Idaho Too

Some flights are easier than others.  This morning’s flight was pretty straight forward, 123 miles, 44 minutes, clear skies and good visibility.  Start up was routine but it was still 50 degrees out so we sat and idled a bit while the engines warmed.  Then it was off to the runway with a clearance to climb to 8000 and on course.  On departure I leaned the mixtures as Idaho falls sits at 4,700' and lift off took a few hundred feet more than sea level but we were soon climbing a bit better than 1000 fpm.  

Today the scenery was great, mountains, to each side and open skies ahead.  After a short cruise segment we descended and made a soft touchdown.  Our car was ready and we swung by our hotel, this time our room was ready early, some more of that luck.  After cleaning up it was time to sightsee.  The first stop was the Perrine Bridge.  They have a great overlook of the bridge and the Snake river as well as a nice visitor center.

We had a pleasant surprise, there was a 9/11 memorial group which had strung a humongous flag over the river and it was very cool to watch 400 pounds of red, white and blue flap in the breeze.  We also saw some base jumpers repacking their chutes.  We missed their jumps but apparently the city allows people to jump from the bridge.  This seems counter to what you would expect but cool.  After the bridge we headed up the river to see a classic location.

Evil Knievel once tried to rocket over the river but a malfunction caused the rocket bike’s parachute to open early and he didn’t make it.  All that’s left is a ramp and a plaque but it’s still a pretty cool place.  Continuing up the river we visited Shoshone Falls.  They are quite impressive and there were great views.  On the way in as we descended towards the river we saw a goat on a near vertical canyon wall.  On the way back up he was still standing there, pretty impressive climbing, or maybe he was stuck, who knows.

Our final stop was the Minidoka Japanese Internment Site, this is now a national historic sight.  There is not much left, just 2 buildings, a root cellar and a baseball field and the memories.  They have markers that tell the story but the visitor center is only open on Saturdays so we missed some of the info.  It was interesting to see but I had already read about the site so not a lot of new information.  Not sure I would detour much for it but it was only about 20 minutes out of the way.

On the way back to the Hotel we picked up some truly excellent Mexican food.  While our first Tacos were adequate in North Dakota, these were exceptional.

The next morning we headed off to Craters of the Moon National Monument.  When I say Idaho, most people say potatoes, not Volcanos.  Well maybe you should say both.  The area has recently been active.  When I say recent I mean about 2,000 years ago.  Scientists say the area is due for an eruption in the next 1,000 years so before we arrived, we agreed if there was any rumbling we would high tail it out of there.

We liked this park.  It is small in comparison to the others we visited.  It all centers on a 7 mile ring road.  You would think that a pile of rock would be pretty sturdy but this type of rock is easy to damage so to preserve the site, they keep you in limited areas.  Arriving it was still cool and we enjoyed the breeze.  We made a series of stops along the road to observe the various types of lava and rock formations.  

Most of the hikes were easy but Inferno Cone is a .2 mile walk up a 14% grade to gain 164 feet.  It is deceptive in that when you start climbing, it looks like the top is close but then you clear a crest and see you have a lot more to go.  We eventually reached the summit and enjoyed the views and watched a small snake slither by.  After a few more short walks we headed off to the mountains.

These mountains are about 40 miles North of Twin falls and technically part of the Rockies.  That said, they generally are balder with less trees than the ones we saw in Colorado.  The road follows a wide valley between the peaks.  Our destination was the Sawtooth Botanic Garden.  It is small but quite nice with a wide variety of plants, flowers and sculptures.  We met a nice chipmunk here and enjoyed strolling through the gardens.  They were not as big as the ones we found in Iowa but they were very nice and we enjoyed them.

On the way up we had seen signs for a Hispanic Heritage festival in Hailey, ID.  It was much more of a town than I thought we would find and it was a fun little festival.  We arrived just as they were showcasing some dances.  We walked around a bit and I think this got us back in the mood for Mexican food as we decided to pick up round two of Tacos when we returned from the mountains.

Sunday we got a late start, this is a vacation.  We headed West to Bruneau Dunes State Park.  For some reason Idaho has Sand Dunes near Boise.  There is one huge one that is around 460 tall feet and another smaller one that is only 90 feet.  We parked at the foot of the small one and hiked up.  The sand makes it much harder to climb than most trails but soon we were on the crest looking at the big dune.  At this point we made an important decision and I believe excellent decision, we would skip climbing the tall one.

The park rents sand boards for those that want to surf the dunes.  Also another excellent decision, we decided to watch others.  We enjoyed hanging out and watching the kids and adults give it a go.  It was not as simple as it seems.  Steering was an issue and we enjoyed seeing some nice wipe outs.  

Our next destination was the Old Idaho State Penitentiary.  We continued West on I-84 to Boise.  The speed limit out here is 80 which makes the miles fly by and we soon arrived at our destination.  Built in 1870, it operated until 1973.  This is our third prison tour, not sure it reflects well on us but it was interesting.  The site is very well preserved except for a few buildings destroyed in the 1971 and 1973 riots.  

One thing you learn is that they had periodic riots.  The root cause seemed to be subhuman living conditions, terrible food and exploitation.  They had bios on prisoners that had been held there across the life of the prison.  It was interesting to see the evolving standards on sentencing.  For example a late 1800s inmate who shot and seriously injured a man received a 2 year sentence.  In the 1920s a man was given 2 years for having alcohol when Idaho had gone dry.

We explored the prison for a bit more and then started the drive back to Twin Falls.  We had been given a pretty clean rental car but looking at it after all our driving we had covered the front with bugs.  We had to stop at a gas station to clean the windshield and buy some candy.  By the time we arrived at the hotel, it was covered again.   It was time to start studying the weather and do some flight planning.  We had some potential weather monday.  The route was pretty simple but the Minimum Enroute Altitudes were high and the freezing level would be close to our altitude.

The Grand Tetons and Yellowstone

When planning our trip I had originally planned Twin Falls for Idaho but the more I looked at our route, the more I kept seeing that we would be passing right by Yellowstone and the Grand Tetons.  We were going so far, I figured why not stop a few extra days.

Initially I thought we should land at Jackson Hole, WY to see the Tetons and then drive up to Yellowstone.  This was the most efficient driving wise and would save us about 4 hours of driving over 4 days.   That said, Jackson hole was not a great solution.  Sometimes closer is not better.  For every stop, there are many logistical issues.  We need a hotel, a car and then there is the suitability of the airport.

Jackson Hole is at 6,451 feet and squeezed between some 11 to 13 thousand foot mountains.  It also has some fast changing weather and you can easily get socked in or out.  With the altitude, I have very little performance in the the event of an engine failure.  Combine this with much higher fuel and parking costs, hotels that were either exorbitantly priced or pretty marginal and tough to get rental cars,  I decide to take the safer, easier option and drive a bit more.

Weather ended up driving our schedule and we went to the Tetons on Wednesday, our first day.  After hot but dry weather, we awoke to a line of rain pushing through and the prospect of much worse weather Thursday.   Driving East from Idaho, we could  see rain storms ahead of us but as we neared the rain moved East and we could see the back of the Tetons.  To get to the Tetons you cut East from Idaho and then climb the mountains as you enter Wyoming.  This highway is steep with grades up to 10%.  It is also the road that washed away a few months ago.  This meant we had to deal with some traffic issues but eventually we arrived just as the rain cleared.  Our timing was good or maybe just lucky.  

The Mountains are stunning and it makes a great postcard.  That said, I think the place is overhyped.   The overhype has made it really crowded which detracts from the whole experience.  Also it is basically one string of mountains with a road in front of them.  We enjoyed the drive and the sights and did two shorter hikes around Lake Jenny and The String Lake.

We were looking forward to the Bison herd which is supposed to be 300 strong but when we came to the overlook the Bison were close to a mile away.  Is it a great park, sure.  I can see why people like it and like the visuals.  That said, the actual experience was not as good as some of the other places we have visited.  One other factor may have been that we had a stunning view flying by on the way to Idaho.  Not saying, don’t go but don’t blame me if you are disappointed.

Thursday we awoke to more rain and it was much colder, at least by Florida standards.  Forecast was for early rain, some clearing and then lots of rain in the afternoon.  Heading up to Yellowstone we had bouts of rain but nearing the park the skies cleared a bit, just some light drizzle once in a while.  So yesterday I was not that impressed with the Tetons but Yellowstone does live up to the hype.  My only complaint is that it is so popular it is always crowded.

Crowds aside, we had a lucky visit. When flying I don't want to rely on luck, but sightseeing, am all good with being lucky.  On the way in we drove by a Bison and a Moose.   As we headed deeper into the park the traffic came to a dead stop.  We saw rangers ahead and initially thought there had been an accident but then we saw the wolves.  The cars started moving again  and we pulled over to get a better look.  A pack was out in an open field, howling and wolfing around.  Apparently this is rare and we were lucky to see it.

We then headed off to the Lower Geyser Basin.  We scored a great parking spot and enjoyed the bubbling and steam.  Technically it’s water vapor, sorta like a low cloud.  We bypassed the Grand Prismatic Spring but got useful intelligence on parking.  Our goal was Old Faithful.  If we were a bit smarter we would have been more up on its schedule but we winged it.  Arriving we once again scored a great spot.

We walked over to Old Faithful and the crowd was big.  The people around us were more knowledgeable and knew the next predicted eruption was in 10 minutes.  Given that they are about 2 hours apart, score!!!!  The prediction was close but it started two minutes late.  It’s a cool geyser and we enjoyed the eruption.  It was a bit gray so we didn’t have great contrast with the background but we enjoyed it.

Our next stop was the Prismatic Spring, known for its colors and impossible parking.  Arriving, there was a line backed up to the main highway but we knew you could also park on the road.  Passing the entrance, we found a space 3 cars from the first spot, score again!!!  As we started to walk to the Spring, a small shower came by.  This is also a high wind area and the hot pools make copious amounts of fog/cloud.  We hiked out to the Spring and endured high winds, blowing rain and low visibility.  OK not super lucky but it made me feel like an intrepid adventurer.  The cold temperature made for copious amounts of fog but we persevered.  The views were only OK due to the weather and fog but it was fun.  Heading back we walked by the cars stuck in the parking lot mess and chuckled as we walked to the road and zoomed off.

On the way out of the park, we passed many nice overlooks of the Madison river and I was looking for the perfect one for us.  As we came around one bend I saw a pull off and then the rushing water.  Pulling off we had great river views and a bonus waterfall.  We hiked around a bit and got some great waterfall and rapids views.  After that the weather was moving in and it was time for us to move out.  We cruised out enjoying the views as we went and headed back to our hotel.

Overall Yellowstone is beautiful.  It has a variety of landscapes, geysers, rivers, animals and much, much, more.  We easily could have spent another day there or more.  It is a top 10 park and it deserves its spot.  This was the end of our first Idaho stop.  Even though we started in Idaho today, We actually visited Montana and Wyoming as well.  So our technical stop in Billings was backed up by visit today.

Into the Mountains (#8 Montana, #7 Idaho)

We had hot but nice weather in North Dakota but when we awoke, it was smoky and hazy.  There were also clouds over Yellowstone and I started to second guess our route.  We would fly from Dickinson to Billings Montana to tank up and then on to Idaho falls.  The path to Idaho Falls had some big mountains to cross, some above 12,000 feet.  Our plan was to fly Billings to Cody and then West along Highway 14 and through Sylvan Pass.

My concerns included clouds/obscured mountains, low visibility and winds/turbulence.  It looked like we might have issues but regardless of what we ultimatly did, we would stop in Billins so off we went.  Departing Dickinson, we had haze with 3-4 mile visibility.  We went IFR and were soon cruising in a brownish cloud.  We were able to get the visual approach at Billings and picked up the runway about 6 miles out the visibility was getting better but not as good as I wanted.  

We had a quick turn at a nice FBO.  They stocked us with water and Dot’s pretzels, a local brand, and they insisted we take several bags.  They were fast and efficient and we were soon heading to Twin Falls Idaho.  The weather reports on both sides of the mountains were better with improved visibility and no clouds so we pressed on even though the conditions were only marginal in Billings.  We initially climbed to 8500.  Though VFR we had flight following the entire way and Salt Lake Center kept a close watch on us.  Approaching Cody the visibility got better and I stopped focussing on backup plans and started executing our current one. We step climbed to 10,500 and started to track down Highway 14.

I have a new addition for the plane, an oxygen generator to provide supplemental oxygen.  We were not going to be at altitudes that required O2 by regulation but more O2 is better than less.  We continued to step climb to 12,500 which put us above most of the terrain.  We have terrain awareness that lets us monitor our position relative to terrain and we were flying a pre planned route to avoid terrain but having extra awareness is always good.

I have flown at 12,500 before without O2 and was fine but both CC and I felt the extra O2 made us more alert.  As we entered the valley to transition the mountains, the visibility went from bad to great.  We were soon seeing 60 plus miles and could clearly see all the terrain.  We could even see the Grand Tetons off in the distance.  Going to 12,500 made it much easier.  The pass we had planned to use was 8,537 feet so we had plenty of clearance.  After we cleared the mountains, we crossed Yellowstone lake and had a smooth ride all the way to Idaho Falls.

Our FBO at this stop was Aeromark, they brought our car out and fueled us as we sorted our junk and then it was off to the Falls in Idaho Falls.  They had been altered by the engineers but they were cute.  Then it was off to Rexburg where we found our hotel room not ready.  The excuse was that the coming Friday was move in day for the local college.  That made little sense but I felt further inquiry was futile.  We continued on our way to visit Mesa Falls.  The drive up started flat but ended up in the foothills.  

Arriving we went to pay our $5 entry fee and found out our park pass covered us.  Another score for the America the Beautiful Pass.  The waterfalls were big and impressive.  The upper falls were right in front of us but they were angled a bit which made the view a bit from the side.  The lower falls had a great straight on view but you had to observe from a distance.  

On the way back we enjoyed some overlooks and stopped by the Warm River which was not warm by my standards.  The Terrain was very scenic and we really enjoyed our drive.  Today we knocked off 2 more states.  We did not sightsee Montana but we will when we visit Yellowstone, stay tuned.  We are down to 6 states left, getting close to done.

Hot Hot Hot (#9 North Dakota)

We woke up to cool fall temperatures in Tennessee which was refreshing after our Florida summer.  With the time change we had what felt like a 9 AM departure.  There were 1021 miles to cover; it was one of those trips that can be done in 2 or 3 hops, we have plenty of range but I went with 3.  We mostly went direct but made a small detour South of St. Louis to avoid the Bravo airspace.  

Our first stop was K89, Macon-Fower Memorial Airport in Macon Missouri, a gem of a fuel stop.  As I shut down at the pump, we were met by Larry who got the hose out and helped get us fueled.    The FBO was clean and they offered us water, soda, and snacks.  We left with one water bottle and two bags of chips.  Our second hop was a quick one and we dropped into CKP, Cherokee County Regional Airport in Cherokee, Iowa.  I knew it would be unattended and it was pretty deserted.  The FBO was open as promised and the facilities were ok.  The fuel pump was fast which is always a plus in my book, other than that, nothing special.

This was the last of cheap gas for a while so we topped off before making the hop to Dickinson, ND.  We had previously seen South Dakota on an earlier trip. With a combined population of 1.7 million, you have to wonder, did we need both?  Why not just Dakota.  Well it was a possibility but back in the late 1890s it was all about stacking the Senate so we have both.  Not a lot has changed in the last 135 years.  

Our arrival into Dickinson was easy, 7300 feet of runway and the line guy was out to meet us.  Our rental car was ready so it was almost all good.  It was a fine car but it was the dirtiest car I have ever rented, but only the outside.  The inside was OK.  We had flown around 1400 nm in 8.4 hours with 6 hours in the air.  Overall we averaged 167 knots which was pretty good considering the constant headwinds.  Average TAS in cruise was closer to 185.

We had come to Dickinson to visit the Theodore Roosevelt National Park.  It is about 30 minutes West.  Monday morning bright and early we were off to visit the North Dakota Badlands.  We had seen the South Dakota ones, they are similar in that you have the Buttes with the obvious layers but different in that they are more integrated with the grasslands while the Southern ones are more rocky.

The park normally has a loop road but it was partially closed for construction.  This made it an in and out drive instead.  We decided to drive to the end of the road and then work our way back.  We mostly did that but did stop along the way near the end.  The big surprise was the weather.  We had left Florida to enjoy the cooler temperatures of Fall up North.  Back home it was muggy and mid 80s.  Dickinson was forecast to be 93 and it did not disappoint.

The morning had started cool in the 60s and we enjoyed the fresh start.  We did some short hikes and saw bison, wild horses, a snake, lots of Prairie dogs and I saw a bunny hop by.  As the morning progressed the temperatures rose but funny thing, 93 in North Dakota was not that hot.  The low humidity and breeze made it quite bearable.  

We finished the South portion of the park and drove the hour North to see the North part.  Less animals but more views.  After that it was back to town to pick up dinner.  I had found a Taco truck.  The owner was interesting but there had been a run on Mexican food and by the time we arrived he had sold out of many items.  No Guac, no rice, no chips!!!  In the end we had Tacos and a Quesadilla.  

Food was good but not not amazing.  Overall North Dakota was a nice place to visit but can’t imagine sticking around for when the snow comes.  I spent a good amount of time looking at the weather and planning my flight for Tuesday.  This was potentially one of the most difficult segments of the trip.

David and CCs Big Adventure

We had completed 39 states as of 2023 but the first half of 2024 we made no progress.  Lots of reasons but mainly we had the far away ones left and the best time to visit them is either April/May or September/October.  Sam graduated in May and we were busy in April so that meant pushing off our big travel until September.

The Baron is often described as an all weather aircraft but the reality is that it is a most weather aircraft.  Having radar, lots of redundancy and de-ice helps a lot but it can’t handle everything safely.  Our initial plan was to head out Sunday at 8 AM to get up to North Dakota by around 4PM.  In a perfect world it was a doable plan but after a dry spell in Northern Florida we were beset by a constant deluge with a front sitting on top of us for days.  Little did we know the people back home would start building arcs after we left and a Huriicane would slide through for good measure.

After getting 5+ inches of rain Wednesday before departure, I made the call to leave early.  The problem was that the FBO in North Dakota closes at 5 PM and our rental car was being left there.  Being late would have cascading effects.  If we had early storms Sunday morning, it was possible a delayed departure would blow the plan.  Leaving a day early would get us 2.5 hours ahead and move us to clear weather on Sunday.  On Saturday we could be very flexible on the departure.  

It was decided and after some searching I chose Tullahoma, TN.  It was big enough to have everything we needed and small enough to get in and out easily. As a bonus, it had good fuel prices and a Beech Museum.  When I checked the weather at 7:30 AM there were storms in our path and our home base was 600 Broken.  It was forecast to improve and the storms were moving quickly to the East.  

When I put the bags in the car I was surprised by a high broken layer and partial blue sky which looked pretty good.   I had a lot to load.  3 weeks on the road meant lots of clothes.  In the end we had 10 bags totaling 160 pounds, crazy.  Clothes took 2 medium duffels and a small overnight bag. We had a toiletries bag, camera bag, flight bag, hiking bag, snack bag, a laptop bag and CCs purse.  It adds up fast….

Preflight was smooth, I had set the plane up earlier in the week and the Baron has tons of room so it swallowed our bags easily.  At full fuel load we would be at 5300 pounds and in the mountains we would back off gas to allow for departures as light as 4904 pounds.  

Our departure was into 900 overcast which was smooth and easy.  Tops were around 1900 so we were soon on top fighting headwinds.  I expect all Westbound legs will be into strong winds and coming home light headwinds.  The morning storms had mostly moved out of our way but about 80 miles out the XM radar was showing lots of yellow.  This was a day for the active radar as we were soon swallowed by a layer and I started plotting our route.

Getting closer I could see a few areas of heavy rain on the active radar.  A quick request let us deviate to the West a few miles which put us on a new course that would avoid anything heavy.  We had some light sprinkles for around 10 minutes but soon cleared the weather and started to see blue skies.  

The direct route would have taken us over Atlanta which I knew was not going to fly so I had filed GRANT T294 HEFIN and surprisingly we got to fly just that.  Usually ATC vectors you even when you file the published bypass routes but today they must have been in a good mood.  The rest of the flight was uneventful and we made a bumpy approach to Tullahoma, TN.  Winds were 10 Gusting 21 and variable.  I had to work for it but the first landing of the trip was nice.

Pulling up to the FBO I found a space and headed in.  The nice folks got our fuel order and the price was less than online, a nice surprise.  They offered a ride to the Museum but we chose to walk the quarter mile.  It was 75 and a wonderful day with blue skies.  The Beech Heritage museum started as the Staggerwing Museum but then branched out to all Beech airplanes.  They have about 40 aircraft and it’s a nice stop.  It is also home to the annual Beech Party, a gathering of Beech Aircraft owners and all things Beech.  I have never been but it sounds fun.  You can actually taxi your plane to the museum but I thought it a bit silly to fire up the plane twice when I needed the exercise.

After seeing the museum, we walked back to the FBO.  On the way one of the people from the airport stopped to see if we needed a ride back to the FBO.  This was pretty typical, lots of friendly people.  Our initial plan was to Uber to our hotel but the FBO had offered to run us over and grab us in the morning.  While we were buying cool shirts at the gift shop, the museum manager told us her husband worked at the airport and to get the courtesy car and go see some sights.  When we got back to the FBO we inquired about the car and were given keys.  We decided food was top priority and headed out for burgers and fries.  

We took them back to the FBO and sat out and watched the sky divers and a local glider getting towed.  It was really nice to hang out under blue skies for a change.  After our burgers we went and borrowed the car again to go see a local waterfall.  Yes, long time readers will know that I am a big fan of falling water.  

Rutledge Falls were only about 20 minutes away, easy to find, lots of parking and a short trail to some really nice falls.  We stayed in the safe area though many people seemed like they wanted to hurt themselves by climbing the slippery rocks.  We watched the water for about 30 minutes and then headed back.  It was near the end of the day and they let us keep the car overnight.  Our Hotel was only 5 minutes away but this made it super easy.  Tullahoma earns Five Stars!!!!!