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Posted By:
Hal Brown
Date Posted:
Oct 27, 2011
Description:
The sun may visit the valley but it has to cut through the smog and squeeze in between the buildings. With an early morning start, the prospects of a timely arrival in Los Angeles looked good. And, even better, Pia could out climb the smog.
Date Taken:
Oct 27, 2011
Place Taken:
Phoenix, AZ
Owner:
Dan Nickens
File Name:
Valley_of_Sun.jpg - Photo HTML
Full size - <img src="/show.php?splash=SZOPZ0000h">
Medium - <img src="/show.php?splash=SZOPZ0000m">
Thumbnail - <img src="/show.php?splash=SZOPZ0000s">
Category:
493, Travails of Pia Romeo
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Click on photo to view the original size. |
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Read what others had to say:
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Dan Nickens - Oct 27,2011
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Even a desert needs a water ski place. Phoenix has a big one. Nice.
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Desert Water Sports
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Dan Nickens - Oct 27,2011
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A hill sticking up out of the flat valley floor? No problem. Just build around it and put a big tank on its top. Maybe sink the tank into the volcano's crater?
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Topo Contour
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Dan Nickens - Oct 27,2011
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Another nice facility, but I’m guessing they don’t race in the summer when it’s 120F in the shade.
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Desert Raceway
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Dan Nickens - Oct 27,2011
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Streams have a hard enough time in the desert. Dealing with a big diversion is just part of the deal. The Gila River takes a sharp turn past Powers Butte.
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Natural Diversion
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Dan Nickens - Oct 27,2011
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What a place for a nuclear plant: next to the volcano and upwind from Phoenix! The Palo Verde plant is the largest nuclear generation plant in the United States. Notably it is not associated with a large water body. It uses water from sewage treatment plants: 20 billion gallons a year. (If this thing goes bad, it's going to be a stinking mess!)
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Upwind beside Volcano
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Don Maxwell - Oct 28,2011
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It adds a whole new dimension to the expression, 'hot shit'!
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Dan Nickens - Oct 27,2011
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When a mountain rises up in the nice straight line drawn on the GPS, you have to think left, right, or over the top.
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Naturally Diverting
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Dan Nickens - Oct 27,2011
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Sometimes you can just go right through. “Sorry about those wing tips, Adam. I was just trying to save time flying in a straight line.”
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Shooting the Gap
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Don Maxwell - Oct 28,2011
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Cool shot, Dan! Were you steering with your toes and knees, or holding the camera up there with one hand? And what was the wind doing just then?
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Dan Nickens - Oct 28,2011
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It was dead calm, Don, and Pia was riding on a flat rail. A one handed quick overhead snap shot was all it took. It helps to have a fully automatic shooter in this kinda situation (an ambush by sidewinders out in Indian country)!
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Side shot
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Don Maxwell - Oct 29,2011
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What the heck are those post-looking things--cacti?
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Dan Nickens - Oct 29,2011
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It's that or cell phone towers with a new, natural look!
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Dan Nickens - Oct 27,2011
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It’s a classic scene and if it was in Italy you might expect Clint to ride up on his horse, six guns blazing.
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Cowboy Country
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Dan Nickens - Oct 27,2011
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Horns of a buried dust devil? You can see a lot of stuff in the heat of the day in the desert.
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Horns on Hills
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Dan Nickens - Oct 27,2011
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Getting down as the ground rose up was easy. Pulling the stickers out of the tires was tough.
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Cactus Wash
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Dan Nickens - Oct 27,2011
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It was awfully tempting just to touch down to see the desert up close. But, it wasn’t my plane and it had a date with a ship that didn’t allow for a flat tire in a wilderness area.
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Desert Runway
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Dan Nickens - Oct 27,2011
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The landing opportunities looked a bit tricky with all the potholes sprinkled around the valley.
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Desert Potholes
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Dan Nickens - Oct 27,2011
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Out in the desert, cacti makes for low maintenance landscaping. That’s good because there’s usually no one around during the summer. During the winter thousands of Recreational Vehicles descend on Quartzite and the surrounding desert. It is a huge draw for rock hounds, with eight gem shows on the winter calendar.
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Desert Landscaping
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Dan Nickens - Oct 27,2011
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The exposed core of a volcano? Actually it is an outlier of Black Mesa, a volcanic butte rising 1200’ above the Ranegas Plain.
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Black Top
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Dan Nickens - Oct 27,2011
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When a seaplane pilot has been in the desert too long, any spot of water looks inviting.
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Wet Invitation
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Dan Nickens - Oct 27,2011
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Ah! At last! A refreshing dip in the river.
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Seaplane Lane
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Dan Nickens - Oct 27,2011
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Self portrait of a shadowy character.
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Photo Pose
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Dan Nickens - Oct 27,2011
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A tractor gone wild? A farmer fuming from funny weed? Who knows why. Maybe it’s because a deal was negotiated with Los Angeles to get Blythe’s water. Consequently, a lot of farm land in Blythe will be fallow for the next 35 years.
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Field Loops
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Jeff Arnold - Oct 27,2011
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Perhaps it is meant to be a representation of your flight path from FL to CA?
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Dan Nickens - Oct 27,2011
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What?!? You might be right, Jeff. Maybe somebody is ratting me out.
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Don Maxwell - Oct 28,2011
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I didn't know you could loop a tractor. Fantastic!
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Frank A. Carr - Oct 28,2011
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Not far from the Blythe VOR are some Hieroglyphs easily seen even from an Archer.
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Dan Nickens - Oct 29,2011
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Darn! Missed them, Frank. Maybe I should have followed a flight plan using traditional navigational aides. Maybe next time. (But probably not....now that I know they're there I'll just look for them and thanks for the targets!)<!-- >'"><br><font color=red size=6>' or > missing in user HTML. Please fix the HTML.</font> -->
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Frank A. Carr - Oct 29,2011
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Some years ago, the fellow at the airport gave me the bearing and DME distance from the <br />VOR. Hopefully, the ATV crazies haven't ruined them completely by now.
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Dan Nickens - Oct 27,2011
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The Blythe airport was a quiet fueling place with no one in sight. From Phoenix it was 170 miles covered in 2.3 hours at an average of 75 mph. Faster than a 1958 VW. And Blythe is widely known as the half way point between Phoenix and Los Angeles for the folks that drive between the two in VW micro-buses. A good omen, I reckoned.
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Desert Field
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Dan Nickens - Oct 27,2011
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A black flow out of the mountain can’t be a good thing, right? Apparently it is good for lilies…or the Desert Lily anyway, because there is a designated preserve in the adjacent Palen Valley. Pictures of the Lily are beautiful, but it is a detail not easily seen (even) from a SeaRey. Unless, of course, you just get real, real low.
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Bleeding Mountain
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Dan Nickens - Oct 27,2011
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Someone had been out tracking up the dry lake. The SeaRey left only two short ones but we didn’t stop to see how far we would sink in. Still, it did turn the tires white. I hoped the folks in China appreciated white wall tires.
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Not Plane Tracks
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Dan Nickens - Oct 27,2011
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It didn’t seem like a good idea to get a show plane all salty. Fortunately the shadow is pretty easy to clean.
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Salty Shadow
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Dan Nickens - Oct 27,2011
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The remains of a stony monster stuck up out of the desert floor. It was probably that poor old silicon creature from Star Trek, the Horta. Apparently Bone’s patch didn’t work as well as first advertised.
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Rock Monster
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Dan Nickens - Oct 27,2011
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The gradual slope of the wash was cut by some really radical erosion. This happens when there is a rapid uprising of the land in the Basin and Fault province. It’s so other worldly that NASA used the area for astronaut training in preparation for lunar landings.
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Deep Cut
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Dan Nickens - Oct 27,2011
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The train tracks were almost awash in the river of sand. Flooding of a similar sort has been a problem of historical proportion around these parts.
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Raging River of Sand
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Dan Nickens - Oct 27,2011
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A bridge of a different sort covers the canal and gives the mountain a channel to wash down to the Salton Sea.
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Sand Bridge
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Dan Nickens - Oct 27,2011
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A great inland lake or small inland sea? It might be both.
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Salty Seashore
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Frank A. Carr - Oct 28,2011
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Was the odor of the Salton Sea existent as SeaRey altitudes Dan?
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Dan Nickens - Oct 29,2011
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My sniffer is notoriously insensitive, Frank. All I smelled was the beautiful aroma of lovely sights.
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Dan Nickens - Oct 27,2011
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Running across the desolate shore of the Salton Sea are the tracks of the Southern Pacific Railroad. Back in the early part of the twentieth century there was an epic battle between the Colorado River and the president of the railroad, a Mr. E. H. Harriman (well known to any fan of Butch Cassidy and the Sundance Kid movie).<br /><br />In 1905 and 1906, flooding of the Colorado River formed the current version of the Salton Sea and threatened to inundate all of the Imperial Valley. Thousands of acres were covered with water, and even more were swept away in epic eroding floods.<br /><br />That’s when E. H. Harriman was asked to step in and stop the Colorado’s rampage. 'The most dangerous and alarming feature of the situation was the 'cutting back' of the torrents as they rushed down the delta slope toward the Salton Sea. The fine silt of which the soil was composed washed out like powdered sugar, and wherever there happened to be a strong current, the flow soon produced a rapid. The rapid then became a cascade, the cascade grew into a fall, and the fall finally developed into a roaring cataract, which 'cut back', upstream, at the rate sometimes of four thousand feet a day, widening as it receded, and leaving below it a deep gorge with almost perpendicular walls. Some of the gorges were fifty to eighty feet deep and more than a thousand feet across. It was estimated that the channels thus formed during the floods of 1906 had an aggregate length of more than forty miles, and that the solid matter scoured out of them and came down into the Salton Sea was nearly four times as great as the whole amount excavated in the digging of the Panama Canal. The total of 400,000,000 to 450,000,000 cubic yards were moved. Mr Cory stated, 'Very rarely, if ever before, has it been possible to see a geological agency effect in a few months a change which usually requires centuries.' ' From The Salton Sea, An Account of Harriman's Fight with the Colorado River, by George Keenan, and published by The Machlfflan Company in 1917.<br /><br />Mr. Harriman spent more than $2 million fighting to hold the river back. Meanwhile, the San Francisco earthquake destroyed the railroad’s offices (maybe there’s a connection?). Mr. Harriman finally gave up and asked the government for help. Theodore Roosevelt rode to his aid. Construction of the Hoover Dam finally put a stop to the Colorado’s flooding and stemmed the flow into the Salton Sea.<br />
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Long Train Running
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Dan Nickens - Oct 27,2011
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Throngs of white pelicans cruise the shoreline (estimated at 30% of the remaining population of white pelicans). The Sea is said to support 400 avian species as they commute from north to south and back again.
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Salton Seabirds
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Dan Nickens - Oct 27,2011
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The pelicans weren’t the only seabirds cruising the inland sea. The lake lies right on top of the San Andreas Fault. Some geologists think that past flooding of the lake may have triggered earthquakes along “step over” faults, ultimately triggering the big ones on the San Andreas. It’s best to be a flying amphibian in such a shaky environment at 226’ below sea level.<br /><br />The Salton Sea is an endorheic lake, or a body of water with no outlet other than through groundwater seepage. In the case of the Salton Sea, it is cutoff by mountains and the Colorado River delta at the Gulf of California.<br /><br />The “Sea” has come and gone. Sometimes rising sea level would connect it to the Gulf. Sometimes a lot of rain would fill it up. Sometimes the Colorado River gets diverted by earthquakes. Sometimes water filling the lake causes an earthquake.<br /><br />Most recently the Salton Sea was filled when a couple of years of rainfall breached a canal and dike in 1905. This caused the whole flow of the Colorado River to be diverted into the new lake. Erosion caused a waterfall that grew from 15’ to 80’ as it eroded its way to the river bed. Fortunately emergency fill emplacement stopped the flow before the Colorado was permanently diverted. Completion of the Hoover Dam in 1935 stopped the flooding.<br /><br />Stopping the flooding allowed the water to evaporate faster than it was being replaced. Salinity in the lake rose (it’s saltier than seawater). Agricultural runoff hastened its degradation.<br /><br />What to do? Well, Sonny Bono proposed a canal from the Gulf to the Sea. The most recent proposal is to build a large dam in conjunction with the canal and flood part of the lake with good Gulf water. That’s a 9 billion dollar idea.<br /><br />Now there is concern that an earthquake would “liquefy” the soil around the lake. When that happens, the dams and dikes could simply fall apart. Ever watch 9 billion dollars evaporate in 60 seconds? Oh, yeah, of course. It’s just like government spending.<br />
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Salton Seabird Too
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Dan Nickens - Oct 27,2011
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The terrain surrounding the Salton Sea airport is pretty rugged. Don’t land short.
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Base to Final
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Dan Nickens - Oct 27,2011
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The short flight to a lunch spot west of Salton City didn’t offer any improvement in off airport landing opportunities. Good thing Pia didn’t cough.
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Tortured Terrain 1
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Dan Nickens - Oct 27,2011
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The ground was all tortured and not suitable for a SeaRey but fascinating in its variety over a short distance.
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Tortured Terrain 2
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Dan Nickens - Oct 27,2011
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On some days you might find a torrent of water in the dry stream bed. This day was not one of those times.
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Tortured Terrain 3
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Dan Nickens - Oct 27,2011
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If this had been red tinted (well, redder than this) I could have believed I had been transported to Mars.
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Tortured Terrain 4
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Dan Nickens - Oct 27,2011
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Maybe it was the camera that was being tortured, not the terrain? Either way it kept Pia circling for enough time to attract the attention of some buzzards.
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Tortured Terrain 5
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Dan Nickens - Oct 27,2011
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The restaurant at the Borrego Valley airport offered a cool escape from the desert heat with a great view. Pia had only logged 1.7 hours since Blythe and we were ridiculously ahead of schedule for the day. There were to be no last minute dramatics. No mad dash over the coastal range into the fog at midnight. In fact, I had too much 100LL on board and had to burn it off before putting Pia in her container. I simply had to make it a longer trip. “Oh please, Br’er Fox, it’s such a dreadful burden for a rabbit to have to fly more and more hours. Please don’t throw me into that deep blue sky.”
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Cool Dining
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Dan Nickens - Oct 27,2011
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One moment you are out in the wilderness then suddenly you’re in the middle of suburbia. That’s California.
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Suddenly Civilization
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Don Maxwell - Oct 28,2011
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Color-coded roofs! Ah, Suburbia. And all the plastic swimming pools. One cul-de-sac toward the lower left corner appears to have its own water slide in the street.
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Dan Nickens - Oct 27,2011
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The air above the hills was crystalline clear, but over the ocean it was clearly not.
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Severely Clear and Foggy
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Frank A. Carr - Oct 28,2011
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'June Gloom' in Southern California sometimes occurs at other times.
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Dan Nickens - Oct 27,2011
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Even with fog on the horizon, the lure of the islands was strong. Plus, I needed to burn off gasoline before putting the airplane in the container. That’s my story and it’s gonna have to do.
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Going Oceanic
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Dan Nickens - Oct 27,2011
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The airport at Catalina is notorious for catching the unwary too low to make the runway. It didn’t catch Pia for anything more than a quick pit stop.
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Flat Top Landing
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Russ Garner - Oct 27,2011
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You made good time Dan. How did you wind up over Catalina. They use to charge you $10 to land and it was suppose to go to repair of the pot holes in the runway.
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Dan Nickens - Oct 28,2011
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I blame the GPS for the 'over flight', Russ. See, when you get over the hills there are lots of angry red and blue squiggly lines that pop up on the screen. I figured it was an omen and tried to stay out of the mess.<br /><br />If that story doesn't work, how about this one: I didn't trust the transponder to stay on. It would pop off line at irregular times. I could just imagine the conversation with SoCal. 'Are you going somewhere or just hovering?' 'I thought you were going to Torrance but now you're going the opposite direction.' 'Recycle your transponder. Recycle your transponder. Recycle your transponder.' <br /><br />Wandering over to Catalina avoided air traffic controllers. I figured ducking underneath and sneaking in was the best outcome for everybody.
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Dan Nickens - Oct 27,2011
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Dan Nickens - Oct 27,2011
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The place where Pia was supposed to ship out made me sad. I swear she suggested running away to Mexico. I was tempted.
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Port of Departure
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Don Maxwell - Oct 28,2011
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Well. Isn't that neat. What a contrast to the cross-country part of the landscape! I wonder why one perfect section of that marina is devoid of all boats.
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Dan Nickens - Oct 27,2011
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Another slow boat to China? Could this the one for Pia Romeo?
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Boat to China
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Jeff Arnold - Oct 27,2011
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Thanks for brining us along, Dan. What a great trip. I am guessing you don't have the quality or quanitity of pictures from the return trip.....
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Dan Nickens - Oct 27,2011
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Oh, really. And all this time I figured you for a good guesser, Jeff.
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Don Maxwell - Oct 27,2011
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He's a good goader.
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Dan Nickens - Oct 28,2011
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So that's it! Well, just you wait, Jeff. Over the horizon are the glittering lights of Las Vegas, spashes galorey in Lake Powell and Lake Mead, rock climbing in Taos, a B-17 and a sky full of ballons, desert rivers, an Indian casino, swampy lakes, crystal clear rivers, and, maybe, the TSA! And that's before the race to Dallas and back. This girl really gets around.
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Jeff Arnold - Oct 28,2011
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But your magic carpet went to China! I expect you made the trip back in a pressurized metal tube in a couple of hours.
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Dan Nickens - Oct 29,2011
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So sad so true (about the mailing tube).
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Dan Nickens - Oct 27,2011
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Maybe the boat was already full? Or maybe there was space for one more.
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Fully Packed
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Dan Nickens - Oct 27,2011
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Pia and I made it to the airport with several hours to spare. Adding Catalina to the trip plan made the last leg a mere 2.3 hours. That put the trip from Florida over 30 hours in three and half days. Sweet. And there was even time to give Pia a good shower before putting her away.<br /><br />Pia had some good company while waiting for her crate to arrive. The F-18 prototype belongs to the local museum and isn’t going anywhere as far as Pia. So much for the vaunted value of speed!<br />
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Good Company
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Dan Nickens - Oct 27,2011
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Pia is picked up for packing. Scary, very scary.
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Picked Up
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Dan Nickens - Oct 27,2011
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Pia is packed. Goodbye to a good girl. Sad, very sad. (Or so it seemed at the time. You never know how it’s going to work out, eh?)
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Parting Company
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Steve Kessinger - Oct 28,2011
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Fair skies and a following wind, Pia. It was a pleasure to make your acquaintance at SnF, and Thanks for taking good care of Dan.
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Don Maxwell - Oct 28,2011
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Dan, is the folding wing kit sturdy enough for ocean transport in a container?
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Dan Nickens - Oct 28,2011
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Definitely not, Don.
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Don Maxwell - Oct 28,2011
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Cheer up, Dan. Maybe they'll clone her and send back myriad perfect copies. Didn't Chairman Mao say something like 'Let a thousand SeaReys flourish'?
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Thomas Alexander Bowden - Oct 28,2011
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I was thinking the same thing. Those Chinese copy every thing and don't care about intellectual property rights. I have seen their version of the Smart for two car and the Sprinter Van stolen from Mercedes Benz.<br />PA may have a Chinese SeaRey to compete with soon.
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