Silver Mountains
Sep. 25th, 2004 11:04 pm![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png){kind=small}
mishalakThe tiny barn of a hanger smelled of dry earth and the sweet odor of oil. My dad and I rolled the four doors down their tracks to reveal his plane carefully parked inside. It is a little plane, a two seated tail dragger that my dad built over the course of several years. It finally has a good engine in it and my dad had wanted to take me up in it for quite some time.
It, of course, took a fair amount of time to get ready to go. First we had to install a new gyroscopic compass in the instrument panel. Then we topped up the wing tanks with ten gallons of premium gasoline and my dad helped Russ, the owner of the little field, get his tractor set up to mow the runways.
It is fascinating to see the earth from a small plane. So much that is hidden becomes visible from above. The air was a bit rough as we passed some thunderstorms forming over southern Denver. In almost no time we were over the first of the mountains. We passed over the areas burned two years ago, nearly bare red earth and rocks scrubbed bare with just a few aspens starting to expand along watercourses. The dry foothills rose towards snow crowned peaks. Very few of the aspens lost their leaves in the snowstorms earlier in the week so we were presented with postcard views of golden aspens among the deep green pines on perfect whites. It got rather cold and I put on my sweater and kept it on for the rest of the trip.
We went over Corona Pass and then Rabbit Ears Pass and eventually landed in Steamboat Springs. By car that is about five hours away, but there we were having lunch after just an hour and change in the air. After a sandwich I got a little white chocolate ice cream. Good stuff and once back at the airport I realized I got a sort of discount. I always look at my change looking for real copper pennies. This time I found something even better, a 1964 silver dime.
The Gore range was a vision of ice and glacier sculpted valleys. But I didn't enjoy it as much as I might have because the thin air at 4,000 meters (13,000 feet) and lunch made me very sleepy. But I revived as we went past Mt. Democrat and over Georgia Pass. There was an interesting lake on the other side that might be a nice place to go fishing. The thunderstorm had grown back over Castle Rock, but we were able to land without incident other than a long bounce.
A good day.
It, of course, took a fair amount of time to get ready to go. First we had to install a new gyroscopic compass in the instrument panel. Then we topped up the wing tanks with ten gallons of premium gasoline and my dad helped Russ, the owner of the little field, get his tractor set up to mow the runways.
It is fascinating to see the earth from a small plane. So much that is hidden becomes visible from above. The air was a bit rough as we passed some thunderstorms forming over southern Denver. In almost no time we were over the first of the mountains. We passed over the areas burned two years ago, nearly bare red earth and rocks scrubbed bare with just a few aspens starting to expand along watercourses. The dry foothills rose towards snow crowned peaks. Very few of the aspens lost their leaves in the snowstorms earlier in the week so we were presented with postcard views of golden aspens among the deep green pines on perfect whites. It got rather cold and I put on my sweater and kept it on for the rest of the trip.
We went over Corona Pass and then Rabbit Ears Pass and eventually landed in Steamboat Springs. By car that is about five hours away, but there we were having lunch after just an hour and change in the air. After a sandwich I got a little white chocolate ice cream. Good stuff and once back at the airport I realized I got a sort of discount. I always look at my change looking for real copper pennies. This time I found something even better, a 1964 silver dime.
The Gore range was a vision of ice and glacier sculpted valleys. But I didn't enjoy it as much as I might have because the thin air at 4,000 meters (13,000 feet) and lunch made me very sleepy. But I revived as we went past Mt. Democrat and over Georgia Pass. There was an interesting lake on the other side that might be a nice place to go fishing. The thunderstorm had grown back over Castle Rock, but we were able to land without incident other than a long bounce.
A good day.
![[identity profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/openid.png){kind=small}
(no subject)
Date: 2004-09-25 10:11 pm (UTC)(no subject)
Date: 2004-09-26 04:47 am (UTC)Hmmm, yep! Great change of perspective.
Crazy(and I'm not really even a happy flyer...)Soph
(no subject)
Date: 2004-09-26 06:54 pm (UTC)(no subject)
Date: 2004-09-26 10:56 pm (UTC)(no subject)
Date: 2004-09-27 10:54 am (UTC)