By Rod Kunkel & Mike McCann
The weekend of October 3-5 marked our first ever combined day trip / weekend getaway. Our destination was Monument Valley, UT. The airstrip at Monument Valley is somewhat unique. It is plenty long, but the runway has quite a bit of slope, rising upward to the south. There is also a red rock wall about a quarter mile south of the airport. Consequently, all landings are to the south on runway 16, and all take-offs are to the north on runway 34. Any go-around decisions on landing need to be made fairly early in the landing sequence to avoid having to execute a sharp turn to avoid the terrain on the south end.
20 weekenders (10 planes) arrived Friday morning, just before winds were forecasted to pick up on the surface. Winds aloft were already fairly strong out of the south, resulting in some pretty impressive ground speeds for those arriving from the Phoenix area or other points south.
Friday night, we enjoyed hearty dinners at the Stagecoach Restaurant, then wine tasting outside Rod & Jackie’s cabin. Mike McCann also pointed out some stars and constellations using his hand-held laser pointer. The winds continued quite strong all night and throughout the day Saturday.
12 day trippers arrived Saturday morning. No harsh critiques of landings or take-offs on Saturday as the winds persisted. Saturday’s main activity was a tour of Monument Valley in open air vans. All 32 of us piled into 2 large vans for a 3-hour sight-seeing and educational adventure. We enjoyed a filling boxed lunch along the way at a unique picnic spot amongst the red rock formations. Most day trippers departed for home Saturday afternoon, although at least a couple opted to stay overnight and wait to depart for home Sunday morning when the winds were finally expected to die down.
Saturday night featured yet another hearty meal at the Stagecoach Restaurant and even more wine tasting (which helped improve Rod & Jackie’s Weight & Balance calculations for the trip home on Sunday).
Everyone departed for home Sunday morning. By then winds aloft and on the ground had died down significantly. Pleasant flights were had by all!