My last adventure before moving from Arizona back to Utah was a memorable one. I had the opportunity to fly my airplane with a co-worker to a training site called Grapevine Airstrip. My buddy was a helicopter pilot so it was fun to show him the ropes involved with fixed-wing flying. Of course, he was a natural. Turned out, the scenery along the way from Tucson up into the mountains was enjoyable and the weather was perfect for our flight.
Just next to our destination was Tonto National Monument. It was cool to look out the window and see cliff dwellings that date all the way back to 1250 AD.
As you can see, the airstrip is right next to a lake (Lake Roosevelt).
It's more narrow than the average paved runway, but it is in great condition and an excellent destination if you're an Arizona-based pilot.
This was my first time flying into Grapevine and I was surprised to arrive with two other aircraft already in the pattern! Great minds think alike a guess.
There is parking next to the runway in the dirt, so even the fancy small tired airplanes get the chance to get some dirt on their tires. But..... don’t run over the cactus for obvious reasons!
One of the aircraft there was a super nice Cessna Stationair. The owner flew in with his fishing equipment as the lake is a short walk from the runway. Pretty cool to see how different pilots use their planes for all kinds of adventure.
As the sun was going down, I opted to not set up a tent due to the lack of bugs and the temperature being perfect. I guess you just have to cross your fingers a scorpion won’t crawl in your sleeping bag with you.
Alas, it was a beautiful night under the stars.
I found this lone soldier the next morning sitting next to my tire. A sure sign of a fun evening. Pilots would never drink and fly, but we do enjoy a cold beverage at the end of a long day of cloud chasing.
Then next morning, we were greeted with perfect weather and decided to go look for Indian artifacts in the mountains next to the lake.
We picked a random dirt road that headed into the hills and drove about 40 minutes until the road ended. From there we walked up to one of the ridges and wandered around looking for pottery and arrow heads.
Not long after we started walking we found an old Indian camp ground with a ton of flint chips and even some pieces of painted pottery.
The prize of the morning was finding a mealing stone native Americans used to grind grain and seeds by hand.
Soon it was time to head back to the airstrip for our evening operations. By the time we got back, a few other pilots had arrived and set up camp. They had their airplanes tied down, their tents set up, and were ready to watch the sunset with some cold drinks in hand.
This blurry dark photo will have to suffice to summarize the night training we were doing. The little green lights at the back of the plane are jumpers getting ready to make night jumps into the lake. You wouldn’t think water training would be an option in the desert, but this spot is a perfect location for the training as it’s right next to the airstrip, the water is warm, and there is plenty of open space for the jumpers to land.
After the last night jump, my co-pilot and I packed up the trusty Cessna 170 and flew back towards Tucson. Flying at night is always a bit exciting, but we had an uneventful hour long flight back to our home base. Shortly after this trip I flew the plane back to UT so, this was the last AZ adventure I got to make for a while.
I have such fond memories of the flying around the desert and I can’t wait to go back. If you ever get the chance to visit Grapevine Airstrip (88AZ), Roosevelt Lake, or Tonto National Monument, do it! It’s a unique and awesome part of the country to visit for pilots and non-pilots alike.
Neil Amonson
FB
IG
Absolute Flight Training
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