Howells’ Cross-Country Trip

September 25 – October 5, 2007

Jon and Jan went on a cross-country airplane trip September 25 through October 5 2007. Jon is presently a VFR-only pilot, so weather dictated where we couldn't go. Therefore, rather than planning a specific destination (and being either frustrated or tempted into dangerous conditions), we adjusted the destination to fit the weather. Before we left, we made a list of sights, friends and family, and musical performances we hoped to visit.

Read the flight log · Later trike adventures · Download the recorded places and routes

The complete flight log and destination list are below; the map is optional.

Lines join the saved waypoints; they are not GPS tracks. Click a waypoint for its note or a route for a link to its log entry. Saved destination ideas can be shown using the map’s layer control; they were not necessarily visited.

The flight log — 25 flown legs

Notes are preserved as written. Entries appear in saved record order, which sometimes differs from flying order; the database has no timestamps for individual legs.

KBFI → KGEG (record 26)

  1. kbfi: fog finally breaks .... an hour before forecast, luckily
  2. -122.37663,47.65302
  3. -122.18656,47.64309
  4. -120.6607,47.1007
  5. kgeg: top notch fast service @ xn fbo - fast turn, exactly 3:45 fuel

KGEG → KBIL (record 27)

  1. kgeg
  2. mlp
  3. -114.59634,47.14083: hooked a 1000fpm thermal; climbed 9300 to 11000 in one left 360. bang!
  4. kmso
  5. khln
  6. yoswo: chart shows 119.2 for billings approach. called thrice; no answer. tried other freq 120.5. controller said 'yeah, i heard you call, but we haven't used that freq. for years. for some reason they won't take it off the chart.'
  7. kbil: landed at night, about 8pm local. closed flight plan.

KBIL → KJKJ (record 31)

  1. kbil
  2. kjms
  3. kjkj

KJKJ → KALO (record 33)

  1. kjkj: pretty sunset departure. Boltons saw us off, Helen rode in plane taxiing from tiedown to avgas pump.
  2. axn: Full moon reflecting in ponds & lakes
  3. dwn: smooth ride. airport beacons easy to spot. mom did most of the flying.
  4. mkt
  5. kalo: pulled in 15 minutes after the tower closed up.

KALO → KMDH (record 34)

  1. kalo
  2. kmdh: sui!

KMDH → KBMG (record 35)

  1. kmdh: every stop sign in town flashed red light at us ... sun behind
  2. kbmg: tuvan throat singers - amazing. natalie haas & alasdair fraser - fantastic!

KBMG → KJST (record 36)

  1. kbmg
  2. mouth
  3. orlee
  4. eevan: divert south around KLCK airshow TFR. Sadly, didn't see any aerial antics.
  5. k22d
  6. kjst: lunch at sassy's. said hi to the air force controller who cleared us in to the airport.

KJST → K39N (record 40)

  1. kjst
  2. k39n: hi, graham, kyndle, and roger alig!

K39N → KLEB (record 46)

  1. k39n
  2. kpsm: borrowed crew car, drove to atlantic ocean! got photo. It's officially a cross-country now!
  3. kleb: night flight into leb, welcomed by bj & sherry. fish n chips at salt hill.

KLEB → KROC (record 47)

  1. kleb: left leb at 3000 under 3700 scattered layer
  2. -74.32955,42.99826
  3. kroc: fuel stop; got af/d and personal advice for niagara sightseeing.

KROC → KYNG (record 48)

  1. kroc: along lake ontario
  2. kiag: two laps around niagara falls. wow, it is big. glad they had it turned on for us. other traffic was light.
  3. k4g2: along lake erie, buffalo waterfront
  4. keri: along lake erie
  5. kyng: aiming for edge of front at Akron. Storm swallowed it enroute - thanks again, jeremys gps! - so we diverted to Youngstown, 40 nm East. Precip. only 5 miles NE. Forecast says ok cielings by 1pm tomorrow. We sleep out our first front.

KLEB → KLEB (record 51)

  1. kleb
  2. -72.287,43.707: two laps over hanover and lebanon, one with bj, one with sherry.
  3. -72.242,43.647: bj and sherrys house
  4. kleb

KYNG → KSMD (record 52)

  1. kyng
  2. k1g5: 2500ft for haze layer. under radar, but gps makes position reports cake. ctrlr pointed out another antenna ... 1100 feet tall!
  3. ksmd

KSMD → KDKB (record 53)

  1. ksmd
  2. kjot
  3. kdkb: popped in 50nm east of the thunderstorm line. Perfect -- staying with Carl & Kathleen. Wind was picking up; was glad to tie down!

KRAP → KCPR (record 54)

  1. krap: flew past mt rushmore, all lit up.
  2. kcpr: casper just as fbo closes. great service! Tom (line guy) topped us off, desk lady found last hotel room in town, and then Tom drove us to the hotel in his own car.

KDKB → KMIW (record 55)

  1. kdkb
  2. kmiw: potty stop. wow, things are flat in iowa.

KMIW → KSUX (record 56)

  1. kmiw
  2. ksux: ha. figures. on-field bbq place closed a couple months ago. Sioux City ground provided progressive taxi instructions to fbo, then to Famous Dave's in town. Now that's top notch ATC service! Famous Dave's was tasty. They had 1919 brand root beer in a keg, served in a chilled mug. Second only to Henry's. Sweet, creamy.

KSUX → KRAP (record 57)

  1. ksux: Best. Log entry. Ever.
  2. krap: fuel stop. See mt rushmore next.

KCPR → KRKS (record 58)

  1. kcpr
  2. ckw
  3. krks

KRKS → KPIH (record 59)

  1. krks: rocky gusty takeoff, slow climb to 10500. friendly unicom chatter with passerby in 152.
  2. kemm
  3. ku06
  4. k1u7
  5. ku78
  6. kpih: stunning tree colors on mountainsides

KPIH → KS87 (record 60)

  1. kpih
  2. kgng
  3. ku76
  4. kboi
  5. ks87: rain impedes progress; met friendly local operator

KS87 → KBKE (record 61)

  1. ks87
  2. -117.15,44.75
  3. kbke: rain lets up.

KBKE → KLGD (record 63)

  1. kbke
  2. klgd: Clouds lower than forecast. Valley looks passable, but we think we'll wait here in the cozy La Grande FBO and hope it lifts a bit.

KLGD → KS40 (record 64)

  1. klgd: tried going out valley to pdt; clouds crowded terrain. circled up through huge hole in lgd valley, but no short escape.
  2. kd69: escape through grand ronde valley under generous clouds
  3. klws: victory! said hi to friendly controller.
  4. k00w
  5. ks40: dropped in for quick fuel. The big decision: spend 2.5hrs going south through gorge, or north over rt 2?

KS40 → KBFI (record 65)

  1. ks40
  2. kdls: south it is. the gorge was gorge-ous! blue sky over the pdx overcast; red sunset filtered beneath.
  3. k4s2
  4. kczk
  5. k1w1
  6. kcls
  7. kolm
  8. kbfi: home! unload plane.
Saved destination ideas

Site made with MapCruncher, a pile of python, and updated on the road with a 1-pound Nokia 770 Linux tablet.

Preserved as a static travelogue in 2026. The original weather, charts, planning, and editing tools are retired.