Two Pilots & an LSW: Colorado and Storms

Thursday, June 19, 2025

Colorado and Storms

This was an "up at 5 am" kind of day. And it was foggy, rainy, and not very pleasant, either. Fortunately the weather came up enough to allow me to get in to places, which was a question first thing in the morning. I took the Cheyenne and was supposed to fly into Delphi to pick up Ethan, Amber, and Justin. Delphi is an 8 minute flight away in the Cheyenne, but it was low IFR which adds an approach. I wake up and now there are two storm cells too, and they are going right through Delphi and Kokomo both, aiming for them. So I rush around, and I get out to the airport, and I wait, and when the first cell gets past Delphi, and is in between Delphi and Kokomo, I launch IFR, go to the Initial Approach Fix for Delphi, going around the storm cell, and land behind it, while it then advances on Kokomo. Got back out of there before the second one moved into Delphi. So I was pleased with myself on my timing, there.

Next up I dropped off Amber in Grand Rapids, Michigan. Again it was low IFR and raining, but at least it wasn't THAT low or that hard of rain. Another approach in, she's dropped off, I topped off with fuel because they are CAA and cheap fuel (and I needed fuel), and off Ethan and Justin and I go to Colorado. Now out there it was severe clear. Once we got to Illinois, the clouds were gone and it was a beautiful flight the rest of the day.

Got to Gunnison, dropped off Ethan and Justin. I went into town and met up with a woman named Sidney who returned something to me I'd left in Gunnison the second-to-last time I was there. I got a pastry at the little shop in downtown there, and then flew to Pueblo to top off with gas. I bought 483 gallons of fuel, which had them giving me another free bottle of red wine. We have quite the collection now. ;) And then I headed home. When I was coming in, there were several large thunderstorm cells not very far away at all. I cancel with Grissom and tune into Kokomo, and I hear our 172 is in the pattern. Our 172RG is just taxiing in. Our other 172 is at the fuel pump. I snickered and smiled. We've got good people, man. Our instructors are out there getting it done. The weather was close but it wasn't affecting the pattern, so they were staying in the pattern and keeping an eye on it. I dug it.

I got back around 5 pm, and parked outside because we were having an EAA Chapter meeting that night. I decided to stay, but then...I was up too early, low sleep, low food, flew 8.3 hours, had to actually work for the first half of it. I was tired, and I was incapable of a crowd, loud noises, small talk, chit chat, socializing. I couldn't do it. Could NOT do it. Morgan was there, and she was standing there next to me most of the time, but someone would come up to talk and I'd be awkward, and break it off and walk off fast. I kept walking around trying to find a spot nobody would talk to me. Then I went to the fridge, where we have 5 bottles of Moscato wine still in there. Took one of those and two red solo cups, and Morgan and I drank the whole damn bottle between the two of us. I was then more able to deal with people. More relaxed. More able to tune things out and not be bothered by the chaos. Thank you booze, says introverts everywhere. ;) Morgan said it was the best meeting she'd ever attended. :D

Steve and I came home and watched a movie, pretty good one with Viola Davis as the President of the US who was at a "G20" summit with world leaders which was taken over by terrorists and she was a former military person who then took on the terrorists until help could arrive. We liked it. I always enjoy a good action movie, and I admit, I also enjoy a good action movie where the woman kicking butt doesn't look like Barbie.