Omaha to Camarillo, Ca route suggestions???

[Hawkeyenfo]

Hi all,

Finally moving my 170 out to the west coast and am interested in hearing which routes others have taken coming this way. Planning to do it early next month before the weather decides to change! I'll be going from Omaha, Ne to Camarillo, Ca (CMA) and was thinking to roughly go SW to Albuquerque then head west. Thoughts on stops, routes, must sees, etc would be great!!!

Thanks, Chris.

[blueldr]

File VFR Direct!

[hilltop170]

Chris-
If you want to take a tour of some scenic National Parks on the way to Camarillo, fly due west from Omaha towards Cheyenne, then across southern Wyoming thru the Medicine Bow Range and down to Moab, UT to see Arches and Canyonlands. Vernal, UT is a good place in Northeast Utah to stop for the night or if you want a real cool experience, spend the night at Caveman Ranch (airstrip at the lodge) a few miles southwest of Moab, http://cavemanranch.com/. Once you hit the Green River around Vernal, it's downhill all the way.

From there, either go a little west to see Capitol Reef, Bryce, and Zion. Or go more southwest and fly down the Colorado River thru Canyonlands to Lake Powell, the Grand Canyon, Hoover Dam and Lake Mead. Great scenery either way. Then Death Valley to the west or Mojave to the southwest.

There are some places where you will need to go to 10,500'msl but the 170 is fully capable of doing that. No matter which way I want to go on those long trips, I always go the route with the best weather. October can bring strong winds, snow, freezing rain, and other bad stuff anywhere along the route so just look ahead a couple of days and go with the best weather. Even if it is farther, it is sometimes cheaper to fly out of the way as opposed to being stuck in a motel somewhere.

[Hawkeyenfo]

VFR direct...I like it!!!

I like VFR direct to the other spots mentioned a LOT better though Some great suggestions! Thanks! Putting the trip together now....fun!

[GAHorn]

I can tell you an excellent place to avoid......Winslow, AZ!

Santa Fe is a great place to spend a few days. So is Sedona, AZ.

Do some research, find some neat B&B's, spend day or two extra at some historical town with a B&B, and take your favorite female!

[T. Gandy]

I bought a Stinson in Vancouver, WA and flew it back to Wichita down Oregon and California, then picked up I-40 across AZ and NM and up Hwy 54 into KS. It was May and I was concerned about late snow, so headed south. I made the trip in two days and it was a great trip. I don't know about Winslow, but I stayed in Holbrook and it was a nice stop. I stopped in Santa Rosa, NM for lunch and fuel. By the time I took off, it was 100*F+ at the 4,800' airport. That was a real lesson in density altitude for this flatland flyer.

You could fly southwest and pick up 54 around Liberal, head for Gallop, then turn west and follow I-40. It's a beautiful route you will never forget.

[blueldr]

If you're as "Queer" for airplanes as I am, fly far enough south to visit the private air museum in Santa Theresa, NM.
That guy has some of the best stuff I've ever seen. (And without all the BS of the CAF)

[170C]

I didn't think Winslow was so bad George! Our two plane group just flew south parallel to the smoke & fire after leaving Winslow and turned the corner to head eastbound to Deming for an overnight. You guys just wanted to test your IFR skills by flying through the smoke It was interesting to watch the fire bombers come into Winslow, load up with retardant and take off. As we flew south we observed them going and coming to the fire. Glad those guys were out there.

[GAHorn]

I didn't think Winslow was so bad George! ....

The Middle-Eastern motel-manager went ape when he saw me violate the swimming pool sign (which said "No Glass in Pool area") by drinking water from a styrofoam cup! You'da thought I'd just committed a felony.

No beer in town worth paying for... And the local mexican restaraunt's "mild" salsa would remove paint. (and I love good beer and spicy food. There's a reason the song says "standing on the corner in Winslow Arizona..." as a derogatory phrase....
The airport cafe was closed despite their posted hours stating otherwise. Downtown shops were all boarded up. There ain't nothin' there worth my stopping there again.

[T. Gandy]

Yea, but "There's a Girl, My Lord, in a flat bed Ford slowing down to take a look at me!" Can't be all bad...

[bagarre]

I've always wanted to got to Winslow AZ because of that song.

[blueldr]

Be ssatisfied with the song.
The town ain't worth a pint of warm spit.

[170C]

George, I get your point. I didn't know you camped out there over night. We just did a fuel stop, etc.

Dick, yea, that is a good museum in Santa Teresa, NM. War Eagles Museum is the name if I remember correctly. The person who put together the aircraft collection (name escapes me right now) had most of those planes out at his ranch and then built the structures and moved them to Santa Teresa. He was the president of an oil company there in El Paso for many years.

[blueldr]

Frank,
I was told that the owner of the War Eagle stuff was the "El Paso Natural Gas" guy. Really Big Bux!

[cessna170bdriver]

Chris,

The monsoons are still kicking up a bit along the I-40 corridor across NM and AZ. I came back from Benton Harbor 3 years ago and from Scottsbluff, NE went across southern WY with a fuel stop at Rock Springs, overnight in Spanish Fork, just south of Provo, UT, a fuel stop at Jean, NV (Boulder City would work too), then home. If I were doing it now, here's the route I'd take. The Scottsbluff to Barstow portion is turn by turn how I came 3 years ago. If you aren't used to high density altitudes, be careful leaving Rock Springs (KRKS). At about 2100 GW, I crossed the departure end of the 10,000 ft runway at about 50 AGL on an 80-degree day DA=9500) . The nice thing is that there's no obstacles to clear, and it's downhill for a LOOOONG way. Also, flying through the pass between Heber City and Provo was a hoot!

I look forward to having you in the area. When you get settled, let me know and maybe we can get together somewhere. Santa Paula every first Sunday of the month is a good choice.