No aeronautical sights today, so TAPs can skip to the end.
After looking at the map, I decided to change my itinerary. Instead of going directly to the Grand Canyon, I made a detour to the southeast, heading for Meteor Crater, east of Flagstaff. This allowed me to drive through Moab, which has some spectacular scenery and geology, which was a bonus for me, since I'm a geologist. I took Highway 40 to Duschene and then south on 191 through spectacular mountains to Carbonville (a coal mining town - no surprise there) and then on to Green River, passing the spectacular Book Cliffs on the way (not my photo):
A short drive along I70 and then back onto 191 to Moab. Before entering Moab, I went into Arches National Park.
Absolutely stunning scenery:
To get to Delicate Arch (last two photos), I had to hike 1.5 miles each way, with a height gain of 500'. The hike is described somewhat euphemistically by the Parks Service as "moderately strenuous". There was a Ranger at the trailhead, making sure that everyone had water - the temperature was about 30° C - and I suspect she was also assessing the ability of the candidates. Apparently I passed and I made it up and back in one piece, but I was so tired, I decided to check into a motel in Moab, rather than continue.
Moab is a nice, tourist oriented town. I chose a Mexican restaurant that came highly recommended in Tripadvisor. The food was very good, but this was the first Mexican restaurant I have been to that did not serve alcohol. Only in Utah!
What did not surprise me is that when I opened the desk drawer in my room, there was not only the ubiquitous Gideon Bible, but also the Book of Mormon.
So today's trip was almost a local jaunt compared to days one and two - only 300 miles. One piece of advice for anyone driving in the US, particularly in the west. Always fill your tank before setting off in the morning. It is much better to have half a tank left when you've got about 100 miles to go, rather than having the low-fuel light come on in the middle of nowhere.
Airclues,
I replied to your post but apparently it didn't get posted. Chino is on my to-do list for when I am in Santa Monica. Concerning the King's Head, my wife and I had Sunday lunch there once and it was awful. However, I'll go back and try the fish and chips.
treaders,
I'm trying to get hold of a write up of what Dave Marsden did to the Sigma and what happened to it subsequently. He put full-span slotted flaps on it, based on his experience with his side-by-side Gemini. There is some information about Dave here:
Ken Armstrong Articles July 04
I was surprised by the construction of the T-53. Reminiscent of the HP-14, which is to be expected, but the build-quality and detail design was very amateurish. Also, as has often been commented on, there are way too many ribs - the spacing looked about a foot to me. You need a large crew to rig and derig, because of the weight of the wings. This is one of those gliders you want to leave in the hangar, fully rigged!
340 miles and 5:30 to Meteor Crater tomorrow. I had better get to bed.