As we were flying back from Gainesville the day I got my license, Sandra and I were naming places we wanted to fly to. One of the first mentioned was Palo Duro Canyon. It would be nearly a 3 hour flight with some tricky navigation over inhospitable terrain, so it became a goal after we had some more experience. Then the engine went out and we lost the last half of 2001.
We see a blurb in the paper about this year's upgrades to the "Texas" musical performed each year in the canyon and start planning. We will fly out one day and see Amarillo that afternoon. The next day, we will go to Canyon for the Panhandle Plains Museum and then the state park and the play. Then we fly back the 3rd day. The Redhead 's school year ends on June 26 and we don't want to go for a weekend performance. So we initially plan to leave Sunday, June 30. We have everything set up, rental car, motel, cat sitter, etc.. The weather goes to you know where on Saturday and flight service Sunday morning holds out no hope for VFR weather out of the Dallas area for the next 3 days. We also don't want to be there during the Fourth of July, we have a musical on Sunday the 7th, so we postpone until the 8th. Since there is no performance on Wednesday night, the 10th becomes next rain date.
Saturday night, the weather looks good. The rains that have plagued us and Central Texas for the last week are slowly moving west and weakening. It is raining in Lubbock and Amarillo Saturday and forecast to continue, ending Sunday night. Sunday morning I call the Amarillo FBO and reinstate the reservations for car and motel.
Up at 6:00AM Monday morning. It is foggy! Really foggy. I check the internet weather. Every station along the route except Childress is reporting low ceiling and visibility. Flight service opines that it will remain IFR only until 10, but check back at 8:00. We get everything ready to go and I check again at 8. McKinney is still below minimums, but better than earlier. All other stations are above minimums, so we head for the airport. We launch at 8:45 into what McKinney is calling 4 mile visibility.
Our first stop is Gainesville for gas. There was a train derailment in Aubrey Sunday evening and there is a 3 mile TFR around the site. It should be several miles SE of our path, but the ground visibility at 2500' is very short in the haze/fog remnants. The fog is coalescing into puffy little clouds at about 7-800 AGL. I'm flying a strict compass course because there are no real landmarks across here until we get to Lake Ray Roberts. We hit the lake across the center of Pilot Point. Good, we missed the TFR by enough to not cause anyone any concern.
Gainesville is reporting 6 mile visibility and sure enough when I see it, we are headed right up runway 30. There is a displaced threshold on 17, so with no wind, 35 is the active. We go over the top at 2000', enter the pattern and land. After topping up to 40 gallons we depart Gainesville at 10 for the 1:45 leg to Childress.
This leg is simple, fly 285 until we can get the Sheppard (Wichita Falls) VOR. The visibility is improving rapidly as the temperature goes up. The "coalescing into puffy clouds" level rises also. We see some form directly in front of us and then they are forming above us. At 4500, we clear through with Sheppard approach to go inbound to VOR and outbound from VOR. We drone along at 4500' directly over Sheppard AFB/Wichita Falls. The next part is also simple, follow the outbound VOR from Sheppard to the VOR at Childress. It is also almost straight up US287. We fly just north of Electra, just south of Vernon, several miles south of Quanah.
Takeoff and climbout are uneventful in spite of 3900' density altitude. The plan is to climb to 4500' and aim directly for the canyon area. The 297 radial from the Childress VOR will take us directly to Amarillo International, so I fly about 280. 4500' will clear the rim of the canyons and all surrounding terrain by at least 600', so I won't have to worry about climbing over the canyon. There are few landmarks and getting to be fewer. The scattered cloud bottoms are about 6000' and the visibility is excellent.
The ground beneath us is obviously rising and we make the first landmark, two bridges over the "river" and a creek, dead on. There is a rain shower to our left about 5 miles away. The ground footprint of the rain is about 1/2 mile by 2 miles. This is a real thrill of a sight and I head towards it so Sandra can get a picture. Then turn away to clear it by a couple of miles. As the ground rises, so do the bumps. We can now see the rimrock and the updrafts have now pushed us to 5000'' We fly over a point of rimrock and turn up the largest canyon we see. I stay to the left of the canyon so Sandra can take pictures.
Nearing the head of the canyon, instead of a park, we see a quarry and a reservoir. Quick check of Amarillo VOR, Childress VOR and the sectional. We are over Tule Canyon about 20 miles south of Palo Duro. Holding 5000', I turn north. Over Vigo Park, I contact Amarillo approach and get my squawk code.
As we get to Palo Duro, I advise Amarillo, "Four Lima Bravo would like to deviate and fly up the canyon."
"Roger, Four Lima Bravo, take your time. When ready, come to zero five zero and call back for sequencing."
Tule Canyon was just a warm-up for the real thing. This canyon is huge, colorful and rugged. Again I stay to the left so Sandra can make pictures. When we reach the state park, I bank to the right so she can take pictures of the amphitheater where we will be tomorrow night. The air is so bumpy that I have made about a 90 degree turn before she can finally get it framed and snap.
Coming over the head of the canyon, I return to 5000', turn to 050 and call Amarillo approach. We continue for a couple of minutes over the flattest ground I have ever seen until told to come to 030. After a couple more minutes; "Four Lima Bravo, enter left base for runway two two. Advise when you have field in sight. Should be at your ten o clock."
"Approach, have had field in sight for a while. Four Lima Bravo is turning on left base."
"Roger, Four Lima Bravo. Contact Amarillo tower on one one eight point three."
I start landing preparation, slowing down and descending to pattern altitude (4500').
"Four Lima Bravo. There is a military Beech on right base. You are cleared to land number two behind him"
Quick scan, there he is, just turning final about 3 miles ahead.
"Four Lima Bravo has the Beech in sight. Will land behind him."
The Beech is doing a touch and go, and is climbing out well before we turn final. Runway 22 is 13500x300. I am lined up well and suddenly realize just how big this runway is. Aero country is 2975x40, this is huge! There is a Southwest 737 on taxiway Charlie waiting for me to land. I hit the numbers and as I am slowing down the tower asks: "Four Lima Bravo, can you stop before Charlie?"
Of course I can, Charlie is about 2500' from the threshold. "Four Lima Bravo will make Charlie."
"Four Lima Bravo, Hold on left edge of 22 before Charlie and we'll get the Southwest out of your way. "
We pull to the left edge and stop about 50 yards short of Charlie. We know all the passengers on the right side of the SW plane are cussing this little white plane that is delaying their departure.
"Thank you Four Lima Bravo. Southwest nn You are cleared for takeoff. Four Lima Bravo, enter Charlie when able." As the 737 gets his wings on the runway, I start towards the taxiway. It is wide enough for us to have passed each other with no problems.
"Four Lima Bravo, say your destination."
"Four Lima Bravo is going to TAC-Air"
Tower then gives instructions which I readback: "Right on Bravo, left on Papa"
"Backwards Four Lima Bravo, Right on Papa, Left at Bravo."
"oops" I have the taxiway diagram right in front of me and I still messed it up.
I get the stuff back in the flight bag and start climbing out. I hook my clodhopper in the headset cords and dump the flight bag contents over the wing and down the ramp. Well, Grace! Sandra heads for the office (chuckling all the way) to start getting the car, etc. I pick things up and do a postflight walk around.
When I get in to the office, the Redhead is signing for the car. I go potty and come back out. The car is a gray Taurus "right outside the door", and we can drive onto the ramp to unload our bags from the plane.
We take the pieces we are carrying and head out the door. Drop the stuff in the back seat and get in. The key won't work! Sandra tries everything and the key won't work. I get out and look around. There, right behind us (hidden from the door by a gray Jeep Cherokee) is an identical gray Taurus. She goes over to it and tries the key, AHA! We load into it and drive around to the gate, punch the security button and drive over to the plane. After loading our bags and buttoning up the plane, we realize that we don't know where our motel reservation is. So I walk back into the office and the Redhead promises she will drive back around and pick me up at the front door.I get the motel name and a map at the desk and walk out the front door. No gray Taurus, no Redhead. But she promised!
I start walking towards the end of the building where the gate is and notice a TAC-Air pickup backing away from the gate. She hadn't gotten close enough to the gate to trigger the opener. The TAC-air truck had driven up on the outside and opened it for her and was backing up to allow her to get out. I hopped in as she drove by and we were off to town.
We checked into the motel, unpacked the bags and looked through all the brochures she had picked up at the FBO. As it was only 3:30, we had some time to spend, so we decide to drive out to Cadillac Ranch. After all, it is only "9 miles west on I40".
Actually, it is only about 5 miles west of town. The 9 mile number must be from downtown. We almost drove by it when I noticed a number of cars stopped on the service road. We take the next exit, come back and park. Many years ago, some eccentric old coot buried 10 (at that time nearly) new Cadillacs up to the windshields in a row. This leaves 10 or so feet of them sticking up in the air. The idea was some sort of modern art statement.
Now, you can't believe how completely desolately flat this country is until you have seen it. Even from the highway, a quarter mile away, they rise way above the horizon. We hike over to them and take several pictures. If you pass this way, you have to do this. If only to say you have been there.
We drive back to town and eat dinner just in front of the evening rush (the restaurant was full when we left. After driving around town for a while and visiting the local Wal-Mart for some items we forgot (as usual), we returned to the motel for a dip and bed.
The air temperature is still in the upper 80s, but the water in the pool was zero or colder. I managed to survive a full immersion, but I walked back to the edge rather than wade. We sat on the steps at the shallow end with our feet in it until they turned blue then went back to the room.
Tuesday morning, we load up after breakfast and head for Canyon, TX, about 15 miles down the road from the Motel. Canyon is home of The Panhandle Plains Museum on the West Texas A&M campus. Other than the canyon, there is almost no other attraction in this area, but this is a biggie! I am not big on slowly walking and standing for long periods of time, my lower back gets to hurting. But we spend 3 hours here and don't see all that there is to see. We finally give up and eat a light lunch in Canyon before heading for the State Park.
Beside the park entrance is Elkins Ranch where they offer jeep and horseback tours of the upper canyon. As it is only 3:00, we stop there first. The ranch (5 sections) is a family affair, even though the jeeps are painted like a Gateway box. The owner is our driver and when it is over, I am sure that he can have that job all he wants. He surveyed and cut the trails we drove over. Some of them would have been a problem even for a mule, but he made it. There were places when all you could see over the hood was sky or canyon wall, but the 45+ minute tour was well worth the price.
We saw the construction (destruction) of the canyon. The 2 layers of caprock (harder rock) which protected the plateau and the cracks which allowed erosion to eat them away. A process that has gone on for millions of years and continues. We saw new rockfalls where another section of caprock had recently broken off under the strain. We saw dry washes over the caprock which are huge waterfalls in any rain. We saw debris trapped in the canyon which had washed down in recent rains. We heard the history of the canyon from the arrival of the Spaniards and the Indian battles that took place in it. It was a good preparation for our entry to the State Park.
We next entered the State Park and went to the Visitor's Center. The building was built by the CCC during the 30s and contained a room of pictures and items from that period. There was also an interpretive center which, though good, was made better by the experience and knowledge we had just gained. After this, we drove down the long road into the park proper which is along the bottom of the canyon. Taking our time and stopping several times to make pictures, we went to the end of the park road and back to the amphitheater arriving there at 5:30.
At 6, the box office opened and we picked up our tickets for the play and the barbecue dinner. The dinner was good, served buffet style, but a little pricey. We sit down at one of the picnic tables in the shade with our plates and strike up a conversation with the other couple sitting there. They are traveling around the country by RV and asked how we got there. Sandra told them we flew our own plane and the man said:
"Well, well. We just sold my Mooney and her Continental to buy the RV"
That must be some RV, Mooneys ain't cheap! Dinner was very enjoyable while we all swapped stories of places we had been and pilots we have known or known about. They also wished they had the plane back.
After dinner, we had about 45 minutes to relax before the amphitheater opened. Our seats were fine, dead center in row J and the performance started at 8. The sun wasn't down yet, but was well below the canyon wall the amphitheater faces. There was a good breeze for most of the performance, so it was comfortable. The couple next to us was from Huntsville, AL. They had driven through Dallas to Lubbock to join up with their children for the trip to Amarillo. He asked how long it took us to drive from Dallas since they were going back that way. When told we flew our plane, so had no idea how long it takes to drive, we hear:
"I had a Piper Tri-Pacer during the 60s. Sold it and bought a Bonanza. Just sold it last year when I lost my medical." As few pilots as there are, what are the odds of meeting 2 in one evening? Of course, the average age of the audience here on weeknights is probably over 50.
The play tells the history of the area through the person of a benevolent cattleman who never ages. It covers the displacement of the Indians, the coming of the farmers and the railroads. The music is nothing special, but it is a good evening. Some of the lighting and special effects against the canyon wall are spectacular.
After the play, the drive back up the road was spectacular. The road climbs the canyon in one nearly straight section about 2 miles long. At the bottom we could see a solid string of taillights crawling up the canyon. Back on the top, we could easily see Amarillo some 20 miles away. We got back to our motel at midnight.
Wednesday morning dawns clear but hazy. The Weather Channel shows some rain tapering off and moving to the southwest of Amarillo. This is no problem. We eat breakfast, check out and head for the airport. I preflight and check that there is enough gas to get back to Childress. Gas is $2.20 there, but is 2.75 here! After preflight, I go back in and give the baggage compartment key to Sandra, telling her to take the car through and load our stuff up while I get briefed and file flight plans.
We get in and fire up. I get ATIS and write down the ID. Everything looks good so I contact Ground.
"Amarillo Ground, Musketeer Five Niner Four Lima Bravo at TAC-Air. I've got Whiskey and am ready to taxi."
"Roger, Four Lima Bravo. Taxi to Two Two."
I give it some gas and we don't move. Oops!
"Ground, Four Lima Bravo is gonna have to shut down for a moment while we pull the chocks."
"No problem, just let us know when you are ready." There is a distinct chuckle in his voice.
I shut down and Sandra gets out and kicks the chock out from in front of the nose wheel. I'm no chauvinist, she has to get out first anyway as there is only one door and it's on her side.
This is not an unusual occurrence. I read a column by one of the regulars in Flying magazine describing his embarrassment at firing up with Mister Piper in the right seat and realizing his plight. Mr. Piper was nearly eighty at the time and the writer was ferrying him to places on his busy personal appearance schedule. There is also much kidding about practicing "turns around the tiedown". I haven't done that one yet, but it is only a matter of time. As I'm turning onto taxiway Papa, ground gives me a squawk code and request my destination and direction of flight.
"Ground, Four Lima Bravo is filed for Childress but would like to depart over the canyon before turning east."
"Departure approved Four Lima Bravo. Contact tower when ready, contact departure on one one nine point five when airborne."
It is a mile (literally) from TAC-air to the runway. I get the DG and Altimeter set and all the charts ready. I tune departure on Com2 and I am ready. I do my runup and call the tower. No one else waiting and I am immediately cleared for takeoff.
Standard practice is to make your first turn past the end of the runway or over 300' AGL whichever comes last. This runway is 13,500' and from my calculations, I need 1800 for takeoff. I can still see runway over the nose when the tower says: "Four Lima Bravo, Turn to one seven zero and contact departure."
On the plateau, the air is clear. As we approach the canyon, it is nearly full of haze. It is reminiscent of the last scene in "Last of the Mohicans" where they are looking out at the ridges sticking up through the mist. We fly back down the canyon and then the Redhead goes into snooze mode while I fly. I am soon picking up the Childress VOR, so navigation is no problem. The problem is only 5-7 miles visibility on the ground. We don't have DME, so I need some landmark to know when to start my descent into CDS. We are at 5000' and pattern altitude there is 3000'. Standard descent is 500FPM, so we need 4+ minutes for descent and that is 8-10 miles. The haze is thinning, and I find the 2 lakes NW of the field and begin my descent. I soon see the old NW-SE runway (now closed) pointing right at me.
We land, gas up, and pull the plane back over to the ramp. Then after cooling down in the air conditioned office, head for the sandwich shop again. We take a quick tour of downtown Childress on the way. Not much to see, but the sandwich was as good as the one on Monday. The Redhead had a baked potato this time and said it was awfully good. Back to the airport and depart about 1:00. Open flight plan while climbing to 5500. Outside temperature is 75 and the bumps are mild. I lock Nav1 on the Childress VOR outbound and set Nav2 for Sheppard. The haze is still with us, but ground visibility is around 20 miles. Nothing to do now but watch the world slide under us until I get over Electra.
There, I check in with Sheppard approach and get permission to go over the VOR and their airspace. With Com1 on Sheppard approach and listening in on Sheppard Tower on Com2, I have a picture of what is going on. We cross Sheppard and 2 T38s cross under us at pattern altitude (about 2500') one of them is in Thunderbird livery and is very visible, the other is in camo and if he hadn't been between me and the runway, I couldn't have seen him.
From Sheppard, we pass over Noconah, Muenster and just south of Gainesville back into home country. The haze worsens as forecast, but between I35 and US 75 from Dallas to Texoma, it would be hard to get misplaced now, let alone lost. Into the pattern at Aero Country and make another excellent landing.
It had been a wonderfully good trip!
Now, the bad news.
We got home to find that our air conditioner had given up the ghost. Called our HVAC man (An ex-engineer I have known for 30 years). He could not get to it until tomorrow morning, so we went to a motel for the night.
Next morning's diagnosis was as bad as we feared. The unit was 20 years old and Bob had been keeping it running the last several years mainly by faith. He promises he will have a new one in by that evening and goes off to finish another job and pick up the new unit.
True to his word, the new unit is blowing cool by 5:00PM and by midnight, the house is back down to the normal 70. The floors and walls are still warm to the touch after at least 2 days of heat soaking, but that will go away during the night.
Cool at last, I write the first half of the Amarillo trip for this journal and post it to one of the forums I attend religiously. The suggestion is again made that I publish the entire journal with pictures on the web. One of the forum members volunteers the space, so I start in with minimal tools. After a week and a half, it is all posted. And it is time for another trip.
