Mountain Tour 2000
One reason I built, rather than bought an RV is that I dreaded the inevitable question; "Did you build it?" Well lately I have been getting this question; "Have you gone anywhere in it?" Well not really, I have made lots of 500 mile trips out and back, but have been nowhere requiring refueling enroute. This, combined with being sick of my dusty little desert town, helped me decide to take a week off and fly a little.
It is kind of amazing to just look at a map of the contiguous states, and realize you can be anywhere on there in less than a day. I like the West a lot so decided to just tour around to some of my favorite places. The travel part of the days would be short. Mostly I would fly in the morning and then relax and enjoy the sights. I didn't want to miss the monthly 99's fly-in breakfast at El Paso West Texas Airport so did not leave until Monday, June 12.
Day 1 - Carlsbad, NM to Cedar City, UT
I got up Monday to see a rare Carlsbad low overcast. I filed, and experienced my first RV-IMC climbing through the clouds, but only for about a minute or so.
The first leg was Carlsbad to Gallup, NM; familiar terrain. I flew at 10,000, then 10,500 after canceling IFR. The leg is 295 nautical miles (340 statute), and was into a headwind. It took a flying time of 2.0 hours for an average of 148 knots (170 mph). 16.5 gallons for 8.25 gph.
Gallup to Cedar City, is over some of the most desolute and beautiful country we have. Much of it is the Navajo Reservation. It is canyons and badlands and slickrock and not very many people. To the right I could just see the monuments in Monument Valley, then the Henry Mountains, which were the last explored place in the contiguous states. About the time Navajo Mountain showed up I started seeing Lake Powell.
Lake Powell
Those of you who have seen Lake Powell know how unusual and pretty it is, but it is kind of depressing realizing that the wonderful Glen Canyon was inundated to make this lake. After Lake Powell, I flew right over Page, Arizona, the town that was built for the Glen Canyon Dam workers. Off to my left was the very short section of Glen Canyon that still remains.
Glen Canyon
Immediately downstream from Glen Canyon is Lee's Ferry, the rivertrip put-in for Grand Canyon. Lee was an interesting fellow, who ended up taking the blame, and the punishment, for the Mountain Meadows Massacre, where a group of settlers were slaughtered by the citizens of my previous home of Cedar City.
Lee's Ferry is the actual start of Grand Canyon, although for political reasons this section of Grand Canyon is called Marble Canyon. I rue the rules that prevent flying over Grand Canyon now. One of the great things about living in Cedar City was that you could take a 172 and in an hour and a half give the most amazing aerial tour over Cedar Breaks, Bryce Canyon, Zion, and Grand Canyon. They won't let me fly over it now, but it was just off my left wing after Page.
It is a bit ironic that the only really low flying I have seen around Grand Canyon was Martin Litton, the owner of Grand Canyon Dories, and a renowned conservationist. He used to check on his trips at about 20 feet above the river. First you would hear a rumble, then suddenly see a Cessna 195, banking hard around a bend in the river to come buzzing by your beach.
Grand Canyon (Marble Canyon)
This doesn't look like the Grand Canyon most of us have seen. It gets a lot wider and deeper when it reaches the high ground visible in the distance, the Kaibab Plateau.
After Grand Canyon, the next wonder on the route was Zion National Park.
Zion
The sharp finger of rock protruding into the canyon, in the left center of the photo, is Angel's Landing. If you ever visit this park I urge you to make the short hike to the top. Just bring suction cups, and hope there is no earthquake. For an official Park Service trail, it is rather exposed. It is just as narrow as it looks in the photo.
It is not practical to let down directly into Cedar City from the east as the terrain rises abruptly in that direction to around 12,000 feet. A little bit after Zion, and as you pass Hurricane Mesa, where dummies and people(?) were shot off the mesa to test ejection seats, you turn north to go into Cedar City. Just after this turn you pass another, little known, section of Zion National Park called Kolob Canyons. This area is little traveled and I think is the prettiest section of the park
A hint. If you ever visit Cedar City, drive down to the village of Kannaraville, right around sunset, and watch the sun set on these babies.
I arrived in Cedar City right around noon in time for lunch at the Pizza Factory, unchanged in the last 20 years. The Gallup to Cedar City leg was 246 nautical miles (283 statute) flown at an average of 137 knots (157 mph). Blackbelly took 12.0 gallons here for a 6.67 gph average. I don't know what happened to make the consumption so low. I didn't think it took enough so I checked, and it was full.
I checked in at the consolidated flight service, and found just one person left from my days working here, specialist Bundy. After driving around and checking out the old haunts, and being depressed by all the growth, I went to the Southern Utah University campus where preparations were under way for the annual Shakespearean Festival. I have seen many plays here but had never seen a rehersal before. It was a lot of fun watching how they prepare. They seemed to be doing "The Merry Wives of Windsor."