Mon Jul 8, 2013 first day of flying back West

         

Flight back to McMinnville OR


  
7/8/2013 CYHU→KPBG  0.9 hrs  St. Hubert toward Burlington VT but got diverted to Platsburg NY.  Check the destination weather!  Especially if a controlled destination.  Had to wait an hour for customs at Platsburg.
7/8/2013 KPBG→KPLD  4.0 hrs  Skirting round the south side of great lakes to Portland Indiana dodging rain and convective buildup with the help of XM weather and Cleveland Approach.
7/8/2013 KPLD→KFFL  2.5 hrs  Aimed for sunset at Fairfield Iowa, stayed at Best Western.  Bartender gave us a ride from the airport and we hitched a ride back in the morning.  7.4 flight hrs today

7/9/2013 KFFL→KHNR  1.3 hrs  Quick hop to Harlan Iowa for cheap fuel.  Nice older guy served us.  Flying low burns about 10% more gas.
7/9/2013 KHNR→KBYG  3.7 hrs  Long, boring stretch back to Johnson County Buffalo Wyoming for cheap fuel and oxygen.
7/9/2013 KBYG→9S9   4.2 hrs  Climbed over the Rockies on O2.  Took the passes with waypoints at Cody and Salmon River.  Nice views of Yellowstone Lake.  Continued all the way to Lexington Oregon.  Much of this at 12,500 with density altitude over 14,000
7/9/2013 9S9→KMMV   1.1 hrs  Quick hop from Lexington to McMinnville via Mt. Hood.  10.3 flight hrs today

We decided to re-enter the US at KBTV (Burlington Vermont) even though the weather south isn't as good as farther north in Canada. But if we go Canada, it will take longer and we'll have more uncertainty about when and where to re-enter. We hope to get out at 9:00am, go to the bank, go pay Nicky's parking ticket, drop off the bikes at 10:00, walk back to the metro, back to the apartment, grab our pre-packed stuff, back to the metro to the yellow line. Then taxi to St. Hubert, and hopefully take-off at 1:00pm. That's what our flight plan says. With a little luck we'll make it to Michigan Monday and then the rest of the way to McMinnville or Livermore Tuesday. We'll keep you posted by phone calls and by SPOT. The same tracking link should keep showing our progress.


Ready to leave from Nicky's apartment on Beaubien.




Fairfield Iowa. A few miles from town. Tricky getting a ride as the one taxi only had an answering machine saying they would be back in a few days, a few days ago. But we made a deal with the bartender at the hotel --- she drove out to pick us up in her Lincoln.

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