June 27th - COPA:  It was good to have a couple of down time days and catch up on work and airplane maintenance. Wild Mama went straight to the radio shop to fix the encoder that totally took a dump en route to Mobile. Wile she was there, Vern added the new Gami injectors and fixed the #3 CHT probe that took a dump during the race. We made our test flight Wednesday morning and all is well with the world again.

In the mean time, I had to prepare for COPA - the Cirrus Owners & Pilots Association - migration as I am a presenter on Friday. Heather Taylor and I are giving a joint presentation about air racing then I will follow with "What's Your Excuse?" Planning your next adventure and flight planning for the non-pilot.

Thursday is a great day....it is the long awaited Continental Motors Factory Tour. I have been here many times for the tour and always get sidetracked with duties. Today, I am a guest and will enjoy the tour. I got Vern to the airport to see him off in N739MM. He was an "imposter" parked in and among the 100+ Cirrus aircraft here for the migration. It a comical sight. With Vern safely on his way, I head off to the tour. Getting there was the first adventure as the road to the parking lot was closed. I called Robin Tillery to get directions and made my way to the parking lot to get checked in.

Unfortunately, no photos are allowed on the tour. It was a shame because it was so interesting. But before I tell you about the tour itself, I want to mention the employees. These were happy people who love their jobs. Without exception, each and every one of the factory works with whom we spoke  took pride in their work and were determined to do their jobs to the best of their abilities. The liked being accountable and they liked putting their "name" on the parts that go in to making each Continental Engine. THAT was the most impressive thing of all. Now back to the tour.

We stopped at various stations around the factory to see how they take the raw materials that come in, basically shaped, and hone them into such things as crank shafts. We learned about the finishing and polishing process and how the tolerances are measured in micro parts - certainly nothing that a human eye could ever detect. We saw cleaning and tumbling of cylinders in "pyramid" rocks and how each piece is inspected after the manufacturing processes. We concluded with a tour of the engine test department and watched as they test run a couple of engines. Overall, it was fascinating, even for a non-mechanical type like me. It was interesting to see the engines in parts and pieces and see how each piece is made and why it is like it is. (Mechanical types might have already known all of this.)

The afternoon consisted of moving to the new hotel room in the Battle House, home of the COPA Migration. I will fetch Heather this evening and we will prepare for our talk tomorrow. It should be lots of fun.

June 29th-July 1st - Heading West again: today was the blast off day for Mae and my great adventure. I have changed "partners" for this trip. Mae is a 182 driver and secretary for the SE Section and she will accompany me on the trip to Bozeman, MT for the 99s International Conference.

Mae had a couple obligations this morning so we did not get off until almost 1100 hrs local time. We decided to leave today because we want to make Durango, CO by Monday afternoon and either today or tomorrow we will have to face an afternoon of flying the hot weather and bumpy skies. We choose today since the bumps would be over the lowlands rather than the mountains.

I think Vern installed the headwinds option with my new engine. I did not,ask for that option but headwind seem to follow me wherever I go. We tried to stay relatively low out of the winds but the heat was pretty extreme over Texas and we opted to climb to a cooler temperature and face a longer trip which necessitated a fuel stop at Granbury, TX. What a gem of a place.

We were greeted by the attendant, a friend.y man who helped us tie down, offered us water and A/C. Mae laid down for a bit and I munched on lu ch and finished updating Flight Guide. We chatted a bit before the attendant went out to refuel a medivac helicopter then help me get Wild Mama refueled. We said our goodbyes, got a few votes for ARC and departed i to the heat.

We climbed to 6500' as it was still 85 degrees at 4500'. This is a pleasure trip so we cruised along, a little slower but much more comfortable. We passed by the deserts of Texas with a cornucopia of colors shaded by cauliflower clouds. There were deep crevices where sprinkles of greenery could grow in this otherwise parched land. No one loved here, there were no roads and just a long stretch of tumbleweeds.

Plainview was our destination and it was in sight in a short 1.5 hours. The fellow at Rocket Aviation called to direct us to parking, brought the courtesy car for us for the overnight, brought the fuel truck and had a map with our hotel and food stops marked. What great service. We grabbed a few things and headed for food and the hotel where crashing was now foremost on our minds. Seems like the long hot day did us in. We will get a fresh start in the morning and head for the hills.

Morning was good. We slept well and realized what a bargain we had in Plainview: the hotel was not expensive and had a refrigerator/freezer and free breakfast; we had a free courtesy car and full serve gas at $5.25 with no tie down fees. Rocket Aviation was great.

The morning was cool and calm with some clouds off in the distance. The forecast was VFR with a small area of MVFR. With an east wind, it was reminding me of Meacham pass trying to get out of Pasco. Not long in to the journey we re sandwiched between layers and looking for higher as soon as we could get it. We had remained about 6500' but had to climb to get over the hills. We found a hole and climbed out to 12,500' - this was the lowest we could get to over the layer. Just as depicted on the satellite, the clouds broke open at the Otto VOR and it was relatively clear sailing to Durango. We got cleared to land and told to "make a short approach" just as we turned base, as there was another plane cleared to land behind us. We did a dump and dive turning final just in front of the threshold and dropped in on a dime. Oh, what fun that was!

The Durango FBO was great - the car greeted us at the airplane, we got maps and assistance tying down. We headed in to town to check it out and to prepare for our trip tomorrow. The down is quaint with lots of shops and restaurants lining the street. We did a bit of shopping, had lunch then headed up the mountain to Pagosa Springs and our hotel for the next 3 nights. Mae had a timeshare time at the Wyndham so we took advantage of the free hotel and opted for the hour drive. Pagosa Springs is a hot springs town with a large hot spring running through the center of town. We checked out the spas and the "free hot spring" river. We will return on Wednesday.

Since we have an active day tomorrow, we opted for another easy night and hung out at the hot tub at the resort before going to bed early. We have to depart at 0600 for the next adventure.

July 2 - Soaring in Durango, CO: We made our way from Pagosa Springs to Durango, CO early this morning. We had a 0730 boarding call for the Durango-Silverton steam train and a date with "soaring". We were excited. We seated ourselves in an open "first class" car with comfortable over-sized seats and a glass dome. It was a little cool but at 57 degrees it was a far cry warmer than the 37 degrees when we woke up. In sort order the train blew the whistle and lurched forward on the slow trek toward Silverton.

The area had been developed as mining town - hence the names "Silverton" and "Leadville". The narrow gauge railway was constructed to bring the silver to the smelters in Durango from the 1800 and it still runs for tours today. The train started a rhythmic chug-chug-chug as it creped forward, rocking back and forth along the rails. The cadence of clickety-clack, clickety-clack of the train along with the chugging up the mountain became our musical interlude for the morning. We passed within inches of rocks on either side of the train then turned a sharp horseshoe where we cold see the full length of the train. We made a brief stop at Rockwood to pick up passengers then completed our portion of the journey disembarking at the Soaring Adventure while the remainder of the passengers continued on up the mountain to Silverton.

The rangers suited us in harnesses and gave us a briefing. This is the longest zip line adventure in the US. There are 27 lines with the longest spanning 1400' over the river. The first few runs were rather short and designed to get us accustomed to the lines. After we were comfortable we could do "tricks" - spinning, going off backwards and flipping up-side-down. I thought the up-side-down sounded fun but with being "bottom heavy" had to develop a technique to get my feet above my head. With a little instruction, in no time at all I was soaring, feet high, through the trees. What fun.

Nicki was out naturalist ranger and did a fabulous job teaching us about the forest, the critters and the plant life that we found there. It was a nice break while waiting our turns to soar. About half way through, the rangers planted us in the trees and treated us to a gourmet lunch overlooking the river. It was time to finish the other half of the course, most of which cris-crossed over the river. We hiked up the mountain side then zipped down, racing, flipping and having a blast. We finished with the 1400' zip to the bottom. Even after 5 hours, it was over way too soon.

The train arrived and chugged us back to Durange where we said goodbye to our new friends and departed for Pagosa Springs again. This is DEFINITELY some place to return. I would like to take the trip all the way to Silverton but would hate to pass up the opportunity to soar again.

July 5th-7th - Yellowstone National Park: Not so 0'crack-of-dawn 00 Brenda, Mae and I headed off to Yellowstone National Park in Brenda's camper. It is a 2 hour drive up to Yellowstone as there is abundant traffic and the camper, fully loaded, is not a rocket ship. But the camper is PERFECT for our little get-away. It is 22' and will comfortably sleep the 3 of us, giving us plenty of space, great visibility and Brenda as the expert tour guide. What else do we need? Oh yes .... the on board "out house". ...

Almost immediately we started spotting elk. Usually we see loads of cows and few if any bulls. But the bulls were out in full velvet. They were simply amazing. We stopped at the Church of the Transfiguration for a photo op and for Mae to ring the bell, then continued on our way. We were late enough that we missed the reflection pools but we were not looking for that today. We wanted furry alerts and vistas. There were no disappointments. The buffalo were the next to show their heads along with massive amount of elk and deer.  We wandered the mud pools and passed through Hayden Valley then headed for the Grand Canyon of Yellowstone for the overlook at Artists Point. The photos at Artists Point almost look as if Mae and I were placed in front of an artificial backdrop. The colors were vibrant in the afternoon sun and the rushing water combined with the wind rustling the leaves created the song of the canyon.

Eyes filled with the canyon colors, we paid a visit to the visitors center to learn about the volcano and the caldera that is Yellowstone National Park. Since the volcano is still very active, there are hundreds of very minute earthquakes registered at the various seismic sensing locations through the Park. Right now, the Mammoth area is the most active. The changes in the tectonic plates beneath the surface have changed the face of Yellowstone over the years. Looking back at some of my photos from 2006 - my first visit here - I can see where some geysers and hot pools have come alive, gone dormant or just changed in character or activity. The staircase at Mammoth is a fine example: most of the vivid colors under the hot water have disappeared as the "water pipes" have been shut off from changes in the seismic activity. While there remains a trickle of color splattered throughout the terraced landscape, many of the prominent features have turned to a pale gray and look dry and calcium-like.

But getting back to the trip to Mammoth: We cut across the middle road that led to the Norris Geyser area then headed north to Mammoth. This is opposite of the way we normally make the trip on the upper loop as we usually head up the east road and back down the west side. We took note of the few cars that were on the road at this time. It was especially strange for a Friday night on a holiday weekend but we figured that the now overcast skies and the drizzle that was wetting the landscape might have disrupted the normal flow. Well, there was a disruption all right but it was not the weather. As we rounded one of the corners on the windy road we saw the line of cars stretching more miles and miles. It seems that a small herd of buffalo decided that they wanted to walk the canyon but the rocks were not to their liking - the roadway was. The must have remained on the road for an inordinately long period of time to have backed up traffic so much. We chuckled, snapped a few photos and passed quite easily, much to the chagrin, I am sure, of the passing motorists.

It was already late and we had not stopped much for food when we arrived at Mammoth. The rain started down quite steadily and it seemed an opportune time for dinner. We stopped in the Diner and feasted on lamb, fish and squash soup. Mae even tried some huckleberry ice cream before heading back down to the camp site in Fishing Bridge in the lower loop area. We made a quick set up and all fell asleep quite quickly - it was a long but very fun day.

We decided to get up early to go to Hayden Valley for animal spotting this morning Early morning is the best time (usually) for the furry alerts and we were hoping that today was no exception. The morning was quite cool which was not surprising given the hours of rain fro the night before. Now, mind you, Hayden Valley sits right next to the mud pools - a geothermal area of steaming, roiling and boiling mud and water features. Although it was clear at the cap ground to the south, my mind started wandering and thinking back to the flight that Ellen and I took over the park: a crisp cool morning without a cloud in the sky .... except over the geothermal regions of the park. Nature is nothing is she is not consistent. As we entered the mud pool region a thick fog blanketed the area. We could barely see on the road to drive, let along look out over the vast expanses of the Park to see furry creatures doing furry things. *SIGH* ... foiled again. We circled back up toward the Canyon Village for fuel and to let some sun light burn through the fog and made another stab at Hayden Valley to no avail. The fog was far too persistent and it was approaching 0930.

We decided to go to my favorite place in the geyser area and Firehole River. We stopped for a few water features then meandered over to Fountain Flat Drive. We found a bike and hiking trail that ran through the lush valley and some prime animal areas. There were grizzly warning up for a momma and her 3 cubs having been seen in the area recently. We had to make noise as we walked - not a difficult task for a couple of friends on a hike. Brenda drove the camper to the end of the path  at the Fairy Falls parking lot to the south while Mae and I made the hike. The furry alerts were limited to a lone chipmunk scampering about a log looking for some seeds to eat. We saw a few birds, fields of beautiful lupin and other wild flowers and no much else in the way of critters. However, our reward was yet to come.

Before we left on the hike a van carrying a bicycle rental outfit happened by and noted to us an Brenda the terminus location of the bike path. It was NOT as depicted on the map at the middle geyser basin but further down the road. This was a handy piece of information as Brenda would have been stopped a t parking lot that we could not access from the path. Our reward, much to our delight, was that the path passed on the back side of the Grand Prismatic Spring: my FAVORITE spot on the whole earth. I had often wondered if anyone other than a pilot could have the privilege to see the Spring in all of her glory. From the boardwalk, she is a shimmering blue pool with iron-orange runoff under the boardwalk. But from above, she is the "Eye of Yellowstone": a deep cobalt blue eye rimmed with a hint of green that fades into a yellow outline with "bloodshot" orange veins running down the side of her tanned face. As we approached the Spring we saw a couple scampering down from the mountain side on a "path". It is not a regular improved walking path: it is a well beaten path tramped into life from the many souls that longed to see the beauty of the "Eye". Having lost my last fly0ver chance with Ellen, I was not about to pass on an opportunity to get another view of my favorite spot and chided Mae to join me on the scramble up the mountain side. We slipped and slid, grabbing fallen trees as grips on the way up, huffing and puffing al the way. We paused for a moment to allow a young couple pass us and decided that we could do it if they could. We pressed on to a perch on a downed tree and paused, turning around to see the most magnificent of all sights that one person can behold. There was the "Eye", framed between the pines. She was overshadowed by some passing clouds, leaving her colors dull and almost lifeless until the sun cam back out exposing an iridescent side to the orange as it escapes the center of the eye. Mae and I sat there breathes. We were not sure if it was from the hike at such a high altitude or the sheer beauty of the moment.

Others were soon to follow and our perch was being eyed by another gawker. We caught our breath, snapped a few more photos and started the slow descent - a feat almost harder than the climb. With eyes, hearts and souls full of the wonder of Yellowstone, we completed our 4 mile journey. It was now early afternoon. The sun was climbing over so high in the sky and the clouds were building to another round of thunderstorms for the afternoon. We had 2 long days and decided to head back to Jackson Hole and on home after an obligatory stop at Old Faithful. The roads were soon covered with rain and more motorists sharing our sentiments about the long day and less than pleasant weather. By 1900 we made it home in time for a light dinner and some sleep. We want to make an over flight of the park tomorrow but wonder if the fog will give us the chance or it Mother Nature will, once again, have the last laugh.

I was up at my usual 0530, peering out the window to see what the day would bring. The skies were clear in Star Valley but what about Yellowstone. I headed upstairs to get some internet service to check the weather. All looked good in the surrounding areas ... but what about Yellowstone. I got on the Weather Underground site to catch the reporting station at the lake. Fog, 100% humidity and 43 degrees. Checking West Yellowstone, I found the same with 1/2 mile visibility and overcast at 200': low IFR. We are going nowhere fast. By 0800 we decided to make our way over to the airport to get Wild Mama  ready for flight. We needed fuel and to empty all contents because of the density altitude and having 3 people in the plane. By 0915 we were in the air and heading north through the Snake River Canyon. The Valley remained thick with fog in several locations and relatively clear, but hazy, in others. Jackson Hole was clear but to the immediate south was that thick fog. We pressed on. As we approached the junction to make our westward turn toward Old Faithful we could see we were in the clear. We circled wide of Old Faithful to remain clear of the most populated area and headed for the Grand Prismatic Spring. I put the Spring on Mae's side and she saw it come into view. "Oh how beautiful" was all I heard before her apnea alarm sounded. "Breathe, Mae, breathe!!!" We circled for a minute then headed off toward the Canyon.

Approaching the Canyon from this direction, it always put us looking back to see the best view. I decided to try something new and circle Mount Washburn and approach the Canyon from the north to fly up the canyon toward the waterfalls. This would prevent our circling in an area of congestion, but rather just making one pass. I had already put Wild Mama  into stealth mode but I quieted her down a it more to come up the canyon. We snuck up on the falls so the sun did not have time to hide the splendor of the fall wash away the vivid colors of the canyon walls. Success! With one pass, we were happy and headed for home via West Yellowstone and the west side of the Teton Range, making our final approach into Alpine through the Palisade and highway 26 from the west. It was a beautiful approach with the valley beneath us and the mountains looming high on either side. I love this kind of flying. We will rest this afternoon for our departure tomorrow to Shivley Field and Saratoga Resort & Spa.

July 8th - Eastbound: ... but not heading home just yet. We made a little back track to go over to the Saratoga Resort & Spa for another day at a hot springs. The water is soooo nice that we could not pass this up. Heading out from Alpine this morning we thought we might have a bit of a time getting going. The valley was fogged in so we could see little to nothing on the drive in. But the arrival at the airport greeted us with clear skies over the airport and enough of a climbing window to make it over the fog and up to 9,500'. We remained in the Star Valley, then cut across to Kemmerer and on to Shivley Field. We wanted to remain relatively low as there were clouds already building and rain showers to our west.

The terrain in this part of the country is rugged and there is little development. Some of the features are strange upheavals that make me quite curious as to the origins of their formation. Other parts are flat and barren. We say highway 80 stretch out long and straight before us. we picked up a nice little tailwind and zipped over the ground at 165 kts. watching all of the traffic creep along. That is a long, lonely stretch of road to drive. We were happy to have the plane.

In a short hour and a half we arrived at Shivley Field and dropped in for a landing. There was no one there to greet us except a young buck resting at the taxiway sign. The airport attendant was scarce at first but sauntered in after we made our way to the FBO. He was quiet and it was a struggle to get information out of him but we managed, got the Resort Jeep and headed into town. We did not dare ask directions from the guy as that would have required way too many words on his part.

We arrived at the resort just before 1000 and they had a room for us to check in early. Sweet. Mae was now ready for breakfast so we hit the restaurant. Next to us was seated the "self-appointed town council", a lively group of retired or near-retired gentlemen fro the town. We took great delight in listening to their humorous ranting's about the town and what was best for it. We unloaded our stuff, left the Jeep at the Resort and wandered off into town. The town is old but quaint with a few small shops lining the main drag. In all, it took us about an hour to walk the whole thing, including the shopping.

The afternoon was spent at the Resort I the hot springs. The water is so soothing and good for whatever ails you. We will try some mountain biking tomorrow then a much needed soak after the bike do us in.

July 10-13th - 99s Conference:  Seeing that there is such a gap in the blogging I suppose that means I have been busy ..... or having fun ..... or perhaps both. The flight out of Saratoga was beautiful. We were again in the midst of some very strange and wonderful scenery that boggles the mind. There were upheavals and crevices; lush green valleys and rugged peaks; sand stone formations forged by weather and erosion and lands seemingly so untouched by the forces of Mother Natures that it seems odd they are still on the same planet. We flew within 5 miles of 12,000' mountain peaks and through Pass on the approach to Bozeman. We were given number 2 to land and could have made the dump and dive behind the Otter but got he 5 mile extended downwind instead to land behind a 172.

The Bozeman local welcoming team was only expecting about 35 plane to arrive for the convention. When we got there already 50 had arrived with more on the way. They had to find a place to park us so we opted to get our oil change done right away to free up some parking space. We met up with Lin Caywood and Mom who took us to the airport to settle into the hotel. From the point of arrival it was a mass of greeting to friends and ladies whom I do not see all too often. Time whooshed by until it was time to go to the Bozeman Hot Springs for a little more R & R for the evening.

Thursday morning we hit the ground running with the Board meeting followed by an all day trip to Big Sky. The ride to Bog Sky was a bit long and I was starving by the time we got there. We had a long menu of activities by my only thought was food. We found one of the few places that served salad and several of us were seated for lunch. The staff was overwhelmed and by the time we finished lunch it was pouring rain and nearly time to come back to the bus for the ride to Broken Heart Ranch.

The Ranch was a hoot. We had a "hay ride" (I am thinking sitting in hay but we were sitting in cushy chairs riding a wagon through the hay much to my delight), followed by a BBQ dinner and entertainment. I was beat and took the first bus back to the hotel for bed - that was all the entertainment I could muster after such a long day.

Friday morning highlight was the Amelia Earhart Scholarship luncheon where our SE Section 99s member, Myra Bugbee received an award. Congratulations to Myra. The remainder of my morning was catching up on work and taking a long walk through the town. Bozeman is a repeat from 2008 when the Air Race was here so I was happy not to re-see the sights. With a few more afternoon meetings and a Governor's reception for the evening, I retired to the room to help my roomies prepare for the presentation on Saturday. Our SE Section 99s is hosting the 2014 convention in New Orleans so you can imagine what kind of Cajun Creation we have for a presentation.