It was an overcast day, but at least it wasn't a low overcast day. It was supposed to be sunny, and it was supposed to be sunny in Michigan too, but of course it went down to 700' overcast before I got there, which was actually good, because the lowest approach they had into there was 500', so it worked out. Once I broke out at 700', I could see why you didn't want to come down much lower.
Of course you look up all available information about a flight before you go, so I saw that the airport was unattended and there was no FBO or fuel listed. No problem, not even that unusual. But when we landed, there was...nothing. This was the single most deserted airport I've ever been to that was still an airport. Not only was there no FBO, there was no BUILDING. At all. Not one hangar, not one building (one shows up on the photo at AOPA, but it's obviously since been torn down), not a shack, not a payphone on a pole. There are no roads into the airport. One gate is chained off and leads only to grass. I parked on the old foundation of the former building, and the guy who came to pick us up drove through some other businesses' parking lot at one end and had to drive down the runway to come get to us as there was no taxiway, no road, nothing there. I can't believe the airport itself is still open, but it is listed as such. There were two ancient Cessnas tied down on grass, and who knows when they last flew. My guy joked about stealing the fuel out of them if we needed it, and I said I didn't think I wanted to put the fuel from those birds into ours. We were plenty fine, I'd planned for the fuel stop at Harbor Springs instead on purpose. For one, the runway there was only 3500' long and was surrounded by pretty good-sized trees, so I wanted to be light. For another, I already knew they didn't sell fuel, so I started off with the right amount, 'cause that's how this preflight planning stuff works. ;) The runway was also only 40' wide and had tall weeds growing up in between cracks in it. Like I said, I can't believe the place hasn't been shut down yet...
Because the building that showed up on the aerial photo was not actually there and I had nowhere to go but sit in the plane, I went with my guy on his mission. We went to a greenhouse, and I got to wander around and enjoy the view for awhile before we drove the car back down the middle of the runway to get back to our plane and head out to Harbor Springs, where I dropped him off, and came home alone.
As soon as I landed back at home, I was supposed to put the 340 away in Ed's hangar, and everything was supposed to be ready for me to do that. It wasn't, and I had a 2-4, 4-6 and 6-8 pm flight set up. So I left the 340 sitting outside Ed's hangar and went and worked with my 2-4 guy, then flew with my 4-6 gal. After her though, the 6-8 guy canceled, so Steve and I went over and got the 340 taken care of. I made it home sometime around 6:30 or so after I stopped for gas. I was still a little wound up, because we have an issue with a couple of folks, and Steve had just told me something about it, and I was annoyed enough that I felt like eating all the brownies somebody left on my kitchen counter, or drinking, or jogging. Since not one of those three things is a healthy or appropriate action, I put earphones in and just went for a walk in the park instead. ;) I felt pretty good at the end of the walk, mostly because of what I can do now that I couldn't before. I ran up two steep flights of stairs without any trouble. Got up the steep hill after a long walk without losing my breath. Felt good. All in all, a long day, but not a bad one.
It was another one of those days where it was cloudy and overcast below, and clear as a bell above. So I took a few photos... I took a video of going back down into the clouds, and of breaking out of the clouds too, but those will probably not get uploaded any time soon. So in the meantime, here are these, anyway.
Out of Kokomo, a lower scud layer, then a higher scud laer
Broke out on top of the layer in the early morning sun, blue sky above.
That never gets old.
Heading towards Michigan a layer moved in on top of us too.
Descending down into the murk again.
Another layer
The lonely 340 parked on what used to be the foundation of the FBO building that doesn't exist any more.
Part of the runway there...
Lake Michigan, coming out of Harbor Springs, before popping back up into the clouds.
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