Ever since the day the Silver Stallion (my nickname for the airplane) got put back together, I’ve dreamed of the adventures we would go on together.
A certain mission has been on my mind for the last few years to use the airplane to fly out far, far away from the city and watch a meteor shower. My airplane would allow me to find a nice dark patch of earth, where the noise and light pollution of civilization couldn’t reach me, and I would have the whole sky to myself. It turned out..... this past December I had the chance to make this dream a reality and to make it even sweeter..... I was able to bring three friends along.
After moving to Arizona in October, it took me a month or two to get settled before flying the plane down from Utah. As luck would have it, my good friend and professional photographer, Ralph Kristopher had been spending the early winter in Tucson and, he had two more weeks before flying back to Alaska (where he lives full time).
I knew the Geminid meter shower was coming that next weekend up so I told Ralph to pack his bags and get ready for a good time.
Our transportation for this mission was none other then a 67 years young 1953 Cessna 170B.
Don’t let it’s age fool you, this machine is still a beast.....
Even today there aren’t many other airplanes who can haul three adults, a dog, and a pile of camping gear safely into the desert (and back). Keep in mind, the place we went doesn’t have an official runway so, the airplane also needed to be able and take off and land in a much shorter distance then a traditional airport.
Joining Ralph and I for the meteor shower airplane camping extravaganza was Ralph’s girlfriend Candace and her dog Tucker.
Luckily, we were able to pack all our gear into the baggage compartment with enough room for Tucker to sit comfortably on the floor next to Candace!
After an awesome rip through the desert we found our camping spot for the evening.
I wanted to camp next to a saguaro cactus which turned out to be harder then expected because where there is one cactus, there are usually a bunch of them.
Luckily we found a lone sentinel, next to a nice grassy field, which provided a great backdrop for our campsite.
After getting our tents set up.... and with a few hours left before sunset, we went for a "walkabout" to see what we could see. Being new to the desert, I’m still infatuated with all the cool cactus that pepper the landscape.
They remind me of something out of a Doctor Seuss book.... but with spikes.
As the sun started to get low in the sky, we turned around and headed back towards the airplane. Tucker could hardly contain his excitement for the upcoming meteor shower and he ran around like a wild beast dodging cactus and rocks all the way back to our campsite.
In the final minutes before the sun sank below the horizon, we stumbled across an old homestead. It’s impressive stone walls and foundation were still intact including the chimney and fireplace. It made me wonder who went to such careful measures to build.... by hand..... their home in this far away plot of land. I’m sure they must have been drawn to it’s solitude and natural beauty much like we were.....
A few minutes later we arrived back at the airplane to watch the grey/blue sky shift to orange, and then a dark shade of purple as night began to take over.
Having a polished airplane is a blessing and a curse. The bare metal finish requires more maintenance then it’s painted brothers and sisters, but the aluminum panels do an amazing job of reflecting the color of the setting sun.
Having done a bit of research, we knew the meter shower was supposed to "peak" shortly after sunset, with the highest concentration occurring between 8-10pm. Having some time to kill before the show started, we went about gathering firewood and getting ourselves comfy for a night of counting shooting stars.
Shortly after dark, we all sat together facing the part of the sky we had read would have the highest concentration of activity. Sure enough it wasn’t long before we were rewarded with a dazzling show. Every minute or so one of us would call out, “wow!”, and “look over there!”..... trying to point out the best and brightest of the shootings stars to the rest of the group.
Most of the meteors we saw were about the same size, but every now and then a whopper would trace a massive line across the horizon that would turn different colors and have bits breaking off of it. Those ones were really awesome and made us all laugh and smile like little kids.
A few hours later, we fell asleep with the sound of wood crackling on our fire. Even though we were in the desert, the night temps get pretty cold and we were happy to have it’s warmth to take the edge off.
I woke up before sunrise eager to walk around. There's something special about the quiet hours before sunrise..... when the air is still and the light hasn’t caught up with the day yet. It’s especially fun to wake up after sleeping under the wing of your airplane. It’s a sensation not many people get to experience anymore, since they days of barnstorming have long passed. Luckily there are enough of us "old school pilots" out there keeping the tradition alive!
After a short walk I made my way back to camp to find everyone else still asleep so I did the only logical thing one should do in that scenario....
I went back to sleep!
The warm sun quickly began to awaken my camp-mates and soon, it was time for my second favorite part of camping.
Breakfast!
One of the nice things about airplane camping is that you can throw in some of the larger cooking items that get left at home when you are backpacking. For this mornings main course, we had breakfast burritos mixed with fresh peppers, cheese, eggs, and you can’t leave out the secret ingredient….
.......left over Five Guys french fries.
After eating our fill of the delicious breakfast, it was time to pack up our things and fly back to the real world. I was a bit anxious as it was the first time I would be taking off from that strip with a full airplane-load of people and gear so, I wanted to be airborne while the air was still cool. Sure enough, the plane took off with plenty of room to spare and we made our way safely back to the main airport.
On the flight home, we all quietly pondered the life transitions we were currently in. Ralph was headed back to Alaska for the winter. Candace (who is a traveling nurse) was moving on to her next city for work, and I was still getting settled with a new job in a new state.
Each of us had our fair share of unknowns and it was nice to have some company to chat with about it. Sometimes in the middle of the "chaos of life", it turns out.... all you need is some good friends and a few shootings stars to remind you that everything is going to be OK;-)
KAVU Days Ahead!
Neil Amonson
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Additional Photos: Ralph Kristopher
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