New Mexico is a playground! Cha Cha lives adjoining 1000’s of acres of BLM land. It’s breathtaking and has enough trails that there is no reason to repeat any of them.

Nearby the house is a big mesa. I have been using the mesa as a training bike ride. It’s a grunt, and really good training for a future ride I’m planning in January.

Skiing, though not (yet) great, was on our agenda for Saturday. Ski Santa Fe allows uphill travel any time, so up I went!! It was a spectacular day and after two laps up and down, we finished off with dinner in Santa Fe at Cowgirls.

Mountain biking on my second favorite ride near Taos filled my day Sunday. The Rift Valley ride is 12+ miles, all single track, with stunning views into the rift and the great Rio Grande. (BTW: my favorite ride is the South Boundary Trail).

Now the weather, especially high winds, are rolling in, so rides and skiing are on hold.

Off to the Ojo Caliente Hot Springs!! A fantastic consolation, courtesy of New Mexico.

The star falls quickly sometimes. Poor Westie. Transmission fluid started flinging out of the transmission about 500 miles from Cha Cha’s place.

It took me a few miles to figure out what was going on……..

I texted my Westie friends – and they gave me good advice. Outside of Gallup New Mexico, I started calling transmission shops. One told me to call Pep Boys. They were open and willing to help.

First, I stopped at an auto parts store and bought transmission oil and a pump.

When I rolled into Pep Boys, they were happy to lift the van and help me fill the transmission with oil. The guy helping me was clearly new at his job, and lifted the van so high he snapped my skylight…..oh well….. a small price to pay to get this help – and they didn’t charge me.

We got the fill bolt out, and two quarts later, the transmission was full. I was back on the road to Cha Cha’s.

Monday morning, Westie went into a shop known for their westie work. The owner has his own synchro and shows photos of it to his customers. I think he knows his stuff.

The shop replaced all of the fluid in my tranny and found my case was very loose. After a 100-mile test drive, we found a seal leaking. I am sure the vent tube is plugged. I have asked over and over that the shop find, and clear this, but they can’t seem to hear me……I will find it myself, I guess before I hit the road again.

In the meantime, I am biking, hiking, trail running, and basking in the sunshine and beauty of New Mexico. Hanging with Cha Cha is always a joy. I love this place and know that Westie will be fine for the trip back home.

I left Issaquah with snow on the ground and taking my Dads advice headed south down I5.

The Siskiyou pass was the only gnarly section. My synchro proved to be valuable as I passed semi’s going up hill-yet very slowly.

I wanted to take a photo, but couldn’t let go of the steering wheel long enough. Fog, heavy snow and dimming light made for serious focus.

I made it to Red Bluff on day one. Hooray Westie!! My hero!!

Day two was super boring going through strip-mall town after strip-mall town. Ugh.

Then….a ghost town with a campground. Sweet!! Calico ghost town. Mines were everywhere, and a nice surprise at the top of the hill I ran up.

On to Cal Nev Ari. I ended up driving through Nipton!!!! So beautiful and funky there!

Then, Cal Nev Ari and CC’s place.

Tomorrow: on to Cha Chas’s in New Mexico.

A mountain climb! From CC’s house, you can see Spirit Mountain, and I really wanted to get up there!

I had a very tough time finding any information on this hike. Apparently, not a lot of people do it. I was determined. I finally found a photo of a route. Good enough for me.

CC let me take his Hummer to the trailhead – he had work to do and doesn’t like heights……

The trail leaves from a dirt road called “Christmas Tree Pass”. From the car, there really was no trail. I kept going in the general direction my map photo was leading and found some cairns. Turns out, there were cairns the entire way up. The route was easy after all.

The trail was rough and steep in a few places, and toward the top, eased off and was a joy. The summit was a bit windy, so I bundled up.

The entire trip was 4 miles, and 2,166 feet elevation gain. The perfect first day of my 62nd year!

Aren’t birthdays fun? I know many who dread them and focus on the getting older part of birthdays. That’s not for me! It’s a one-way age street, no matter what, so might as well enjoy the ride. Birthdays are really a private holiday just for you.

Mine, this year, was super fun. After a morning run, CC and I went for a flight into the desert of Nevada in his Experimental 170B. It’s a big, heavy airplane compared to CM, I flew some……

Our first stop was route 66 on a section (mostly) closed to traffic. Two trucks rolled by, one stopped to see if we were ok. When we told him we were just out landing places and “getting our kicks, on Route 66” he laughed and said, “why wouldn’t you”!!

Next up: the town of Nipton, CA. We landed on a road next to the railroad tracks. A group of people watched and waved as we taxied up toward town. Nipton is an old railroad and stagecoach stop, the place is quaint and quiet. It was recently sold for $7.7 million Surprisingly, there was an area full of Burningman Art! One of the pieces I remember seeing on the playa.

After flying around, we returned to CC’s and spent the evening soaking in the hot tub and lazying by the fire. I’m now ready for another lap around the sun.

Ephraim is amazing. He helps me breathe new life into Charlie Mike, again and again.

Yesterday we changed the oil and replaced the old incandescent lights with LEDs.

Today, in the pouring rain, we worked on a fuel flow meter…..and read up on how to fix the “slop” in the aileron’s.

And in the middle of that, Ephraim wanted to go visit a potential customer. We ended up at a hangar estate sale for my Dad’s cousin- David Howy. We both bought a couple of items.

Ephraim opens a multitude of doors for me, Some familiar and others brand new. He is a very special person, and if the new customer we visited is at all smart, he will grab the “next available” (which, I think, is mid 2024) with Ephraim…..and be very lucky to get to work with him. I know I am, always.

The weather looking forward became concerning. I have appointments in early November that I do not want to miss.

High Sierra was the perfect end to my trip. Time to head home. It just felt right.

Without knowing how many days it would take me, I didn’t really mention to anyone my plans.

I flew Reno to The Dalles and enjoyed The Dalles overnight.

Then up to Yakima and Cle Elum. I could see the weather and smoke in Puget Sound were going to be a challenge. I powered on.

I punched out of Stampede Pass and went south, then west, then north, then finally east to Arlington. I needed to be able to see the ground, and I couldn’t see much else.

Ephraim was here to greet me when he heard my calls on the radio! How nice to have a warm welcome home for both me and Charlie Mike!!

I’m back in Reno, recovering from my weekend at High Sierra Fly-in. Wow! What a fun, fun time!

The stol-drag races were great, but the best part of the weekend was connecting with, and meeting new people. THAT was a BLAST!!

My Burner buddies: Cherry, Purple Haze, Flash and Sandy all came by for a day (or two). Ephraim came down from Arlington and we got to spend a lot of time together (thank you Ephraim!!!!!).

I also ran into many folks whom I have met along my travels. That was such a sweet surprise! Folks from a Wilbur WA fuel stop camped next door to me. Kim and Brian whom I met at Johnson Creek were super fun to hang out with.

Another super, super fun experience for me was getting to know Cathy Page better, and flying the course with her in her super (duper) cub!

Dancing with Steve Henry was also a joy. He is a sweet man, AND a great dancer!!

The campfire at night is where the real fun happens. Connecting with past HSF friends, and meeting new friends. I’ll be back for sure next year!

As a private pilot, you get your license, and then, the training required is a bi-annual flight review. That means you are only required to get training once every two years, and it tends to be a basic review. It’s not enough, at least not for me.

At Oshkosh, I went to a presentation by the STOL-DRAG folks and got inspired to pursue training for off-airport and backcountry flying.

Fast forward to last Monday. I flew to Cal-Nev-Ari in 243CM and wow! Did I learn A LOT.

We established the real envelope of the airplane, which required going up in the plane and doing many exercises and tests. The syllabus is his book (which he is re-writing, so wait to buy it).

Then I learned precision flying and landing. I consistently landed “on the spot” and in under 500’.

Next, we went to the mountains to practice.

My wish is that the class is twice as long: a week to learn and then another week with CC to practice.

He’s a one-man show; accomplished, awarded, and revered. He has the awards and certificates to prove it. I called him the “airplane whisperer”. He’s fascinatingly educated and experienced in flying. He plays by his own rules but he works closely with EAA (Experimental Aircraft Assoc.), AOPA (Aircraft Owners and Pilots Assoc), and FAA (Federal Aviation Assoc) on everything he does. When you complete his course, you get a log book entry, a certificate and FAA wings credit.

But wait, there is more: you stay at his house (for a fee), you park your plane in his driveway, you fly from his runway, and if you wish, you can swim in his pool, soak in his hot tub, and sweat in his sauna.

He also cooks for you, and, no surprise, he’s a great cook. (Last night we had grilled salmon, sweet potato and a tossed salad – yum). Graduation dinner!

If he finds something on your airplane that he thinks can be improved, he fixes it right then and there!

I spent time learning from the best. I can’t wait to go back for more. Oh! if you want to take some flying lessons for sure check out CC.

My magnetos got wet and died. Not both at the same time, but rather one at a time.

Several people came to my rescue: Flash, Rick, Joe, and Don. Of course, Ephraim made himself available whenever I called.

People can be so nice. It’s really amazing, and something we need to remember when we read the news, view the headlines, and focus on what is wrong.

People are good, they are kind, and they most often, want to help you.

When I took off from Inyokern, after getting fuel, something was DEFINITELY wrong. The engine choked, coughed, and lost power. I landed.

Joe – who was out on a Saturday with a shiny B29 event, had other things to do, but he took time to call Don an A/P and I/A to help me. Don arrived in minutes.

We worked through a bunch of tests, and finally decided the mag was toast. I rented a car and drove to my retreat in Vegas, leaving 243CM with Don.

When I got back, my airplane was fixed. Stephanie (Don’s wife and business partner) and Don shuttled me between the car rental and the airport and even took me to the post office to return the dead mag (I can’t believe I don’t have even one photo of them). They were sweet, helpful, and so so reasonable.

It’s easy to make new friends when we can focus on what we can accomplish together, rather than on what separates us. How easy it is to forget that when we don’t need any help.