoma to Santa Rosa, New Mexico

We woke to challenging weather for flying - low clouds, rain and reduced visibility.  The good news was that the weather to the west of Clinton, Oklahoma (where we were headed) was good for flying.  We just needed a break in the weather to take off.  Over breakfast and many leisurely cups of coffee, Bill & Will continually checked to determine if a break in the weather was coming.  Finally, at about 10:15 am, Bill decided the weather was good enough for an IFR (Instrument Flight Rules) take off.  Bill & Will headed to the airport and told me to begin my trek to Santa Rosa, New Mexico.  I really didn't want to leave them as I feared that I'd make it to Santa Rosa and they would be stuck in pea soup.  The below picture shows how poor the visibility was as I entered I-40.  

After driving only 15 minutes west, the clouds broke up and the rain stopped.  Within 30 minutes, the clouds had a much higher ceiling with some blue skies.  

Meanwhile, Bill & Will did some pre-flight planning, filed an IFR flight plan, went out to pre-flight the airplane in the rain, and then departed for Borger, Texas at about 1:00 pm.  They rose to about 8,000 feet and after about 30 minutes of flying, they too broke out of the worst of the weather.  They canceled the IFR flight plan and proceeded visually.  The below picture shows how the clouds were now just scattered.  

While they were flying to Borger, I was traveling through the Texas panhandle.

Just west of Amarillo, I received a text from Bill saying that they had just landed in Borger, Texas (below). 

At Borger, Bill & Will fueled up and stretched their legs.  Then they re-boarded and took off for Santa Rosa.  The picture below shows how the landscape changed almost immediately upon entering New Mexico with scattered mesas across the land.

 And how did I know that I entered New Mexico?

I was surprised when I rolled into Santa Rosa and hadn't received a call from Bill or Will.  They had beaten me to our two previous destinations, I was certain that they'd reach Santa Rosa first as well.  When I arrived at the Santa Rosa Municipal Airport, it was clear that I arrived first.  But more importantly, the airport was uncontrolled and closed up.  So, I waited for them outside the gate and watched the sky in all directions.

I heard them before I saw them.  I wanted so badly to video the landing - I did the best I could "behind bars". 

Maybe tomorrow I'll be able to get a better video of their take off.   

Being pilots, they had the super secret password to open the gate.  😊   I joined them as they tied down N20190, and then as they cleaned up in the airport building (where there were complimentary drinks and snacks).  Oh, and painted on one of the walls, was this cool piece of art/

Again, our hotel cames with points, no fly swatters.  And dinner at the Silver Moon was fantástico!  New taste sensation for the Parks family, posole.  Looks bad....tastes great!

Lesson for today?  The importance of being flexible in a dynamic environment.  Tomorrow's forecast calls for sunnier weather....but we'll stay flexible.  🌞

Ozark, Arkansas to Clinton, Oklahoma

The day began early with breakfast at the local gas station McDonald's followed by some serious flight planning.  The original destination had been Oklahoma City but the weather wasn't cooperating.  Although it was a beautiful day in Ozark to fly, Bill & Will couldn't find a direct path through eastern and central Oklahoma that wasn't hindered by rain or clouds. 

It looked like we were going to spend another day in Ozark, Arkansas to let the large weather mass  over Oklahoma pass.  Then, Bill came up with a creative alternative.  They decided to fly southwest, along the eastern edge of the weather, to Durant, Oklahoma.  This alternative allowed them western (forward) movement and time for some of the weather to pass.  Once in Durant, they could reassess the weather to find a northwest path back up to our rendezvous point, Oklahoma City.  

With the plan set, I drove Will & Bill back to the Ozark Franklin County Airport where they prepared N20190 and departed for Durant.  

Once they were airborne, I left Hillbilly Loop (no kidding) and headed for I-40.  

From I-40, I could see the towering cumulous clouds in the distance.  

It was along the edge of this system that Bill & Will flew to Durant.

After about an hour and 40 minutes of flying, they arrived at the Durant.Regional - Eaker Airport - another uncontrolled facility.

Once landed, Bill & Will took a new look at the weather between Durant and the Oklahoma City area.  There were clouds of various heights, and gaps between the cloud groupings.  So, they decided that flying over the clouds was an option.  They took off and ascended to about 9,000 feet.  What they found was that the cloud scenario was dynamic as the clouds continued to grow as they sometimes do during mid day.  Some of the clouds reaching higher than 12,000 feet.  At this realization, they decided to return to Durant and reassess once again. 

Back in Durant, they reviewed the current weather and realized that the cloud ceiling was now high enough for them to fly a clear path, below the clouds, to Clinton (west of Oklahoma City).  

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After almost 5 hours of flying for the day, they landed in Clinton.  They topped off the plane with fuel and then went to the airport office.  While paying for the fuel, they were informed that they could use the airport's "crew car".  As Elwood said in the Blues Brothers, "It's got a cop motor, a 440-cubic inch plant.  It's got cop tires, cop suspension, cop shocks.  It's a model made before catalytic converters so it'll run good on regular gas."  Needless to say, they took the offer.

Meanwhile, I was hugging Aunt Helen good bye in Oklahoma City.  We had a wonderful lunch together and time passed too quickly.  I had hoped that Bill & Will could have landed in the Oklahoma City area so that we could have visited more.  But that wasn't meant to be.

Our hotel room tonight does not include its own fly swatter, but we are earning points.  😉 

Tomorrow we still have weather concerns.  So, where we'll end up may be the result of another series of creative decisions.  Today was certainly a lesson in how to adjust to a dynamically changing environment.  A great lesson for life in general.  🌝

Millington, Tennessee to Ozark, Arkansas

We began our air & road journey to California by arriving at Millington Airport at 11:45 am Central Time.  Conditions were partly cloudy and light winds - a GREAT day to fly!  Below is a picture of Bill & Will standing with N20190 definitely looking excited.

I had to leave them to their flight planning as I had to start my drive to Arkansas.  But according to Bill, they were airborne at 12:45 pm.  Our plan was to rendezvous in Clarksville, Arkansas.  I knew the trip was real for me when I came to the large Welcome to Arkansas sign midway across the Mississippi Bridge (affectionately referred to as the Dolly Parton Bridge by locals).  As you can see by the below picture, the rest of America was done driving after the Labor Day weekend hauls.  The roads were wide open.

While I was driving through the Arkansas delta, Bill and Will diverted from I-40 and veered north to check out Heber Springs Lake.  What would have taken me 2 1/2 hours to drive, only took them just over an hour flight.  Below is a shot they took of the lake.

As I was rolling through the east side of Little Rock, I received a call from Will.  Rendezvous plans had changed to Ozark, Arkansas (25 minutes beyond Clarksville - our original destination point).  AND they were already there!  I definitely felt like the tortoise even though this wasn't a race.

Ozark, Arkansas is a small rural town along the Arkansas River.  Settled in 1836, it is one of the oldest towns in Arkansas.  Do you know where the name Ozark came from?  In my mind, I always thought it was a Native American word.  But its not - its from the French words "Aux Arc" - meaning "at the bend".  Learn something new every day.  Both Bill & Will said the approach to the airport provided them with a spectacular view of beautiful countryside.  That's the Arkansas River in the distance.

Bill & Will had waited about an hour and a half for me to arrive at the Ozark Franklin County Airport (an uncontrolled airport).  There were only two tie downs available - one was already being used.  So, they were glad to snag the remaining one and tie N20190 down for the night (plane on the left).

 While Bill & Will had been waiting for their driver to arrive, they had been able to review the local hotels - none of which belong to a chain that offers points.  😏  They selected the Oxford Inn based upon the reviews.  Fortunately, I took their word for it because if I'd read the reviews before checking in, we'd have driven 30 miles to the nearest Hampton Inn.  As it turned out, the rooms were spartan but clean and each was equipped with its own fly swatter.  The really great part was the view from our second floor walkway.  And we couldn't beat the price.

Another selling point was being able to walk to a delicious Mexican fare dinner which sported some pretty nice Razorback art at the entry.

After dinner, Bill & I walked down to the river bluff, through an old cemetery.  It is easy to understand why Arkansas is referred to as the Natural State.

Tomorrow, God willing, we will cross another state line into my birth state of Oklahoma!  We plan to leave the hotel and untie N20190 around 7 am.  Here's to having another safe trip!