Flying to Joshua Tree

Thanks to my pilot friend Amos Collins, we had the amazing opportunity to take a weekend trip to Joshua Tree National Park...by plane! Amos and his fiancee Heidi flew up from San Diego and picked us up at the nearby Fullerton Airport Friday afternoon. We stuffed our camping gear into the small 4-seater, and then flew to Yucca Valley, a small town close to Joshua Tree. Not only is flying in a small plane tons of fun (especially with friends), but it's also quite gratifying when you can look down below at the traffic on the 91 freeway that you would otherwise be stuck in. We rented a car in Yucca Valley so we could drive into the park, and managed to find a camping spot despite the campground being "full."

On our way back, we had a bit of extra time, so Amos let me do some flying myself, including taking off twice (though he did most of the work during the takeoff, like worrying about the flaps and throttle). We also got to fly over the park, which was great. It was really interesting to see the huge rocks from above.

Besides the flying, we really enjoyed hanging out with Amos & Heidi, and spending some more time in Joshua Tree.

Amos looks up during his pre-flight check.

This plane has a simple GPS, and an even simpler notepad which straps onto the pilot's knee to keep track of all the flight-following stuff that goes on. Amos explained that the southern CA airspace is the busiest in the country. Even for our short little flight, he had to worry about a bunch of different airspaces and air traffic controllers.

Daniel enjoying the front. All 4 of us had headsets so we could talk over the noise of the plane (and listen to all the airtraffic chatter).

This was taking off from the Fullerton Airport.

As we headed East towards Corona we passed over some hills, which Amos flew pretty close to. You can see the effects of one of the recent fires in the area.

Unloading our camping gear in Yucca Valley

We spent many hours talking around the campfire.

I somehow managed to capture this amazing photo of Amos & Heidi.

They're newly engaged, so I had to take a lot of photos of them.

One of the trickier parts of the first set of rocks we climbed right near our campsite (Hidden Valley Campground).

Heidi cresting a different boulder pile.

Amos lost his camera right here, but didn't realize it until we had climbed all the way down. Fortunately, he was able to run/scramble back to this spot later and retrieve it.

Amos found out the hard way that these guys do indeed have stickers even though they don't look like it.

Notice the cool rock veins on either side.

This family (parents & 2 kids) deserves a huge amount of respect. I'm not sure how far they rode, but it was obvious they were on a long trip.

Heidi and some of her friends & family love U2's Joshua Tree album, so she wanted to make sure to get some photos next to the unique trees (which oddly enough are related to lilies).

We made a quick stop at Hidden Valley (the actual valley, not the campground) on our way out of the park.

You're going to have to view the larger version of this one to see the glitter. I have no idea why.

We decided to check out this plane that was for sale. It's only a 2-seater...but on the other hand, it's only $20,000.

Group shot before taking off from Yucca Valley

We flew over Joshua Tree National Park; this is one of the first rock piles as you enter the park.

This is Hidden Valley Campground, where we camped. That big pile of rocks near the top left is one of the ones we climbed.

Ryan Mountain, which I've climbed a couple times in the past.

Those of you who have been to the park will realize how big these rocks are; otherwise you can't even imagine the size of them when viewing from the air.

We flew a bit farther to the 29 Palms Airport, because we needed to refuel.

The Chevron avgas station. I didn't realize plane gas stations could be so similar to car gas stations. You just taxi up, pay with your credit card, and fill the plane. No one else was around, except another pilot who landed right after us.

Static electricity builds up on the plane, so you want to ground it before filling it with gas; otherwise exciting things might happen.

On our way back we were in an airspace that didn't have restrictions, so we got to fly pretty low. Amos explained that if you're flying low like this you want to fly fast. That way if something goes wrong, you have a lot of speed which you can use to quickly gain altitude.

You can't really tell, but I'm flying the plane at this point.

This is me flying again (notice my tight, nervous grip?). It just so happened that we had gusty conditions when I started flying. The sudden drops and turns weren't my fault, honest! Amos taught me a couple simple flying basics like how to use the rudder (foot pedals) in conjunction with ailerons (yoke) to make smooth turns. I also learned that every time you turn, the plane tends to lose altitude, so you've gotta pull up to counteract that.

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Recent photo comments

Katie: dehydration

Sher: When it dries, it will make a great fire log.

Amos: Daniel, I thought YOU were flying?

Daniel: Doh! No wonder we started to roll!

Sher: Co-Pilot Daniel. Isn't flying great?

Sher: No, Amos, NOT the Interstate-125 . . . You're cleared to land at Joshua Tree!

Katie: i love this shot. this is totally how i'm going to remember heidi.

just kidding heidi.

heidi: ARRRRRR...that's right....this is what happens when you mess with a dutch girl, the claws come out.
is ANYONE intimidated??

glad you find the photo so amusing,katie. might need to say a prayer for amos though, hope he knows what he's getting himself into;)

debi mangiameli: I think Amos got Heidi w/ his big toe- you know how he pinches w/ his toes.....

Amos: Aunt Debi, you're embarrassing me, when nobody knows what you're talking about. (I thought it was funny though)

Joe: Great shot!

debi mangi: I think Daniel needs to be your wedding photographer! Great job!

Robin Hodges: I am so happy for Amos and Heidi! Hope they can come visit Joel and I at our ranch in Bandera, Texas.

Chris Kuhlow: Amos, you guys are so perfect. :) Beautiful photos!

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