I was reminded this week how short life really is. If you have a brother or sister, hug them because they may not always be there for you to hug. Same goes for your mom or dad or friends or dogs or anyone special in your life. And like life, this post will be short.
Author: The Flying Dutchman
I am a man who loves Christ, loves my wife, loves my family, loves my church, and loves aviation. In that order.
Twisted Oak Winery
Well, after a week of doctor appointments for both ourselves and our conserved son Cristy and I felt a need to get away for a few days to relax and unwind. We took this opportunity to get our Lance 1995 out of storage for the weekend and take it up to Twisted Oak Winery which is in the heart of Gold Rush Country near Angels Camp, California.
Twisted Oak Winery participates in Harvest Hosts which allows members to stay for a night or two for free at participating wineries, farms, museums, and golf courses. Twisted Oak even takes the extra step of offering one free wine tasting for their Harvest Hosts guests. The hope is that you will like what you taste and make a purchase.
I called the week before and was told that they didn’t have anything happening the weekend that I wanted to stay but I should probably call back the day before to be sure. I did and they didn’t… have anything happening that is so everything was all set. We hitched up the Lance the night before and loaded it up with our clothes and groceries for the weekend. The next day, after seeing Avenger’s Endgame, we hopped into my trusty (if not gutless) RAM 1500 and hauled our little wagon up to Twisted Oak.
When I had spoken to them they said there were two entrances to the winery. The first one I would come to goes up a dirt road and is a little, um, twisty. They recommend that people with RVs take the second entrance which is paved. We took that entrance and pulled into the parking lot. We saw one Airstream trailer parked at the far side of the lot. I went in to ask where we could park and was told I could park anywhere along the edges of the parking lot, on any side as long as I didn’t block a driveway or their gravel “party area”.
Looking at the Airstream I could see that they were parked in full sun, and had one of their wheels on blocks because the parking lot wasn’t level over there. That’s not good because I’m lazy. I elected to park on the west side of the parking lot, in the shade of the trees, where it was level. It was a really good spot not only because it was level but also a stand of bushes and lavender blocked our view of the Airstream trailer across the parking lot. We couldn’t see them, they couldn’t see us. Wonderful!
After setting up the trailer and unhitching we decided that the first item on the agenda was a nap. Cristy read for a while but I guess my napping called to her because she soon laid down on the bed with me and we were both snoozing away. After our naps we went into the tasting room and that was when we found out that Harvest Host guests get a complimentary tasting. We tasted a few of their wines but honestly, we’re not wine drinkers, I don’t drink alcoholic drinks at all. I’m sure their wines are very good but I’m not the best judge. We thanked them and then headed back outside.
They are very family friendly here with games and toys for the kids outside. Plenty for both adults and kids to do while there. They have picnic tables so you can make an afternoon of it and have lunch. And the views are wonderful!
It was getting late so we decided to drive up to Murphys to find some dinner. We ended up at El Jardin. It’s a local Mexican restaurant chain that we’ve eaten at before but this was our first time in their Murphys restaurant. It’s smaller than most but they have a great outside patio to dine at. A small creek runs right past the tables. Dinner was great as usual and the staff were very friendly as you would expect in a small town like Murphys. After dinner we headed back to Twisted Oak, enjoyed the sunset, watch a movie I had saved on my iPad and then went to sleep.
The next morning after a sniffley, sneezey night we awoke to a beautiful, peaceful morning. After breakfast we took a walk down to the vineyards. It was a warm Spring weekend and the air temperature was perfect at 65 degrees. Since I didn’t buy any wine I paid them back by putting the chickens back up in the trees in their Rubber Chicken National Forest. We enjoyed the quiet of the vineyard and grounds since they hadn’t opened yet.
Once back to the trailer I had to succumb to taking some Benadryl. After about an hour it hit me and I had to take a quick nap. Cristy took some soon afterwards and was conked out next to me on the bed. After we woke up we decided to head back in to Murphys for lunch and some shopping. That’s Cristy’s favorite form of relaxation! We had lunch at Alchemy Cafe. Always delicious and then walked the main street poking our noses into the shops and boutiques. Cristy bought some of her favorite spices at The Spice Tin and then we decided to head back to our trailer to nurse our allergies some more. Back at the trailer we watched another movie, took another nap, and then watched the sun set. It was probably the most awesome day we’ve had in a while. 🙂
I need to insert something here about the roads leading to Twisted Oak. The first entrance is a twisting dirt road that takes you up to the winery, the second is a shorter paved road that also takes you to the winery. If at all possible take the dirt road, the first driveway. It’s easily passable by any car, just don’t try it if you’re towing a trailer. You’ll be rewarded with some of the most entertaining signs you’ll ever see.
The next morning we hung out, had some breakfast, and after watching our church service on our smartphone we hitched up the trailer and headed back down the hill to home.
Even though it was such a short outing, and we were sneezing almost the whole time (we went through 3 boxes of Kleenex) we still felt really relaxed and refreshed. I’m already trying to plan our next outing and more than likely, it will involve Harvest Hosts.
Circle Of Life
So waaaaay back in 2005 my family started attending a new church. At that church I met a young man named Jordan who was interested in aviation. His dream was to be a pilot one day. Like any good pilot I wanted to encourage that dream and so I took him for a ride in my RV-4. This logbook entry records the occasion.
Fast forward to this past Wednesday. I met Jordan out at Oakdale Airport (O27) after work. Jordan had rented a plane and was ready to give me my airplane ride. It truly was one of those circle of life moments for me. Here’s a guy I’d been encouraging for years in his desire to learn to fly, and he actually went and did it. It was a long journey for him with stops and starts but he saw it through and I have to say I’m quite proud of him!
I’m going to join the same flying club out in Oakdale that he’s a member of and if all goes well with insurance and my biennial flight review, we’ll be flying together a lot more. It will be a great way for us both to save some money and enjoy flying fellowship with another Christian pilot.
Can a man fly AND love Jesus? You’d better believe it!
Jordan definitely agrees!
Red Hills Ranch Easter Picnic 2019
I have know Jack and Myrna Moyle for over 20 years. They have treated me like family from the moment I met them. Every year they have an Easter Picnic for their family and friends. The picnic happens on the Saturday between Good Friday and Resurrection Day (Easter) and about 150-300 people usually show up. This past year we’ve had a lot of rainfall and the wildflowers were on spectacular display. Please enjoy a few of the photos I took at the picnic!
The big Easter egg hunt!
Thanks again Jack and Myrna for making this such a wonderful year!
He is Risen!
He is Risen indeed!
Okay God, I’m Listening!
Just a month or so ago I got a letter stating it was time to renew my aircraft insurance from First Flight Insurance Co. I dutifully did this because… well… it’s insurance and accidents happen. Last week I got a letter from them saying that First Flight had elected to stop providing insurance to the Part 103 (Ultralight aircraft) community. The US Ultralight Association to which I belong said that they are scrambling to find a new insurance carrier but in the mean time, no ultralights would have insurance. I didn’t think much more about it other than I would just wait and see what USUA came up with as far as insurance companies.
Then, this past Wednesday I get a text out of the blue asking if my P3 Lite Powered Parachute was still for sale. I was tempted to say no because I’ve been getting sporadic interest in it from an ad I placed on a PPC equipment for sale website. But they had incorrectly listed my location as Albany NY. So I was getting calls from guys in New York who would ask lots of questions and then hang up when they found out I was in California. I had decided not to sell the P3. I’ve really been enjoying flying it. But then I got this text asking if my P3 was still for sale. I first told him that the aircraft is in California and then asked him if he was still interested. He responded yes.
There ensued a long text exchange (during one of the busiest weeks I have had at work in a long while) between the prospective buyer and I. I didn’t really believe he was serious until he started asking when he could come pick it out and was cash okay? So this (Saturday) morning he showed up at 7am, handed me the agreed-upon price in cash, loaded up my powered parachute and drove back to Arizona.
At first I was just kind of amused thinking about how fast these events occurred. But then I started thinking about it a little deeper with respect to the Providence of God. The timing is just TOO coincidental. Since I don’t believe in coincidence or luck, I believe it is God’s Providence. That within two weeks my aircraft insurance should be cancelled and refunded, by the way, and my aircraft sold… well… it just feels like this was God’s plan for me. I have spiritual ears and I’m using them to listen to what He’s trying to tell me.
So… what’s the plan now? Am I done with aviation? Nope. In fact I’m going full circle. In my aviation career I have rented, owned, built two fixed wing airplanes, sold them, got into parachute aviation, and have now returned to renting fixed wing again. And really when I think about it, my whole reason for going with the parachutes was to have a way to fly that was very portable. Renting airplanes in different parts of the country is even more portable. I don’t need any special place to store an aircraft, don’t need to bring any tools to maintain it, and no maintenance records to track. I’ll miss owning my own aircraft for the bragging rights if nothing else but in reality this really lifts a burden from me.
I’m going to be contacting a local flying club that a friend is a member of and begin flying with them. I’ll be flying a Cessna 152, which is essentially the same aircraft I learned to fly in. It’s a whole circle of life thing. Looks like I’ll be ending my aviation career as I began it. And there is nothing wrong with that.
Stay tuned for more pictures and video from the next chapter of my aviation story.
The Beauty In Our Backyard
We love to travel; to visit and see places we’ve never been. Sometimes though, there are some pretty amazing things to see in your own backyard. Maybe not your literal backyard but close to home, if you only look.
This past weekend Cristy and I took a walk through Oak Grove Park in Ripon, Ca. It isn’t in the most pleasant part of Ripon being located next to their sewage treatment plant. But even there we could find beauty.
You can just make out the trail that runs off into the grove of oak trees for which the park is named.
However, for this walk we stuck to the paved path that runs along the Stanislaus River.
With all the recent rain our drought-stricken state has received you could easily mistake this for England. This area is normally covered with brown grasses. The Stanislaus River is running very high right now. Normally these trees are not in the water. Water managers are releasing a lot of water in anticipation of the thaw of the heavy snow pack we received in the mountains this winter.
It’s hard to believe that at one time boats navigated these rivers. The rivers used to be so large that there were several ferries in the area to get people across them. Agriculture and water management (dams) have pretty much turned the river into a canal. Still, a very beautiful canal.
Be sure to stop and take a look you your backyard and see if you can spot the beauty that almost certainly is there.
Aeronautical Contact
It’s been somewhat breezy in California’s vast Central Valley this past week but the winds died down this past Sunday evening and I took advantage. I loaded up my powered parachute and high-tailed it out to New Jerusalem Airport. I got off the ground at about 6pm. The winds near the ground were mildly rowdy, and I mean mildly. As I climbed up through 300 feet MSL ( above mean sea level), the air became silky and warm.
I brought along my Icom VX-6R Ham radio HT (handi-talkie) to try to make an aeronautical contact. I was circling the field and called out on the SARA repeater frequency. I got an immediate call back from KM6MHT. A gentleman by the name of Mike whom I talk to on the radio every now and again on my commute home. He said I was pretty scratchy but readable but since we both heard each other we can log it. Since the radio was so heard to hear I decided to just put it away and enjoy the evening flight.
I flew around the New Jerusalem area (just southeast of Tracy, California) and enjoyed the sunset. The air was perfect, there was no traffic, it was so peaceful. I shot three landings for practice and then decided to put my PPC away before it got dark. It was then that I found the only flaw in my day… the mosquitoes! I put my PPC away in record time and jumped into my pickup truck to escape the onslaught. It was a perfect end to the weekend.
Searching The Heart
I wanted to put in a plug for my wife’s blog, Searching The Heart. She hasn’t updated it in quite a while but that may change very soon. If you have a special needs child or would like to understand the heart of a mother of a special needs child, then head over to her blog and take a look. She has a lot of wisdom packed into that blog. As stated, she will be updating it soon.
Calaveras Big Trees
Well, the day’s plan started out as being a drive up to Cottage Springs to survey the campsite for an upcoming Ham radio event in June. I wanted to see if the location was suitable to bring our Lance travel trailer. But those plans soon changed as we drove up into the Sierra Nevada mountains.
We drove north through Escalon to Farmington and turned right on Highway 4. It was a beautiful spring day with wildflowers everywhere. We headed up into the foothills and decided to stop for lunch in Murphys. We decided on Alchemy Cafe. I had a delicious Ban Mi sandwich and Cristy had a salad with a generous helping of pork bellys on top. Hey, it worked for us.
After lunch we continued up Highway 4 until we got to the road leading to the campground. Um…. no dice. We won’t be checking on that campground today. Probably not for another two months. So we took a few selfies and moved on.
So now we needed a plan “B”. Since we had passed Calaveras Big Trees State Park on the way up we decided to head over there and do a little hiking. When we got there we learned that only the visitor’s center and the nearby North Grove was open that day. We decided to stop in anyway. We’ve been here several times but we love coming back. We’re certainly glad we did because as we were deciding what to do a park volunteer came up and asked what we’d like to see. We told her we’d come hoping we could do some hiking. She said most of the lower trails were muddy but even though the rest of the park was closed to vehicle traffic we could certainly hike up the road and see as much of the park as we liked.
So that’s exactly what we did. We hiked up main road that wraps up and around the visitors center. We came to the top of the hill and stopped at the scenic vista parking area which is just above the grove next to the visitor’s center. We didn’t see anyone the entire time except for an elderly woman walking her dog at the top of the hill. We really enjoyed the quiet hike. We talked about how amazing God is that even in this little area there was so much diversity of plant life and all the animal tracks we saw in the snow. He spoke all those into existence but lovingly scooped the dirt into His hands with which he made us. We were taken aback by how even a fallen world can be so beautiful. We can’t imagine what a restored Earth will look like.
We spent some time admiring the view but since we didn’t bring any water with us we headed back down the hill. Round trip the hike was only about 4.5 miles but there was plenty of scenery and we got to stretch our legs.
Back at the visitor’s center we stopped off in the warming hut and were given free hot chocolate and hot tea. I opted to make a donation anyway to make sure there was enough hot chocolate, hot cider, and hot tea for others in the future. We then drove down to Valley Springs and stopped off for a quick snack (it was 4pm by now) because we hadn’t brought any with us. Cristy needs her afternoon snack! Then we enjoyed a nice leisurely hour and a half drive home through the backroads of California’s vast Central Valley where we live. It’s so fun to take my wife on dates even after 31 years.
Air Prayer 