Northbound Trip 2012 Part One

P08 (Coolidge, AZ) to PAAQ (Palmer, AK) 2012
We had a great time. 8 days and 26.5 hours in the air.

Here's our actual route, not too different from what we had "planned"  :-)

Right before we left, we noticed this RV that had a rough day - groundlooped.  Didn't get the wingtip or prop (surprise) but really tweaked the fuselage :-(

Day One. Fly to Paso Robles
Click here for Video to Blythe

Ready to Go






We flew to Blythe, CA and got gas. Uneventful other than I called the wrong airport in the pattern a couple times and got chastised by the FBO operator.  Jake got it on film so that's punishment enough.

Blythe



Then we went on to Paso Robles.  It was a little over three hours and I was ready for it to be over, but we wanted to get there. We had decided to land at Paso because of the coastal fog we encountered last time, and sure enough we would have been delayed on departure for hours if we'd stayed in Santa Maria or San Luis Obispo. It turned out to be a good choice.  Actual tie-downs, nice FBO people, not too expensive of a car - now our current preferred Central Coast base of Ops.  :-)


San Luis morning fog


I let a Glasair rattle me a bit on final into Paso - he had called descending to the pattern from a few miles out and 5000 feet.  I told Jake "This Bozo is going to come screaming down on top of us because no one with a Glasair seems to be able to slow down.", and offered to stay clear until he landed (knowing he was faster), but he said he was going to stay out of the way until I landed.  As I turned a tight base, he reported on base and I snapped at him "Hey I'm on base do you see me?" and he said he was a mile behind me.  A One Mile Base...  Hmmm. About 30 seconds later I'm about to flare and he goes around.  So either he was a lot closer than a mile or he was going over 120 MPH. Whatever.

We drove down to Los Alamos to visit the parents of friends I've known since college.  We wanted to visit the Mom since her health has been questionable, but she was asleep so the Dad and Jake entertained each other.  They're both a couple characters so it worked out.  I really like the Carrari's - they were both really good to me when I was in school and he is is a very hard working, self made and entertaining guy.

Day Two, Central Coast Visiting

We went up north of San Miguel to visit our Uncle Burt and Cousin Lousanna.  It was quick trip - they had to leave and we had dawdled in SLO a bit leaving.
 

We visited another of the Carrari's on our way back to Paso Robles, my friend Tina's big brother George.  Another very nice and very hard working Carrari.  He's visited us in Alaska but I hadn't seen him in almost 20 years.



We had dinner with our old friends the Orcutt-Clenards but apparently they don't warrant a photo anymore.  Old news, lol.

Breakfast in SLO on our way out of town.

end