Navigators Log - Star Date June 17, 2012 -Bumpy Air, Beautiful Waves

Navigators Log - Star Date June 17, 2012

 Bumpy Air, Beautiful Waves

Bumpy air is just uncomfortable, no two ways around it. A friend recently reminded me that the air is three dimensional, and the wing generates lift, no matter if it is flying right-side up or upside down or sideways. My Sailor Brain knows from years of experience that the boat will not just capsize if it heels to a strong breeze. My airplane brain refuses to make the translation from water to air.

Last weekend we flew to Paisley, Oregon to visit my parents. The sky was smattered with clouds in Hillsboro when we left, and the foothills of the Cascade mountains were loosely wrapped with a cushy white blanket. A brisk southwest breeze cleared the air and from 9500ft I could make out Mt Lassen far off to the south. Looking below to the Mt JeffersonWilderness area, still covered in snow, I saw a small lake that looked like a topaz blue doughnut, with a small icy island in the middle.

The Three Sisters

We had a good tailwind, which turned our 170knts of airplane speed to 190knts speed over ground.

The clouds stopped abruptly on the west side of the mountains, opening the vast expanse of south central Oregon in front of us. Then the bumps started. It felt like the plane was bouncing over rocks. My irrational brain was certain that disaster was imminent. I tried distracting myself by pointing out landmarks. “Look,” I said to Roy, “There's Pilot Butte where I took the kids to watch fireworks.” Bounce bounce. I clutched the armrest. Roy asked me where the highway was that went from Bend to Paisley, and what some of the names of the mountains were. Bump, Bump, BUMP. I responded in a shaky voice, embarrassed to be such a nervous nelly. I tried breathing through my eyelids. Bump, BUMP, BUMP. 

Sun River and Bend far below

 

We passed PaulinaPeak and I told Roy about the two lakes in the middle of the crater there. Summer Lake appeared a few miles ahead. The wind was whipping up dust devils on the wide alkali bed that forms the south side of the lake. More BUMPS.

Landing in a strong cross-wind is another level of stress, but I was so relived to be out of the bumps, I didn't care a wit if we were at a 45degree angle to the runway on final. Roy set the plane Gently Down. Gently is my story and I'm sticking to it. I helped tie the plane down, then made a mad dash to the far side of the utility shed. I think the bumps shook my morning coffee out of me.

We had a pleasant visit with my parents, who drove us to see the new Lake DistrictHospital. My Mother has served as Chairman of the Board for several years and the new hospital has been her baby.

Later in the afternoon, we said our goodbyes, and it was time to climb back in to the plane. I was determined to not be a bundle of nerves on our trip home. Roy contacted Seattle Center to get flight following and was advised of Extreme Turbulence in the Bend/Redmond area at 10k feet. That's just great, I thought. Time to practice breathing through my eyelids again. Roy did not even pause at 10k ft to see just how bumpy it was, and proceeded straight up to 12k ft.

The air was not smooth up there; instead it undulated in long, low waves. We sailed against an incoming tide, with a 50knt headwind that reduced our speed to barely 100knts over the ground.

Sliding up and down waves is familiar to me – no stress involved. My Sailor Brain felt quite at home above the foamy sea that had covered the mountains, their jagged peaks poking up, like rocks awash at high tide. A breaker curled over the top of Mt Jefferson, suspended in the air and splashed over the other side.

I keep flying with Roy, even though the bumps are uncomfortable. Its a matter of choice, like so many things in life. The air gets bumpy sometimes. And sometimes, the clouds curl like soft ocean waves upon rocky peaks.

I can hardly wait for our next trip!!

Waves over the mountains

Navigators Log - Easter Flight

     Easter Easter is about beginnings, so it seems fit the first entry in our log be about our Easter airplane trip. The house was uncomfortably quiet when I woke up that morning. It was my first Easter with no children at home, and I felt a bit low. I was dawdling in bed when the cat jumped up, nudged the covers away, and I noticed the sun shining in the window. This was a definite lift, as. a sunny day in April is such a rare gift here in Portland. An additional lift came when Roy, already up and about, proposed we fly to Orcas Island for Easter Brunch. A flight pass the lacy, white Olympic mountains, across the Big Water to one of my favorite places on earth?! Twist my arm!  I would not be hunting Easter eggs with my daughters, but I didn't need to mope about the house all day.
     Roy's airplane is an RV-7A. He calls it the Time Machine. I think its a Magic Carpet. It is a small, two-seat airplane, with a cruise speed of 170knts. It has a big, bubble canopy that affords an amazing 240degree view, and he built it himself. Roy and I sit side-by-side in the plane, our shoulders touching. We also like to hold hands, chat and share the view.
     We took off from Hillsboro under a crystalline blue sky, and the earth five thousand feet below was alive with soft hues of green and pink. It was as if That Which Is, breathed the Light of Creation into the day. An hour later Orcas island appeared, a misty green jewel floating in a sparking sea.
     A 10 minute walk to town found us seated at the New Leaf Cafe, with a waterfront view of East Sound. Our attention was drawn away from the view, when our attentive waiter brought our meals. I fairly drooled over Duck Comfit, with perfectly poached eggs nestled on a crispy mixture of baby potatoes and herbs. Roy ordered the Lamb Hash, and it was equally mouthwatering.

Doesn't this look YUMMY?!

Duck Comfit

Lamb Hash

      While we filled our tummy's, the tide went out, emptying the bay in front of us. The low tide exposed the land bridge to Indian Island, a marine preserve. We took advantage of this rare opportunity to visit this little gem, and toddled out, picking our way out to the island through tide pools and glops of stranded ell grass and seaweed. The island is small, really just a large rock, and once you are on the island, you are looking south across a wide expanse of water, with the outline of other islands in the distance. There was a goose on the far side of the island, and she seemed to be beckoning us to follow her out father to where the incoming tide was starting to lap against the rocks.. Another family was walking close by and the  little girl, whispered to her Mom, “Look there is the nest.” Sure enough, hidden in a rush of grass was a nest full of Easter Goose eggs.  Our walk turned out to be an Easter egg hunt of a different type. We all regarded the eggs from a distance, then backed away respectfully, letting Mama goose have her peace.

Easter Eggs

 On the flight home, I thought about my daughters and our Easters past.  My girls and I had many wonderful adventures during their growing up years, and I hope I have instilled in them a sense of adventure, and a sense of wonder. The same sense of adventure I feel when Roy and I take off flying on the Magic Carpet. It is a gift, to see the mountains, sea and sky from so far above, and I feel the delight of a child finding an Easter basket, every time I am in the plane. In this blog, I will share these adventures with all of you. Like all adventures, there are ups and downs, and Roy and I have come to find that exciting does not always mean fun. For sure, it is never boring. I hope you will enjoy reading about them. I also hope you will be inspired to pursue your passion, be it gardening, hiking a mountain, or painting a picture. This life is a rare and wondrous gift. Lets get out and enjoy it! - Sandy aka Navigator of N174RT

Roy and I at East Sound on Orcas Island