Summit of Mt. Rainier Summit of the exploded volcano St. Helens A pleasant day flying over the summit of Mt. Rainier to Mt. St. Helens. This is the volcano that exploded in 1980 and left a huge crater in what was once a perfectly conical mountain. A fierce 40 knot wind is blowing from the north, so we continue along the Oregon coast at Mach 1, occasionally streaking by sea lions until we reach San Francisco. A couple of days rest in the Bay Area and we’ll be off to Las Vegas and the great American desert.
Friday 14 July
Las Vegas hotels need their own zip codes. Each of these theme-park monsters could be renamed “Disney World meets Shopping Center”, with endless shops, restaurants, bars and casinos. I am in awe of the efficiency with which these places drain pockets. We are tempted to gamble, but go cold turkey as we need the heli to finish our trip.
We leave Las Vegas and continue to Hoover Dam and the Grand Canyon. The Americans have perfected the art of supporting general aviation, so we have no administrative troubles since Alaska. We even manage not to break any laws, with the minor exception of a felony of landing in the Grand Canyon National Park. Thankfully we take off before the rangers arrive.
We fly over some of this planet’s most amazing colors and landscapes in the Bryce Canyon area.
