Mohave Flight

Click on the photos to enlarge if you want - Blogger crops them narrow.

This was written about 2013 and I forgot to post it.  All the photos by Jake except the megaphone photos which were found uncredited on the internet.

Here's a great video Jake made of the trip.

Jake and I went to a Cessna 180/185 flyin at Bullhead City AZ. We stayed at the Riverside in Laughlin NV, right across the river. It was really fun and very, very nice people.  There were just a few people I knew, but a lot I'd heard of or corresponded with. One other guy was from AK, and a few had come all the way from TX.

About 25 planes showed up.  This was during the first of the tower closures so I felt bad for the controllers who were on their last days of work.

While we were there we accompanied a guy I knew out to visit his friends 'ranch' in the California Mohave desert. It was great fun. There was some sort of strip, but I never actually saw it - we just landed on some tracks in the desert. Maybe that was it.

Our guide talking us down.

The Bacon Ranch http://baconstrip.net/. I don't know the owner but emailed to thank him for maintaining this - it's a great spot. They have a facebook page; https://www.facebook.com/pages/Bacon-Strip/146875161995670

I hope to make it back for the annual Mid October flyin some time.

Most of the other guys had big engines or 185's... I didn't even have a long prop at the time which generated debilitating inadequacy issues. 

When we were leaving, there was a lot of dust with everyone taxiing back to where we'd touched down, so Jake and I lost interest in the back taxi and just pointed more or less into the wind and punched it.

Jake in desert attire.

A wrecked homebuilt.  I kicked it for snakes first lol.

I want to go back and see this; "Desert Megaphone". I didn't see it when we were there because I didn't understand what or where it was - I was looking for a natural rock megaphone shaped thing and not on the top of the ridge. It looks like about a mile walk from the ranch. According to the internet "no one" knows what it's for or who did it.  I can't imagine any functional purpose and I've got to think the ranch owner has SOME idea who put it there...

Pretty one, and I think a stock engine?  I'd never met this guy before but he can fly close to me anytime.

Another nearby strip in the Mohave - I forget what it was called - some play on "Bacon" I think. "Breakfast" maybe? This was the first of my landings that day I bounced in front of witnesses.

Not sure which guy was from Texas lol.

I bounced my second landing in front of witnesses when we stopped at Kidwell airport in NV for lunch on our way back. I'd been there previously when flying out of Sun Valley, AZ.  It's hard to tell what state you're in and the Kidwell airport hometown reflects that; Cal-Nev-Ari.  There's a writeup on this lighted dirt strip restaurant at SWAviator.com.

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