Nancy and I decided to join family and friends up North for the holidays. This was the longest trip with our dogs in the SR22. We had ear muffs, and they mostly kept them on. Brandy napped, but Beckett seemed tense most of the time. Nonetheless, they eagerly wanted to jump back in for each leg.
Wed-Dec 20: We started with a trip to Genoa, intending to land at our Minden, the airport with our new hangar. Unfortunately, it was socked in with ice fog when we arrived, so we executed a missed approach and diverted to Reno. We had no trouble picking up a rental car and made it home soon after. It worked out great for Nancy as she could attend a Christmas Party for her Girls & a Gun chapter that evening.
The next day, I ran back up to Reno with TKS anti-icing fluid to refill the tanks in anticipation of icing heading for Portland (some think it’s the icing capital of America). We had dinner with Bruce and Terri Campbell at Daniel’s that evening. It’s a great restaurant, steps from our house.
We departed from Reno on Friday morning (Dec 22) at about 10 AM. Our departure was delayed due to ice fog that had migrated up the Carson Valley. We managed to dodge most of the ice layers on the trip to Portland and broke into the clear at about 1’000 AGL on the ILS approach into Portland. I walked to the airline terminal to pick up a car to save a few bucks rather than use one reserved for the private jets. It was a great idea in the abstract, but it was pouring rain. I outsmarted myself and learned my lesson. We drove to our hotel in Hood River. I went to Dickey’s Farms Store in Bingen to pick up some snacks and items for the dogs. I discovered the bridge toll had increased from $.50 when we first arrived in the gorge in 2001 to the present-day $3.50!
On Saturday, Dec 23, Nancy returned to Portland for a hairdresser appointment (her favorite). That afternoon, we spent with Tabitha and Rich at their awesome place in Husum, recently renovated. We had dinner with them and Mark Derbecker (Seeq co-founder) and Tiffani. The young couples went caroling that evening, and we drove over to visit with Dave (my brother) & Andrielle (our niece).
Sunday, we rendezvoused at Tabitha’s and Rich’s place for a traditional Christmas Eve celebration. She had many healthy snacks and our traditional shrimp cocktail
On Monday, we rendezvoused at Dave’s place for Christmas Day. This involved an elaborate breakfast (caviar with fixings, frittata, cinnamon rolls, and mimosa). Then we opened gifts. Then we have our traditional Chinese buffet all day long while playing with the gifts and watching movies.
On Tuesday, we dropped the dogs off with Tabitha and Rich. They are seven years old, and this is the first time they spent a night away from one of their homes without us. We understand they cried for a couple of hours but eventually settled in. We visited with the Whitsell’s in Portland. I flew Bill’s new SR22 simulator (I’m thinking of getting one), and then we took a hike in a nearby park. Wendy outdid herself with another fabulous meal.
The next day, we visited Powell’s bookstore (the largest independent bookstore in the US with new and used books) and had a great sushi meal. That evening, we met Tabitha and Rich at Riverside Restaurant for dinner and picked up the dogs. We drove back to Portland and stayed at a hotel near the airport.
Thursday, we departed Portland and flew all the way back to Falcon Field, Arizona, with a fuel stop in Reno. It was good to get home but we really enjoyed spending time with family and friends.
Click on any picture to start the slideshow with enlarged pictures.
Share this Post