It's been two years! TWO?!

Two years ago today I took my first real step at becoming a pilot. The private pilot check ride. It's hard to believe all the amazing people I've met since then. All of the amazing places I've gone, the things I have seen since that day. Here are just a few of the great memories I have made so far!

Who would honestly ever let this man fly an airplane?

Clouds are neat.

Fog is also neat.

I am in the sky! Like a bird!

Actually getting paid to fly, dreams do come true.

I've gotten to go to some amazing places.

And it's always better with friends.

I'll See You at the Bar! Bar Ten Lodge that is...

Flying for this company I get to go to some amazing airstrips, one in particular is Whitmore International Airport! It's more like a strip of asphalt at the bottom of a canyon, not the Grand Canyon, but pretty close to it. This airstrip supports river rafters making their way down Colorado River, some people put into the river here while others end their trip here. Well let's get down to what we all really want to see, the pictures! Note, not all these pictures were taken at Bar Ten.

Welcome to Bar Ten!

Unfortunately no jet bridge. 

Canyonview 86 cleared for takeoff.

Fuel truck is old and reliable.

North Concourse Gate A, now boarding for Marble Canyon.

Runway 16

The lava flow off the end of the runway.

If you look closely, theres a runway down there... I swear.

On my way to Bar Ten over the Kaibab.

Helicopters abound at Bar Ten, here they have no natural predators.

Artsy picture at Marble Canyon.

Bar Ten is at the bottom of that canyon!

A moonrise in Page, AZ.

Wildlife at Bar Ten.

A helicopter overlooking the runway.

And now, a landing at Bar Ten.

If you ever get a chance to take a trip to Bar Ten, it will be well worth your while!

First Class or No Class!

The Planes of Fame Museum at the Valle Airport in Valle, Arizona is home to over forty different aircraft. According to the signs, over ninety percent of the aircraft are still flyable! I didn’t take any of them for a spin, but I was able to get up close and personal with many of them. Museums preserve the past for the future generations, but there is something about an aviation museum that is truly breathtaking. First of all, the technologies for aircraft instruments have essentially not changed. How we measure airspeed and altitude. Our ability to navigate in the skies has dramatically changed since the early days of aviation. The introduction of satellites and GPS has made navigation easier and more accurate than ever before. In the early days of aviation they still used the same methods as sailors! Getting positions from the stars to guide them. The knowledge and determination of the early aviators was astounding. Walking around that museum my respect grew and grew for those early aviators. But I will say this, aviation was certainly a classy affair back then...

A 1952 Martin 404 

I had driven by this beast a number of times on my way to and from Flagstaff, I never knew you could go all up in it!

With a luxurious main cabin, just look at those couch patters.

Sitting in the back and want to know your altitude, vertical speed and airspeed? They've got you covered!

For important business meetings.

First class all the way.

Still pretty basic up front though.

Just look at them colorful panels and switches.

Lava Cave

So the other day we decided to go see a lava cave! By we, I mean that I was whisked away by friends who knew about some fancy ass caves made by lava, but I didn't know that until we got there. So there we are, walking through the woods and all of a sudden BAM a big hole in the ground. Unfortunately it's very difficult to take pictures a mile into the earth, so I'll have to use my words to describe it. And this one picture from outside.

The entrance to the cave!

So, there we are... looking into a crevice of blackness, the map says from this point it is one entire mile to the end of the cave! Are we not men?! ARE WE NOT ADVENTURERS?!?! Obviously we are, so in we went. Upon entering the cave we were greeted by stale, frigid air. Ice covered the sloped floor as we skittered our way into the hollow shell of the extinct volcanic tube. Down, down, down we went until the light of day was no longer visible. Our only source of light, the electric torches we brought with us. As the floor leveled out, we cast our lights to the ceiling to discover it had opened to a cavernous expanse. The floor looked as if the rocks had been frozen in a moment of boiling intensity. Further and further we went into the cave, the ceiling rising and falling, at times we had to crouch down to a crawl, while other times the ceiling was so high we yelled at our own echoes. It got warmer as we descended further into the cave, at times we shut off our lights and strained our ears for any sounds, but there was nothing but our own breathing lungs and beating hearts. I don't have much experience in caving, but it was something I would very much like to do again.

Forgotten Spaces

I'm not sure why I'm drawn towards abandoned houses. Ghost towns, decrepit buildings, and forgotten spaces hold some kind of allure that I can't quite define. Perhaps it's the progression of nature, perhaps it's a fascination with decay, or perhaps it's listening for an echo of the past somehow preserved by the bones of the present. Today I made my way to an abandoned house about five miles outside of town. I fly over it almost every day and I have been meaning to go take a look at it, today was the day. 

The abandoned house

Complete with dog house in back

Why did the bicycle fall over? Because it was two tired!

A couch well past its prime

Custom bumper

This has probably been around for years

In case you need a quick jog

Cowboy boots

In case you need to leave your saddle

Sombrero

Old bones and new flowers

One sweet ride

Parts from an old airplane? 

Can these get any more rusty?

Parts from a toilet

A temple for squirrels

More airplane parts?

Wall-e

Sombrero 2

Blue

Probably still works

Outhouse

Inhouse

Someone used to live here...