Day 3: An island on the Columbia river to Edmonds, Washington
Departing the island was much easier. Our fearless leader timed the trip by the tide, and the dinghy only had to be used to ferry people and gear from shore to the sailboat. It would take two trips to get everyone, everything, and all of our trash out. I volunteered to be towed out on the trash-barge-dinghy and fend off from the sailboat as necessary. The sailboat's 10-horsepower engine made an honest 6-knots motoring, and the trip back to the dock was pleasant.
Back ashore, I was given a ride back to Scappoose. My new iphone had internet service along the drive and I filed IFR to Paine field, Everett Washington. The skies were about 4,000' overcast, plenty to go underneath, but I wanted some time hand-flying on the gauges to evaluate my instrument flying prior to heading even further north. Back at Scappoose, it was airport open-house day and the field was alive with visitors, Maules on amphibious floats, Piper cubs, and at least one other Mooney. After purchasing the last "cheap" fuel I thought I'd get for the trip, I launched and picked up an IFR clearance in the air: Fly heading 030, join the airway, maintain 6,000'.
I got a good 20-25 minutes of hand-flying in benign IMC before Seattle approach brought me down to 4,000' and gave a friendly vector to Paine. I overflew the submarine base at Bremerton, the site on Bainbridge island where our friends Joe and Sejal - my hosts for the evening - got married, and soon had the largest building in the world -- the Boeing factory -- in sight and called airport in sight.
Landing at Paine for the first time was a unique experience. Rows of brand new Boeing 747s lined the north end of the field. It was difficult not to be distracted. I made a little camera-phone video while taxiing past, but the view of them off to the side on short final was the one to remember. Towards the center of the field, at the general aviation area, were a line of 787 Dreamliners in various stages of completion. I parked the Mooney directly across from an Air India 787, complete from the outside sans engines. Large weights were suspended from the engine mounts, perhaps to keep the nosewheel on the ground of some other structural reason.
Our friends Joe and Sejal, from the Seattle area hold a special place in my heart. Without looking for a room to rent at Joe's house when he lived in Santa Cruz, I wouldn't have met my wife. They were on their final leg of a three-and-a-half month road trip through Mexico and Guatemala in their VW camper bus and graciously offered me a place to stay even though it was their first night home. They had visited us in Santa Cruz the 6 days prior and had taken their time to finish their vacation on the way up. Due to a mis-set clock and traffic, they would arrive after I would, and suggested I check out the port town of Mukilteo where the ferry to Whidbey Island docks. I assembled my borrowed folding bicycle and was on my way.
After a 6-mile ride to Mukilteo, I discovered that 1: the folding bike's seat was coming loose, quickly, 2: I had failed to bring Allen wrenches, and 3: It wasn't much fun to ride it uphill. Many people may say that about bikes in general, but it was especially true to the geometry and fit. Still, beggars couldn’t be choosers and though I could fit a road bike in the Mooney, I certainly couldn't with Alaska gear, nor could I afford a Pilatus PC-12 to stuff it all into in pressurized turbine-powered comfort. Fortunately, the up-hills were small and most of the ride was downhill. I sat on a bench in Mukilteo not far from its boat-ramp and lighthouse taking in the scene. The last remnants of a wedding party were packing up the catering equipment and brides' maids were loading floral arrangements into their cars. People were fishing, returning from trips in their small boats, and generally enjoying life. The clouds were broken here, providing a bit of sunshine followed by an impressive sunset by summers' standards. I passed the time making calls to Canadian flight services to check weather for the next day's journey north and staring at tiny weather maps on the iphone. By the time that was finished, Joe and Sejal called and told me they were close -- a few minutes later I saw their Blue bus, "Pablo" coming down the hill. We enjoyed dinner and a beer at happy hour prices and I collapsed to sleep in a comfortable bed after touring their home in Edmonds, an impressive display of restorative craftsmanship.
Departing the island was much easier. Our fearless leader timed the trip by the tide, and the dinghy only had to be used to ferry people and gear from shore to the sailboat. It would take two trips to get everyone, everything, and all of our trash out. I volunteered to be towed out on the trash-barge-dinghy and fend off from the sailboat as necessary. The sailboat's 10-horsepower engine made an honest 6-knots motoring, and the trip back to the dock was pleasant.
Back ashore, I was given a ride back to Scappoose. My new iphone had internet service along the drive and I filed IFR to Paine field, Everett Washington. The skies were about 4,000' overcast, plenty to go underneath, but I wanted some time hand-flying on the gauges to evaluate my instrument flying prior to heading even further north. Back at Scappoose, it was airport open-house day and the field was alive with visitors, Maules on amphibious floats, Piper cubs, and at least one other Mooney. After purchasing the last "cheap" fuel I thought I'd get for the trip, I launched and picked up an IFR clearance in the air: Fly heading 030, join the airway, maintain 6,000'.
I got a good 20-25 minutes of hand-flying in benign IMC before Seattle approach brought me down to 4,000' and gave a friendly vector to Paine. I overflew the submarine base at Bremerton, the site on Bainbridge island where our friends Joe and Sejal - my hosts for the evening - got married, and soon had the largest building in the world -- the Boeing factory -- in sight and called airport in sight.
Landing at Paine for the first time was a unique experience. Rows of brand new Boeing 747s lined the north end of the field. It was difficult not to be distracted. I made a little camera-phone video while taxiing past, but the view of them off to the side on short final was the one to remember. Towards the center of the field, at the general aviation area, were a line of 787 Dreamliners in various stages of completion. I parked the Mooney directly across from an Air India 787, complete from the outside sans engines. Large weights were suspended from the engine mounts, perhaps to keep the nosewheel on the ground of some other structural reason.
Our friends Joe and Sejal, from the Seattle area hold a special place in my heart. Without looking for a room to rent at Joe's house when he lived in Santa Cruz, I wouldn't have met my wife. They were on their final leg of a three-and-a-half month road trip through Mexico and Guatemala in their VW camper bus and graciously offered me a place to stay even though it was their first night home. They had visited us in Santa Cruz the 6 days prior and had taken their time to finish their vacation on the way up. Due to a mis-set clock and traffic, they would arrive after I would, and suggested I check out the port town of Mukilteo where the ferry to Whidbey Island docks. I assembled my borrowed folding bicycle and was on my way.
After a 6-mile ride to Mukilteo, I discovered that 1: the folding bike's seat was coming loose, quickly, 2: I had failed to bring Allen wrenches, and 3: It wasn't much fun to ride it uphill. Many people may say that about bikes in general, but it was especially true to the geometry and fit. Still, beggars couldn’t be choosers and though I could fit a road bike in the Mooney, I certainly couldn't with Alaska gear, nor could I afford a Pilatus PC-12 to stuff it all into in pressurized turbine-powered comfort. Fortunately, the up-hills were small and most of the ride was downhill. I sat on a bench in Mukilteo not far from its boat-ramp and lighthouse taking in the scene. The last remnants of a wedding party were packing up the catering equipment and brides' maids were loading floral arrangements into their cars. People were fishing, returning from trips in their small boats, and generally enjoying life. The clouds were broken here, providing a bit of sunshine followed by an impressive sunset by summers' standards. I passed the time making calls to Canadian flight services to check weather for the next day's journey north and staring at tiny weather maps on the iphone. By the time that was finished, Joe and Sejal called and told me they were close -- a few minutes later I saw their Blue bus, "Pablo" coming down the hill. We enjoyed dinner and a beer at happy hour prices and I collapsed to sleep in a comfortable bed after touring their home in Edmonds, an impressive display of restorative craftsmanship.
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