Sam Burgess Memorial Junket update - Sat. 6/28

J.W. French is flying around the country, dropping in on EAA Chapters. I wrote about his trip in an earlier post. Here's his latest e-mail.

Monroe McDonald at Eagle's Roost did a yeoman job of getting me up and on my way this morning at Eagles Roost, AZ (27AZ). It's hard to leave good people like Monroe and the folks at Eagle's Roost. There are many interesting people and many interesting airplanes in that airpark, and I was welcome to stay on.

Today was another gut-check day. The mountains are getting taller and closer together. My destination was Hurricane, UT, General Stout airport (1L8). I elected to head for Parker, AZ and then fly up the Colorado River Valley to Lake Mead and stop at Mesquite, NV (67L) for fuel, and claimed Nevada as the 40th state on the Sam Burgess Memorial Junket.

It was a short hop over a deep mountain pass following I15 to St. George Utah and then descending into Hurricane,UT. I had a light cross wind and finally managed to make a nice landing, and claim state the 41st state for the Sam Burgess Memorial Junket.

I was met by my host, Carlos Duenas and two other members of Chapter 936. Carlos has built a magnificent Acro Sport, and is flying the time off on it now. He also owns a 2000 Piper Archer and a two seat Challenger light sport aircraft. He is a sport pilot instructor.

Carlos and I had lunch in a resort town close to the Zion National Park and then he took me on an automobile tour of the park. The scenery was breathtaking. I got a lot of great picture of the mountains and the interesting rock formations.

My RON accommodations are an apartment in Carlo's hanger at the airport. He has built a hanger on leased ground from the city ($300/year for 25 years). At the end of the lease the rental rate is renegotiated. I don't know what the city fathers in Hurricane, UT are drinking, but I would like to buy a case of it and give it to Lee County Florida Port Authority, that runs Page Field in Ft. Myers. The apartment is beautiful, and yes, you can do your own maintenance or build an airplane in your hanger.

I will be off in the morning for French Valley Airport (F70) at Murrieta, CA for lunch with Conrad Nordquist, and a function with members of Chapter 1279 at 2:00PM. After the meeting Conrad and I will fly to Flabob Airport (KRIR) and fellowship with the members of EAA Chapter #1. Conrad is the proud owner of the Glasair RGI that I sold him last September. He will be my RON host at Flabob.

For those of you who have see articles and pictures on the EAA Web site and noticed that I am wearing the same blue shirt with the Sam Burgess Memorial Junket logo in every picture, let me put your minds at ease. I am not wearing the same dirty shirt everyday. My neighbor in Buckingham Airpark does this embroidery and I had her make me six of these shirts for the trip. I don't have to make any decisions about what I'm going to wear every morning and I have a clean shirt every day.

J.W. French