Flying Home Adventures

Flying is an adventure ... for the passengers ... but for the pilot it's not really supposed to be.  We're supposed to be executing a well thought out plan based on years of training, competent preparation, and practiced skills.  Thursday was one of those days when there was adventure for the pilot.

Weather in Portland was forecast to be rain and low clouds on Thursday.  I'm a little-old-lady pilot and I don't fly in rain and low clouds.   Or at night.  Or when I'm sick.  I don't drink for 24 hours before a flight, and I try to get a good night's sleep.

So after relocating my plane to the Dalles in order to have a 100% chance at departing in favorable weather, I was not happy to hear that the storm was moving faster than anticipated.  I called for an update on the weather after we got home from Pride of Portland rehearsal, and was told that by 9am on Thursday there would be a solid cloud layer at 8000 feet above the Dalles.  There are 7000 foot mountains in the eastern Cascades and the clearance didn't meet my safety criteria.  Solution?  Depart earlier.

So at 6am my hosts Ken and Judy Galloway took me to the Dalles airport and I was in the air by 7am, where there were significant areas of blue sky to play with.  Heading south I could see of to my right, over the Cascades and Portland was a solid mass of weather.  

But I was able to outrun the storm and by the time I reached Mt. Shasta I was past the worst of it.   Clear blue skies and lovely flying weather all the way to the San Francisco Bay Area.  Not a major "adventure" but a minor one.  Outrunning a storm.  :)

President Obama was due to arrive in the Bay Area for a conference at Stanford University and they block off large areas of the sky, including my home airport San Carlos, whenever the Commander in Chief is arriving or departing - - not a five minute block, but at least 90 minutes.   However as I ended up landing in San Carlos around 11:15am I didn't have to deal with that whole scenario.   The chart at the right shows the San Francisco Bay and all the red areas affected by the President's arrival and departure.

It was a wonderful trip, flying, singing, riding a bicycle, pushing the airplane uphill, seeing Judy Beckman's magnificent house, staying with Ken and Judy Galloway, picnicking with Greater Eugene and singing tags, new earrings for my quartet, WAAAM Museum, meeting Zorro the Chihuahua ... Sweet Adelines are the best people!   Hugs and kisses!

Pride of Portland

When we talk about the best Sweet Adeline choruses in the United States, Pride of Portland is always on the list.  I was hoping they would invite me to stop by and very happy when Allison Lew did.

It wasn't an easy decision because there was another foul weather system headed for Portland and it was due to arrive Wednesday night, possibly preventing my departure on Thursday.   But after consulting with my FAA weather briefer, I learned that Oregon has micro climates, like my home region the SF Bay Area.  Portland can be rainy and over the Cascade mountains it can be sunshine.  So I relocated my plane to the Dalles and planned to leave 9am Thursday.  This happy decision meant I could visit Pride of Portland Chorus!

I was one of 12 visitors, (mostly baritones!), on Wednesday night where, after three physical warmups and three or four song warmups, they worked on their competition songs, some New Zealand trip songs, and a new song.  I can sight read music reasonably well, and I tried to keep up with them, but when a song has five key changes, well ... that's when I go sit down in the visitor gallery.

I was thoroughly impressed with their professionalism and skill, and can't wait to seem them on the competition stage in Las Vegas.  Pride of Portland I will be cheering for you!!!

Picture below is Bridge Over Troubled Water, arranged for soloist, quartet and chorus.  They have some interesting and fun arrangements, including a new one by Lauren Kahn, who used to sing with Pride, and now directs Greater Eugene Chorus where I sang on Monday.

Many thanks to Judy and Ken Galloway, Judy Beckman (and Lance), Raymond and Lisa Schwarzkopf, and everyone else who made my stay so memorable. Heading home on Thursday.     

Harmony of the Gorge

Many memorable moments marked Day 2 of my mini-trip.

The flight to Hood River was #1, as I skated over 4500' rolling hills at 5500', having been ordered by ATC not to climb.  As expected, smooth air on the windward side, and a bumpy ride on the leeward.  

Wind changed three times in the last half mile of the final approach to runway 25.  Decent landing, then massive struggle to park the airplane as transient parking had just enough incline that I couldn't push the airplane into it's spot.  No reverse gear.  Picture me straining at a 45 degree angle inching the airplane backward and repositioning the wheel chocks every inch.

While waiting for Judy Galloway to arrive I went to the WAAAM museum.   http://www.waaamuseum.org. That extraordinary collection of cool memorabilia was memorable moment #3.  Must go back!   You can pay to drive a Model T Ford there!  They have airshows with antique aircraft!   

Eagle eyed readers noticed I skipped over memorable #2.  That happened when the airport operator offered to loan me a bicycle to get to the museum.  🚵. It's been 30 or 40 years since I've ridden a bike.  The saying is true.  Riding a bicycle is like riding a bicycle; you don't forget.

Judy and Ken Galloway picked me up and we went to delicious Mexican dinner with a group.  From there we went to the rehearsal.  Coach Raymond Schwarzkopf, fresh from Harmony College NW, was there to coach the ladies and Hood River's nascent men's barbershop chorus.  The two groups were slated to perform Lida Rose / Dream together in an upcoming show.

Memorable moment #4, when the men came strolling into our rehearsal hall, in gentle lock step, singing Lida Rose. Long time fans of Music Man, imagine that famous scene, not with a single quartet and one woman, but with two choruses!!  I got so excited I pulled out my video camera.

We don't have a men's group to sing with in San Francisco.  I was so jealous.  Coach Raymond worked them hard and the group responded.  I stood up and cheered their final run through!!!

Greater Eugene

Take some plums!...my husband begged as I headed to the car Monday morning.   We have too many ripe plums (hundreds) and he just hates to see them fall to the ground.  So I carried my purse, suitcase, flight bag, carry-on and ripe plums to San Carlos airport the morning of June 20, 2016.

The flight to Eugene was clear and sunny and smooth until I crossed the border into Oregon.  Afternoons can be bumpy in mountainous regions.  I glanced back at the plums, hoping they would survive the ride.  After about an hour of light turbulence I arrived at Eugene International Airport.  I was the only plane inbound or outbound for over an hour and the tower cleared me to land about 30 miles from the airport.  Wow.

About half the plums looked bruised but still edible (I tested them) and they were my contribution to a delicious picnic dinner at Skinner Butte Park with Melissa, Chris and Lisa of the Greater Eugene Chorus plus their young talented director Lauren Kahn.   Lauren is a second generation Sweet Adeline AND an arranger for her chorus.  I was looking forward to singing some of her arrangements that evening and I wasn't disappointed. 

The rehearsal moved at along at a rapid pace and covered a lot of territory.  Lauren demands a lot from the GE ladies and they deliver.  Smoothly.  Tuning, maintaining pitch, tempo, delivering accurate syncopation, and more.  It was lots of fun and educational.

They invited me to come back and I hope to do so.  At the very least I've made some new Region 12 friends for our next trip to Sparks.  

Special thanks to  business manager Gloria for answering my post on the Sing list, and to Lisa for chauffeur services.

Singing Oregon - June 2016

It's 2016, and the weather is improving, so it's time to go flying again!!

June 20 I leave for a short trip to three choruses that invited me to visit Oregon.  The first is the Greater Eugene Chorus which meets on Monday night.  Tuesday I'll be singing with Harmony of the Gorge Chorus, and Wednesday I'll visit the Pride of Portland chorus.

Monday I fly into Eugene, Oregon airport, which is the first airport that I've landed at in quite a while that handles both commercial airline flights and little airplanes like mine.   There will be more security and access to my airplane will be controlled.   Still I hope to bring a singer from Greater Eugene out to the airplane to take a picture.   Let's see what happens!

Compared to last year, the legs on this trip are much shorter.  San Carlos California to Eugene Oregon is about 2 hours and 40 minutes.  Eugene to Hood River is 1 hour, and Hood River to Portland, 20 minutes.

The last leg, Portland to San Carlos California is 4 hours, which is about the maximum amount of time I like to fly in one day.  I'm expecting the scenery to be spectacular.  If the weather cooperates I should be able to get some magnificent photos of Mt Shasta and Mt Hood enroute.    Can't wait !!

Day 20 - Back Home

First, I really enjoyed the Chorus finals on Saturday - - lots of creativity and beautiful harmonies, but in particular I agree with the judges choice for #1 International Champions, congratulations to Lori Lyford and the Scottsdale Chorus!

It was a perfect flight home, like 70 degrees at 10,500 ft, no headwind so I was moving along at a good speed, plus it was Sunday and they cleared me to cross directly over Edwards Air Force Base, which is a cool shortcut and saves gas.

I keep meaning to take a picture of the view while I'm landing the plane but somehow I'm always too busy doing something critical to pause and take a picture.  Today was no exception.   But I did get a picture of how San Jose and the San Francisco peninsula looks as I approach from the south.  (see below)

The welcoming committee, as I taxied to my hangar, was one of the mechanics from the Sheriff's Air Squadron, working in the hangar next to mine.  He had heard through the grapevine about my trip and came out to give me a big hug.

As I cleared my (possibly excessive) belongings from the plane I felt lots of conflicting emotions.   Happiness that I really managed to live out my dream trip.   Humbled and grateful for the warmth and friendliness of so many wonderful Sweet Adelines I met.   Pride that my flying abilities had not only held up to the challenge, but grown stronger.   Love of this fast docile sexy airplane that thrives as a travel machine.  Validation that I still have the skills to take on a major challenge at the age of 62.  And a little nostalgia, because it's all over.

What is your dream?   How would it change you to achieve your dream?  All the obligations I had, I just left them, and decided they would wait.  And they did wait.   Go ahead, be that person, do that thing, you dream about.   Don't wait until it's a regret.

With love,
Randy

San Francisco Bay Area, as seen from the south, at 10,500ft.

Day 19 - Las Vegas, Baby!

Reached Las Vegas around 11:10 am after an uneventful flight.   

I was excited to get the chance to meet Beth Rooney, a Sweet Adeline from Valley Forge Chorus, who wrote to me a month ago that she was a retired Navy pilot and one of the first women that the Navy trained.  Both of us had the same aspirations back then, we both wanted to be astronauts.  I was unable to fit Valley Forge Chorus into my itinerary so we tentatively planned to meet in Vegas. 

Beth, of course has thousands of hours of flying time, including jets, but has not flown in many years.   She texted me on Friday offering her car, so on Saturday she met me at North Las Vegas airport and we talked airplanes, she sat in my airplane and then gave me a ride to the MGM Grand.  Her family has barbershop background but she has only been an Adeline for 2 years.    I really hope she gets back into flying!

It was fun to watch the chorus final competition, and I ran into some of the gals from Topeka Acapella, as well as, of course, the contingent from my chorus the SF SoundWave.   I was hoping to post a picture of all of us together however I was tired and forgot, and now they're out partying and I'm in my hotel room yawning.   

Tomorrow I fly home to San Carlos.   It's been quite a trip - - a once in a lifetime experience - - and I haven't processed all of it yet.  If any of you have any questions, I'm happy to answer them.  Tomorrow or Monday I'll gather my thoughts and finish the trip blog.   Thank you for traveling with me.   Hugs to all!

Grand Canyon

Grand Canyon