Thank you John and wife for inviting everyone to such a truly lovely place. It's all so beautiful up there I'd forgotten what it's like. It was a wonderful treat to experience such lush vegetation. Abundant moisture with no feeling of humidity like we'd get in the South (southern United States). And no "palmetto" bugs. You outdid yourselves with organization and even though I didn't stay for the whole thing, I thank you sincerely.
Coming back home I was expecting to get a little bit back of what I gave up in speed when fighting mild headwinds going north. Nope. No tailwind at all leaving MMV and once I got to Mt. Shasta started getting headwinds which just got worse the further south I got. By the time I got to Bakersfield the GPS was showing 112 MPH. My still-air cruise is 149 average. Crossing the LA Basin it felt like I was standing still, and I practically was. I couldn't drop down to a lower altitude since it was night time and there are some serious mountains around LA. It was a beautiful trip though. These graceful little aircraft can do anything the fancy ones do . . . and do it a lot cheaper. I stopped in Merced for fuel and arrived home at 4 in the morning. I hung around Merced (landed there at 11 PM) because in that dreadful little Central Valley grape town was the best live raggae I've heard since I can't remember when. I opened the canopy expecting the silence that greeted me when I landed there going up. Totally deserted. Facilities consist of a gas pump and a Porta Potty. Yet this time there was this amazing music . . . so I followed my ears over to the fence. Joining the airport was an open air club with fires going and a band from Sacramento (I learned) called Rege Lark. Wow. I don't listen to anything anymore, just appreciate silence, but this took me back a couple decades to a time when the sounds of Jamaica was in my bones. And to hear it in such an unlikely environment! What a great trip. I guess it's worth keeping my plane just to do things like this once a year. Mike KSEE ____________________________________________________________ Buffett???s New Enemy Buffett just confirmed his worst fear. Click here for his warning. http://thirdpartyoffers.juno.com/TGL3141/55ec36b01a75f36b0191ast04vuc
