Fly Away

What is better than a great flying lesson on a beautiful fall Colorado day? That's right! Another flight! :-)

Today I got the opportunity to fly with friend and neighbor, Dave Paule.

We left in his Cessna 180 from Longmont this afternoon.

And just over an hour later, we were in Salida. This little mountain town has a small airport with sloping runway, very little traffic and .... tumbleweeds!

I love it. Best of all, for future reference, we discovered that they have courtesy cars for pilots and the town (just 2 miles away) has a great breakfast restaurant - or so this random guy claims!

Of course, there was no time today for sight-seeing and soon enough it was time run over the pre-flight inspection for the return journey. Dave was extra-vigilant... knowing I am a student pilot and not wanting to lead me astray! Thanks Dave!! :-)

At an altitude of about 15,000 ft, we needed oxygen - hence the little flesh colored nose pieces. What a difference that makes. For those who have hiked with me and know I don't do especially well at altitudes over about 11,500 ft, you are probably wondering if I should be considering this little set up for hiking too... trust me, it has crossed my mind too.

Dave and I traded jobs on the return trip. I flew (minus the take offs and landings) and he was chief photographer.

I love photography... but flying gives me a bigger buzz, for sure. In fact, still have my perma-grin on!!