Another state, another sectional chart, another time zone…
I can’t write much tonight because it’s late and I need to sleep. I can’t post any pictures either because I’m using wireless internet from a bar across the street, so my connection keeps breaking up before I can upload any pictures.
Anyway, after further review last night, I decided not to fly the I-80 route. I decided the terrain was too high (6000-7000 feet for a couple hundred miles) for me to fly it with any excess climb performance. Also, weather is less predictable and winds are stronger through that route.
So today’s plan was to fly from Lincoln to Gordon, NE, then Sheridan, WY, then in to Billings, MT.
Nothing even close to that happened. The headwinds were too strong for me to make it to Gordon, so I diverted to Thedford, NE to pick up more fuel. That stop took an hour and a half because the fuel pumps aren’t self-serve. They’re normally locked up because only a few flights per week come through there, so a guy from the fuel company had to come out from town and unlock the pump before I could refuel. Finally I got going again.
Then I tried to head northwest just as thunderstorms were popping up all over the place. I’ve learned a ton about thunderstorms during this trip!
Again, I diverted to Alliance, NE to get lunch and wait out the storms. I landed in winds that were 19 knots, gusting to 26, that were 40 degrees to the side of the runway. My landing was fine. I’m actually feeling pretty good about landing in wind now.
From Alliance I took off and headed for Gillette, WY. As I approached the airport I realized I still had enough daylight and fuel to make Sheridan, WY instead.
I landed at Sheridan right at sunset, tied everything down, and got checked in to a motel.
The plan for tomorrow is to go from here to Bozeman, MT, then Missoula, MT, then Walla Walla! I wonder if the weather will cooperate…
June 5th, 2007 at 6:45 am
Alliance and Thedford are places where I’ve taken the Balladaires (choir) when I taught at PVA. I wonder if you saw Carhenge when you flew over Alliance? Now there’s the definition of someone with too much time on their hands!