The Madeline Island Birthday Flight

Birthdays are supposed to be celebrated.

For me, New Year is a chance to reflect on all that happened in the world in the last year, but it's not really about just me. Remembering another successful trip around the sun on my behalf acknowledges my small achievement and gives me pause to think about all that has happened to me personally in the last year. Favorite bits, lessons learned, things I'd do again and things I certainly would not.

On July 19th, 2014 I turned 40. I know, right? Those first 20 years took an eternity to tick by, but the last 20... they seem to have disappeared in the blink of an eye. It's like my grandmother used to say, "as you get older, time passes quicker".  I don't remember her being wrong about much.

Every year I take my birthday off. I like to celebrate me.  This year, I asked Mark if we could celebrate together in northern Wisconsin at the cabin on Nice Lake. We decided to include a flight to Lake Superior and over the Apostle Islands. Great idea!

It was an unhurried start to the day. Sleep in, breakfast, bird watching... lazily check the weather forecast and current conditions in Hayward, WI (where Bonanza N303B had been tied down since the 17th).

Wind: 200@something not alarming. Essentially straight down Runway 20.

Mark took off and I sat right seat, armed with my camera.  We flew north about 50 miles to the very tip of Wisconsin then strayed a few miles from shore as we peered out into what looked like ocean. Great lake indeed.

Zipping around, taking in the islands, their lighthouses and secluded beaches was a highlight of mine. We landed on Madeline Island with the wind pretty much the same as in Hayward, on Runway 22.

 Madeline Island... Supposedly at the peak of it's summer tourist season.  Harboring a lively but small population of year round folks, vacation home owners and renters, and visitors for the day or the weekend.  Nope, they didn't appear to have flown in!  Major Gilbert Field was quiet. So quiet. A couple of aircraft tied down and no signs of life in the air, on the runway (except us of course), or at the FBO.

We mentally prepared ourselves for the 1.5 mile jaunt down the main road from the airport into town and headed in the approximate direction. Pilots are chatty, friendly people and it was all of 2 minutes before we stopped to admire a beautiful A36 in it's open hanger and ended up in conversation with owner, Mitch.

And 15 minutes later Mitch took pity on us and we became his appreciative hitchhikers.  That stroke of luck put us in town fairly quickly and more importantly, with recommendations on where to eat - and what to eat!

Fish tacos at the Beach Club with a view of the outbound ferry to Bayfield across the way. Not to shabby.

"Town" was a quick exploration. Getting the scoop on the real estate market from a local agent was eye opening and then we self-toured the plentiful art galleries.  Did we stop for ice cream? Don't we always?  (Mark is a Wisconsin boy, I'm a kiwi girl. We brake for dairy!)

We walked off that ice cream, taking pictures of wild flowers and funky for sale signs all the way to the airport. I flew us back from Madeline Island.

My first "over the water" flight. My first 10 mile final, straight in to Hayward.
A spectacular day.

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July on Nice Lake, WI

... We're off!

Mark filed an instrument flight plan and at the crack of dawn (ok, 7 AM) on July 17th, we took off... In instrument conditions! The briefer had told me it was low overcast and wouldn't clear til 10 AM, but going northeast like we were planning, it was sure to clear pretty quick and we would be above the clouds in 20 minutes or so. Yep.  All went according to plan.

We were Hayward bound. Headed for the north woods of Wisconsin. For a week of relaxing canoeing, ice cream, hummingbird watching and flying. Oh, and I was ready to celebrate my 40th quietly from cabin in the rustling trees!

Mark and I took turns flying between Longmont and Sioux City - our less-than-planned comfort stop. We taxied up to Landmark FBO and received a red carpet greeting.  An actual red carpet was put down as I stepped off the wing!  It turned out Landmark was a great place to get breakfast too. Kudos to the chef who delivered my eggs benedict with the best Hollandaise sauce I have ever had the pleasure of tasting.

Back up in the air, I flew and Mark tended the radios. Hayward lay beneath us 2 hours later and an uneventful landing preceded 'the great airplane unpack" and a quick ride (thank you Jim!) to Nice Lake, shortly thereafter.

The cabin on the lake welcomed us back.  As sunset approached we made the most of the calm water and waiting canoe. Vacation had definitely started! :-)

After a 5 AM start, flying and several hours on Nice Lake, we were DONE.  Nighty-night.

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.