Good morning New Mexico! Me, Charlie Mike, James Bush and Brown & Tan Pacer all landed safe and sound at Ohkay Owingeh.

What an adventure-flight it was. I left from Lynden, WA – just a short hop from the Canadian Border, on the 4th of July. First stop: Boeing Field, where I met up with James to start the journey.

We flew only early in the morning to beat the heat, and then tried to experience the local culture each place we stopped. Lucky for us, every airport we visited had a loaner car, enabling us to get around easily.

Our first day ended in Baker City, Oregon. After landing, we headed straight to the rodeo we had flown over on our way in. We arrived just in time to catch one bull ride.

My favorite thing from Baker City were the three owls perched in the tree near our campsite.

When we left Baker City, we were trying to find a backcountry airport we could stop at and stay the night. Murphy Hot Springs seemed like a great idea. The place has a colorful history and the fact that I am flying a Murphy sealed the deal. Upon landing we met a local who informed us that the Hot Springs has been purchased by a Californian who has closed everything to the locals (visitors too). We got back in our planes, and took off, sad that we didn’t get to spend a night there.

“We woke up at dawn, and headed to Wendover Utah. It sits at the edge of the Utah/Nevada border and is mostly a Casino town. We found the Four attractions”: the huge cowboy, Bonnelville Salt Flats, Danger Cave and the WWII historic airport! Wendover hosts an enormous Army base, used during WWII for pilot training. Famously, the Enola Gay was stationed here. The airport employee who gave us a tour swore that several of the buildings are haunted. He had many stories to support his beief. Some buildings are being restored by local enthusiasts A worthy effort. The place was amazing. I hope they can breathe life back into the buildings that remain.

Next, and last, stop on our route was Nucla, Colorado. This airport had a lovely pilots lounge! Bathrooms, a shower, a nice kitchen and a loaner SUV. Wow. What a relief to finally get to go swimming….and biking. We drove into the hills and found some BLM land that was welcoming. The river was warm, the dirt roads were bikable and it was a lovely way to spend the afternoon.

Flying around the West is a treat that few get to experience. The scenery is breathtaking, the facilities are impressive and the experience is unparalleled. I feel grateful and lucky to have the opportunity for a trip like this one.

James, Jason, Wally (the puppy) and I escaped the record breaking heat in Seattle last weekend. We flew up to the San Juan Islands for a weekend of fun!

Leaving Friday night, we made Orcas Island just before dark. There were many other pilots there with the same idea. The spirit was festive!

We were so lucky to have a car available to us. Saturday morning we spashed the day away in Cascade Lake in Moran State Park. Sunday, we found a nice park in downtown Eastsound where we swung in the hammock, slack lined and SUP’d. I don’t swim in Puget Sound that often, but this weekend it was essential.

Monday, we decided to try another island. We first went to Stuart, but no one there was very friendly, we we moved on to Lopez. Toby was kind enough to loan us his car, and we again soaked in Hummel Lake, and then out on Agate Beach Park.

Our hottest day in Seattle was not that hot. Lucky us with our airplanes!

While the plane gets worked on by Ephraim, I am staying at my Dad’s. He lives on a “gentleman” farm that borders Canada. It is stunningly beautiful here. His back porch looks straight at Mount Baker and his front porch overlooks the Nooksak valley.

Living with Dad has been quite easy. He has his daily routine that gives him comfort, and, I would argue, joy. His day starts with a coffee session with a group of men at a gas station. He then, a couple of days per week, plays pool with a different group of guys. He attends to chores almost every day – mowing hay for a neighbor or mowing his own grass. He spends an hour a day reading, (a routine I admire and want to adopt), then he has dinner, watches some TV (mostly PBS) and then turns in early.

Work is part of who he is. Although he retired from building homes more than 35 years ago, he has had several “retirement” careers since. He owned a number of mini-storage properties for many years, and now he funds and builds homes in the local vicinity. For the home building he just writes checks. Seems like the perfect way to make some extra cash.

Dad let’s me store my stuff in his big “pole building” garage, and I have the upstairs of his house to myself. He cleared out a cabinet and a drawer in the kitchen for my stuff. It’s quite comfy.

I try to stay out of his way and also provide some company to him. He has lived alone a long time and when I first arrived he asked that I “not try to change” him. No problem. I am the guest, it’s his space and his life. I am grateful to him for allowing me to stay.

We ususally connect first thing in the morning before he goes to coffee. We talk about what happened yesterday and what is planned for tomorrow. I try to keep him posted on my comings and goings.

Living with my Dad is a gift. I have not lived with, or even near him, since I was 18 years old. He is now 85, I am now 60. I know I will treasure our time together for many years to come. Another special part of my journey.

Getting Charlie Mike back into the air has been amazing. We worked through the squaks in the local area, and then I took CM out for a ride. There were several stops on the journey, all helping me LOVE CM more than ever!

Taylor, Scott’s nephew and future owner of CM, sold his Cessna 150. He found a buyer in Camas, WA and asked me if I could pick him up and take him home to Bend, Ore. Perfect! I needed a reasonable flight to get more of the kinks worked out on CM.

The Camas airport (1W1) was a surprising joy. It had a nice grass field next to the pavement, a great vibe and there were people everywhere! For a Wednesday, this was a happening place.

While I was waiting on Taylor to take his buyer for a flight, I met “Ian” who is building a Murphy Moose. I waxed poetic about my TK1 landing gear and told him that Tony is working on the fit for a Moose. I told him that using the standard kit landing gear would be a big mistake…….I guess I am an evangelist for my gear. 🙂

The sale went smooth and soon we were in Bend. It was too hot for Taylor to take a few laps around the field, so we decided to wait until the following morning to play. We were up in the air by 6:00am, and on our first landing this happened:

The FBO helped us get the plane off the runway, but wouldn’t help me fix the tire. I ended up finding a mechanic, and finally a tube. The tube had to be overnighted, so I had the day to play.

Lucky for me, I got to fly a Beaver! I met with Alex to do some Burningman work and he offered to take me up in his plane. Sweet! Before that, though, we released about 20 baby ducklings into the river (Deschutes) that runs by his house. So adorable!

We flew from Redmond, Oregon to Madras and did a couple of touch and go’s. What a blast to get to fly such a special plane!

Once my tire was fixed, I was off to meet James and Jason in Electric City. Scott and I started going there in about 2000. The airport is a host with the most! As if the taxi-in camping is not enough, there is an air-conditioned pilot’s lounge, with a bathroom, shower, referigerator, freezer, and all kinds of supplies that you might need to make camping more comfy. The airport supplies power, and a BBQ at the camp site. There is also a car you can use. We put it to good use venturing out to Steamboat Rock, Grand Coulee Dam and Dinner at a Mexican Restaurant.

Then, it was back to Sumas. We flew to Chelan and Wenatchee, then home over Hwy 2. The winds were a bit crazy in Lynden, so I landed back at Arlington and drove back to Dad’s. The following morning I jumped on my bike and rode from the Lynden Airport to Arlington Airport. Yikes, that’s a long way. The flight back was much shorter – thank goodness!

That was a super shake down! The plane purred like a kitten and other than the brakes needing to be bled again, no problems persist.

The shake down’s are over and soon I’ll be off flying around living out of the plane. I can’t wait!

Charlie Mike is through the test flights and has now had two flights squak free. The joy of flying CM again is undescribable. What a SWEET airplane!

Better than ever, this was a makeover indeed! The new landing gear, the new tailwheel and all of the small changes have added up to an airplane Scott would be proud to call his own. I know he is smiling.

Now, I am on a roll upgrading the instruments. Nothing too fancy, but I’m putting in a new radio, a few new engine insturments and also a new transponder. Why not? While adding one, might as well add what’s needed to upgrade and be done with it.

There are a few paint items to do (you can see tape on the side, marking a stripe), and I am having the prop balanced. That will be done today.

As soon as the new instruments go in, I will be calling CM home. One bike, One SUP, a few clothes and some camping gear, and we head south. The first stop is a little “fly out” to celebrate the return to the air. Pilots: James, Jason, and Ash will be joining me in a trip to Alvord Hot Springs in Oregon. Join us!

What a journey it has been! Over a year full of tears, trucks, and tearing my hair out, CM is finally flying. There were many days I doubted this day would come. I am ever so grateful to have found Ephraim and for him to put the final caring touches in place. My joy is as boudless as the sky.

“I always believe that the sky is the beginning of the limit.”

—MC Hammer

The plane has had two taxi tests. I posted about that already, but I left out some of the gritty details.

The Tailwheel: I have been worried about the tailwheel for several years. Scott had to reuild it once on our way to Burningman and there have been a couple more instances of concern with the old tailwheel. I did research, but could not come up with much using the original stinger. Then came Ephraim! He solved the issue in just a few days by working with the designer of the T3 tailwheel. He was able to modify it for my plane using the original and modified stinger. So cool!

The tailwheel put on by Ray was sub-par. Not only that, but the stinger was installed with the bend going the wrong direction. Who knows what issues that would have caused in the future. This just underscores that Ray’s shop is incompetent on top of their shady business practices.

The new tailwheel is a great match for the landing gear! It’s also installed at the correct angle, with the correct bend, and will be beefy and ready for the fun places CM is going this summer and beyond.

The Rudder Pedals:

Inside the plane, as soon as I put my feet on the rudder pedals, something felt “off”. Ephraim was in the passnger seat, and since he had never been in the plane with me before, didn’t realize the rudder pedal issue. When we taxied the first day, I kept saying that the rudder pedals didn’t feel right. The brakes were funky and turning one direction was just not possible. Of course, this is why taxi tests are necessary, and Ephraim said he would get to the root of the problem.

What he discovered came to me in a text “Rebuilt the rudder pedal system per the manual. It was not even close to being correct”. What????!!!! So Ray had put together the rudder pedals completely incorrectly. OMG. Thank goodness I got my plane out of there! I am still trying to figure out how to warn others about him. At first, it was just his overcharging and holding me hostage. Now, it’s a safety issue and much more serious…..but more on that later.

Taxi Test number two had the rudder pedals in the correct place and WOW what a difference. They moved freely, the brakes worked great, and boy am I dying to fly!!

Other Stuff:

There are a few other items Ephraim has found that were incorrect such as bolts that were the wrong size, belts that didn’t fit, and more. Ugh. So hard to pay so much for such shoddy work. I shudder thinking of flying the plane without the close eye of Ephraim. It could have ended very badly.

Yet to go:

What’s left is finishing up the annual. The compression is low on cylinder #2 and #4. I am hoping that’s just because it has been sitting. Ephraim found two cracks in the fuselage where the flaps connect. The floor under the rudder pedals needed some beefing up as well. Those fixes shouldn’t be too daunting. The transponder antanae broke off and a new one is on the way. The weight and balance is still to come. We need to wait until all is back together. I can’t wait to see what CM weighs after all of this work. We are so close! I hope to get to fly next week.

I’m so lucky to have found Ephraim. Charlie Mike will be (is) a MUCH better airplane because of him. I owe a debt of gratitude for the Facebook group Flights Above the Pacific Northwest, Justin and Faisel who all led me to Ephraim’s doorstep. He’s a man of details who does great work. I am so lucky he had time for us!

Today is Scott’s sixty second birthday. I often think about all of the life he is missing. Of course, it makes me sad for him to be missing out. It also gives me (even more) reason to live a full life. I’m trying to honor him by living out what I know would be his wish for me: keep living a life full of love, adventure and meaning.

I am certainly trying! Since off the river, I have had so much to do! First, 243CM moved (again) to it’s final assembly location. Things are moving forward at bread neck speed! I wish I had found Ephraim a year ago…..and wow, better late than never.

Yesterday, I went to the hangar and installed the VG’s on my wings. While I was working away on the front, Ephraim was inventing a new tailwheel system. He is amazing! The tailwheel has been an area of concern for me and I have been wanting to beef up what originally existed. Voila! Ephraim saw what was there and immediately went to work designing something better, beefier and more solid! It’s a T3 combined with a Scott wheel. We are thinking about asking Tony (TK1 racing) to design a shock to replace the springs, but that can come later. The springs will work great! I love it!

The weather was fabulous on Friday and Saturday. Gerrick and Michael Lee invited me to go backcounrty skiing with them. Our objectives were Ruby Mt (Friday) and Washington Pass Birthday tour (Sat). We were not the only people with the idea to head to Washington Pass. There were lots of people, and we had lots of fun. Ruby was a bit longer than we were able to get done Friday, but Saturday Gerrick and I knocked out the birthday tour. The snow was classic NW mashed potatoes, but the journey was joyful. Gerrick learned a ton and did a great job.

What a week! The plane is moving forward, ski turns before the snow is gone, and taking a moment to celebrate Scott’s birthday keeps my heart full. Life is anything but boring. Scott must be smiling, just what he would love for his birthday.

The Grand Canyon was amazing! Some highlights were: hiking the many trails and canyons, spending time with an amazing team, and rowing Lava!

I am ever so grateful to Lynn for putting this trip together, to Mike for acting as our de-facto leader, and to Lisa for being my river sister.

Being away from all electronics for three full weeks was such a treat. Something I want to repeat often. Mostly, I cannot wait to go back to the Grand Canyon, assigned to my own boat, so I can row all of the rapids. Whoot!!

I’m sitting in the car waiting for my rider and rower to arrive. Eric is our Grand Canyon trip leader now that Lynn cannot go. She fell skiing and broke her hip. Ugh.

Eric and I will share a boat. I hope to row more on this trip than i did the last time down. Time to put on my big girl pants. 😎

The day started well, with a run along the Columbia River. Great rivers…..a nice thought to ponder.

We are flying out of Spokane. That way, i return just in time to meet Ephraim and move N243CM to Arlington.

Eric has arrived! We’re off.

Things get worse, and then, they get better. I stayed overnight in Seattle and had a backpack full of my favorite clothes and jewelry stolen. Ugh. Meaningless to the person(s) who stole, and quite meaningful to me. Another painful lesson. One we all know, yet sometimes forget.

Attending Taylor and Allyssa’s wedding was a joy. Hanging out with Dru and Wendy (parents of Taylor), a gift.

Now I’m staying at my Dads place, getting ready to head down the Grand Canyon for three weeks.

While here, I’ve been able to sneak in a mountain bike ride

And an amazing day of skiing…..in a cape, just for giggles.

I’m off to the river Friday and will be out of communication for 21 days. Can’t wait.