A bird's eye view
- Marsha
- Sep 23, 2022
- 3 min read
Moab was incredible but our time there had to end so we could move onto other adventures.
And what an experience it was!
Being remote workers, Dave and I rarely see our co-workers. In fact, it took five years for me to meet my boss in person and almost as long for me to to do the same with my favorite co-conspirator from the office, Charlene.
When I told her we were spending a a couple of weeks in Portland, we knew we had to meet up. I wasn't expecting it to be at small airport where her husband Patrick would be taking us on a private flight of the local area.
We were not disappointed by this.
Patrick and Charlene were flying in from another small local airport and ended up being sent to the other side of the runway to wait for us.
As you can't just walk across a runway, one of the young men from the airport gave us a lift.
I would say sadly the plane was not quite big enough for four adults to be comfortable in but Charlene took this opportunity to go shopping at a nearby outlet store so she was happy. Besides, dinner was also part of the plan and it would be easier to visit then.
Patrick took us on a two hour trip to see the local attractions. As this was our first time in a small plane there were a few things of note.
Even though the windows do open you're not allowed to unless you're on the ground.
It gets colder inside the higher up you go. (Yes, this is common sense but it goes along with the next point.)
It's rather difficult to put extra layers on or take them off because the enclosed space is snug therefore we started off too warm, moved to chilly, and then went back to too warm while buzzing downtown Portland.
Smaller planes get bumped around by air currents more and my motion sickness did not appreciate this.
All of that aside, Patrick was a funny and charming pilot and the views were unparalleled. It was an amazing adventure I'm grateful to have had.
We first headed to Mount Hood. I was quickly amused by trying to take pictures. Mostly by trying to get a good shot of how the propellor blades look bent.
Along the way we saw lots of green patches and fields.
Look! The Columbia River! I remember it being larger as a kid.
My favorite part by far were the snow capped mountains. There is just something magical about them.
I was also way too fascinated with having the plane's wing in my photos. Yes, I'm a very enthusiastic newbie.
As we left Mount Hood for one of my favorite mountains, Mt Saint Helens, we saw part of the Bonneville Dam crossing the Columbia.
Multnomah Falls looks looks so small from up here. Still, it's an impressive water drop.
Growing up in Vancouver, Washington I remember hearing about St Helens quite a bit. I wasn't in the area when it erupted but something like doesn't quickly fade from local memory.
On the way reaching her though, we were surprised with some lovely views of Mount Helens sharing the skyline with Mount Rainer and Mount Adams.
She's a beautiful lady from ground level. From above, still wearing snow, she's nothing short of magnificent.
The lake below is right next to Helens, the brown algae looking stuff trapped in the upper right hand corner are logs.
Eventually though, our time in the air was over.
Dinner was eaten, conversation flowed, and a good time was had by all. All good things must come to an end. We said farewell where we met for it wasn't goodbye (Charlene and I are co-workers).
There were two things I learned from this experience. I enjoy being up in the air, the views are spectacular and I do not do well in small planes. I was rather nauseous by the end.
I think I need to stick to hot air balloons.
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