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Flat River Valley (Reunion Flight Day 3 Run 2)
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 Photo Info
Posted By: Nickens, Dan
Date Posted: Oct 16, 2018
Description: It was a brilliant start for crossing the mountains under absolute blue skies. The southeasterly routing was forced, however, by low clouds to the east of the Rockies and in Texas. The daily flight plan called for getting as far south into western Texas by the end of the day as the stalled frontal system to the east would allow.
Date Taken: Sept. 22, 2018
Place Taken: Grand Junction, CO
Owner: Nickens, Dan
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Category: Cross Country Reunion
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Read what others had to say:

Nickens, Dan - Oct 14,2018   Viewers  | Reply
    It took only minutes from downtown Grand Junction to get into the spectacular countryside.
Colorado River Valley, East of Grand Junction, CO 9/22 		     Attachments:  

Grand Valley IMG 0435
Grand Valley IMG 0435

    
  
Nickens, Dan - Oct 14,2018   Viewers  | Reply
    The red rocks and green of the river valley were resplendent under the cloudless sky.
Colorado River Valley, East of Grand Junction, CO 9/22 		     Attachments:  

Water Colors IMG 0446
Water Colors IMG 0446

    
  
Nickens, Dan - Oct 14,2018   Viewers  | Reply
    In such a big land the confined parcels along a little stream seemed out of place.
Near Delta, CO 9/22 		     Attachments:  

Strange Pastures IMG 0450
Strange Pastures IMG 0450

    
  
Nickens, Dan - Oct 14,2018   Viewers  | Reply
    In between the river valley and canyons and mountains there was room for some flat fields
Farms east of Delta, CO 9/22 		     Attachments:  

Different Fields IMG 0456
Different Fields IMG 0456

    
  
Nickens, Dan - Oct 14,2018   Viewers  | Reply
    My memory of earlier flights recalled high, hard mountains to climb through. Crossing soft farmlands made the flying through Rockies seem too easy.
Farms east of Delta, CO 9/22 		     Attachments:  

Valley Farms IMG 0462
Valley Farms IMG 0462

    
  
Nickens, Dan - Oct 14,2018   Viewers  | Reply
    The wrinkled topography adjoining the farmland was a reminder that real mountains were still waiting to be crossed.
East of Delta, CO 9/22 		     Attachments:  

Wrinkled Edges IMG 0473
Wrinkled Edges IMG 0473

    
  
Nickens, Dan - Oct 14,2018   Viewers  | Reply
    The easy, relaxing near flatness of the early flight was jarred into the past upon confronting the Black Canyon of the Gunnison River. From a casual glance at the chart I had thought it would be like the friendly canyons of Utah. No way. This canyon was a sinister black crevice.
Black Canyon of the Gunnison National Mon., CO 9/22 		     Attachments:  

Shocking Crack IMG 0478
Shocking Crack IMG 0478

    
  
Nickens, Dan - Oct 14,2018   Viewers  | Reply
    The sheer, sharp walls were granite gray. The water was shallow and rocky. The river course twisted torturously, with no freedom of movement. There was no safe harbor should the little seaplane become distressed.
Black Canyon of the Gunnison National Mon., CO 9/22 		     Attachments:  

No Safe Haven IMG 0483
No Safe Haven IMG 0483

    
  
Nickens, Dan - Oct 14,2018   Viewers  | Reply
    It's called the Black Canyon because it's hard for sunlight to penetrate to the bottom. "Several canyons of the American West are longer and some are deeper, but none combines the depth, sheerness, narrowness, darkness, and dread of the Black Canyon."
From Images of America: The Black Canyon of the Gunnison by Duane Vandenbusche
It is said that the deep water of the canyon gets less than an hour of sunlight every day. Seemed likely true to me.
Black Canyon of the Gunnison National Mon., CO 9/22 		     Attachments:  

Dark Shadows IMG 0485
Dark Shadows IMG 0485

    
  
Nickens, Dan - Oct 14,2018   Viewers  | Reply
    It's called the Painted Wall. A metamorphic rock of PreCambrian age with pegmatite dikes standing more than 2,000' tall. Why did the river cut so cleanly through such tough rock, instead of just going around it?

Because it's path was locked. For millions of easy years the river cut through soft volcanic rock. When the whole area was uplifted, it was forced to scour the hard gniess and schist, though at a slower rate of about an inch per 100 years. Working as hard as the river could, it took 2 million years to cut away this slab.

There were precautionary warnings posted on the park service web site: "Closure Due to Potential Rockfall! Part of South Chasm View Wall is closed due to a 300' x 40' slab of rock that shifted one inch in one week. The slab is estimated to weigh 6 million pounds or more." One of the routes closed was named "The Night is Dark & Full of Terrors". Who would want to take that route anyway!

Black Canyon of the Gunnison National Mon., CO 9/22 		     Attachments:  

Sheer Tall Slab IMG 0502
Sheer Tall Slab IMG 0502

    
  
Nickens, Dan - Oct 14,2018   Viewers  | Reply
    Instead of flying over the canyon, a slight shift to the side put the little airplane over less scary terrain.
Black Canyon of the Gunnison National Mon., CO 9/22 		     Attachments:  

Edge of Fright IMG 0511
Edge of Fright IMG 0511

    
  
Nickens, Dan - Oct 14,2018   Viewers  | Reply
    The slightly less scary edges had a pretty side.
Black Canyon of the Gunnison National Mon., CO 9/22 		     Attachments:  

Pretty Unfriendly IMG 0523
Pretty Unfriendly IMG 0523

    
  
Nickens, Dan - Oct 14,2018   Viewers  | Reply
    With the edges reaching an elevation of almost 10,000', getting on top was sometimes a stretch.
Black Canyon of the Gunnison National Mon., CO 9/22 		     Attachments:  

Out of Reach IMG 0529
Out of Reach IMG 0529

    
  
Nickens, Dan - Oct 14,2018   Viewers  | Reply
    Just when I thought I might relax being high enough for some gliding room, the edges went all knarly.
Black Canyon of the Gunnison National Mon., CO 9/22 		     Attachments:  

Unflat IMG 0540
Unflat IMG 0540

    
  
Nickens, Dan - Oct 14,2018   Viewers  | Reply
    The other side of the canyon was higher and too far for an emergency glide. Fortunately so far there was no indication of even the possibility for such a need from my old SeaRey friend.
Black Canyon of the Gunnison National Mon., CO 9/22 		     Attachments:  

Outta Reach IMG 0553
Outta Reach IMG 0553

    
  
Nickens, Dan - Oct 14,2018   Viewers  | Reply
    Finally! "Open" water suitable for SeaReys!
A good look convinced me otherwise. While there was room, the wind whipped surface told me that it would be no easy alighting, with a powerful channeled wind blowing ever which way.
Gunnison River near Cimarron, CO 9/22 		     Attachments:  

Bad Water IMG 0557
Bad Water IMG 0557

    
  
Nickens, Dan - Oct 14,2018   Viewers  | Reply
    With more water below, the bluffs opened up to some high meadow. An easier escape if one were needed.
Near Cimarron, CO 9/22 		     Attachments:  

Easier Crossing IMG 0571
Easier Crossing IMG 0571

    
  
Nickens, Dan - Oct 14,2018   Viewers  | Reply
    Finally! Beautiful water to splash! I was out of the park and into the national recreation area. There were boats recreating. A flying boat would look really good on the enticing water of the Blue Mesa Reservoir. Sure, it's high at 7000' msl (and higher in density altitude), but with a trusty, capable airplane, it should be good to go.
Wrong! It is closed to seaplanes (according to SPA's water directory). Arbitrary banning! Capricious closing! There is no justice!
Being civilly disobedient I got within an inch of the water but didn't touch (at least that's my testimony and that I didn't feel a thing, certainly no remorse).
Blue Mesa Reservoir, CO 9/22 		     Attachments:  

Not for Seaplanes IMG 0583
Not for Seaplanes IMG 0583

    
  
Nickens, Dan - Oct 14,2018   Viewers  | Reply
    Perfect SeaRey ramps, conveniently located. Probably just mud. Likely would just get stuck. Probably thick with mosquitoes too. Pppffftttt!
Blue Mesa Reservoir, CO 9/22 		     Attachments:  

Nice Ramps IMG 0585
Nice Ramps IMG 0585

    
  
Nickens, Dan - Oct 14,2018   Viewers  | Reply
    See! Nobody on the island at all! Probably thick with poison ivy. It must suck to be down there.
Blue Mesa Reservoir, CO 9/22 		     Attachments:  

Restricted Access IMG 0593
Restricted Access IMG 0593

    
  
Nickens, Dan - Oct 14,2018   Viewers  | Reply
    Must be full of stinking muck covered by a thin veneer of pretty. Forget the ban. I wouldn't want to be stupid enough to get suckered into such a quagmire.
Blue Mesa Reservoir, CO 9/22 		     Attachments:  

Full of Muck IMG 0596
Full of Muck IMG 0596

    
  
Nickens, Dan - Oct 14,2018   Viewers  | Reply
    Such a disgusting sight. I had to get down low to confirm it, but see the white suds? Probably detergent from a park ranger's dirty laundry.
Blue Mesa Reservoir, CO 9/22 		     Attachments:  

Disgusting Sight IMG 0600
Disgusting Sight IMG 0600

    
  
Nickens, Dan - Oct 14,2018   Viewers  | Reply
    Reflections were muddled. Probably by the bureaucrats.
Blue Mesa Reservoir, CO 9/22 		     Attachments:  

Poor Reflections IMG 0601
Poor Reflections IMG 0601

    
  
Nickens, Dan - Oct 14,2018   Viewers  | Reply
    So, if the water is off limits, why did they put a nice runway right beside it?
Blue Mesa Reservoir, CO 9/22 		     Attachments:  

Lakeside Runways IMG 0602
Lakeside Runways IMG 0602

    
  
Nickens, Dan - Oct 14,2018   Viewers  | Reply
    What, they can't even make a straight runway? Of course the 'crats were probably drunk when they laid it out. Oh, wait. It's Colorado. They were probably high on weed.
Blue Mesa Reservoir, CO 9/22 		     Attachments:  

Bad Alignment IMG 0604
Bad Alignment IMG 0604

    
  
Nickens, Dan - Oct 14,2018   Viewers  | Reply
    What happened to the 'crats work here? Run out of money for concrete bulkheads?
Blue Mesa Reservoir, CO 9/22 		     Attachments:  

Nothing Straight IMG 0614
Nothing Straight IMG 0614

    
  
Nickens, Dan - Oct 14,2018   Viewers  | Reply
    Next year's budget will undoubtedly include removal of the unsightly pile of rocks.
Blue Mesa Reservoir, CO 9/22 		     Attachments:  

Rock Dump IMG 0621
Rock Dump IMG 0621

    
  
Nickens, Dan - Oct 14,2018   Viewers  | Reply
    What! No postings? "Warning. Off Limits to SeaReys (And Anyone Else Doing Something a Little Different.)"
Blue Mesa Reservoir, CO 9/22 		     Attachments:  

No Postings IMG 0624
No Postings IMG 0624

    
  
Nickens, Dan - Oct 14,2018   Viewers  | Reply
    So, it's open season for habitat-destroying Big Boy Toys, but not for eco-friendly SeaReys?
Blue Mesa Reservoir, CO 9/22 		     Attachments:  

Open Season IMG 0629
Open Season IMG 0629

    
  
Nickens, Dan - Oct 14,2018   Viewers  | Reply
    My vituperous harangue regarding the seaplane blockade quieted when the river shrank to a pretty (and unnavigable) stream.
Gunnison River near Gunnison, CO 9/22 		     Attachments:  

Quiet Place IMG 0631
Quiet Place IMG 0631

    
  
Nickens, Dan - Oct 14,2018   Viewers  | Reply
    There was one last high mountain pass to cross in the morning flight plan. You know it's a good day when the 10000' pass looks so nice!
Cochetopa Pass, West of Saguache, CO 9/22 		     Attachments:  

Pretty Pass IMG 0657
Pretty Pass IMG 0657

    
  
Nickens, Dan - Oct 14,2018   Viewers  | Reply
    The yellow cautionary signals were subdued against the clear green signals promising an easy crossing.
Cochetopa Pass, West of Saguache, CO 9/22 		     Attachments:  

Mixed Signals IMG 0663
Mixed Signals IMG 0663

    
  
Nickens, Dan - Oct 14,2018   Viewers  | Reply
    Open territory for stress free crossing of the great Rockies.
West of Saguache, CO 9/22 		     Attachments:  

Smooth Crossing IMG 0673
Smooth Crossing IMG 0673

    
  
Nickens, Dan - Oct 14,2018   Viewers  | Reply
    The pass wasn't all rocky. There was a bright little stream going my way.
West of Saguache, CO 9/22 		     Attachments:  

Bright Water IMG 0675
Bright Water IMG 0675

    
  
Nickens, Dan - Oct 14,2018   Viewers  | Reply
    The little stream wandered all over the gentle mountain valley.
West of Saguache, CO 9/22 		     Attachments:  

Wandering Way IMG 0678
Wandering Way IMG 0678

    
  
Nickens, Dan - Oct 14,2018   Viewers  | Reply
    There were boundaries, however, to its easy wandering ways.
West of Saguache, CO 9/22 		     Attachments:  

Hard Stop IMG 0688
Hard Stop IMG 0688

    
  
Nickens, Dan - Oct 14,2018   Viewers  | Reply
    Clouds? Mountain Obscuration? Valley Obscuration too?
Oh, no! Not another tricky day!
Oh, sure, the weather prognostication included warning of low weather east of the Rockies. I did not recall, however, seeing anything about low clouds in the high valley.
Well, whether mentioned or not, the weather was there. Now I just needed to figure out how to avoid the unexpected white flight barrier.
West of Saguache, CO 9/22 		     Attachments:  

Low Barrier IMG 3287
Low Barrier IMG 3287

    
  
Nickens, Dan - Oct 14,2018   Viewers  | Reply
    The problem got closer. Perhaps I could duck under the white blanket? Flying around it over the spine of the Rockies was not an appetizing option.
West of Saguache, CO 9/22 		     Attachments:  

Closing In IMG 0699
Closing In IMG 0699

    
  
Nickens, Dan - Oct 14,2018   Viewers  | Reply
    As if the ocean parted for the little SeaRey, the skies opened up over the valley.
North of Monte Vista, CO 9/22 		     Attachments:  

Open Valley IMG 0713
Open Valley IMG 0713

    
  
Nickens, Dan - Oct 14,2018   Viewers  | Reply
    No worry flying over flat farms.
North of Monte Vista, CO 9/22 		     Attachments:  

Piece of Cake IMG 0712
Piece of Cake IMG 0712

    
  
Nickens, Dan - Oct 14,2018   Viewers  | Reply
    With all obstacles overcome or bypassed, there was a clear and easy approach into the Monte Vista airport (KMVI). It was 2.8 mostly excellent flight hours, covering only 170 miles horizontally, but a lot more vertically. It was all downhill now.
Monte Vista, CO 9/22 		     Attachments:  

Clear Approach IMG 0715
Clear Approach IMG 0715

       Attachments:  

Day 3 Run (1)
Day 3 Run (1)

    
  
David Geers - Oct 15,2018   Viewers  | Reply
    Fantastic photos Dan thanks for sharing.     
  
Don Maxwell - Oct 16,2018   Viewers  | Reply
    I'm glad the 'crats didn't notice you, Dan. Just knowing they've been there ahead of me usually turns my sky grey. Grey must be the color of bureaucracy. Even gray, with an a, seems to have an intimation of sunshine. Show your true colors, you 'crats! (Yes, yes, I know: bureaucracy keeps the trains running on time, the lights on, etc., etc.)     
  
Nickens, Dan - Oct 16,2018   Viewers  | Reply
    The 'crats do cast a pall, Don, even when the train is on time. Having a snitch in the cockpit didn't help. This airplane had ADS-B installed. It was a definite distraction, as I kept looking for the Reply signal indicating I'd been pinged. Fortunately it wasn't receiving behind the walls of granite. Anyone who thinks we won't be tracked isn't sufficiently paranoid (and it's not paranoid if you ARE being followed!).     
  
Eric Batterman - Oct 16,2018   Viewers  | Reply
    Best you get that faulty transponder circuit breaker looked at soon.     
  
Don Maxwell - Oct 18,2018   Viewers  | Reply
    I suppose a faulty transponder circuit breaker could be a disadvantage if one were to get lost way out in the boonies, with no other position locator aboard to get help if it were needed. On the other hand, a breaker fault might go unnoticed out in the boonies and low, especially if one were to make a precautionary landing on a body of water or a pit stop on a public road. Technology is fickle: there may be an epidemic of faulty circuit breakers.     
  
Nickens, Dan - Oct 16,2018   Viewers  | Reply
    Well, there are intermittent electrical issues with the airplane, Eric, likely associated wilth the saltwater baths I subjected it to. 😜     


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