·:[ Darryl's Coot Building Journal ]:·
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There is a Coot builder’s meeting in Wisconsin on Saturday, and I intend to be there. (That sentence makes the forthcoming travel-log completely on topic for a Coot-building journal).

I am traveling to Wisconsin this week in my American Aviation AA-1 Yankee. This is my first serious attempt at piloting a plane across the country.

Monday was a mad scramble to complete employment-related things, finish some trip planning, and getting the plane prepared. I had the local shop at Harvey Field change the oil for me. The weather was spectacular and the Monday morning forecast was favoring an early morning Tuesday departure.

By Monday afternoon things took an uncoordinated turn for the worst. I was feeling a touch flu-like and experiencing some gastro-intestinal “issues.” I ate almost nothing all day. The late afternoon forecast had low ceiling just to the south of Seattle on Tuesday morning and getting worse through the day. I got up at an ungodly hour to find the whole region socked in.

The problem for us Seattle folks is that we have this Cascade mountain range that largely cuts us off from the rest of the world. When the clouds roll in (and they frequently do) the mountains become prison walls for the would-be aeronautical traveler to the east (and not just air travelers…the mountian passes are frequently closed to traffic during the winter). No Cascade mountain passes for me today.

The weather suggested and alternative: there was marginal VFR to Portland and up the Columbia River gorge, and to The Dalles, with some forecasted improvement. (Of course the skies were blue as can be on the East side of the Cascades.) There are plenty of airports along a Seattle–>Portland–>East along the Columbia River route. And the route has lots and lots of air traffic controllers (Seattle Class B, Portland Class C, numerous Class D airfields), so…I decided to give it a try.

Clouds were down to 2,500′ feet most of the way to Portland. I dodged under the eastern portion of the Seattle Class B airspace, past Crest field, Pierce County, arched around to Longview and gradually turned east, through the Portland Class C, and up the river. There were scattered showers along the entire route from Seattle to Portland, but they started getting in my way around Longview. The ceiling seemed to be dropping, as well. But, about the time I called Portland approach, the ceiling lifted to 4,000′ plus. I was flying at 3,000 feet when I called Portland approach. As I flew up the Columbia, the clouds melted away to splendid sunshine.

The gorge is spectacular (if a bit bouncy). I got some photos, which I may post later. The landing at The Dalles for refueling was interesting. The ASOS reported winds at 25 knots gusting to 35 knots. Fortunately, the winds were right smack down the center of runway 30—at least on the ground they were. I had to hold a huge crab on downwind, which made me think I might discover wind sheer somewhere between 1000′ agl and 0′ agl. My Yankee has an approach speed of 85 mph, which feels really fast at a small airport like Harvey. I approached with an extra “half the gust factor,” and I still felt like I was landing in slow motion. I didn’t find an abrupt wind layer, just a lot of bouncing left and right on the way down.

A lineman refueled my plane and I headed out pretty quickly. I turned northeast, past Richland, and toward the southern end of Lake Coeur d’ Alene, to St. Maries airport.

I had called the airport owner and manager numbers earlier and found everyone wonderfully helpful in that seemingly forgotten, small-town, America kind of way. They had courtesy cars, self-help fuel and nearby motels. What struck me about the landing is how beautiful and serene this little town looked, nestled in a crook in the foothills.