With Christmas over but still a bit of vacation time left and a break in the weather, it seemed only right to revisit the north woods.
You might remember me blogging about northern Wisconsin in the summer... It's a place where a slower pace prevails, miles of country roads skirt thousands of tranquil lakes and the woods grow thick and green all around. One wakes and falls asleep to the sound of hauntingly beautiful loon song in summer. It moves me deeply.
You might remember me blogging about northern Wisconsin in the summer... It's a place where a slower pace prevails, miles of country roads skirt thousands of tranquil lakes and the woods grow thick and green all around. One wakes and falls asleep to the sound of hauntingly beautiful loon song in summer. It moves me deeply.
I was curious to know what winter looked like, smelled like, sounded like, but first, we had to get there.
The flight was one and a half hours from Madison. Without the tail wind of the other day, we flew a respectable 165 mph in what can only be described as mixed weather.
Middleton Airport was sporting an overcast day and it was COLD! The Bonanza had been tied down outside for almost 4 days and in 23 degree weather, she needed a little help to get going. (Much like myself!)
After a 20 minute engine heating she roared to life and with another 10 minutes at idle, her oil temperature gradually climbed to 70 degrees. We were good to go!
Today I was co-pilot. My jobs included arranging the cockpit for flight, pressing toe-warmers to the soles of my woolly sock-clad feet, taking pictures and keenly observing pilot in command. One of these days an IFR flight, with radio work, would be all mine and I had much to learn.
Climbing out of 1,200 feet for 6,000 feet, we entered that overcast layer. The frozen rivers and lakes of Wisconsin fell away, becoming invisible as whiteness surrounded the aircraft.
Above the overcast layer we broke into the sunshine.
Then observed the tiny bit of light rime ice that had stuck on the front window, as it underwent sublimation.
That was the end of the overcast. It thinned out below us and by the half way point, was entirely gone. Hayward welcomed us at 2 pm with sunny, clear skies and the glow of a late sun. Yes, it was still cold, but calm and colorful.
Next stop... the cabin on Nice Lake :-)
The flight was one and a half hours from Madison. Without the tail wind of the other day, we flew a respectable 165 mph in what can only be described as mixed weather.
Middleton Airport was sporting an overcast day and it was COLD! The Bonanza had been tied down outside for almost 4 days and in 23 degree weather, she needed a little help to get going. (Much like myself!)
After a 20 minute engine heating she roared to life and with another 10 minutes at idle, her oil temperature gradually climbed to 70 degrees. We were good to go!
Today I was co-pilot. My jobs included arranging the cockpit for flight, pressing toe-warmers to the soles of my woolly sock-clad feet, taking pictures and keenly observing pilot in command. One of these days an IFR flight, with radio work, would be all mine and I had much to learn.
Climbing out of 1,200 feet for 6,000 feet, we entered that overcast layer. The frozen rivers and lakes of Wisconsin fell away, becoming invisible as whiteness surrounded the aircraft.
Above the overcast layer we broke into the sunshine.
Then observed the tiny bit of light rime ice that had stuck on the front window, as it underwent sublimation.
That was the end of the overcast. It thinned out below us and by the half way point, was entirely gone. Hayward welcomed us at 2 pm with sunny, clear skies and the glow of a late sun. Yes, it was still cold, but calm and colorful.
Next stop... the cabin on Nice Lake :-)
