All the elements were in line for a major trip in our Sky King Cessna 310 twin: daughter and son-in-law living in North Carolina, pining for a visit; daughter and family living in Missouri (on the way from Montana to North Carolina; daughter in Arizona (on the way in a round-about-way from North Carolina to Montana via California); brother in California; fresh multi-engine rating in pocket of pilot-in-command; good weather forecast. My husband and I packed our suitcases, loaded the twin with everything we'd need for a 2-week tour of the country (including $80 worth of aeronautical navigation charts) and took off on a fine October morning.
Cruising at 185, we sped past nature's towering granite mammary masterpieces known as the Grand Tetons near Jackson Hole, and soon arrived at Rock Springs, Wyoming, for a fuel stop. As we approached the high plains airport, we listened to the wind and weather information on the aircraft radio. The wind was blowing hard, as it usually is in Rock Springs; even the antelope were hunkered down. Fortunately, the gale was nearly aligned with the runway, making for a nice short landing. We took a break, got a drink, ate a snack, paid for the fuel, and took off for our next stop: Kearney, Nebraska. A brisk tailwind helped us along as we droned on over many miles of prairie, and before we knew it we were heading for our final stop of the day in Jefferson City, Missouri, to visit the grandchildren.
By the time we arrived in Missouri, just north of St. Joseph, the sun was setting. Our tailwind was a fortunate necessity in pushing us to our destination before the sky turned completely black. We found ourselves peering through the murk of air pollution and high humidity, searching for a glimpse of the Missouri River that would lead us to the Jefferson City airport. The haze turned a dirty orange, then brown, and was nearly charcoal by the time we saw the runway lights of Missouri's capitol city airport. With relief, we landed, found some tiedown chains, secured the twin, and called our daughter for a ride to her home. Flying into an unfamiliar airport in the dark is not a good plan. Sometimes the blackness hides mountains and ridges that can cause bumps in the night.
After a wonderful but short 2-day visit, we headed back to the airport to re-fuel the twin, check things out, and depart for North Carolina. When we entered the fuel sales office, we noticed a mark painted on the outside wall, high above the doorway. We asked about it, and were told that it was the high water mark from a previous year's flood. We blanched, but the clerk assured us that the flood occurred in the spring. We had nothing to worry about in October. Good thing we didn't see the mark before we left our plane when we arrived in Jefferson City. We wouldn't have slept a wink for 2 days!
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