Arty's Ultimate Ultralight Adventure

Monday, May 4, 2009

I?m sitting in my tent, listening to a bird trilling in the rafters of the huge military hangar that we were invited to put our planes ? and our tents ? in, here in Vernon, Texas. Supposedly birds stop their trilling and tweeting at night, but not this one. We scared out a huge owl when we taxi?d in, and I was hoping s/he?d come back, as I love hearing an owl hoot at night. Maybe once we turn out the overhead fluorescent lights s/he?ll come back.

We spent the weekend with Dina and Brad Rose and had a thoroughly relaxing time during the rainstorms that swept the southeast. Had bruch with them and Mike Owens, a pilot frend of theirs. Mike tells ?groaner? jokes and did us the honor of searching out some specifically for us Oregonians.

Today was supposed to be the one good day this week to fly out of Paris, where we?d left our planes. Since it?s a ninety minute drive from Brad and Dina?s , we decided to leave EARLY ? and actually were on the road by 6:30 a.m. ? quite a feat, for those of you who have been following our lazy ways. Ironically, even after driving back to Paris, returning the rental car, and buying gas, we still were wheels up about the same time as we?ve been wheels up in the past ? 11:40 a.m.!

There was a fairly low ceiling, (1500? MSL) but miles and miles of forward visibility. We figured we could always come back ? or land in a field ? if the ceiling dropped. I?m not crazy about flying with a low ceiling, but it was high enough that it wasn?t scud running.

I flew the first leg to Bowie @ 750? MSL, and it was lovely. Absolutely calm air and landing spots everywhere as I flew over farm fields lush and green. So many good landing spots that I flew a straight GPS route without worrying about following a road. The Anywhere Map showed me MOAs, (Military Operation Areas,) restricted and controlled airspace ? it was great!

I found myself humming Frankie Laine?s old song ?Bowie Knife.? That got me going and I swung into ?Keep Them Dogies Rollin?, Rawhide? and then ?Gunfight at the OK Corral?. It wasn?t until I coughed on a bug that I remembered one of my cardinal rules ? keep your lips closed when you?re flying low in the Drifter.

The leg from Bowie to Vernon wasn?t as pleasant. It got colder and I hadn?t put on the appropriate woolens. I sat hunched over, my head tucked into my chest, as though that would keep me a little warmer. It was only a 2 hr., 20 minute leg, but it felt longer. The scenery began changing. Not as many green fields: now I was seeing more scrub oak and uncultivated land.

I also saw some lakes, one of which had towers in it. I ?m not sure if the lake expanded because of the recent rains or if the towers were purposefully sited in the lake.

When we landed at Vernon, TX (Wilbarger Municipal Airport,) we were ushered into the large hangar with great glee. The airport manager and a few other pilots were there to greet us and insist that we make ourselves at home. Unless you?re a pilot you?ll never guess the warmth and hospitality you meet at every airport.

Last Friday I had stopped at a Sports Authority store and bought a new tent. My old one had lots of pinprick holes and wasn?t watertight any longer. With all the rain forecast, I figured it was only a matter of time before we were camping out and I woke up in water. I was looking for a tent the same size as my old one ? about 5? x 7?. But the best deal was for a tent 7? x 9?. It?s HUGE! I can stand upright in it. Whether or not I can put it up in the wind, I don?t know.

We?re continuing to make really good time ? so good that it looks like we?ll be in Monument Valley (barring bad weather) a full week before the Kolb fly-in. Both Norm and Gayle are being really patient with our journeying, but neither of them would be happy if we loitered for a week waiting for the Kolb pilots to arrive. So it?s with great reluctance ? yet anticipation to see our honeys ? that we?ve agreed to continue on even though it means we?ll miss the disorganized Kolb Monument Valley Fly-In. That?s tough = so many folks I want to see, and having been at two of the fly-ins, I know just how much fun they are - but we just can?t picture waiting a week when we could be getting home. Decisions, decisions!

The bird has stopped trilling for the night, and so will I.