Sunday June 18, 2006

At last, a good weather report...

At last, a good weather report. Up at 4:30, wheels up at 5:30, and through the Raton Pass! The forecast was for smooth air, but a 10 mph headwind from the north. Instead there was a strong tailwind, and we were bopping along at over 40 mph.

After clearing the pass at 8,100 msl, the mountains on the other side slowly gave way to flat terrain. The tail wind also reversed into a headwind of 10 mph. But still, I was elated. To my left was the east face of the Rocky Mountains, to my right the high plains which gradually decrease in elevation all the way to the Appalachians. The true "mountain flying" portion of this trip is over, and I won't hide that fact that I'm glad it is.

Having crested the pass, we flew to Spanish Peaks (4V1), and are poised to fly to Meadow Lake (00V), right outside of Colorado Springs, where we think things are going to heat up media-wise. Chuck Baker, a well known radio personality has taken a keen interest in the trip, and is working on organizing a lot of media events and exposure for us in Meadow Lake. He even had me call him as soon as we landed at Spanish Peaks to give him an update, and when I called (still standing on the tarmac) he broke right into his radio program and spoke with me for about 15 minutes, urging his audience to get ready to meet us at Meadow Lake. This has some real potential!

After tweaking our planes we piled into the Courtesy Car (a 1989 Caprice, which used to be a police car) and toured Walsenburg. It's an old mining town, with numerous old buildings along main street. We found a flea market and spent an hour picking through piles of "deals." We actually found some odds and ends that are useful, then ate at Carl's Junior. I'd never eaten at a Carl's before, and it was a pretty good meal.

Now I think it's time for a nap.....