The trip took place Sunday. Had to take the Cardinal because the club topped off the fuel on the 172SP, which would have overloaded it (dang, those are chunky aircraft). We could have taken a 172N if one was available for two days.
I called Sac Jet Center right before takeoff to change the tail number.
Had some close opposing traffic enroute. The planned course was 002, so even at a correct VFR altitude of 3500, there was nearly exactly opposing traffic. It can really be hard to spot. I was doing 130 KIAS in the Cardinal, and RIGHT before descent, NorCal came in with an advisory to climb 500 feet immediately. I crammed the throttle and prop (and mixture a few turns) and pitched the nose up to Vx attitude, then opened the cowl flaps. I let the aircraft lose 40 knots, but I got up that 500 feet FAST. Then a Mooney blasted by below, in the opposite direction.
I called Sac Jet Center over unicom on the ground, and they had a line guy out guiding me in on the ramp. It would have been pretty hard to find otherwise, as there are multiple buildings around the field that say "Sacramento Jet Center" on the side. There was a minor SNAFU over the rental car because it was still listed under the old tail number, but it was sorted out by the time the paperwork was done. They delivered it right outside the FBO door on the ramp side, spitting distance from where I'd parked the aircraft. Even though Enterprise was closed on Sunday. I left instructions to put 5 gal in each tank (concerned a bit about density altitude -- it's hot in the afternoons), which they did right away.
Had a nice trip to the Expo. Stumbled on a truly amazing hamburger joint -- Burgess Bros., across Sutterville Rd. from Sac City College -- it's a bit far for a $100 hamburger trip, but easily accessed with a crew car. It's a really good sign when a burger joint has a smoker sitting out front....
The return was uneventful except for some trouble with engine start -- always a problem with this particular aircraft. This time, the fuel flow didn't indicate at all with the boost pump on and mixture rich (vapor lock? it was hot). So, I flooded the CRAP out of it. A flooded start didn't quite work before I wound down the battery. The FBO hooked up ground power (thankfully, this aircraft is equipped with a ground power outlet), and a couple more cranks got it started. Then the fuel flow gauge started indicating normally. I practiced some hot starts back at PAO, as this aircraft always seems to give me trouble. Those went a lot better.
In a nutshell, Sac Arrow's suggestion was right on. The FBO treated me well, and the facility is really nice. Big briefing room with two computers and a big chart on a table, really comfy sofas, big screen TV, free bottled water, even a couple of bunk beds, presumably for when you get trapped by weather. Crew cars, rental cars, a few munchies, helpful staff. And the $20 ramp fee was waived with 10 gallons or a top-off, whichever was less. Fuel cost was within a few cents of PAO's, full service, which is good news for a wet renter like me.