Alaska Trip 2001
By Don & Joan McMullen
I couldn’t believe it when My wife Joan said to me “ Honey lets fly to Alaska this year instead of Oshkosh” I thought about it for a minute knowing how much more challenging it would be and said OK lets go. And that was it.
I down loaded the flying to Alaska package from AOPA and started studying. We left on a Sunday morning the 22 of July 2001 because Bob Nauman had asked me to be his best man on Saturday. It was a lovely wedding.
We left Oxnard airport at 8:41 am. Believe it or not there were only a few clouds and I did not have to leave on a special. (Not IFR Rated.) We had good weather all the way to Medford Oregon our first stop. Joan and I had lunch with some friends (Donald & Linda Ross) and then headed for Grants Pass a few miles away for less expensive fuel and then on to Yakima where we spent the night.
The next morning we left Yakima and flew to a small fire-fighting strip Methow Valley where we filled up with fairly inexpensive fuel compared to what it was going to be the rest of the way. I called Canadian customs and told them we would be arriving in Penticton BC in one hour the lead-time they wanted before we arrived there. I also told them I had a shotgun on board per Alaskan rules. I also filed a flight plan and took off for Penticton BC.
The Customs Lady was very nice. All she wanted was for us to bring in the Shot Gun and I did. As soon as she had looked over the gun and filled out the Paperwork for the permit I paid my $ 30 dollars American we were off to Oliver BC back towards the border.
We met our friend Olivia at the airport and she took us to a nice restaurant to have lunch. Olivia drove us around town and out to her house on the Indian Reservation. Steven Alex Gave us a tour of the new school and office buildings they were very impressive. That evening Steven and Olivia cooked us some fresh Salmon on their barbeque it was delicious. Steven and Olivia ask us to spend the night so we did.
The next day we headed off for Prince George. This was my first small encounter with weather. We were flying under a broken layer of clouds with 1000 to 800 ft. ceiling with rolling hills below. We came to a big broken area so I decided to go on top. When I got on top we were 12000 ft. with some clouds that were higher. In Canada you can’t fly higher than 12,000 ft without radio contact and oxygen. I knew we couldn’t stay on top legally so I found another hole and went back down. After a very bumpy ride we finally came to Prince George.
After fueling the airplane ($4.00 per gallon US) and checking the weather filing a flight plan (you have to file a flight plane in Canada) we were off down the trench to Dease Lake. We were going to follow the Hi way but it was blocked with Imbedded thunder storms. It was an interesting flight down the trench it was deep and wide with jagged mountains on both sides. The clouds were covering the mountaintops. It was beautiful all that snow still on the peaks. The trench went straight for quite a while and then started to turn this way and that. We just followed the Trench it was wide with rivers, meadows, lakes and snow capped peaks on both sides. It did not seem long until we came to Dease Lake.
The mosquitoes were very bad I got out and talked to the lady that was fueling up a helicopter and she told me she would help us when she finish fueling and dinner. I was getting bit so bad that I got back into the airplane with Joan and shut the canopy and waited for the lady to come back. The lady came back in about 30 minutes and was very nice. She asks us what we were going to do. We told her fuel up and try to find some place to stay the night. She said we could fuel in the morning and would take us to a hotel.
It was a nice hotel and only about 45 American dollars a night with a restaurant right across the street.
We got a good night sleep and grabbed a bite to eat at the restaurant fueled the airplane and headed for white horse. This morning the weather report wasn’t as good some marginal VFR in some spots. As we left Dease Lake we had to get down into a canyon because the clouds were at mountaintop again. Soon the clouds were getting lower and I could see that we were going away from the direction we wanted to go. So whenever I could I would hop over the mountains into the next valley. I kept doing this until we finally came to a hi way. Joan & I were vary relieved to see it. We could see on the map that it went to White Horse so I followed it the rest of the way until we got there.
As I approached the tower and told them I was about 30 miles out and in a southerly direction over the hi-way they told me to watch out for a Heavy Jet coming out of the clouds around my location. I told them I would move off the road to the left and they told me that would be a good place to be because the Heavy Jet would be coming down on the left side of the hi-way. It all worked it self out the Heavy Jet landed on runway 31 Left & I landed on runway 31 right.
I closed my flight plan and talk to the flight service people about the weather. It had been very bad for about a week and there were about 7 airplanes stuck trying to go north.
We went over to the local FBO and ask them to fuel the airplane. The manager asks us if we had a place to stay. We told him no and ask if he knew any reasonable places. He said yes right here at the FBO. He had 4 rooms up stairs. They were dorm type rooms with shared bathrooms & showers but nice. $13 dollars we took it. It was great there was lots of stuff going on around there and we could look out our window right onto the runway. There was a pilot’s lounge right above us with lots of pilots just hanging out waiting for the weather to break. The 2 days we stayed here was probably our best we met more nice people from all over the United states & Canada. Bill Buries we plan to visit when he gets back from his 3 months in Fairbanks. The 2nd day Joan and I rented a car and drove to Skagway 2 of the pilots went with us. It was really beautiful but the best part over the pass was up in the clouds and we could hardly see the road much less the pretty lake the people told us about.
After the day in Skagway we drove back to Whitehorse the 2 pilots wanted to take the train back. On the way back the fog had lifted somewhat and we could see the lake and some of the beautiful countryside.
The next day the weather had cleared some what and all the airplanes took off and headed for Northway to clear customs and then on to Fairbanks AK. We followed the road all the way to Fairbanks it was a nice flight the easiest so far. As we got close to Fairbanks There were lots of airports & restricted airspace Hard to take all this congestion. It was raining off & on all the way into Fairbanks. There were large agriculture fields all over the place it looked sort of like Oxnard plane. 30 miles out I contacted approach and they directed me right into Fairbanks International no sweat it was easy.
It was late in the afternoon on Friday. Joan & I tried to get a rental car and a hotel but our timing was wrong. We called and called many hotels & car rentals with none to be found or extremely expensive. $ 171.00 best western type.100 per day for a car. Joan & I were extremely tired so we decided to camp at the airplane campground. The price was right $3.00 per night. It was a beautiful campground with pine trees, barbeque pits, firewood, water, toilets, and free bicycles to ride to the showers. It was raining slightly so I pitched the tent in a gazebo with a raised foundation. Joan & I were so tired that we slept pretty good. The only bad thing was the Big Jets taking off all night man they were loud.
The next morning we got up and were wondering what to do when up drove a car. It was Bill Buries one of the pilots we had met in Whitehorse. He and his sun n law were there to take us to breakfast. Joan was really excited and glad to see them. They took us to get a rental car and also showed us a hotel that was nice & a lot less expensive $70.
We stayed three days in Fairbanks checking on the weather every day & we were stuck. Bad weather all around us. It rained off and on our entire stay in Fairbanks. While we were there we visited the University of Alaska museum, some wild musk ox, Alaska land, (all you could eat salmon & Halibut barbeque) and Just explored the area in general.
I so much wanted to fly & explore more of Alaska but the weather was so bad & Joan was very anxious. At one point I was going to take Joan to the airport and let her fly home But after thinking it over I really didn’t want to fly by myself around Alaska with no one to share it with. So Joan & I decided to head in a southerly direction take our time and stop when we wanted to & see the sights.
Tuesday about noon we departed Fairbanks International airport after getting a weather report and filing a flight plan. The weather was supposed to be pretty good except in spots. As we departed it started to rain off and on as we followed the river south. The worse part was about 30 miles from Fairbanks it was raining pretty hard and the ceiling was down to about 500 ft. We passed a couple of small airports with less distance than I liked but hard to get distance with such a low ceiling. After about 50 miles there started to be lots of holes with blue skies. The rest of the way to white horse was fairly clear with patches of blue skies above us. We arrived at Whitehorse about 4 pm cleared customs got one of the dorm rooms and spent the night again.
Since we had already seen the Whitehorse area we decided to head south. We departed about 11:00 am. The weather people said that the weather would be marginal along the way I was really tired of low ceilings and the sky was broken so I went up to take a peak. The tops were about 12,000. I had been listening on 126.7 the frequency that all pilots talk on to the radio centers. They said that it was broken at Dease Lake and also at Prince George. I decided to stay on top and avoid all that rain, poor visibility, and low ceilings down in those canyons. It was beautiful up there all those solid billowy clouds below and the blue sky above which we had not seen much Sun the whole trip. I looked over at Joan and she was crying I ask her what was wrong and she said she was scared that we would have no way down when we got to our destination.
I ask her nicely if she could stop crying and help me keep track of our progress that I had too much to worry about to take care of her and the flying also. I guess she understood because she got out the maps and started locating our position with the GPS it was a big help. After about an hour or so holes started to appear. Joan was so happy she was almost laughing. As we got close to Dease Lake there was more and more broken clouds. We were able to get down land refuel and take off again with no trouble. I told the lady at Dease lake about Joan being afraid of flying on top and she had a talk with Joan and told her how she used to fly with her husband above the clouds and was afraid also. Then she told Joan how she finally got used to it and there was always a way down when you plan for it, alternate’s, and weather reports, ECT. Joan felt much better.
Soon we were nearing Prince George with plenty of large holes I went down and called the tower they said report 5 miles out I did and soon we were tying down the airplane. A really nice young man at the FBO called all around and got us a reasonable priced car & hotel.
The young man helped us put all our stuff in the car and we were off to the hotel. It was a very nice hotel about $45 American. We drove all over town Joan was looking for Antique shops and she found one. It was fun exploring new and much different towns.
The next day Joan had me drive out to an antique shop about 20 kilometers out of town. And guess what she bought a great big galvanized watering pail with a big spigot she pleaded with me to find room in the airplane. Reluctantly I said ok. (She stuffed the can with every thing she could put in it)
The next morning after coffee and breakfast we decided to go over to the coast around the Vancouver area. We talked to the weather people and they said it was VFR except for a few spots in canyons that were marginal VFR.
When we left Prince George it was clear with a few clouds above and on the horizon. The air was so clear you could see for a 100 + miles. As we neared the coast things started to cloud up so we went under the over cast. We flew along looking at the snow capped peaks and glaciers. The whistler ski area was really something to see. A big flat snowy bowl with lots of ski tracks. As we flew along the ceiling got lower and lower then all of a sudden it started to rain. A little at first then harder and harder. I went lower to stay out of the clouds but who could tell the difference from clouds and the rain. I could not see out of the front windscreen but I could see out the sides of the canopy. The canyon was too narrow to turn around especially with all this rain. I followed the road on the GPS trying to stay high enough to keep out of the wires and cables that might cross the road and I did cross some. I could not believe Joan she stayed calm. Suddenly we passed over an airport Joan was watching the GPS and said why don’t you land there and wait for the rain to stop. I thought that was a good idea and looked for a place to turn around. I went a little further and the rain started to let up. All of a sudden I could see the ocean. I told Joan that it looked like it was clearing up. We went a little further and the rain got lighter and lighter and then stopped. (This was the worse scud running that I have ever done and hoped never repeat it again) Joan & I were happy to be out of the scud and the blue ocean look great. We came out on one of the fjords that went far inland. After flying over the ocean for a while we came to the city of Vancouver. We had to stay low 1200 ft under the class B airspace. After we passed Vancouver International airport I contacted Boundary Bay Tower and they vectored me in for a landing.
When we were coming in for a landing Joan commented on the farm fields looking a lot like Oxnard farm fields and she said she had a comfortable feeling about the place.
After tying down the airplane and fueling. The FBO manager helped us locate a rental car and lots of different hotels to choose from. There was a bus strike on so rental cars were scarce we ended up with Rent A Wreck & it was really a Wreck. We had to take a taxi to pick up the car but the car rental guy was real nice. He told us of some more hotels to choose from. We got a nice little place right on the beach with a beautiful park to walk in.
The next day we drove the car to Vancouver and visited the university museum. There was a lot of very interesting Indian artifacts, totem poles, and carvings of various types. After that we drove to the Grandville Island market place. It was old cannery, machine shop, and other industrial buildings with galvanized tin roof’s that had been fixed up into little shops of all kinds and a great big market place. It was a very interesting place. After having a few snacks & coffee we headed back to turn in the car. Because of the bus strike they would not let us keep it for another day. (It was Friday and the weekend was coming up they could get much higher prices for the car). We were ready to leave anyway and the car manager said he would give us a ride to the airport in the morning it worked out just fine.
After having breakfast the rental car manager gave us a ride to the airport. I settled up with the FBO people, filed a flight plan, called US customs, and departed for Bellingham Washington.
After clearing customs (a pleasant experience) the local FBO gave us a loaner car to drive to lunch. After departing Bellingham WA. We were going to fly all the way home if weather permitted. We stopped at Creswell Hobby Field for gas and a quick bite to eat out of the snack machine and were on our way again. We made a few calls on our way home to see if my sister or Joan’s sister were home. Both were not. So we kept flying. After passing Sacramento I called flight watch on 122.00 to see how the weather was at Oxnard or Camarillo. They said it was overcast and VFR flight wasn’t recommended. I thanked them and called Modesto tower and ask if the local FBO had a frequency I could talk to them on. And they did. The AOPA airports book said they had a loaner car. I ask them if they had one and they said yes we could have it if we promised to have it back before 10:00 am.
After spending the night in Modesto and getting the car back by 10:00 am we were on our way for a short hop to Oxnard. Before leaving I called Santa Paula FBO and ask them what they had for ceilings. They said it was over cast but starting to break up. In the air I called flight watch and ask for local conditions at Oxnard & Camarillo It was 1000ft overcast & VFR was not recommended I thanked them gave them a PIREP and continued on. When we got there East Ventura was clear I called Oxnard tower they cleared me into the class D airspace. We went under the overcast and made one of the best landings I have ever made.
