The Long Haul-4

When Woodsen began flight planning for our trip we knew that the flight between Southeast Alaska and the lower 48 would be our longest flight. My passport had lapsed, and the kids didn’t have passports, so landing in Canada wasn’t an option. Petersburg to Orcas Island (a popular place for airplane camping) was a 5 hr flight. We’d never done a flight this long in our own airplane, nor had the fuel range to do it. Now with the 185’s long range tanks, this long of a flight was not only an option but we could complete it with ease even under IFR conditions.

I loaded up on activity books and audiobooks, Debbie filled our bags with snacks, and we headed to the airport.

We left overcast Petersburg and not long into our flight we reached scattered clouds, blue skies and panoramic views of Southeast. Overall the flight was pretty enjoyable, a tail wind pushed us a long, the kids mostly got along, and I found that I could use Woodsen’s mounted iPad to work on the blog while Eska slept or flew the airplane with woodsen 😊.

Beautiful weather and views continued as we crossed over Canada and back into the U.S.

Arriving at Orcas Island was pretty amazing. The skies were clear and when we landed we were greeted with seventy degree weather and a light sea breeze. The perfect temperature for us Alaskans. We set up camp, and quickly made friends with others camping by the runway.

We finished the evening getting to know a couple from Canada who were also camping at the runway, then walking to the beach with our new friends and letting the kids wade in the ocean.

Simply dreamy!