Tradition

Do something once and its the first time.  The second, maybe a bit of de javu.  Ahhhh, but the third time, then its a tradition.  Today we confirmed the tradition of flying to Saint Pete at the holidays to visit our friends.  They come down for the holidays from somewhere that has snow and cold cold weather.  Not sure why they left Florida to live in the cold North but like the Capistrano Swallows they return each year.

Weather has been wacky, yes that is a technical term.  I was a bit unsure if we would have to cancel.  The forecast models were all over the place but Wednesday night the models started to suggest that it would be low clouds all day.  We awoke to low clouds and basically the route there was low IFR.

We originally planned an early lunch but I figured some patience would pay off.  Sure enough it cleared at home and was coming up en route, by 11 AM we had at least 1000 feet.  We headed out and the sunshine ended as we were departing.  A rain shower rolled by and we had some brief rain and lower clouds but were soon on top of a snowy deck.

By Ocala it was starting to clear and arriving we had mostly clear skies.  Our friends had tracked us and we pulled up to a welcome committee.  As we sat eating lunch overlooking the planes, the clear weather turned to passing showers.  Then I glanced at the weather back home, 800 overcast and tending lower.   The forecast was updated to reflect the low clouds.

The Hangar restaurant at SPG has good food but they will never win any speed awards.  Lunch was a 2 hour affair for burgers and sandwiches. This was fine as we came to visit but don't think you will get a quick turn here.  Given the new forecast we decided not to delay too much.

Departing things looked pretty good, the showers had left the local area .  We had a turn to the West (the wrong way home) but once we were at 2000, we were given a North turn and a direct climb to 8000.  Between 5 and 6 thousand there was a bit of rain but we were soon on top again.  The weather back home cleared, while en-route was marginal VFR.

Our descent inbound took us back through the layer.  It is always fun to be skimming along the top of the clouds and then get swallowed in them.  The earlier clouds had left and it was basically sunny.  Our arrival to runway 5 was uneventful and were soon heading off to other activities.

Everything but BBQ

Weather has been good and bad lately.  Have gotten in some good instrument practice in actual conditions.  Other days have been clear but rather blustery.  Yesterday I looked at the forecast and it was going to be clear, cool and calm. 

I posted on our pilots group looking for people to fly out to lunch.  Right after I did the girls called and asked about dinner plans.  We agreed that Mission BBQ sounded like a good idea so on their way home they picked up some serious BBQ.

About the time the BBQ arrived I had some responses,they wanted to head for some BBQ at Saint Simons.  Now I always like BBQ so I said why not.  The good weather brought every Sunday flyer out and I was #5 in line for departure until #6 cut in front of me.  After glaring at him, not that he could see me,I was soon on my way and enjoyed a leisurely flight up the coast.

I was a bit concerned that we would have a major line at Southern Soul as we arrived at 11:45.  Amazingly there was no line.  When it came to the fateful decision on BBQ, I went rogue and got a chili dog.  Had a fun time with the airport friends eating and talking.  On the way home I departed right by the vessel that got stuck in the channel.

Thanksgiving 2019

This year the girls decided for us that they were going to meet in Miami.  Luckily we have the plane and while the weather in general was frightful, Florida enjoyed blue skies.  We packed up and headed South Wednesday.  There were flight restrictions around Palm Beach due to the President but on an IFR plan we are allowed within the 30 mile ring and it did not change our route.

The flight was right on time, one of the benefits of not having a schedule.  Rachel picked us up and we headed to lunch with the girls.  One of the benefits of travelling for the Holidays is being pampered at a hotel.  I had originally booked a 4 points Sheraton but I checked last week and there was a great deal on the JW Marriott which was closer to my Dad.  I realized I had a free night about to expire and used that and ended up paying less for much more hotel.

The JW had a nice pool and they have the concierge lounge which means free waters/soda and snacks.  Also food in the evenings. 

Thursday, Dad, Samantha and I fulfilled our annual tradition by going flying.  I returned the plane to the same spot where we had parked.  I had not fueled on arrival or after our Thursday flight.  At KHWO, Friday is fuel Friday and you get a 50 cent discount per gallon.  I scheduled our fill up and the tanks were topped when we returned Saturday.  My big Black Friday score.

One other cool feature was that the FBO had a fish tank with Finding Nemo themed fish.

We usually spend the day cooking but this year was different.  We all assembled at Dad's place and had hot dogs for lunch and then took a walk.  We then lounged at the hotel pool until it was time for Thanksgiving dinner.  We all went to a local establishment and had a delicious meal that we did not have to cook or clean up after.  I am getting to like new traditions.

As we were resting after the meal, we got some odd activity from Rachel's phone.  It had freaked out.  Luckily she could facetime us from her computer.  So we had a misbehaving phone and it was 9PM on thanksgiving.  Another positive of our chosen hotel is that it was only a 8 minute walk to the Apple store.  Not sure how but there was an appointment available at 10:45 on Black Friday.

We were not sure of the extent of the issue but at 10:35 our name was called and they tested the phone.  It needed a new screen and it could be done in 1 hour.  The big surprise, it was covered by Apple.  We strolled a bit, the girls got Starbucks and then we retrieved the phone.

After that we returned to Dad's to eat more (there is a theme here).  Then some pool time followed by some walking around Brickell City Centre.  I don't like malls but this was quite nice.  Also along the way we saw a Capital One Cafe.  Had never seen one before so we stopped in.  Our timing was really good.  If you are a customer (we are) you get free coffee Friday 3-5 (We Did)

As the sun set we headed back to Dad's to feast on Italian food.  The girls decided to take a walk in the design district but I decided to chill and flight plan.   Saturday we slept late and then Dad dropped us at the airport for our flight home.  Weather was great but we had some headwinds.  The forecast had said they would diminish as we headed North but that was not accurate.  When our ground speed was down to 145, I took a chance and asked for 5000.

Fuel consumption is about a gallon more per hour down low but our speed went up to 163.  Our arrival was smooth.  The entire way back I was very thankful to be flying ourselves and not on the road or in a big shiny metal tube, even if it was about 10 minutes longer than normal.

Young Eagles and Rides

In addition to travel, I have been giving a bunch of airplane rides.  A while back I made an offer to our pilot group offering people the chance to fly the Bonanza.  I got more takers than I anticipated and have been working through the list.  So far I have given 6 rides.  At the same time we have taken some friends out for BBQ and then my cousin came through town so I gave him and his wife an aerial tour of Jacksonville.

I was already on the ride kick and our local EAA chapter planned a Young Eagles rally for last weekend.  It had started as a small event but Haller Air Park had planned one a few weeks before but had to cancel and they had registered about 100 kids.  Our little event got big in a hurry as we tried to pick up the slack and while not everyone re-registered for our event, we soon had 80 people to fly.

Our planned date was Saturday but the weather was not cooperating.  On Friday we all huddled and made the call to move to Sunday.  The weather was supposed to clear Saturday night.  Well it didn’t quite clear in time and Sunday morning we gathered early to complete our safety brief and then we sat on the ramp waiting for the weather to improve.

Luckily by 11 AM we had safe weather and commenced the flights.  I did 5 runs flying a total of 13 kids and one Silver Eagle (an adult rider).  The weather kept improving and everything went smoothly.  In the end we flew about 66 kids, still waiting for the official count.

One of the planes flying kids was a bright yellow Aeroprakt-22LS.  This is a light sport aircraft which means it is fully certified but is limited to as to max weights and speeds.  After we were done with the kids the pilots were chatting and I offered the pilot, Ian, to swap rides.   As a bonus the weather had improved significantly.

We taxied back to our ramp and loaded up in the Bonanza.  I took him up North of the airport to see the old rice plantation and then we did some maneuvers before returning to base.

Then it was my turn.  The plane is a 2 seater.  It flies about 100 mph and has a much smaller engine but it is very light and feels quite peppy.  The doors are all plexiglass and actually are wider than the airframe so the views are stunning.  You can look straight down and ahead from the side door.  Takeoff was brisk and the plane climbs well.

We first headed to my house where we circled overhead.  CC came out and waved at us.  The plane is easy to fly with good manners.  The ailerons are actually much heavier than the Bonanza’s and you  need to be sharp on the rudder.  The Bonanza spoils you in that it has an interconnect between ailerons and rudder so for small turns you don’t need to use rudder.  After the house we headed to the beach where I got to try some maneuvers including steep turns and stalls.

The stalls were surprising to me.  First the plane can fly really slowly. We were well under 30 knots before stall.  Also the plane gives you lots of feedback.  You can feel the buffet in the controls and the airframe.

At the stall, the plane just started descending, it did not have a tendency to drop a wing.  Holding it in a stall you could easily control direction with the rudder and as soon as you released back pressure the plane is flying again.

Heading back to the airport I got to see some of the electronic features.  The plane is a 2014, almost new.  It came with both conventional and electronic instruments.  There is a large bright Dynon display that has full flight and engine instruments as well as a moving map that displays traffic and weather.  It even has HITS (Highway In The Sky).  The screen projects rectangles in 3D on the screen.  Fly through the rectangles and it will take you wherever you have programmed.

Ian me showed how nicely the plane could land.  I really enjoyed being the passenger for a change and having more time to just sight see without having to keep my focus on the airplane and engine.  The plane is serious fun and the visibility makes it great for enjoying the sights.

Mount Mitchell

We slept in Saturday.  Our goal was Mount Mitchell, the highest spot East of the Mississippi.  But first some reminiscing along the way. In the early 90s I used to take CC to Rutherford County airport to eat at the 57A cafe.  That used to be the airport code but it has since changed. The cafe never made sense to us.  It had about 8 seats and was run by a guy named John that both cooked and played guitar while you ate.

Never could figure how this place stayed in business and surprise it has been running 27 years.  One more fun fact it was only open 3 hours a day for 6 days a week.  The place was only a 10 minute detour on our mountain trek. We headed to Rutherford but stopped to take a stroll at the Purple Mountain Greenway, the big attraction in town.  It was a nice walk, nothing spectacular but was a good way to build our appetite.

We arrived at the airport and there it was, just like I remembered.  I had looked it up online and knew he opened promptly at 11. We walked in at 11:02 and found John but no food.  He had hurt his shoulder and was in too much pain to cook. We ended up chatting a bit and then with hungry bellies headed off to the mountain.

The drive to Mount Mitchell takes you up some winding roads.  We again interacted with drivers that liked to brake on the straight always and come to near stops in the turns but eventually we made it up the mountain.

We enjoyed the views and can now say we have been to the highest place East of the Mississippi (6684 feet). It does not compare to the Rockies but was a lot of fun.  On the way down we took the side nature trail. It was cool up there, low 40s. We had Jackets and gloves as we walked along the shady trail. There was a good bit of ice slowly melting and we kept passing people in shorts and T-shirts.  We are Floridians.

Heading off the Mountain, we once again got stuck behind slow pokes on the Parkway.  It is not just the slowness, it is the unpredictability of them braking at random, makes it much harder to pace behind them.  We did follow some people that were driving less than limit but predictably, it was much easier.

Eventually we came off the mountains.  We were getting hungry and I was on the lookout for food.  Saw several chains and then Smokey and the Pig was there and gone.  I spun around and headed back to check it out. CC had the pulled pork and I had the Brisket.  Food was very good and we met the owner. By the look of his Apron, he is in great shape.

We headed back via Lake Lure.  It was nothing special and we were soon back in Greenville.  Our friend had invited us for dinner so as the sun set we headed over.  He grilled some tasty steaks and we had a nice night eating and chatting. 

Saturday it was cold out for our departure (40F). The ride was a bit unusual. First we did not have much headwind and second we had no storms to dodge. I associate coming home from Greenville with a line of storms at Savannah to circumnavigate but today was clear.

Leaf Peeping

I had an extra vacation day because I chose to work one of my previously scheduled vacation days.  I had been watching the weather all week and was pretty confident that the mess of rain that was causing disasters throughout the week would move through by Thursday night.

It did and we decided to see if we could catch some of the late Autumn colors. We caught some but the Carolina leaves were either mostly done or washed away by last weeks rain.

Our plan, leave early Friday and head to Greenville, SC.  We landed at GSP, Greenville Spartanburg International. Like our last trip, the service was great and being an air carrier airport, Avis is right there.  We quickly checked in, got our car and were off to Caesars Head State Park. 

The park is known for it’s overlook and hiking trails. I also figured we could scope out where the best leaves might be. Leaf reports were a bit ambiguous as to what to expect  We arrived at the park and headed to take a look. Great day, but the leaves at the lower levels seemed to have been trashed by the weather.  The 3000 foot level seemed more promising.

I had scoped out some waterfalls at different levels to hike mixing leaves with falling water seemed like a good idea.  We loaded back up and headed to Looking Glass Falls. As we worked the back roads North heading from South Carolina to North Carolina, we crossed a bridge and CC remarked the river looked very nice.  There was a parking area so I pulled in to take a look.

We had stumbled upon Triple Falls. The sign said the hike was .5 miles so off we went.  The trail was still damp but was mostly gravel base so not too mushy. It started flat but then headed up at a pretty steep grade.  We trudged a bit more and were rewarded with some spectacular falls.

The rain which had been so miserable, had swelled the falls.  Talking to a local, we apparently were seeing the falls at a peak time, he said the leaves were better higher up.  Even though we had a great view, the path headed further up and we decided to see if there was a better view.  Up we went a few 100 yards and came upon stairs. The stairs went down.  

CC remarked that every down stair would require an up stair later.  I questioned this logic but in the end I believe she was correct. The stairs lead to the base of the falls.  The views from the flat rocks were excellent. After some pictures, we trudged up and then back to our car. Hooker falls is also accessible from the same lot but it required 2 miles of walking and the pictures were not impressive.

We were soon back on the road heading to Looking Glass Falls.  These falls are high value, not because they are the best falls or the best views but due to ease of access.  You basically park yards from the falls. You can just look or for a bit of work take the stairs down to the base for a closer look.

We took the stairs and met three nice monks from Burma. We took pictures for them and chatted a bit. Then we were off to our next falls.  Along the way we had splashes of color as we drove but no consistent mass of foliage. In many places we were too late or the season was likely not happening.

Our path took us up onto the Blue Ridge Parkway.  It is has great views and overlooks. It was also cooler.  Now Thursday night it was 88 at 6PM at home. When we left it was 44 at the airport and arriving in Greenville it was 40.  On the Parkway the elevation kept the temperatures in the low 50s.

Some places that were shaded had ice against the rock faces.  We drove along the parkway stopping at overlooks and eventually arriving at Skinny Dip Falls.  It is supposed to be .4 miles each way but my pedometer says it is closer to .6 miles. Also they are cute falls but the path is only so-so and it was squishy in places.

The falls don’t have great views and with the extra water, many places that might have a better view were not safe.  We walked out thinking meh. Too much work for not enough view. We had one more shot a mile down the parkway. Graveyard Falls which did not have great write ups but we took a chance.

The lot had great mountain views.  The path was .2 miles to a fork then .2 miles either way to the upper or lower falls.  We took the lower fork and this time the distances were right. A bit wet in places but great views.

We went back to the fork and headed for the upper falls.  About 50 yards in it became a mud bog and we decided to turn around.  It was time to head back to town so we headed East across the parkway. The parkway is great but not all drivers are.  The speed limit is 45 and it is a good road. The problem is you have drivers that think 30 is a good speed and hit the brakes randomly to boot.

Combine this with no passing zones and it can be slow going when you want to head out.  After being behind some frustrating people we left the Parkway and headed back to Greenville.  I called an old friend and found out we just missed seeing his wife as she was departing on a business trip.

We arranged to meet Downtown to catch a show at "Cafe and Then Some".  This is a dinner theatre that has been running since 1978. They create locally sourced shows that are a mix of comedy and music with lots of local references. They had just started the Christmas show and it was not quite done.  The actors were still on book and they improvised a bit and interacted with the audience more than normal.  

Tickets were half price due to this.  Personally I liked the spontaneity and thought it added to the humor.  CC knew they cast and after the show we visited for a bit and got some pictures.  It was getting late and after the climbing I was ready for some sleep.