Flying Again!

19-20th of July; Western Washington Airspace --

After having not been at the controls of the Mooney since the 31st of May, Grumpy wondered if he had lost his "touch". Venturing out to the air field with all equipment remembered -- this time! -- his flying spirits were already aloft, in anticipation of the exhilarating feeling of defying gravity by movement of the aircraft flight controls.

Upon preflight checking the Mooney, and after having first installed a couple new labels that the Owner of said Mooney and Grumpy had designed, Grumpy began the Engine Start check list. At the third step, 12 volt power is required; alas no -- I mean ZERO!!! -- 12 volt power. A dead battery was his first thought. After checking the Master switch and Avionics switch, Grumpy dismissed that possibility: both switches had been in the "OFF" position when the airplane was last parked.

Not having a voltmeter and other trouble-shooting tools available, Grumpy returned to The Castle, while thinking of other possibilities to cause the seemingly dead battery. A sneak electrical load was a possibility; a low current leak to ground was another.

The more promising possibility: an inadvertent displacement of a ground connection when Grumpy was installing the new labels. A screw had to be loosened in order to remove one of the old labels.

Returning to the airplane with the voltmeter, some extra wiring terminals and other tools, Grumpy first checked the recently-new battery. 12.7 volts!! So, the battery was NOT dead. Moving into the cockpit to check for a displaced ground wire [meanwhile begrudgingly anticipating the need to lay on his still-painful back in order to observe the back/underside of the instrument panel] Grumpy felt back there where the ground wire was supposedly loose. Voila!! 12 volt power was instantly restored [The Master switch apparently provides a 12 volt signal to a relay which actually turns on 12 volt power to the instrument panel and the ignition circuit. The simple matter of tightening the screw by which the grounding terminal was attached was quickly accomplished and the problem was solved without pain.

Now it was too late in the day to take the one to two hour flight that Grumpy had planned. So it was back to the Castle to wait until tomorrow (Saturday, 20 July).

Saturday morning dawned -- or I should say, "dripped" -- with a 1000-2000 foot deep fog under a thermal inversion that took all morning to finally dissipate sufficiently for VFR operations. By that time, Grumpy had accumulated a passenger who was eager to see the countryside from the advantage of a few thousand feet above ground level.

This passenger brought a couple of surprises with him: the nine-year old friend of my brown-eyed Granddaughter and the nine-year old's four year-old little brother. The pleadings of two pairs of big brown eyes were more than Grumpy could withstand. Strapping them securely into the rear seats of the Mooney and with their Papa in the right hand seat, Grumpy took off heading for Mount Rainier.

It being a fairly warm day [Grumpy read 81 degr F while cruising at 10,000 on the South side of Rainier!] and with the added load of the three passengers, the Mooney would not climb fast enough on a direct heading toward the East side of Rainier. So Grumpy zig-zagged gently as we continued to climb to a certain safe altitude above the terrain and outside of the "forbidden" airspace over and around Rainier National Park.

After reaching 10,000 feet, Grumpy reduced power to "Cruise" and maintained that altitude as we slowly turned around the South and West sides of Rainier. We could see Mt Adams nearby to the Southwest and Mt St Helen's further away to the South west. In the distance to the South we also spotted Mt Hood on the other side of the Columbia River East of Portland OR.

After reaching a heading back toward my home field, Grumpy established a low power descent of about 600 feet per minute to be accomplished within the 40 miles of distance back to the home field. Our air speed was now a steady 140 mph, so that distance would be covered in about twenty minutes.

Two eager aviators and one Old Dog

We soon landed after circling the field in pattern while two or three other aircraft were also on the radio requesting landing or take-off clearance; Grumpy spotted two (one, a helicopter taking off) but never saw another. Grumpy's landing was very acceptable, though not an ideal "greased-in" type for which he continually aspires.

When and where next? Check back on Monday or Tuesday to find out!

Wonder Where Ward is Wandering this Week?

27 June - 7 July 2012; My Annual Midwest Auto Tour, First Half --
Wednesday, Day Zero; Seattle to Deerlodge MT: As usual, I got up early and started out. I took a picture of the Eastern sky -- Venus was visible, but I apparently shook the camera too hard [Actually, that is about how my bleary eyes saw things, too!], so it will not be included.

I crested Snoqualmie Pass at about 0500 and was in Montana by noon. I arrived in Deerlodge with the gas-trip Odometer reading 566 miles (yes, as this photo of the "A" odometer -- the one I reset when I get fuel -- taken a ways out of Missoula shows, setting the cruise control at 65 really pays off in high mileage per tankful!)  TOTAL MILES FOR THE DAY: 565.1

Thursday, Day One; Deerlodge to Wyoming: I found my Uncle Leonard Zierlein and his ex-wife, my Aunt Carol, in north-central WY. They live across the County Road (lane 39) from each other and seem to get along pretty well. We went to lunch in Greybull WY, where I had to buy a new tire; also reserved a room for the night.

 Their oldest, son Louis, was at Uncle Leonard's and I was happy to get to see him and Leonard's oldest daughter, Glenda again. [I first met him when he drove his Dad and two sisters to IA for Grandma Nettie's memorial.]

I also got to meet, for the first time, their youngest son August ("Augie" -- named after our Great Grandfather Zierlein). TOTAL MILES FOR DAY: 506.2

FRIDAY, Day Two; Greybull to Big Horn Range in WY: I had wanted to go over Powder River Pass (on the South end of the Big Horns), but I didn't remember its proper name, and wound up going US 14 over Granite Pass (into Sheridan WY) instead. As it turns out, there is a lot of spectacular scenery over this more-Northern pass. One of the most interesting was this, the Shell Creek Falls.

After going over Granite Pass down into Sheridan, I continued on South to Buffalo and then re-ascended the Big Horns toward Powder River Pass. I wanted to get Sunset and Sunrise photos from this area, because I had remembered that it looked easterly with the Black Hills on the horizon in the distance. To get the Sunrise view, I had to sleep up there -- in the cold (45 degr F!) -- and I thought I was going to freeze to death!  TOTAL MILES FOR THE DAY: 188.3

SATURDAY, Day Three; 8500-foot level of Big Horns to Spearfish Creek Cabins: Arising at about 0300 -- mainly because I was cold, but also so I could capture the first glimpse of the Sun as it arose -- I realized that I had not the slightest idea where the Sun would make its appearance! I made an educated guess and turned out to have it in the lower right corner of my view; rather artistic if I do say so myself.

After getting my Sunrise shot, I dropped down out of the altitude, basking in the warmth from the car heater, and drove the short distance into Spearfish for an early breakfast at the Cedar House restaurant. Then I checked into my motel (Spearfish Creek Cabins) where I would headquarter for the next three days.  TOTAL MILES FOR THE DAY: 102.1

SUNDAY, Day Four; In and Around Spearfish: After a "visiting" breakfast with Cousin Joan (Bitsy), I joined her at her church service. Then I dropped in to see Cousin Jimmy Eddy and his wife, Shirley, who still live on the old dairy farm where Uncle John and Aunt Laura brought up about six of the eight Eddy kids. TOTAL MILES FOR THE DAY: 5.9

MONDAY, Day Five; A Pilgrimage back to our Roots:  With Bitsy driving and two more girl cousins (Kay and Lorraine) joining us, we first went down South of Dupree, to the site of my birth where a covey of grouse spooked from the remains of the cellar that was under the frame part of the house. A few pieces of rotted logs from the log cabin part was also in evidence to the East of where the house used to sit.

Then we drove the 2 or 3 miles over to where the Eddy girls grew up. The present owner is the son of the first guy I beat up (a third grader) when I started 2nd grade at Sunnybrook, the little country school.

Next we meandered cross-country up to where our Zimmerman Grandparents lived; also where their graves are. Lorraine (and my sister Donagene) were born in my Grandparents' house, in a room upstairs where that little window is, above Lorraine's head.

After a long day, we returned to Spearfish. TOTAL MILES FOR THE DAY: None for me!

TUESDAY, Day Six; Visiting Cousins and Old Friends:  My first stop in Rapid City was to have coffee with my Cousin Ann and her husband Jack. I presented him with the usual "Care Package" brought from Seattle; but also, I had found a delicacy along the road called "Moose Drool", which I gingerly passed over to him, telling him that my curiosity had led me to want to share a taste of it with him. We split a bottle, both declaring it "not bad" for something put together in Missoula, Montana originally as a joke! [Kind of reminded me of a certain "Zeta Brew" cooked up by none other than two of my Grandsons.]

I met Cousin Ethel for lunch, as Mother and I had done the year before. However, this time Ethel insisted that she buy me lunch and to enjoy it with her son and his wife who would be there visiting soon. [And, of course, I can't remember the son's name!! Or his lovely wife's either!]

On the way back for the night in Spearfish, I met my old school classmate, Roy, in Sturgis. He and I had played basketball in Dupree as teammates, then when I was a Senior at Philip, we were adversaries in a non-league game played in Dupree. Roy took me to a "biker's bar and grill" where we both ordered the "Kiddie's Sirloin Bits", a filling meal for each of us! TOTAL MILES FOR THE DAY: 117.5

WEDNESDAY, Day Seven; Fourth of July Backyard Barbecue and Water Fight:  Last year, when Mother and I attended this event-to-end-all-events, a young Great Nephew named Brandon "somehow" got me wet during the afternoon's "wet"-stive goings-on. As I left that day, I committed to Brandon that "next year" I would bring a "machine water gun".

But when I arrived this year and Brandon asked to see my "machine water gun", I explained that "as long as (he) didn't cause any trouble, I would not bring it out." Well, he found where I had stashed it and later challenged me to a water gun duel. Of course I had to accept [didn't I??!], so at twenty paces, we turned and "watered" our weapons. Since mine was capable of short, repeated blasts of water and his emitted a single, long [and with great volume!], my water gun outlasted his and he began to run. These kinds of things are half the fun of going to this event each year.

Gary and Cindy put this on mostly by themselves, but other relatives and friends pitch in with some of the goodies. Larry was ill this day and did not make it this year; Kay and Bob stayed in Colorado in case their home was endangered by the forest fires. Aunt Frances was the Belle of the Ball as usual; she will be 92 this December [if I am not mistaken]. TOTAL MILES FOR THE DAY: 68.4

THURSDAY, Day Eight; Travel to Aunt Hazel's:  Arising from my bed before dark, and after an earlier than usual complimentary breakfast with my complimentary Day's Inn room, I ventured forth toward Iowa; the Sunrise occurred as I was speeding [at 65 miles per hour, thank you!] over the flat country of Eastern South Dakota.

In the "Olden Days", this would have been a push-over for me. But this day I wisely took a couple of respites along the way, spending half hour or so each, at the Chamberlain rest-stop, and at the Sgt Floyd Memorial rest-stop in Iowa. Even then, I was exhausted by the time I got to my reserved motel in Indianola. TOTAL MILES FOR THE DAY: 649.5

FRIDAY AND SATURDAY, Days Nine & Ten; Visiting Aunt Hazel:  Hazel and I had spent a few days together in late March, witnessing the spectacle of the Sandhill Cranes in their annual migration to the Platte River valley in Central NE. We had previously confirmed that we are still of opposite politics and religious beliefs, so we were able to get serious about visiting -- and picking peaches.

Ex-brother-in-law, Tom, has a peach tree that tempted even this Old Man to stand on the top of the six-foot step ladder to try to reach the most luscious looking peaches that had benefited the most and longest in the Iowa sunshine. TOTAL MILES FOR THESE TWO DAYS: 21.9
TOTAL MILES FOR THIS HALF OF THE TRIP: 2,222.3

Stay tuned, after I pick up Cousin Bill, for the last half of this Auto Tour; the return trip West.

A Visit From Young Friends

Monday Afternoon; South King County--

The Grand Mother and Grumpy were honored this past Monday by a visit from a young couple from Bellingham. Vince is a childhood friend of our youngest daughter and has made a remarkable recovery from a very devastating childhood environment and behavior. His own recognition of his need for our Lord's help, together with our prayers and encouragment by letters over more than a decade, gave him the foundation for the new life that he has been living.

Vince and Amber were married eight years ago in a happy event in which the Grand Mother and Grumpy played an important and unforgettable role. Vince had become like a foster son to us over the intervening years.

Vince enrolled in college, studying to become a lawyer, hoping to be able to give juveniles wise counsel from his own experiences. He was offered a scholarship at a Midwest college to get his Law degree and was in his Senior year at college in Bellingham when he was diagnosed with Multiple Sclerosis. He was able to complete his undergraduate degree with the cooperation of the college and a very supportive and understanding wife. His illness has so far prevented him from considering further studies. Amber became the primary provider and continued her studies at WWU, obtaining her Business degree just this past June.

Their visit gave us the opportunity to have dinner with them while we visited about old (and new!) times.