Flight to Pasco - Leg 2 - Cheyenne to Rawlins to Logan

Our first snow-capped mountain

I am simply NOT a morning person...but the Air Race Classic demands it...for those who know me, you will find it hard to believe that I could be climbing in my plane for a 7 am departure. Sue is taxiing off as I fumble to get my plane started at an unfamiliar altitude. Cheyenne is nearly 6,200 ft MSL, as compared to Iowa City at just under 700 ft. After 2-3 failed attempts to start up, a kindly instructor came by to provide some guidance on starting up the plane at this altitude - a little less priming and no leaning. The engine snaps to life and Leg 2 is underway.



Following I-80 to Logan

Elevation is rising today...mountains ahead...Lynn flies much of this legf and makes a slow, lazy climb to 10,500 ft as we approach Logan.  Just an hour into the flight we fly over Rawlins WY (RWL) - Stop 3 on the race route.  We're now "back-flying" the first third of the race route going into Pasco. This stop was among the northern tier of the 2011 ARC route that was cancelled but as the "Grateful Dead Reckoners" team, we flew all of those stops, and I'll be wearing my 2011 RWL souvenir hat when I land there next week.

It's another 2 hours to Logan, and a final climb to 11,000 is needed to climb over the last ridge of mountains. Much of the terrain is brown, barren, and desolate, but it has its own beauty...rock formations, isolated pools of water, snowcapped mountains in the distance. Yep, this is why it's special to fly, and ARC takes us far and wide on its everchanging routes.

The land falls away precipitously after crossing the last ridge. Logan is right there on the west side of these mountains, and we need to bleed off nearly 6,000 ft of altitude to get down to the pattern altitude for landing at 5400 ft. We make some sweeping spirals west of Logan and away from the city and set up for a calm wind landing on Runway 35.

It's only 11:30 am, and we're off with the crew car for lunch. Oh yeah, Sue beat us into Logan by about 30 min. This tandem flight idea started as my offer to fly with Sue, who was going solo to meet her co-pilot in WA, and provide "support" flying through the mountains.  In reality, Sue is providing the support for this normally IFR to reconnect with her earlier VFR training - yep, refresher training is my benefit from flying the ARC every year.

The weather blocks our effort to make Pasco today.  We lay around watching weather for awhile and then get the planes tied down for the night.  After a great lunch at Angie's Diner, some driving around Logan and a nice dinner at Gia's, its time to call it a day...a plan is afoot for a VERY early wake-up call...Sue is calling for wheels up at 6 am to make Pasco before weather moves in.


The land is rising up to meet us as we close in on Logan...