As our son and his family are RV'ing (in a big fifth-wheel recreational vehicle, not a VanGrunsven-designed airplane
) around the western US, the stack of mail and parcels for them was building in our mailbox. Besides, we wanted to see them again! So we threw everything in the back of the Six and flew up to meet them at the RV park in St. Charles, Idaho (population 131), on the shore of Bear Lake, just north of the Utah state line. We reserved one of the tiny cabins at the RV park.
A nonstop from Goodyear AZ to Bear Lake County Airport (1U7) was mathematically possible with legal fuel reserve, but would sorely test the endurance of the occupants. So we made a fuel stop at Delta, Utah.
At Delta a C-180 pilot told us we would love Bear Lake and its clear, turquoise water. He was right. As we crested the mountain range between Logan Valley and Bear Lake, the lake and the reflections of the scattered clouds in the water were breathtaking.
It's still off-season at Bear Lake, and it was easy to spot our son's 39-foot RV from the air at the near-deserted RV park.
Bear Lake County maintains two courtesy cars at the airport, also available for overnight use -- just pay a small fee and fill the tank (and in the case of this seasoned 2001 Durango, also fill the power steering fluid). Trevor, the airport manager, was extremely courteous and helpful. The pilot lounge was nicely furnished and squeaky clean.
Fun fact: St. Charles Idaho was the birthplace of Gutzon Borglum (1867-1941), creator of the sculptures on Mt. Rushmore.
We knew the return trip would be slow and bumpy. A closed low pressure area stalled over southern Nevada, sending strong south winds aloft over Utah and northern Arizona. So we decided to break the trip into bite-sized chunks, with stops at Ogden (nice FBO, great service) and St. George. The southbound trip was half an hour longer than the northbound, and the turbulence put thousands of steps on Mrs. P's Fitbit.
). And I still love watching jaws drop when he correctly identifies various airplane types.
