Kimball, Nebraska
Flown: June 17, 2001
Aircraft: Cessna 182 - N58798
Approximate round trip mileage: 183nm
Approximate flying time: 2:12
This was a Fathers Day trip and probably the first conscious effort to add a new state to the list of states flown to. I almost
didn't include it on this site since it was so small, but Brig insisted, as it was an odd trip and probably helped prepare us for some
of the stranger, or at least inconvenient, things to come in our future travels. We hadn't flown much together since the big SoCal
trip a year before. Looking for an excuse to fly, we used Fathers Day and a state none of us had ever been to, Nebraska. Looking
at a map I picked the closest airport and it was Kimball. After Greeley, there wasn't much to see, but crossing into Nebraska we
could see the interstate and some lakes. After landing in Kimball, at which we were the only airplane, we got a courtesy car to
drive to a lake we saw, Lake Oliver, about 10 miles west. This was our first experience of many to come in a courtesy car, which
if you don't know, is a loaner left by the airport operator, or FBO, that you can borrow for short trips, first come first served. Well,
this one was a station wagon in pretty ratty condition, but it worked. We took it out to Lake Oliver and had a nice time relaxing
by the lake, although it was snowing cotton from all the cottonwoods like we'd never seen.
On the way back is where the problem arose. About halfway to the airport that car just died. We had to pull off to the side of
the road and call AAA. We weren't quite sure where we were so they didn't know where to send a truck. Lots of friendly people
drove by and stopped to offer help, but by then the truck was on its way, which took a while to arrive. Turns out the closest tow
truck was in Scottsbluff, about 45 miles away! We got it towed to the airport and got ready to leave. Before we did we saw a
military painted aircraft that was parked on the ramp. The guys flying it were having engine problems and after trying to go
west, aborted and came back to Kimball. They were in need of oil, which they couldn't get from the vacant FBO, and we didn't
have any either. The flight back was uneventful.
Spearfish, SD and
Devils Tower, WY
Flown: July 27-29, 2001
Aircraft: Piper Arrow - N106AW
Approximate round trip mileage: 648nm
Approximate flying time: 6:30
This turned out to be our last trip in a rented aircraft. An airplane that sadly would meet its end in the mountains of Utah a couple
of years later. It was also the trip that helped narrow down our choice of aircraft to buy. Up to this point we'd flown in a Cessna 182
and were pretty happy with it, but I was also considering buying an Arrow. This trip would help decide it, and on the way home Brig
made it clear she preferred the 182, a month later we bought one. Reasons given were visibility (not as good with the low wing) and
interior space (better with the Cessna). But we had a great trip with this airplane anyway.
This was our first combination flying/camping trip. First we flew over the Badlands of South Dakota, it was alright, but not much
compared to what we'd seen prior over the Grand Canyon and Lake Powell. Then we flew towards Mt. Rushmore, it was smaller
than we'd thought it'd be and not as easy to find, but was still impressive. Just west of that was the Crazy Horse monument, still being
built. That was large and easy to find. We then landed in Spearfish, SD and were greeted by some nice people and a rental car.
From there we drove to Devils Tower, but were delayed as Interstate 90 was nothing but dirt in some places and under construction
in others. Finally we arrived at the KOA campground at the base of Devils Tower, pretty weird to be up close to something that
you've only seen in pictures and movies. Every night they played "Close Encounters of the Third Kind", which was filmed there,
and it was funny to watch people turn around during the movie and look up at Devils Tower, expecting to see UFO's. It was pretty
ominous, looming over the campground at night. It got so dark there, Anthony and I saw what we could only figure were orbiting
satellites. They were too fast and high and under lit to be airplanes. They pretty much looked like distant moving stars.
After our stay at the campground we drove back to Spearfish and flew home. On our way we diverted and flew right over
Devils Tower. Anthony expected it to be hollow on top like a volcano, but it's flat. Pretty uneventful flight home, except for Brig's
demand for a C182, which I was more than happy to comply with.
Sidney, NE
Flown: August 19, 2001
Aircraft: Cessna 182 - N92844
Approximate round trip mileage: 228nm
Approximate flying time: 2:30
This was the first trip after taking delivery of our own airplane, N92844. We flew to Sidney, NE as we'd heard about Cabela's,
a huge store for camping and outdoor products. They had a shuttle which took us back and forth from the airport for free. A
fairly uneventful flight both ways.
Denver
Flown: August 24, 2001
Aircraft: Cessna 182 - N92844
Approximate round trip mileage: 73nm
Approximate flying time: 1:18
You may wonder why this small trip would be included here. A couple reasons. We were all together, and it was the point
where I crossed over 500 flight hours. Unlike our first night trip with the kids, they stayed awake for this one. We pretty much flew
the identical path that we flew a year prior at night. Unfortunately, it'd turn out to be our last trip before the events of September 11,
2001, which would ground us for a while, at the time we weren't sure for how long.