Monday, May 26, 2014

Lazy Sunday - Wyoming Style



Sunday morning dream-come-true:  Waffles, bacon, coffee... chit chat with the locals and tourists alike. A slow and easy start to the day... Then flying!  Yeah!

Mark flew the local flight from Hot Springs Airport. Taking off with a rush downhill and circling around to overfly the town of Thermopolis so I could take pictures.  The river that winds through town really is at capacity! Reputation has it that Thermopolis is good place to fish, too.




After doing the "downtown circuit" we decided to head east out of town. We had heard about the new airport being built and knowing it was 10 miles away, we guessed east, to the wide open valley in the distance.



There it lay.  So far, just dirt and gravel, but one day in 2015, it will be the airport that all of Thermopolis has dreamed about.  A 7000 foot runway, plenty of parking, FAA funded.
Hmmm... So us and the 2 other general aviation aircraft that visited Hot Springs Airport this Memorial weekend will have somewhere fancier to land!

It was becoming a hot day.  Mid to high 70's, sunshine and not a breath of wind. Pushing the plane back into hanger (A.K.A swallows haven) was the last physical activity we managed before re-grouping at the hotel, diving into a delightful Thai lunch downtown and following it with a butter pecan waffle cone!

Next stop, the Dinosaur Center. Did you know there are still active dig sites?  High in the winding mountains above the Big Horn Basin in Wyoming there are 80 dig sites going in a 500 acre area! At the museum/education center that we visited, there are mounted skeletons, replica's and fossils from as far as China and Scotland too.




Having never counted myself in the high interest group in regard to dinosaurs, I was curious to see the fossils, but not overly excited. Two hours later, I could honestly say it is a fascinating place! Lots to see and learn. One of those experiences where you only realize "you don't know what you don't know" after you open your mind to a new adventure.



I entered with the pre-conception that T-Rex was a hungry, violent, brauny, dummy.
I left with the impression that T-Rex was incredibly smart (by dinosaur standards), a strategic thinker and an attentive parent... While that large vegetarian thing with the long neck and tail, had a brain the size of a kitten!

Time for soak in a mineral spa... Ahhhh.

And then we were off to check out the restaurant that several people around town had recommended. Stone's Throw is located at the golf course, which is also located at the airport, up on that butte above town.  It's comfortable and homey in appearance, so the menu might surprise you. Dishes include scallops, lobster, filet mignon and Rocky Mountain oysters. The wine list is not bad either - with prices that accurately reflect both the location (small town Wyoming) and the offerings.  They seem to have a full bar, but I'm a wine girl and I couldn't even tell you about the other options you might enjoy.

One bacon-wrapped filet mignon (perfectly medium-rare) and one glass of California red, later... I was more than relaxed.

Sunset was almost upon us and a walk down the middle of the runway, beckoned. Since there had only been sightings of 2 other aircraft here all weekend long, it seemed like a low-risk, high-reward, idea.  So we walked!

As with all good ideas, it had to be documented.  First, let's try and capture the slope...
Then maybe a quick selfie (that was anything but quick!)...



Sunset?  Beautiful. Still. Quiet.







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I provide the latest market information, straight forward advice and the highest standards of service. If you refer your friends and family to me, I promise to make you proud, to exceed expectations and never give you a moments doubt that it was the right thing to do for them.

You can reach Dallice at (303)746-6765.




Sunday, May 25, 2014

Memorial Weekend in Thermopolis, WY





Once upon a time, in a land far away (Boulder, CO) there lived a woman.  This woman, while competent in many things, could not add "doing taxes" to that list, if being honest with herself.

Fortunately, if one finds the perfect accountant, this is not a problem.  So... From February to May, Latino and Associates toiled tirelessly on her behalf.  Always available, full of great advice and working in her best interests.  Eventually winding up a complicated tax year and putting to rest one of my biggest stresses.

I know what you're thinking... What has this got to do with aviation?  I'm getting there.

It was very clear that Chris Latino had worked "unusual" hours, from home and even taking calls on his cell phone during times I knew he was with his family.  So I was very surprised and quite overwhelmed when his invoice didn't reflect the time and effort my business had required and definitely didn't account for the brain damage that I had inflicted.  When I tried to compensate him, he refused!

Instead he said:  "Do me a favor. You and your boyfriend, fly to Thermopolis, WY for a weekend. Check it out for me.  I have heard it's a really cute little town, an easy flight with a great general aviation airport and plenty to do in town."

He was serious, so I agreed... And did what most people might do.  I added it to my bucket list and mentally prepared myself for going to Thermopolis, one day.

A day later, upon telling Mark about this conversation, we Googled Thermopolis, checked the weather and realized that Memorial Weekend was upon us in 2 days.  Could this be any more perfect?  We were overdue a "get-away".

That was Wednesday, May 21st.
By Friday the 23rd, the plane was ready, the weather rechecked, small bag packed, hotel booked and courtesy car (awesome) at Hot Springs Airport reserved.

Wheels were up just after 10am on Saturday morning. The flight plan was as follows:
KLMO-LAR-KTHP
Estimated flight time of just under 2 hours.





Winds aloft were expected to be light and winds on the ground at Thermopolis were expected to be calm... or light and variable.  It was really a gorgeous flight and we took advantage of it to practice some VOR navigation and further test the new navigation app on Mark's mini ipad.

Runway 1/19 was reportedly in poor condition... still blacktop, but sloped with a low point along the way and less well maintained than you might hope for.  It was 4800 feet long, 100 feet wide and was situated on a butte.  Yes, a drop off on each end.  Hmmm... This might be one of the good reasons the FAA is refusing funding and a new airport, with longer, flatter runway, is being built at Thermopolis!

We elected to land on 19, giving ourselves a bit more time to set up for landing.  Runway 19 is also the upslope runway... Nobody wants to overshoot a butte and find themselves downtown a little too quickly!


Once on the ground, we were met by the friendliest FBO manager ever.  Jerry had us in his hanger within minutes and the courtesy car was parked on the ramp all ready for us too.  (Did I mention that upon hearing we were coming in for the weekend, we were offered the airport crew car... for the whole weekend?)


Then it was time to get lunch at the Thermopolis Cafe, book into our hotel (Best Western just inside Hot Springs State Park) and explore the cute little town.

Best Western - Historic, Renovated, Just inside the Hot Springs State Park.
Pretty darn nice... And to top it off, they serve warm chocolate chip cookies in the afternoons.
Saturday was rounded out with a chocolate malt downtown at the appropriately named Needful Things and a soak in the natural mineral pools at Star Plunge. Can anyone say, relaxing?  :-)



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I provide the latest market information, straight forward advice and the highest standards of service. If you refer your friends and family to me, I promise to make you proud, to exceed expectations and never give you a moments doubt that it was the right thing to do for them.

You can reach Dallice at (303)746-6765.