High Altitude Arrival (#4 California)

We left Medford headed for Truckee California bright and early.  We were less than a mile from the plane so the commute was easy.  The weather was great too, just a little smoke but our visibility at 9,500' was excellent.  We have enjoyed some pretty good weather and only had to shoot one instrument approach.  Our luck may be turning though.  We have been watching the tropics and though we are 6 days from returning, the Gulf of Mexico may have an unpleasant surprise.

Nothing today but many of the models forecast a strong low with possible tropical weather at the end of the week.  None of the models agree so for now we are closely watching to see if we need to make any modifications to our timing.  Today though, it was all about blue skies.

Our Medford departure was to the North which was the wrong way but I was happy with it.  There are tall mountains South of Medford and this allowed us to gain more altitude before we approached the higher terrain.  We went VFR with flight following because the MEAs were pretty high and I wanted to enjoy the views.

About 25 minutes from Medford was Mount Shasta.  We got exceptional views and by staying upwind the ride was mostly smooth with a bit of  light turbulence.  Flying around the mountains, it is often hard to judge your clearance but our terrain awareness feature highlights any issues.  In the mountains I keep the page up on one of the screens, sort of like watching the weather in the Southeast.

The arrival into Truckee is interesting.  Truckee is at 5,900’ and surrounded by mountains.  They are also very noise sensitive.  They publish extensive procedures and while it is always voluntary, I like to be a good neighbor.  I had studied the local procedures so I knew to begin our approach over the reservoir and followed the highway inbound.  They were using the shorter runway and given the conditions I requested runway 29 which is 7,100’ long.  Tower obliged and had us make a high overhead approach.

We had a nice arrival and ground control explained where to park.  It is a royal pain to push the Baron around so I was keen to find a space where I could pull in straight without having to push the plane around, basically princess parking.  We were lucky, the end row had the first space open and we were soon parked and I had us tied down.  We went to the office and ordered gas and after that got our rental car.  Enterprise is not on the airport but it is only about 300 feet from the door.

By the time we had the car we drove back to the plane and watched the fueling.  We  paid for the gas and we were ready to roll.  We started at the Donner Party Memorial.  I’m not sure how to feel about a memorial to a group that made a lot of bad decisions and ultimately ate half their party.  My opinion is not shared as they seem to be locally popular as many things are named Donner.  Just to be clear I steered clear of any Doner Kabobs while there....

We grabbed some coffee and then took a drive by the lake.  When we arrived we had not yet seen Lake Tahoe. I thought it would be visible but the view is blocked by a bigmountain.  This geography would figure prominently in our departure but today it was just blocking the view.  We did not do too much at the lake as that was our Sunday activity.  Finishing our lake views, we headed for Reno Nevada.  Yes this is the California stop and we won’t land in Nevada till Monday but we will sightsee both. 

The trip to Reno is quick, only about 35 minutes.  We of course saw the famous sign, cruised the strip and walked through a casino.  The casino was dingy and smokey, it was a sort of sad looking one.  We also did the riverwalk.  The Truckee river flows through town and they have done a nice job making it an attraction.  People were swimming but I tested the water and it was too chilly for me.  There were all sorts of people enjoying the day including one guy who seemed to be meditating in the river.

Sunday was Lake Tahoe day.  We decided to circle the lake and see the sights.  Tahoe is stunning, gorgeous, picturesque and more.  That said, it is also crowded and the look of the surrounding towns is dated.  The lake is cold by my standard and the air is thin.  Overall, glad I came to see it but wouldn’t want to live there.  

Our first stop was Emerald Cove.  Parking was a nightmare but after some wandering we landed a perfect space with great views.  We did a bit of hiking to see a small waterfall and then headed off to the Nevada side.  Yes the lake is split, about two thirds California and one third Nevada.  This means on one side gas is cheaper and you can gamble. 

We continued around the lake and eventually made our way to Secret Cove and Chimney Beach.  Parking was again an issue but we found a roadside space and started our hike.  It was pretty steep and all down hill.  The beach seems to be so named because there remains a fireplace and chimney from an old cabin.  The cabin is no more.

The views were quite good and we watched people go into the frigid water and even jump from the rocks.  Heading back we had to walk up the very steep trail in the thin air.  The lake surface is 6,225 feet and we had to go up a few hundred feet.  After much huffing, puffing and higher than normal heart rate, we made it back to the car.  We did some more sightseeing before heading off for food and rest.

I see why people like the California mountains.  Blue skies, nice temperatures, mountains, trees, it has it all.  That said, I can’t imagine it in the winter with feet of snow, chains required and the bitter cold.  Tonight I will be reviewing the departure plan. Truckee is at 5,900' feet and even at our light weight with less than full fuel, we will have limited single engine performance.  There is also a lot of terrain and noise sensitive areas to avoid so until we gain some altitude any issues will be critical and we need to be prepared.

More Volcanoes (#5 Oregon)

I was expecting a difficult departure this morning.  Each day the Tacoma fog and haze had been present and some of the forecasts were for low IFR.  Waking up I was surprised to see VFR weather at the Tacoma airport.  We headed out, prepped the plane and then launched.  I was given the Narrows one departure, basically climb to 1500, right to 250 and level at 2000, then expect radar vectors on course.

That’s what we did.  The clouds were broken at 3000 and as we climbed above we were greeted with glorious clear skies and great Mountain views.  We could see Mt. Rainier, St. Helens, Adams and more.  We climbed to 9000 and soon were given mostly direct.  You have to descend pretty steeply for Medford as there are 4,500' hills to the North.  The skies were clear and the winds were calm but they were landing runway 32.   This was less convenient for us as we were arriving from the North.

I heard an airliner check in and request the 14 arrival.  Usually requesting to land against traffic is denied but they do more for the jets.  We were up at 9,000' and the Jet was given 7,000' below us.  I could tell we were going to get stuck as they let the Jet pass us.  I decided to cancel IFR which gave the controller more options.  We were given a vector to allow the jet to pass and we were able to start down.

The jet soon showed up on our traffic display and I could clearly see him behind to the left.  We were moving, near 200 knots and he was passing us slowly.  We were both sent to tower and initially the tower gave me a downwind for 32.  I requested to follow the jet and the tower agreed.  We pulled in about 2 miles behind the Jet and stayed 1.5 dots high on the glideslope to avoid his wake.  We had started with a bit more than 2 mile spacing but the regional jet slowed down and we were soon gaining.  

I think the tower controller was concerned we would overrun the jet but I knew that once we had our gear down, we would maintain the 2 miles.  The jet landed and we noted where he touched down, and made sure to stay high and land past this point.  It all worked out and we made our turn off right to the FBO.  They had our car planeside in short order and we were soon packed up .  Our hotel in Medford was only a half mile away so we dropped off our stuff and headed for the hills.

We went up to Mill Creek to see the falls and the boulders.  We have really been amassing views of falling water on this trip.  This location had several easy trails leading to Mill Creek Falls, The Garden of Giant Boulders and Pearson falls.  The Boulder Garden included a river view as well.  The hikes were pretty easy but had some elevation changes that made us work a bit.

Our final goal for the day was to get In-And-Out burgers.  They are really a California thing but our California stop did not have any nearby.  I went for the Double Double and CC the Cheeseburger.   It is a pretty good burger but as a fast food restaurant, it is pretty slow.  After such a healthy meal, we only had one choice for a follow up.  DQ was running a BOGO deal on Blizzards.  We ran by the local store and picked up a pair.   

Friday we headed out to Crater lake.  About 7,700 years ago a volcano had a bad day and created a big crater, about 5 miles across.  Rain and snow have filled the bowl and created the deepest lake in the USA.  It also created some stunning views and the park service added some roads and trails.

This park is also a one hit wonder, the crater filled with water, a lake, but it is a stunning hit.  Also you can travel around and see the view from many different angles so it seems like more than one view.  The road loops around the lake but a section was closed so we had to drive in and out.  Entering the park we saw a deer crossing the road. We also saw some cute chipmunks but otherwise this park was less about wildlife and more about rocks. Our first stop was the watchman peak overlook.  It has a great view and is the beginning of the watchman trail.

We enjoyed the view and then headed up the trail.  It is rated moderate, and that seemed fair.  While it is well marked, wide and mostly crushed stone and dirt, it has a nice slope.  The way up is a walk from around 7,700 to a bit over 8,100 feet.  The 420 foot elevation change makes for some deep breathing as you ascend.  The view is worth it and we enjoyed the views of both the crater and the surrounding mountains.

Our next stop was the North of the lake, we had seen the West side so off we went for some more views and some short walks.  Our final excursion took us back around the lake to the South shore.  We did the easy Sun Notch trail which had more stunning views including the Phantom Ship.  It’s not a real ship, it’s a cool rock formation.

After the trail we stopped at one more waterfall.  It was small but roadside so easy to visit.  We headed back to town for a late lunch and then stopped by the plane.  The engines were ready for oil, it had been 25 hours since the oil change and they were ready for a top off.  It was in the low 80s and I figured it would be easier to add the oil now compared with the morning  with sub 50 temperatures.

The PNW (Pacific Northwest)

We awoke to gray skies, apparently the blue sky yesterday was as much sun as the Seattle area is allowed per month.  Our plan was to visit a waterfall East of Seattle and then head into town.  We headed off and the GPS showed a small slowdown near our destination.  As we approached it slowed down but we were soon showing that we would clear the issue in another half mile.  Then the traffic just stopped. 

We sat way too long and eventually I decided to give up.  We turned around and headed to the city.  We will likely never see that waterfall.  Our first stop was the Chihuly Garden and Glass.  It’s a nice exhibit and I like his work, well some of it.  If you are a fan it’s worth the stop but it’s a bit overpriced.

We then took a stroll over to Pikes Place Market.  This place is famous for fish throwing but while we saw the mongers, we did not see any flying aquatic creatures.  The market has many stalls with crafts, food and other junk.  Overall it was crowded, dirty, and a bit dilapidated.  We walked around a bit more and then headed back to Tacoma.  I had found another fish and chips shop that was near our hotel.

It was a hole in the wall and really busy.  We each got a fish and shrimp plate.  I think this one was better than yesterdays though they were both delicious.  Overall we made it a really easy day.  We have been sightseeing hard for 9 days so it was good to kick back and relax.  

The next morning we headed off to Mount Rainier National Park.  We had seen the mountain from above, now it was time to see the park.  The Pacific Northwest is known for its fog and gray skies.  Yesterday and today had been gray.  Heading to the park it was lots of gray with occasional mist.  We did not expect to see the mountain and the mountain did not disappoint.  We did see some nice rivers, waterfalls and had a good time taking short hikes.  In the end we saw five waterfalls.

One detail that jumps out driving through is that some of the trees are humongous.  Like super big and really tall.  Overall it’s a nice park.  It would be better with blue skies, some of the overlooks, I could have just as easily been looking at a blank piece of paper.  We never did see the mountain from the ground.  The skies had cleared back in Tacoma by the afternoon but for us the Rainier park stayed socked in.

Rainier was fun and after heading back to Tacoma we ditched the car at the Marriott and walked over to Union Station.  This is an old train station that last had a train in 1948.  It is now a federal courthouse and has some nice Chihuly pieces as well as cool architecture.  We enjoyed the building.  You need to go through security but they seemed well aware that many visitors were just there for the visuals.

We try to find new things to eat on the road but we broke down and stopped in a Starbucks for a drink.  I don’t go at home but figured this was a quintessential Seattle destination.  The original store was at Pike Place Market which we visited yesterday and opened in 1971.  Since then the chain has expanded a bit.

I filed our flight plan for the morning and did a quick check of the weather.  I was expecting it to start off low and clear by departure time.  Given that we set the departure time, we had a good chance of making this.  The approach minimums are 266 and 344 depending on which direction they are landing.  Our departure criteria would be 500' and 1 mile visibility or better.  Not a lot of terrain and we would be <5200  pounds on departure from sea level with cool temperatures.

Not as simple as it looks (#6 Washington)

The flight from Idaho Falls to Tacoma Washington looks pretty simple.  About 460 miles with no really high terrain on the route.  I wanted to go IFR so that I did not have to hassle with the Seattle class B airspace.  This area is usually dry as a bone so I was less than happy when we had rain the night before departure and they were calling for more across the region.

While the route was easy, it was flanked by mountains in many places and this meant the IFR MEA (Minimum Enroute Altitude) would be 10,000.  Ten Thousand was not a big deal, we had flown 12,500 to get to Idaho, the difference was the freezing level.  It had the potential to be lower than the MEA.  We have a Flight into Known Ice Baron but Mountains and the need to not sink below 10 thousand made this a potentially bad combination. We would not be launching into any known ice.

After having studied lots of weather, temperatures and such the days before, when we woke up, things were better than forecast.  The only real weather in our path was at our destination, it was overcast but expected to clear.  Either way it was not too low so we packed up and headed off.  We were given a climb to 10,000 and on course and soon leveled off to a nice surprise.  A tailwind Westbound.  We had as much as 25 knots on the tail and as little as none but at least it wasn’t in our face.  There was some weather out and about but it was off our path and the temperatures aloft were between 45 and 55 so ice was not an issue.  We had mostly clear with an occasional wisps as we moved from Idaho to Oregon.

Reaching the Washington border we could clearly see Mt. Adams and Mt. Rainier.  I had wanted to do a close flyby of Rainier but also wanted to be IFR.  Usually these two don’t mix but I requested a course change to swing us by for a closer look.  The controller was very accommodating and gave us a vector that put us less than 10 miles from the summit.

They have minimum altitudes on their scopes and it seemed like he gave us as close a show as possible.   The downside of passing so close is that it leaves you only about 37 miles to lose 8,000 feet. The Baron excels at steep descents so down we went after passing Rainier.  The air was smooth and the controller kept giving us lower as we zoomed down at 200+ knots.  Oh and our destination, still 1300 overcast.  Luckily I had briefed the approach and gotten set up before the sightseeing.

We took vectors to just outside the final approach fix where we joined the inbound course.  Our speed was under control and below gear extension speed.  Cleared for the approach it was gear down, flaps approach and then follow the instruments.  We broke out at 1300’ above the field and made a nice touchdown.  We were marshaled into Narrows Aviation and they had the car plane side before I could even get out.

After refueling and grabbing a snack, we headed off to sightsee.  First stop was to look at the Tacoma Narrows Bridge.  An earlier version had collapsed in 1940 when the wind blew.  This version has done better.  Fun fact, the collapsed bridge had a duplicate version that was installed to connect Deer Island in Maine.  Once the Tacoma one fell, they fixed the design and CC and I drove over it in the mid 90’s.  I believe it has since been replaced.

After the bridge, we dropped our stuff at the Marriott and then headed off to Point Defiance Park to enjoy a walk and some views.  They had an amazing rose/flower garden.  On the walk over we saw a deer just grazing in the park.  It ignored the humans which was a bit surprising, they are more skittish back home.  We ended up seeing several more.  

After the flowers we visited a beach.  Funny, it had no sand, just rocks and I think the water was pretty cold.  We then took a hike to see some overlooks.  After that we were pretty hungry so we headed out to a seafood spot we saw on the drive up.  It was a market/restaurant and we split a basket.  Tasty, yes, healthy, well maybe, they say fish is good for you.  We capped the evening with a stroll around the hotel and walked across the famous Chihuly Bridge of Glass.