2013 Cross-Country Trip Day 2: Boise to Erie
After our unplanned overnight stop in Boise, we were eager to continue. A much cooler, smoother morning greeted us.
Our plan from Boise was to head pretty much east and across the southern part of Wyoming, then turn south to approach the Denver area. Due to the high, rugged mountains west of Denver, it’s not a good idea to go directly.
The route is high, but mostly flat. The exception is some mountains near the Idaho/Utah/Wyoming borders.
Past the lake and into Wyoming, the terrain becomes pretty brown and largely unremarkable. The one remarkable part is the turbulence that always seems to exist in this area. A couple strategies to avoid it are to fly early in the day and fly higher. Though we left in the morning, we weren’t particularly early, and without a good way for Cooper to use our oxygen system, we couldn’t go high. This unfortunately meant bumps.
Airports are few and far between in this area. We decided to stop at Rock Springs to get fuel, use the bathroom, stretch our legs, and take a break from the bumps.
By the time we departed, the density altitude was about 9000′, which made for probably the longest takeoff roll we’ve experienced in the RV-10. There’s a reason the runways are long in this part of the country.
The rest of the flight to Erie was unpleasant. We had a rare headwind heading east, and it was very hot and bumpy. We were all happy to arrive in Erie, where we’d be staying with friends for a few nights.
Next: Day 5: Erie to Little Rock
Previous: Day 1: Seattle to Boise
