June 21, 2006 - Seattle to Sacramento, California
|
| I took off from Whidbey Island around 6:30AM and headed south. There was a broken layer of cumulous clouds but nothing to worry about. Today would be a long haul as I was trying to make it all the way to Sacramento, California.
Since I had already flown along the coast of northern Oregon and southern Washington, I decided to fly inland down the length of the Willamette Valley before cutting to the coast of southern Oregon.
|
| |
 |
|
|
I stopped at Corvallis Municipal Airport (KCVO) - elevation 246 feet - for fuel. Corvallis is a college town, home of Oregon State University. I flew over the football stadium inbound to the airport. There were a number of college students taking helicopter and airplane lessons. It looked like the terminal building had once had a restaurant but if so, it had long since closed. I had a lot of flying ahead of me and I didn't want to spend the time going into town, so I pressed on.
The Willamette Valley is famous for clouding up and trapping pilots on the ground for days. But, my luck with the weather held, I just cruised right on through.
|
| |
 |
|
| I continued south until Eugene, Oregon, then I turned west and followed a road over the coastal mountains to the coast at Florence. There were some scattered cumulous clouds below me; I always enjoy flying over them. |
| |
 |
|
|
A look down at the coastal mountains.
|
| |
 |
|
| I encountered this huge sand dune area when I reached the coast. |
| |
 |
|
| |
| |
 |
|
| The next thirty miles of coast were almost completely unpopulated. It wasn't a Wildlife Refuge, National Park or anything else like that. Just this big wide beach and me and my Citabria. Yes, it's fly down the beach at low-level time! |
| |
 |
|
|
Here we go! The Citabria is really stable down at low level. It's like driving down the highway in your car -- only safer.
|
| |
 |
|
| If I came to a populated area, I just popped up to 500 feet and moved out over the Ocean a little bit. |
| |
 |
|
|
|
| |
 |
|
| Around North Bend, Oregon, the beach gave way to rocky shore. |
| |
 |
|
| But it was very beautiful scenery. |
| |
 |
|
| Talk about a house with a water-view! |
| |
 |
|
|
This golf course was awesome. It's out in the middle of nowhere.
|
| |
 |
|
| It's hard to see in this picture, but there were three para-windsurfers doing their thing on that inlet. |
| |
 |
|
|
Following Highway 101 on the southern Oregon coast.
|
| |
 |
|
| Arcata Airport near Eureka, California (ACV) - elevation 221 feet. I stopped here for gas but that was all they had. There wasn't even a terminal building. It was really surprising considering the two big runways. I rang a buzzer on the side of a shack, and two guys showed up and fueled the Citabria. There wasn't even a phone. There was a porta-potty, thankfully. I really wanted to file a flight plan for the next leg, so I flew about ten miles south to Murray Airport (EKA) - elevation 7 feet- and landed there.
They had a nice terminal building which was staffed and had all the usual amenities. It also had a restaurant! I had a big cheeseburger and lots of lemonade. Take my advice, if you're in the area, stop at Murray and not Arcata.
|
| |
 |
|
| I left Murray around 1:40 PM and turned inland to follow Highway 101. On the chart, the coast looked very unpopulated, with no road alongside, no beach, and 5,000 feet mountains right at the edge. I really didn't want to fly there for any length of time, although later on the coastal route improved and I could have cut back over fairly easily. So I slanted southeast and headed inland. |
| |
 |
|
| I took this picture to show the gravel beds that are formed at the river bends. These gravel beds along the river would be spacious runways to Alaskan bush pilots. |
| |
 |
|
|
Flying over Highway 101, I can see the coast through a gap in the mountains.
|
| |
 |
|
|
Soon I came to Clear Lake. Although I grew up in California, I have never been to this lake before.
|
| |
 |
|
| It was getting a little warm in the afternoon, so I slowed the Citabria down, opened the side window, and just cruised over the lake at 80 mph with my left elbow sticking out the plane. |
| |
 |
|
| At the southern end of Clear Lake, I turned east. I had only one last mountain ridge to get across and I would be in the fertile California Central Valley. |
| |
 |
|
| Almost there. |
| |
 |
|
|
Coming down out of the mountains, looking north.
|
| |
 |
|
| Soon I was over lush, green, irrigated fields. |
| |
 |
|
|
The Central Valley was hot, though. I could feel the heat down low. I slowed down and opened the side window again. I was only 30 minutes away from my destination at this point.
|
| |
 |
|
| Flat, farm country. |
| |
 |
|
| Like everywhere else, Sacramento is expanding. These suburbs are on Sacramento's north side. Notice how brown things are when they aren't irrigated. |
| |
 |
|
| Today's destination, Cameron Airpark (O61) -- elevation 1,286 feet -- about 30 miles west of where my parents live in Sacramento. I landed around 4:15PM. I had made excellent time, thanks to a nice 10-20 mph tailwind almost the entire way. Sacramento was hot, though. It never got below 100 degrees the three days I was there. |
| |
 |
|
|
Cameron Airpark Terminal. It was always locked during the three days I was there. But they had a self-service Avgas pump with the lowest prices in Sacramento and that was all I needed. My parents picked me up and I stayed with them.
|
| |
 |
|
| |
| |
|
|
|
|
|
|