Well, we've been out to see the airplane and Tim's taken his first flight in her. It's been a while since I've seen a grin that big on Tim's face.
We had a little bit of a delay as we worked through an issue with the radios, but everything's back on track now. We'll have to wait to upload pictures and videos until I have a chance to pull the laptop out.
It's a good day in Pennsylvania...
05 April 2010
A little about the plane...
After months of watching the classifieds and years of having my nose up against the window of ownership, we decided we had enough of dealing with restrictions of the rental world and take the plunge to own our own. The thought of exploring our new California home by air, sailing over the gridlock traffic, taking advantage of precious weekends to go diving in Monterrey or Catalina island, golfing in shelter cove, and fly fishing the Sierras was enough to get us motivated.
Taking a good long look at how we'd use the plane and what our operating budget would be we ended up with requirements for 2 adults plus dog and a weekend's worth of camping gear of about 150 lbs. I've always been partial to high wing airplanes because of greater ease loading and unloading people and gear, so that put us squarely in Cessna 172 - Skyhawk territory: 160hp, "4" seats, high wing, weekend escape vehicle. Ubiquitous and reliable... like Starbucks. But, why not go for something unique that you can't go out to any flight school to rent?
So that's how we landed on the 170, the Skyhawk's predecessor from a more genteel aviation era. And after many more months of market watching and research (okay, more like drooling over posts on the internet) we found her. A 1954 Cessna 170B: 145hp, "4" seats, high wing, weekend escape vehicle... with added cache of classic lines and that silly little rubber wheel in the back instead of on the nose, exactly where it was meant to be.
After dozens of phone calls with the very helpful owner, title searches, research on the history and maintenance, discussions with aircraft mechanics, and a heck of a lot of gut checking, we decided we've learned as much as we can about her from 2,200 miles away and that it's time to fly out and meet her in person.
Taking a good long look at how we'd use the plane and what our operating budget would be we ended up with requirements for 2 adults plus dog and a weekend's worth of camping gear of about 150 lbs. I've always been partial to high wing airplanes because of greater ease loading and unloading people and gear, so that put us squarely in Cessna 172 - Skyhawk territory: 160hp, "4" seats, high wing, weekend escape vehicle. Ubiquitous and reliable... like Starbucks. But, why not go for something unique that you can't go out to any flight school to rent?
So that's how we landed on the 170, the Skyhawk's predecessor from a more genteel aviation era. And after many more months of market watching and research (okay, more like drooling over posts on the internet) we found her. A 1954 Cessna 170B: 145hp, "4" seats, high wing, weekend escape vehicle... with added cache of classic lines and that silly little rubber wheel in the back instead of on the nose, exactly where it was meant to be.
After dozens of phone calls with the very helpful owner, title searches, research on the history and maintenance, discussions with aircraft mechanics, and a heck of a lot of gut checking, we decided we've learned as much as we can about her from 2,200 miles away and that it's time to fly out and meet her in person.
04 April 2010
In Dulles
I honestly can't remember the last time I was in Dulles Airport. I think it might have been when we moved here when we were kids. I kind of remember being disappointed that we couldn't see the Capitol building or the White House when we flew in.
We had an early morning this morning. Paul and Nikki were kind enough to let us stay at their place last night, which allowed us to get a little extra sleep. They're also taking care of our dog for us while we're taking our joyride around the country. They're doing so much to help us out - we really appreciate it.
The plan tonight is to take the next leg of our flight to Allentown, PA. Tomorrow morning we'll get a ride out to the airfield where the airplane is, and go from there. Tomorrow I'll be playing the role of photographer and silent, interested partner, while Tim plays the role of savvy buyer. The goal is to save our hoopin' n hoolerin' until after the deal is done, and we're alone with the newest addition to the family. We'll let you know how that goes...
We had an early morning this morning. Paul and Nikki were kind enough to let us stay at their place last night, which allowed us to get a little extra sleep. They're also taking care of our dog for us while we're taking our joyride around the country. They're doing so much to help us out - we really appreciate it.
The plan tonight is to take the next leg of our flight to Allentown, PA. Tomorrow morning we'll get a ride out to the airfield where the airplane is, and go from there. Tomorrow I'll be playing the role of photographer and silent, interested partner, while Tim plays the role of savvy buyer. The goal is to save our hoopin' n hoolerin' until after the deal is done, and we're alone with the newest addition to the family. We'll let you know how that goes...
the next chapter
We've been here in California for a little under two months, and we've been loving it. So far, we've only spent two weekends at home - otherwise we've been out and about, exploring our new state, and enjoying the chance to spend time with family. So far we've been to Point Reyes, Carmel-by-the-Sea, and Lake Tahoe for some snowboarding. We've been loving our weekends.
But now we're about to launch our next extended adventure. We found an airplane that we want to buy, and so we're heading out tomorrow to go look at it. If all goes well, it will be our airplane by the end of the day Monday. This is something we've been talking about doing ever since we've known each other, and we've been waiting for the right opportunity and the right airplane.
The plan is that we'll take our time heading back home from Pennsylvania, where the plane is now. We'll stop and visit with some old friends and Tim will get to park his new baby back at Flying Cloud airport in Minneapolis where he has a class for work. Then we'll recreate the trip that we just made a few months ago, only this time, we'll be traveling in style.
Join us on our journey!
But now we're about to launch our next extended adventure. We found an airplane that we want to buy, and so we're heading out tomorrow to go look at it. If all goes well, it will be our airplane by the end of the day Monday. This is something we've been talking about doing ever since we've known each other, and we've been waiting for the right opportunity and the right airplane.
The plan is that we'll take our time heading back home from Pennsylvania, where the plane is now. We'll stop and visit with some old friends and Tim will get to park his new baby back at Flying Cloud airport in Minneapolis where he has a class for work. Then we'll recreate the trip that we just made a few months ago, only this time, we'll be traveling in style.
Join us on our journey!
30 January 2010
A quick detour...
To see my old home in Sparks:
Now there's nothing between us and our new home in Elk Grove (aside from 18 miles of I-80 that require chains, but that shouldn't be a problem for our trusty Subaru). Paul and Elizabeth and Emmett and Joshua are going to meet us at our new place this afternoon. It's really good to be going home to family.
Now there's nothing between us and our new home in Elk Grove (aside from 18 miles of I-80 that require chains, but that shouldn't be a problem for our trusty Subaru). Paul and Elizabeth and Emmett and Joshua are going to meet us at our new place this afternoon. It's really good to be going home to family.
Location:Verdi,United States
Intereesting facts
We just learned that Nevada means "snow clad" in Spanish. Go figure.
We've been learning all kinds of interesting tidbits of information from our AAA guidebooks. We've put our membership to good use this year.
We've been learning all kinds of interesting tidbits of information from our AAA guidebooks. We've put our membership to good use this year.
Location:Lovelock,United States
Winnemucca
Last night we stopped in Winnemucca, Nevada. We stayed in the motel that AAA rated as the best in town, where they offer free "breakfast". We got some dinner at the friendly local casino.
It feels like Winnemucca belongs to a parallel universe set perpetually in the 1950s.
It feels like Winnemucca belongs to a parallel universe set perpetually in the 1950s.
29 January 2010
Yesterday
We lost cell phone coverage pretty quickly yesterday, and so the goal of posting pictures along the way went out the window pretty quickly. It was an eventful, beautiful day, though. We went west across South Dakota, and then dropped south into Wyoming through the Black Hills, and then a little bit west across Wyoming into Casper. Along the way we saw some pretty incredible scenery and landmarks. (Incidentally, the temperatures also climbed pretty steadily through the day, at least until the sun went down).
Some iphone pictures from the day...
Sioux Falls:
The famous Corn Palace of Mitchell, South Dakota (this brought back definite childhood memories):
The even more famous Wall Drug of Wall, South Dakota:
And Crazy Horse, which has undergone some significant changes since I've seen in last, about... 17 years ago.
We also stopped by Mount Rushmore, but I only took pictures with the real camera, and so I don't have any easy way of uploading them right now.
If you ever want unfettered access to any of these tourist sites, I recommend going on a weekday in January. I don't think we actually saw any other tourists at any of these sites. We had our own private viewing of the informational video about Crazy Horse Memorial.
Tim and I had a great time on the road yesterday. The landscape was constantly changing, and absolutely beautiful along the entire drive. Today the plan is to keep going through Wyoming, go through Salt Lake City (and visit the Salt Lake City Library, which is a building I've been really interested it), and then stop for the night somewhere near Winnemucca, NV.
The drive we made yesterday mostly retraces a trip that I went on in high school with my best friend Meredith and her family, and so it brought back lots of really good memories. The drive we're taking today will retrace a trip that my mom and I made together when we were moving from Denver to Reno. Lots more good memories. Tim and I are having a great time making new memories together.
If we have signal along the way, I'll post, but I'm not expecting much...
Some iphone pictures from the day...
Sioux Falls:
The famous Corn Palace of Mitchell, South Dakota (this brought back definite childhood memories):
The even more famous Wall Drug of Wall, South Dakota:
And Crazy Horse, which has undergone some significant changes since I've seen in last, about... 17 years ago.
We also stopped by Mount Rushmore, but I only took pictures with the real camera, and so I don't have any easy way of uploading them right now.
If you ever want unfettered access to any of these tourist sites, I recommend going on a weekday in January. I don't think we actually saw any other tourists at any of these sites. We had our own private viewing of the informational video about Crazy Horse Memorial.
Tim and I had a great time on the road yesterday. The landscape was constantly changing, and absolutely beautiful along the entire drive. Today the plan is to keep going through Wyoming, go through Salt Lake City (and visit the Salt Lake City Library, which is a building I've been really interested it), and then stop for the night somewhere near Winnemucca, NV.
The drive we made yesterday mostly retraces a trip that I went on in high school with my best friend Meredith and her family, and so it brought back lots of really good memories. The drive we're taking today will retrace a trip that my mom and I made together when we were moving from Denver to Reno. Lots more good memories. Tim and I are having a great time making new memories together.
If we have signal along the way, I'll post, but I'm not expecting much...
Location: Rawlins,United States
28 January 2010
Ah, a real bed
Nothing feels better then a real bed after a few nights on an air mattress - no matter how good that air mattress may be.
As I was finishing up in the house yesterday, and packing up the car, I figured out a few theories of moving:
First, if you're going to do the mass of your cleaning at night, then don't expect to inspect it by the light of day without having to redo a significant portion of it.
Second, and a close corollary to the first. Don't ever, ever, ever think that glasses or contacts are optional when cleaning out the house.
Third, no matter how empty the house feels after the professional movers leave (and let's take just a minute to thank goodness for professional movers), there's always a shocking amount of stuff left behind to deal with.
Here's a picture of the car full of trash and recycling before a trip to the county waste center:
By the time I got to packing up the car for the trip, I was on decision overload. I'm sure that more organized people don't have this problem, but by the time I got to the point of figuring out what to do with the growler of Scotish 80 beer that Tim got as a going away gift, I just stuffed it under some linens, and hoped that it wouldn't be that final straw that prompted the question of whether we had enough room to bring the dog along with us. Eventually we were able to get everything into the car, and head down the road.
Tim has his own addition to my list of moving theories: Always inflate an air mattress before you have to use it.
And yes, this is a lesson we learned the hard way.
As I was finishing up in the house yesterday, and packing up the car, I figured out a few theories of moving:
First, if you're going to do the mass of your cleaning at night, then don't expect to inspect it by the light of day without having to redo a significant portion of it.
Second, and a close corollary to the first. Don't ever, ever, ever think that glasses or contacts are optional when cleaning out the house.
Third, no matter how empty the house feels after the professional movers leave (and let's take just a minute to thank goodness for professional movers), there's always a shocking amount of stuff left behind to deal with.
Here's a picture of the car full of trash and recycling before a trip to the county waste center:
By the time I got to packing up the car for the trip, I was on decision overload. I'm sure that more organized people don't have this problem, but by the time I got to the point of figuring out what to do with the growler of Scotish 80 beer that Tim got as a going away gift, I just stuffed it under some linens, and hoped that it wouldn't be that final straw that prompted the question of whether we had enough room to bring the dog along with us. Eventually we were able to get everything into the car, and head down the road.
Tim has his own addition to my list of moving theories: Always inflate an air mattress before you have to use it.
And yes, this is a lesson we learned the hard way.
Pointing west
We took off this afternoon at around four. We've been imagining that moment for over a year, and it really was everything we hoped it would be. We got into our hotel just in time to catch the tail end of the state of the union address.
Tomorrow - Wall Drug, Mount Rushmore, and 10 hours or so of driving. We'll keep you posted...
Temp: 8 degrees
Mileage: 270 miles
Time on the road: 4.5 hours (ish)
Tomorrow - Wall Drug, Mount Rushmore, and 10 hours or so of driving. We'll keep you posted...
Temp: 8 degrees
Mileage: 270 miles
Time on the road: 4.5 hours (ish)
Location:Sioux Falls,United States
27 January 2010
Off we go...
We went to bed Minnesotans and we're waking Californians. Today's the day. I've got a few last things to finish around the house, and Tim has the last day of his conference, and the plan is that we'll drive out of town this afternoon around 4.
After one last weather check over breakfast, we'll decide whether we'll go north through South Dakota, or take the safer route through Nebraska (which we've already traveled many, many times).
This blog is just our way letting people know where we are and what we're up to. Once we get to California, it may morph into my explorations of our new home. We're looking forward to sharing all this with you!
After one last weather check over breakfast, we'll decide whether we'll go north through South Dakota, or take the safer route through Nebraska (which we've already traveled many, many times).
This blog is just our way letting people know where we are and what we're up to. Once we get to California, it may morph into my explorations of our new home. We're looking forward to sharing all this with you!
25 January 2010
Last weekend in Minneapolis
On this last Sunday in Minnesota, we spent an inordinate amount of time trying to figure out how to watch the football game, since our TV is packed up on the truck. We have, unexpectedly, found ourselves to be Vikings fans.
The list of things we should have been doing was a long one, but yet... We found ourselves driving out to Best Buy, looking for some gadget to use our laptops to watch the game. We finally decided to go the low tech route and watch the game over a beer at a local bar. Now we've just got to hope for a win...
The list of things we should have been doing was a long one, but yet... We found ourselves driving out to Best Buy, looking for some gadget to use our laptops to watch the game. We finally decided to go the low tech route and watch the game over a beer at a local bar. Now we've just got to hope for a win...
24 January 2010
and so it begins...
The movers came and took our stuff away.
There's nothing quite so disorienting as watching packers come in and box up all your worldly possesions in a matter of hours. Although it's far preferable to doing it yourself.
If I had to guess, the truck's somewhere in Nebraska by now. In the meantime, Tim and I are camped out in the empty house. He's got a few more days at work here in Minneapolis, and then we'll be driving out on Wednesday afternoon.
Current temperature: 33 degrees F
transitions
Okay, so I'm reinvigorating this poor abandoned blog. Shortly after my last post, I found an architect intern job in Rochester. Once I started the long commute and the job, I left the weekly photo expeditions behind. Since then, a lot has changed. After working at that firm for a year, the firm shut down it's Minnesota office, so I found myself out of a job. Then Tim's company offered to relocate us to California.
So now I'm dusting this off so we can use it to document our move, the drive across the country, and our explorations of the Sacramento area. Join us for the ride...
So now I'm dusting this off so we can use it to document our move, the drive across the country, and our explorations of the Sacramento area. Join us for the ride...
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