July 30, 2024 - Alaska Flight
Day 2A: Menomonie, WI to Mercer County Airport, North Dakota
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| Looking back at Menomonie Airport after takeoff. |
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A little bit west, I pass the motel I stayed at, in that complex at right.
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| Passing the Saint Croix River. |
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| Looking north at the Saint Croix River. |
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| St Cloud Regional Airport (KSTC), a big towered airport. |
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| And there is St. Cloud, Minnesota with the Mississippi River running through it. |
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Following Interstate 94 for a bit.
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| Some of the 10,000 lakes in Minnesota. |
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Time to go down for a closer look.
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| Booming northwest across Minnesota. |
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A big intersection.
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| One of those circular railroad tracks makes it easy to load grain from the silos into the freight cars. |
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Cattle going for the water.
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| The food must be in the corner of the field. |
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| A very neat and orderly car junkyard. |
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A secluded little homestead.
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A tall tower in the flatlands.
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| At some point I cross into North Dakota, south of Fargo. |
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| A road heads west. |
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| Skimming across a lake. |
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Beautiful morning to fly low.
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| It's interesting how they planted rows of trees to protect the fields from the wind, I guess. |
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There's my friend I-94 again.
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| In North Dakota where the elevation is higher and I'm starting to see undeveloped areas. |
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| I would see lots of windmills on this trip but was surprised by how many of them were not turning for some reason. More than half. |
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| There's my old friend, the Missouri River, north of Bismarck. I flew it back in 2010, my first long cross-country in the RV-7. |
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I decided to fly up the river for a bit, for old times sake.
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Just like I remember it.
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| Fun as it was, it's time to leave the river and resume course for Cut Bank, Montana. |
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Looking down at Mercer County Regional Airport (KHZE), near Hazen, North Dakota where I will stop for fuel.
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Mercer County is a nice fuel stop: low avgas price, small but nice pilots lounge which has everything you need including low cost snacks and drinks, and Wi-Fi. A courtesy car is also available if you wanted to go somewhere for breakfast or lunch or stay overnight.
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The pilot's lounge.
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| Local boy made good flying the awesome SR-71 Blackbird. |
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| Day 2 Track. Mercer County is just northwest of Bismarck, North Dakota. |
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