Off the ground at Gillette, WY by 7:00 AM. I had to dodge rain showers and thunderstorms for the first few hours before breaking out into clear skies just past Kimball, WY after a fuel stop.
This area is booming with energy exploration and development. Check out the enormous coal mine and shovel. There is agriculture on a colossal scale as well. This photo of a wheat harvest gives you some idea. There was much more to be harvested than the photo captured, but this farmer needs some helpers.
I stopped quickly at Lamar, CO for gas, then jumped back in for the (almost) final leg for the day. I hoped to make Lubbock, but the winds were less helpful, and I simply couldn’t make it non-stop with adequate reserves, so I dropped into Plainview for a few gallons before the 30 mile flight to Lubbock.
Judy, Steven and Ruby are in town to get him set up to begin law school at Texas Tech next month so we have a chance to visit and share some Alaska stories.
One more (hopefully) easy day tomorrow should complete this journey. I have enjoyed your comments, support and interest more than you know. There is more to share soon, so stay with me as we bring this flight to a close.
Ken Wittekiend is an FAA Designated Pilot Examiner, professional flight instructor, aircraft owner and founder of ProMark Aviation Services, a flight training company based in Burnet, Texas.
Ken is a commercial pilot with over 11,000 hours of experience in a wide variety of general aviation aircraft. He began flying in 1970 while attending the University of Texas at Austin.