Shelter Cove
The Maule went into the shop to get an avionics upgrade
On the way back I had a chance to snap a couple of air to air pictures
On Saturday we were looking for someplace to go and picked Shelter Cove because we had wanted to check it out
but had never made it up that way. Here we are over the Napa valley
We were going to fly up the coast - it had been clear up until yesterday but today the fog moved in
This is looking back towards the Golden Gate area and the San Francisco Bay
I think this is Healdsberg
The whole coast was locked in fog
Out in the middle of nowhere there's this huge airstrip
They call this area the 'Lost Coast'
There are people up here but it's not a very accessable place
As we look north it doesn't look too promising that we'll be able to land at Shelter Cove
Fortunately we have enough gas for a SAC mission - fly to destination and return to point of origin without landing
There are some teasing holes down there though
But I'll be darned if Shelter Cove doesn't have the biggest hole around it
Looks like we are gonna make it after all
Lovely color, nothing like Tokyo Bay
Alright, we're starving!
There is a convenience store, 3 restarants, a pizza parlor and a deli on the field
But after a two and a half mile hike around the entire place we discover that they are all closed
It's actually a pretty wierd place. An airstrip but no facilities, no hangers and only a few parking spots
It seems that every other house we pass is a realtor
and now the fog is moving in - we might get trapped here!!!
So we pack up and beat it out just in time
We stopped in Ukiah and the FBO lent us their golf cart to drive down to the local Mexican restarant where we scarfed down
a couple of $100 burritos
Then we headed back home for some well deserved cold Lagunitas IPAs
Shelter Cove is a decent adventure flight but I sure wouldn't want to live there