Highlights of June 2004

• Wrestling Match
• China
• Geof and Kath Visit
• Sulphur Creek
• Rick's Graduation Party

See what we were reading in June

Wrestling Match

We are slowing allowing Asia and TasZ to play together. This is a nightly wrestling match on our bed.

China

At the beginning of June, Jon went on another trip to China. This time the destination was Shanghai.

Jon visited the Autodesk office. This is what the view is like....


Jon joined part of the APAC management team for dinner at an area in Shanghai called Xintiandi.

Geof and Kath Visit

The first weekend in June, our friends from Cincinnati, Geof and Kath, came to visit. We started the weekend out with dinner at Sonoma's The Girl and the Fig restaurant with Leslie and Gordon - celebrating Leslie's birthday.

The next day, Jon, Geof, and Kath went for a bay tour.

 

After the flight and lunch at Mike's we all went down to San Francisco to tour the new ferry building and the Oldenberg bow and arrow on the waterfront.

That evening, Geof, Kath, and Jon enjoyed the spa...

The next morning, after Care and Kath went to dog school, and Jon and Geof hiked, we all flew to Mendocino for lunch.

Sulphur Creek

In late July, Jon and Care flew our Cessna 182 from Petaluma to McCall, Idaho for the Advanced Mountain and Canyon Flying Seminar with McCall Mountain/Canyon Flying. This course was the follow-on course to the one Jon took in July 2003. It was more advanced, with more challenging airstrips. Students, instructors, spouses, and friends stayed at Sulphur Creek, a ranch in the wilderness with an airstrip, accessible only by air (or a long hike in). We had 6 students and three excellent instructors -- Art, Bart, and Lori. We all got to know each other well and had a great time flying and enjoying hiking, reading, horseback riding, and great food at the ranch.

Photo courtesy of McCall Mountain Flying, LLC.

We flew over the Sierras (right by Lake Tahoe), northwestern Nevada, and the Black Rock Desert to McCall, Idaho.

After a night in McCall, we flew into the Sulphur Creek Ranch, this was our home for three days of flying, reading, hiking, socializing, dining, horseback riding, and relaxing.

First we scope out the landscape then the next morning (at 6 am), let the flying begin!




 
 
 
 




 

One afternoon we went horseback riding to Dead Mule Cabin - so named for a prospector who went to town and his mule got into his cabin, the door shut, and the mule died before the prospector returned two weeks later.







Since Sulphur Creek did not have fuel, we had to fly out to get fuel. Jon flew to Stanley for fuel on the second day. A highlight of Stanley was the Sawtooth Mountains - which provided a fabulous backdrop to the town. After refueling (and a brief piano concert at the FBO), Jon and Art (his instructor for the morning), took off and flew back through the Sawtooths back to Sulphur Creek. The scenery was truly spectacular.

One morning we hiked the boundaries of the lodge property. This took us down the runway, through the meadows and back up the mountain benches. In the afternoon we participated in a class on wilderness survival taught by Larry, Director of Enforcement for Fish & Game in this area. We capped our day off with entertainment around the campfire, including s'mores and plenty of music.

The ground crew and afternoon sky and rainbow at Sulphur Creek... Then back to McCall and a flight from McCall back to Petaluma.

Copyright © 1998 by Galen L. Hanselman, Q.E.I. Publishing


 

Day 1 (Tuesday) - Jon flew with Lori. We flew a couple of strips that I flew last year, Johnson Creek and Landmark. We also made sure I could get into Sulphur Creek. It was amazing how much I remembered the lessons from last year. Lori worked with me on using wing to evaluate and control pitch. I learned some new tricks from Lori. It was very comfortable flying in the canyons. After the lesson I ferried Care and Lori into Sulphur Creek.

Landmark. This is one I did last year. A very wide open strip. I landed both directions. A little high on one approach and had to go around.

Photo courtesy of Galen L. Hanselman, Q.E.I. Publishing

Sulphur Creek. Lori took me in here first. There is no go-around - once you decide to land you are committed. Since this was our base of operations for the week, I did lots of takeoffs and landings at Sulphur Creek and got very familiar with it.

Photo courtesy of Galen L. Hanselman, Q.E.I. Publishing

Johnson Creek. The last flight (before we picked up Care for the ferry into Sulphur Creek) was Johnson Creek. This was my first canyon strip last year. It was amazing how much came back to me this year and how easy Johnson Creek was. I knew just what to do. A great way to cap the first day of canyon flying.

Photo courtesy of Galen L. Hanselman, Q.E.I. Publishing

Day 2 (Wednesday). Jon flew with Art. We tried some more challenging strips - Thomas and Mahoney. Both were short with limited go-around options. Landing was fine - takeoffs a bit scarey because of limited field length. Art pushed me to try some new things.

Thomas Creek. Thomas was a challenge because of short field length and terrain.

Photo courtesy of Galen L. Hanselman, Q.E.I. Publishing

Mahoney. Mahoney was also a challenge for similar reasons as Thomas.

Photo courtesy of Galen L. Hanselman, Q.E.I. Publishing

Stanley. Stanley was a fuel stop. A beautiful place and easy landing. I got complacent and sloppy in my landing. It looked too easy compared to the previous places that day. Great trip back to Sulphur Creek after fueling through the Sawtooths.

Photo courtesy of Galen L. Hanselman, Q.E.I. Publishing

Day 3 (Thursday). Jon flew with Bart. We went to two that Art and I missed on Wednesday. Also got some good canyon en-route experience. Bart was a joy to fly with and a real confidence builder.

Warm Springs. This was a nice, easy, open strip. We went in early in the morning, circled and set up for landing. Beautiful.

Photo courtesy of Galen L. Hanselman, Q.E.I. Publishing

Upper Loon. This was the second try. Art and I tried to do this on Wednesday but the sun angle was too extreme. Bart and I came back and did it. If you maintain 6000' past the Goat Rock it is a piece of cake.

Photo courtesy of Galen L. Hanselman, Q.E.I. Publishing

Day 4 (Friday). Once again flying with Art. Art, as usual, pushed me to try some challenging places.

Flying B. Art took me to the Flying B. It saw a challenge. I did two go-arounds because I was high on approach. I thought the cause was terrain avoidance. Art finally clued me in that I needed to fly up the river rather than going over the hill on a straight in. The go-arounds were very challenging through a narrow canyon - good experience.

Photo courtesy of Galen L. Hanselman, Q.E.I. Publishing

Soldier Bar. We did not land a Soldier Bar but did a circle to plan an approach and an approach. It would be challenging but I could probably get in there.

Photo courtesy of Galen L. Hanselman, Q.E.I. Publishing
 

Big Creek. Our last landing was Big Creek, which I also did last year. It was a big, wide, long runway with a challenging approach. I remembered what I did last year and repeated it. A great landing. I then traveled en-route through the canyons back to Sulphur Creek. A great way to cap the week of canyon flying.

Photo courtesy of Galen L. Hanselman, Q.E.I. Publishin

Rick's Graduation Party

When we returned from Idaho, we went to our friend Rick's graduation party. The party was at Rick's parents house in Livermore. Rick just finished the MBA program at Harvard Business School. He is returning to the bay area to join a venture capital firm in Palo Alto. It will be nice having Rick back in the bay area.

On to July