Day 1 was was about making progress. A fuel stop in Fillmore UT, and then on to Torrington WY. Apart from the cheap fuel, the other reason for picking Torrington was that a Holiday Inn was within walking distance. It's a good thing I planned to stay overnight in Torrington - I hadn't realized fuel was full service only and I arrivied after hours.
Torrington was in the path of totality of the 2017 solar eclipse, and they had a photo hanging in the lobby of their taxiway and ramp overflowing with small planes as well as many jets. I neglected to take a photo of the photo.
| All packed... | Torrington, Wyoming |
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A short flying day as I wanted to line up my border crossing into Canada as the first leg of the next day. It gave me time to watch the US vs Spain Women's World Cup match in the morning. A win on two penalties and giving away a goal? I'll take it, but I hoped for better...
I took the opportunity to land at Alliance NE, which was also on the path of totality in 2017, then hopscotched across the Great Plains dodging a few storm cells. I overnighted in Brookings where the Pheasant's Fury FBO had a courtesy van I could use overnight.
In the morning, I duly filed my eAPIS departure report and called CANPASS to notify them of my planned arrival. My intended border crossing was Piney Pinecreek airport, which straddles the border - I'd land in the US, and roll out in Canada! Both customs offices are conveniently nearby on the adjacent highway crossing.
While the weather was beautiful leaving Brookings, I caught up to some weather that was passing through as I flew north, and wound up getting under some MVFR ceilings with scattered rain.
| A nice day near Watertown SD | Not so nice near Thief River Falls MN |
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| Piney Pinecreek Border Airport | Canadian customs ramp |
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Upon arrival at Piney, some CBSA officers walked over from the customs building and asked me a few questions. They said that at that particular crossing, calling CANPASS wasn't necessary if I showed up during business hours, because they'd be able to clear me through faster... indeed, it took more time waiting on hold with CANPASS to report my entry than it did talking to the officers.
The most exciting thing about the border crossing? I got locked out of my plane. Somehow, the canopy latch jiggled its way to the locked position during my flight. Pushing the unlatch lever to get out was easy enough, but that doesn't actually unlock the mechanism. I made a mental note to physically unlock the canopy when I got out. But then the CBSA agents walked up, asked me for my documents, and pointed me towards their office. So, I duly fetched the documents, hopped out, and shut the canopy... and then realized the key was still on the dash. Oops. Luckily, as worn out as a 40 year old lock is, I was able to unlock it with a random key one of the officers had. I might not have left a good impression on GA security. :\
From there, it was on to Winnipeg. Runway 31 was closed, so I got to work with a strong crosswind for Runway 36. After landing and long taxi to the FBO, I got squared away in a rental car and hit the road for Gimli. Along the way, I discovered the Oak Hammock Marsh Wildlife Management Area, and was rewarded with variety of birds including a short-eared owl.
| Winnipeg | Short-eared Owl and Northern Harrier |
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Why Gimli?
Before the Miracle on the Hudson there was the Gimli Glider. As a result of a series of errors, an Air Canada 767 wound up running out of fuel halfway to its destination, and wound up gliding to a former RCAF base in Gimli. Unbeknownst to the crew, the primary runway there had been converted for use as a dragstrip, and there was a racing event that day. Happily, they were able to land and stop the plane without anyone getting seriously hurt. (Note: much of the Wikipedia article is sourced from this article by Wade Nelson.)
The Gimli Glider Museum recently opened in town, and contains a variety of photographs, articles, and artifacts from the event.
Today, the Gimli Motorsports Park still operates on the decommissioned runway. The airfield is operated as a civil airport using the other parallel runway. Unfortunately, no ground transportation is available at Gimli, or I would have flown there instead of Winnipeg.
| Red fox kits on Hecla Island | Royal Canadian Mint |
Pool of the Black Star Manitoba Legislative Building |
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Having visited Gimli on the ground, of course I had to make a landing at the airport. It was a short flight from Winnipeg, barely half an hour, but I took the opportunity to top off on fuel there before launching for the remote north. The one runway at Gimli is now 15-33. The Gimli Motorsports Park is still operating on what used to be 16R-32L. (The Gimli Glider landed from the south on 32L)
| Final approach to Gimli Rwy 15 | Gimli and Lake Winnipeg |
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Heading north out of Gimli, I crossed Lake Winnipeg along Hecla Island. Grasslands gave way to what looked like boggy lakes. Chatter on the enroute frequency 126.7 dropped off to just a few planes making the rounds between the few remote airstrips in the area. I stopped for fuel as planned in Gillam.
| Hecla Island and Lake Winnipeg beyond | Lily Pad Lake |
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North of Gillam, the ceilings were forecast to gradually get lower. How much lower was the question - Between the morning and midday TAFs, the forecast ceilings at Churchill for my arrival time lowered from 2500 to 1500, and I was concerned it could get worse. As much as I didn't want to, I elected to file IFR into Churchill. Unfortunately, that put me in the cloud deck at 5000'. Though there were no other weather or icing concerns, it also meant I didn't see anything for most of the trip. As it turned out, it was a prudent choice as the ceilings at Churchill were down to 900 by the time I arrived.
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Stevenson Island Island Lake Airport |
Final approach to Churchill |
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