$5.64 for a gallon of "Chateau de AvGas"

Just returned from our annual father-son camping trip. This year we
camped for a few days out on Washington Island (2P2) Airport, which is
that spot of land that the Door Peninsula (in Wisconsin) points to,
out in Lake Michigan. (Green Bay is formed by the peninsula jutting
out into the lake.)

For more info, see: http://www.airnav.com/airport/2P2

There is no gas on the island, so we flew over to Ephraim (3D2) to do
some mountain biking around Peninsula State Park, and enjoyed some of
the marvelous restaurants in the area.

Imagine my shock to find that avgas was being sold for $5.64 per
gallon! At that price, I only had them fill Atlas to the tabs.

I'm not much of a wine drinker, but I'm fairly certain you can get a
gallon of cheap wine for about that amount. That's the highest I've
paid, anywhere.

They tell me that when they get their new 20,000 gallon self-serve
tanks installed (instead of their 800 gallon truck) prices will drop
dramatically. I hope so -- Door County has always been one of my all-
time favorite fly-in destinations.

I'd never been to the island before, and it's marvelous! The airport
is run by Walt, a crusty old curmudgeon with a heart of gold. He let
us camp in the shaded meadow behind his office, and told us that he
had "Let the sheriff know we were there, so he wouldn't chase you
off..."

It was one of the nicest campsites we've ever had, with lush grass,
lots of shade, and almost completely sheltered from the wind. Which
turned out to be a very good thing.

When we left Iowa City it was 93 degrees, with terrible humidity. We
used our Garmin 496 to do an "end-around" some nasty storms along a
cold fron that formed a line between us and Wisconsin, and then
enjoyed clear sailing all the way to the island once were north of
LaCrosse.

When we landed on the island it was in the 70s, with no humidity, but
with a good, stiff wind from the northeast. The airport has two very
well maintained grass runways, and Rwy 32 was the longest -- so I took
it, and touched down with room to spare -- but that wind made me work
it, as it would for every landing I would make on this trip.

Afer setting up (and enjoying a nice, 30 minute chat and soda with
Walt) we rode our bikes into town and (at Walt's suggestion) enjoyed a
fantastic dinner of fresh-caught "lawyer fish", a local Lake Michigan
delicacy that is broiled and served with drawn butter, and tastes JUST
like lobster.

They call it "lawyer" fish cuz it's a bottom-feeder...
:-)

Next morning we were up bright and early, and started loading the
bikes into Atlas for the flight to Ephraim, when suddenly a bunch of
low scud started to blow in off the lake. The wind was still stiff,
and I realized that I would be forced down low to the mainland -- so
we decided to bike the island instead.

We found a fantastic breakfast on the south end of the island, at a
hotel called the "Holiday Inn" (NOT associated with the chain. Guess
Washington Island is so far under the radar that they haven't noticed
them, yet.) We rode back to our site, so full we could hardly pedal
-- and laid down for a perfect mid-day nap.

When we awakened the scud was long gone -- but the wind was still
whipping. We decided to go to Ephraim for dinner, instead of
breakfast -- so we loaded the bikes (again!) and launched out over the
deep blue waters of Lake Michigan.

Damn, that wind just wouldn't stop! The runway in Ephraim was also
Rwy 32, and also presented a 90 degree crosswind, at around 20 knots.
Oh, well -- I figured nothing ventured, nothing gained, and gave it a
shot.

I was rewarded with two nice chirps and a smooth roll-out, but, man,
that wind made me work for it. I was sweating after that landing, in
amongst the tall pines and high winds. Joe, with 5 lessons and a few
dozen bumps and circuits under his belt, could finally appreciate how
hard it was to do what I had just done -- which was gratifying. All
he could say was "Boy, I'm glad *you* were flying..."

We then spent the afternoon mountain biking around Peninsula State
Park -- one of the most beautiful state parks in America, IMHO, with
fantastic views of Green Bay from bluffs hundreds of feet tall. The
temperature was PERFECT for biking -- mid-70s in the sun, mid-60s in
the shade, but that wind just never stopped.

The sad thing is, every year we do this Joe gets in better shape (he's
a Senior in high school, and a wrestler) and I get in worse shape --
and I just couldn't keep up with him anymore. So, we took lots of
breaks, and I took lots of ribbing -- but we had a great time
together.

Then we rode into Fish Creek, for a lunch of fresh lake perch --
another Great Lakes delicacy. After walking off lunch looking at the
shops (there are ZILLIONS of shops, as this is a huge tourist trap for
wealthy Chicagoans.) it was the long, all-uphill ride back to the
Ephraim airport.

Dang, I thought I might die, but I made it. I guess I really can't
just hop on a bike and do 30 miles without proper prep anymore, at age
48...

Then it was the short-but-drop-dead-gorgeous flight out to the island,
where I was met with yet another 90-degree crosswind landing.
Luckily, grass is forgiving, and I skipped poor Atlas in like a stone
on a smooth inland lake. We rolled to a stop with 500 feet to spare,
but it 'tweren't pretty.

New personal rule #117: Don't fly a challenging cross-wind landing
whilst physically exhausted.

It dropped into the 40s last night, which made for PERFECT sleeping,
so long as you were properly equipped (we were -- I know how cold it
can get in Lake Michigan, even in summer), and there was a full moon
so big and bright that we could read a newspaper without a
flashlight. We never even turned on the lantern, as we sat and solved
all the world's problems...

This morning dawned clear, cool, and -- best of all -- CALM! After
a yummy breakfast of instant coffee, left-over sugar cookies and Ritz
crackers, we loaded Atlas to the gills and trundled out to that
beautifully tended Rwy 32 one last time.

As we arced into the air it felt almost like cheating, flying in such
benign conditions, and we enjoyed a wonderful 2.2 hour flight back to
KIOW.

I'll never forget this time spent with my boy (he had to be back by 2
PM for his flight medical -- he's legal to solo now!), nor will I ever
forget the first (and hopefully last) time I paid over $5 bucks a
gallon for gas!
--
Jay Honeck
Iowa City, IA
Pathfinder N56993
www.AlexisParkInn.com
"Your Aviation Destination"