I know not to suggest following Interstate 70, because I don't think the plane would make it through the Eisenhower Tunnel. :rolleyes:

 

Things that can't go through the tunnel can go over Loveland Pass instead, but that puts you at nearly 12,000' IIRC. Did that on a hot day back in '83 or so with my Dodge Colt, thought I was gonna have to make my GF get out and push :smile: . Beautiful though... (the scenery, not the GF, lol)

Things that can't go through the tunnel can go over Loveland Pass instead, but that puts you at nearly 12,000' IIRC. Did that on a hot day back in '83 or so with my Dodge Colt, thought I was gonna have to make my GF get out and push :smile: . Beautiful though... (the scenery, not the GF, lol)

 

Loveland sure was pretty this year! Rode over the Pass several times on my bicycle this year in prep for a long bike ride called the Triple ByPass. It's 120 miles, and the riders go over three passes:

 

Squaw Pass - 9,807'

Loveland Pass - 12,103'

Vail Pass - 10,666'

 

Did it in 8:47... quite the ride, and boy, the downhills were fast!

 

...a long bike ride called the Triple ByPass

 

Lol, what a fitting name! I actually broke my bike out this summer as well after a 12 yr hiatus, unfortunately I found about 12 miles on flat ground was enough to kick my a$$. I tried a couple hills that I used to do regurlarly but the damn things have gotten much steeper and longer over the years. :smile: . Planning to get an earlier start next spring and hopefully regain at least some of what I had before, but I doubt I'll be doing the Triple ByPass anytime soon. Congrats man, that's an amazing accomplishment!

 

Back to the flight, I've been sort of following along myself low & slow with Robert Kerr's freeware Pazmany PL-4. I took Geof's advice in the second post more or less of Laramie, Rawlins, Rock Springs, etc. I started at Jeffco (I went to A&P school there in the early 80's so I had to revisit) and I'm currently on the ground at Rock Springs (no dog food aboard :smile: ). Not big on long flights so I've done it in 3 separate legs so far. I need a faster airplane to fly over this default scenery I'm afraid, so I believe I'll switch to the Bay Tower RV7 this morning and make a break for Orbx territory. I ultimately need to make it back to 65S (my home base) so I'm thinking maybe nonstop to Ogden and then direct to Twin Falls outbound on the Wasatch VOR. Not the most direct route, but I have a sweet high-res photoreal for the Snake River canyon/Perinne Bridge area that I like to visit every chance I get. From there - I don't know yet, maybe Sun Valley, Stanley, McCall, etc.

 

Hope everyone's enjoying some nice flights this weekend.

 

Jim

so I believe I'll switch to the Bay Tower RV7 this morning and make a break for Orbx territory. I ultimately need to make it back to 65S (my home base) so I'm thinking maybe nonstop to Ogden and then direct to Twin Falls outbound on the Wasatch VOR. Not the most direct route, but I have a sweet high-res photoreal for the Snake River canyon/Perinne Bridge area that I like to visit every chance I get. From there - I don't know yet, maybe Sun Valley, Stanley, McCall, etc.

 

I'll throw in a pic of the Perinne Bridge/Snake River (by RV), for those who haven't seen the area. I grew up there....., myself.

Photo is not the best resolution, but you can pick out the bridge. When flying back from the Twin Falls area to Salt Lake, I usually head towards Burley, and then just straight over the mountains to the Great Salt Lake. It's just a hair more than an hour by RV, and over three by vehicle. There are MOAs & military restricted areas to watch for on the west side of the route.

Triple ByPass

Back to the flight, I've been sort of following along myself low & slow with Robert Kerr's freeware Pazmany PL-4. I took Geof's advice in the second post more or less of Laramie, Rawlins, Rock Springs, etc. I started at Jeffco (I went to A&P school there in the early 80's so I had to revisit) and I'm currently on the ground at Rock Springs (no dog food aboard :smile: ). Not big on long flights so I've done it in 3 separate legs so far. I need a faster airplane to fly over this default scenery I'm afraid, so I believe I'll switch to the Bay Tower RV7 this morning and make a break for Orbx territory. I ultimately need to make it back to 65S (my home base) so I'm thinking maybe nonstop to Ogden and then direct to Twin Falls outbound on the Wasatch VOR. Not the most direct route, but I have a sweet high-res photoreal for the Snake River canyon/Perinne Bridge area that I like to visit every chance I get. From there - I don't know yet, maybe Sun Valley, Stanley, McCall, etc.

 

Hope everyone's enjoying some nice flights this weekend.

 

Jim

My compliments (as an ex-cyclist) to the cyclists who have tackled this terrain on pedals, but please make sure you avoid pedaling yourselves towards a Tripple Bypass!

 

Nice to know I've inspired someone else to follow this route, although I can identify with your feelings regarding the boredom of default scenery. Well done for starting off low and slow, but I guess you're like me - once you've seen what Orbx have done, there's no going back to default.

 

I flew a Piper Cub all the way from Wisconsin to the PNW - that was a real trial by boredom, at least until I started through the mountains. This trip is much more do-able at around 240kts in the Legacy. I virtually "bought it" on FSEconomy and collected it (brand new, never flown) at Memphis. The weather was ok until I tried to cross the Front Range, but managed to sneak over at around 8500ft between Cheyenne and Laramie. Since then it's been virtuall clear skies (weather provided very efficiently by OpusFSX with REX Essential textures). I'm holed up in Ogden just now, heading to Boise hopefully this evening to virtually see that hot bird (don't tell my wife!)...

Mac,

 

Thanks for the props on the Triple; I actually had a Stress test done in April of this year and the MD gave me the seal of Approval to ride it! I hadn't tried in about 10 years but the ride itself was the easy part... the training was tough!

 

Back on thread, though... I think I'm going to give that run another try here real soon; maybe Centennial to Portland-Troutdale (KTTD), right down the Columbia like last time.

 

Since the DC-3 World Rally will be coming up soon, maybe I'll fly a Gooney up there... I need all the left hand seat time I can get!

 

:smile:

Lol SkipperMac, I'm still stuck in Ogden too, we should go have a beer :smile: . In prep for the next leg I had to dig out that Snake River canyon scenery I mentioned above and of course I had to warp there to make sure everything was OK. As it turned out the Perrine photoreal wasn't quite as "sweet" as I remembered it so I spent some time fixing a few things up. I clone-stamped the bridge itself out of the imagery and added a shadow (sort of, needs some tweaking), and ported over an FS9 model I had of the bridge itself. Still using FS9 autogen which is sparse and kinda funky. Good enough for the next leg of the flight.

 

LAdamson (Larry, isn't it?) thanks for the photo, I actually have a shot around here somewhere that I took myself in about '94 from the right seat of a Kitfox lV but I'll be dipped if I can find it. Here's what it looks like in the sim, I even stumbled across this paint for the RV that I thought you might like B) :

 

 

 

Jim

Try to stay under 12,000, and Even driving on I-80 Wyoming in Ft Brigder like 8000 ft almost the truckers would need oxygen to get up those long hills. Lived in Utah growing up those 10,000 ft mountains were pretty. Ogden to Boise is easier flight than Denver to Ogden not as many barriers in forms of mountains and needing oxygen. Done Ogden to Denver did I-80 route in fsx and X-plane vfr till Lamarie and cut around the front range.

Lol SkipperMac, I'm still stuck in Ogden too, we should go have a beer :smile: . In prep for the next leg I had to dig out that Snake River canyon scenery I mentioned above and of course I had to warp there to make sure everything was OK. As it turned out the Perrine photoreal wasn't quite as "sweet" as I remembered it so I spent some time fixing a few things up. I clone-stamped the bridge itself out of the imagery and added a shadow (sort of, needs some tweaking), and ported over an FS9 model I had of the bridge itself. Still using FS9 autogen which is sparse and kinda funky. Good enough for the next leg of the flight.

 

LAdamson (Larry, isn't it?) thanks for the photo, I actually have a shot around here somewhere that I took myself in about '94 from the right seat of a Kitfox lV but I'll be dipped if I can find it. Here's what it looks like in the sim, I even stumbled across this paint for the RV that I thought you might like B) :

 

 

 

Jim

I like it.....

Interstate 95 to Interstate 10 all the to California , one of the best scenic drives me and my wife and kids have taken :lol:

Just hope you don't get stuck like I did for a week on the route. On one of the trips, on takeoff at gross from Evanston, Wy. my landing gear broke-luckily in the down position but considering I was only climbing 50-100 fpm on takeoff was challenging. Came back and landed-took a week to order/install a new gear motor.

 

At least at the time-little to do in Evanston-and with a wife that expected to be in California that day and a 6 year old son who wanted to only swim but the hotel swimming pool was like a hot tob-very challenging to enjoy the week and find something entertaining to do. Last day there though was a great rodeo-glad to be able to attend...lots of memories on that route..and the down times in flying haven't been simulated yet-lots of adventures there (if you look at them as such)!

Evanston for horses and fireworks. Utah provides no fun, wendover gamble and a hooker. Nevada and Wyoming near by to provide temptation lol.

Yeah-I made a stop in Wendover once-kinda cool that the city is split in two time zones....cool airport two with great historic significance...