No canned salmon tonight, but also no Whitehorse. Hello Smithers.Our day started at 5:30 with a pickup from our new good friend, Dillon. (There are 6 operating taxis in Quesnel, so it was not surprising we had the same fellow on all 3 trips.) After a busy night with Billy Barker fans, poor Dillon looked as hungover as his cab smelled!
Like little piggie going to market, we beat the rush out to the airport and were the 3rd Century plane to depart. At altitude, the galley cart served apple strudel and cherries.
All was going very well, until we noticed the thickening deck of clouds settling north of Smithers. We fueled and took off into the murk. Bill's flight plan was filed GPS direct to Dease Lake, but the cloud deck began at 4,500 feet and the peaks are 5,500 feet. No go. We amended the plan to follow the VFR route over highway 16. It is longer but safer. 30 minutes out the clouds got lowers and lower, and the weather in Dease Lake was reported closing in. We turned around, topped up the tanks, buttoned up the plane and found a motel. We're not the only ones to make this decision, although there are others who are going to tail a pilot with experience in clouds. Not us! We'll try for Whitehorse tomorrow.
For today's tracking, see:http://www.spotadventures.com/trip/view?trip_id=213773
Great photo of the grounded pilot!
ReplyDeleteIs there a guided tour bus so you can "do" Smithers? Guess not. Ah well, tomorrow is another day
No cloud cover here to speak of, hot, hot and hot. Rosalie
Hi Jill and Bill, I know you realized long ago that I am a computer dolt but I just remembered that you gave an email address on your last note.(Duh!) I have been thinking of you for days...on Thursday when I thought of you packing everything up, and then on Friday when I imagined you soaring out of Nakusp. However I didn't know where you were going. Tonight (Saturday) I remembered your note and found you in Smithers! I looks like you will have a wonderful time and so sorry that you had to return to Smithers. I was a bit disappointed though reading that you took a taxi and found a motel. I imagined that you would strike your Cessna tent on the tarmac and under the wing to wait out the bad weather. Looking forward to the next installment...Eric and Joy
ReplyDeleteHi ! Just read all your entries! Fabulous but I am sure glad you found a motel in Smithers! Hope the weather improves for today. I bet Bill must have a permanent smile on his face !
ReplyDeleteYou sure have done a great job on this blog..The information is amazing!
We had a delightful time at Lasqueti and are all set for todays 90th tea( Barb and me and Dad).. Invasion tomorrow afternoon back in Port..Weather here is warm but not stinking hot!
Much love and wishes for clearer skies,
Carol and Peter xx
I'm glad to see the crew isn't suffering food-wise during sectors!
ReplyDeleteIt's great that you have a group for support when the unexpected changes your plans. Hope the wx in Smithers allows some out and about time for exploring.
We had abit of everything wx wise yesterday, including hail the size of "toonies" that fell for about 2 mins, the good thing is Connie's rain barrel is full again.
We'll check-in with you tomorrow...M
Nice summary so far!
ReplyDeleteGlad to hear it's turning into an adventure.... Quesnel is a great place to visit!
Our trip back from Calgary in the RV along Hwys 1, 97A, 97, 3A & 3 was a great, yet leisurely adventure!
Chris
Chris, that was a circuitous route across BC. Don't tell us you've become an RV fan, and didn't want the trip to end!
ReplyDeleteAre you kidding, Joy? I suspect your idea of camping is much the same as mine: holed up in a hotel room with Carol, Barb and Julie; drinking wine and eating goodies while sharing our Seattle shopping finds!
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