Back to the Warmth of Home

I was in conversation with my boss back and forth on Monday morning, double-checking that they weren’t going to depart early that day (I had a hunch they wouldn’t).

Because I didn’t want to try to drive to Salt Lake in this type of weather!

Luckily, he said we wouldn’t be leaving until the afternoon (it ended up being almost 10:00 PM), so I was able to wait for this stuff to burn off.

Even better, my step-dad had to drive up earlier than me. He called me to let me know where the bad foggy spots were, and it really helped my drive be an easy one to head back to work today.

It’s been such a fun and productive weekend in my hometown!

Soon, I was back at the airport and waiting to go home. It was extremely cold today, and I didn’t feel like standing outside for long to take some pictures.

I’ve always come to the same FBO since flying these past six years, but this particular building has changed hands three times!

It was a great place to sit in the lobby today for some people-watching and book-reading!

Because of events going on near Salt Lake City, this place was packed and busy! I love seeing a few dozen giant airplanes on the ramp!

They must have had a reason to come here…it’s fourteen degrees. Who would want to come enjoy that type of weather for no reason?!

As you can see, the afternoon came and went. But my boss was nice enough to keep us updated on the times. It’s so wonderful having someone who lets us know what’s going on!

Gulfstreams were a dime a dozen today. There were some big, beautiful, and expensive airplanes everywhere I looked. Had it been sixty degrees warmer, I could have called it a pretty good day.

Could have.

After making sure that Gladys was ready for our flight home, this is where I spent most of my time. I got to talk to some fun people while waiting, too.

My boss kept apologizing for the delays, but it gave us a chance to grab some dinner. El Capitan and I both agreed that there was only one place that we wanted to eat.

I love this place! And so does Guy Fieri, since he’s been here for Diners, Drive-Ins, and Dives. Very delicious, affordable, authentic Mexican food. And boy, was it good!

Right across the street was Leatherby’s Family Creamery. I was almost tempted to eat my dinner here instead, but then I remembered that I had been shivering for nine hours nonstop. Eating ice cream just didn’t sound like the best remedy for that.

But I’ve eaten here before…(don’t look at this if you’re hungry or like caramel sauce).

Dinner at the Red Iguana was just wonderful. The food was good, but I got to do something that I’ve always wanted to try!

This place is always so popular, so we had a twenty-minute wait at 4:00 PM on a Monday evening. We were talking to some people outside while waiting to be sat…a lovely husband and wife, and they were friendly and fun. They were sat almost immediately, and I jokingly said to come get us if there was room at their table.

And…they did! We were invited to eat with them, and it was so much fun. Great conversation, great food. And, secretly, it was a dream come true for me! I’ve always wanted to eat with strangers like that!

Yes, I’m weird.

The shredded beef tacos weren’t all that bad, either.

Late that night, we left the cold behind and thawed out at home. It was so cold that we had a annunciator come on during flight that the passenger door was open. I knew that it was locked and that just the sensor was misbehaving because of the cold, but it still got my heart a pumping.

What a great five days in Utah. I loved that I got to spend so much time with my family, and that we were able to can some chicken and tie some quilts.

Thanks for having me, family! I miss you already, but I hope like nothing else that the next time I come for work, it’s much warmer!

Home at Last

After we learned that nothing could be done on the airplane until Friday morning, we spent Thursday evening at Temple Square. It was a little too chilly for two Arizonians to be walking outside in mid-November, so we spent most of our time inside the Joseph Smith Memorial Building. They are celebrating 100 years since the grand opening of Hotel Utah, which the building used to be until the late 1980's. So we wandered around reading the museum-like displays until our movie started at 7:30 PM. We watched the new Joseph Smith: Prophet of the Restoration movie (watch the whole thing here!). It was really good, and I teared up a bunch. 

Though it wasn't my own bed, hitting the hay felt very good since it had been such a crazy (but typical) week.

After an inspection by the jet mechanic, and several calls to Beechjet Technical Support, we figured out that the Nose Wheel Shimmy Dampener wasn't broken...just full of bad stuff. There was too much air inside, and not enough hydraulic fluid. So the mechanic flushed it out and add more fluid before testing movement. Then we piled in and did several high-speed taxi tests to make sure it was working.

I am so relieved that we didn't have to wait for a part! Since we were leaving again for work on Monday, I didn't want to spend the weekend away from home, only to be gone another week again! We landed in Phoenix around 4:00 PM, and it felt great to be home at last!

Breaking Down is Hard to Do

You see this? This is a nose wheel shimmy dampener on a Beechjet. When it doesn't operate properly, flying in a Beechjet isn't very fun.

I got all excited when Big Boss announced that we were headed home...a day earlier than expected and after a crazy week on the road! We got the airplane ready and passengers loaded and were soon on our way.

As we picked up speed down the runway for takeoff, the entire airplane suddenly began shaking! It felt like it was coming from the nose wheel, and this would later prove to be a correct guess. We announced to tower that we needed to abort our takeoff. 

Thrust Levers: Idle 

Speed Brakes: Extend 

Thrust Reversers: Deploy 

Wheel Brakes: Apply

After reassuring Tower that we needed no further assistance, we were able to slowly taxi back to the Million Air at Salt Lake City. 

We found a local mechanic to give us confirmation about the nose wheel shimmy dampener being broken. Since it wasn't a quick fix, I got my four passengers home on a Southwest Airlines flight later that evening. Because the jet mechanic couldn't look at our airplane until the following morning, I calmed myself down with this:

Amazingly enough, my nerves didn't allow me to take more than a few bites. So not like me! 

I just count my blessings that we weren't going faster, and that it happened on takeoff and not on landing (when we would be going twice as fast when touching down). As exciting as it was, and how racy my pulse got, it could have been worse!

We were able to get it fixed the next day without having to order a part. The mechanic found too much air in the nose wheel shimmy dampener and not enough hydraulic fluid. After flushing out the bad and putting in the good, we did a high-speed taxi down the runway to test that all was well.

It worked, and we came back around for a full-length takeoff on runway 35. Less than two hours later, we were home!

And the Week Goes On

We all know the highlight of my week was eating at Leatherby's Family Creamery in Salt Lake City. The original plan was to go to Utah on Tuesday, so my hopes were crushed when it got bumped back a few days. I kept thinking about their caramel sauce and loads of toasted almond ice cream. Luckily, I was able to get that goodness in me on Thursday! I made a special exception for my no-sugar-during-the-week goals to make room for the best caramel sauce I've ever tasted. And I've tasted a few in my day.

But there I go getting ahead of myself because it's my favorite topic!

We left Omaha around 10:00 AM after sleeping at the Country Inn and Suites not too far from the airport. The flooding that we experienced on our visit here this past summer has subsided slightly. At least I could see most of the freeways not covered in water this time! When Big Boss arrived, they convened in the conference room to decide the next location. After half an hour of tense deliberation, Denver was agreed upon for our next stop. Phew! That's what we fueled for, so it worked out! The flight took about an hour and a half to go from flat Omaha to beautiful mountainous Denver. We landed at the Metro Airport on the northwest side of town.

Though he said it would be just a few hours here, we actually stayed for over five. These are the moments that I really wish I had a nook or Kindle. I don't dare leave the airport because Big Boss could arrive at any time. And I hate watching television to pass the time. I wish I had a bunch of books at my fingertips without having to carry them around all week. It's on my wish list for sure, even though Hubby doesn't think I would use it!

My passengers came with a sweet surprise...the best peaches I've ever tasted in my life. We ate one on the flight to Salt Lake City, and I was simply in heaven. If peaches tasted like that all the time, they would certainly be my favorite fruit (don't worry, Red Grapes. You're safe in that highly-esteemed position forever). We stole one of the passengers to treat him to Leatherby's after we landed. Luckily, they have a little-known location just a few miles from the airport. With road construction (in Utah?! That's new...), the twenty-minute drive felt like an eternity to me. I had been talking this ice cream up all week and could hardly wait to share it with Terry and Sean. 

I split a grilled cheese sandwich and fries with Sean before we each ordered our own ice cream. Sean opted for a hot fudge sundae with a hidden banana inside. Terry ate a pastrami burger and still managed to polish off the Allan's Black and Tan. So impressive! I had my usual...Karen's Small Sundae with toasted almond ice cream and more caramel than most people can handle. It was worth the wait all week...and everyone agreed that it lived up to my constant bragging about this place. I love Leatherby's. Period. If I lived closer to one, I'd be in a lot of trouble.

After a few hours in Salt Lake, we were surprised with the announcement that we were headed home! I flew right over my hometown and then waived to my sister's house outside of Richfield. Did you hear me fly over? We landed shortly after 10:00 PM. in toasty Phoenix.

Omaha - Denver/Metro - Salt Lake City - Phoenix

Swimming in Caramel Never Tasted So Good

Many a memory came flooding back last week when I was able to eat at one of my favorite childhood eateries. Every time my dad was in town, we went bowling and played miniature golf at the 49th Street Galleria, which no longer exists, and then went to Leatherby's Family Creamery for a healthy dairy dinner. Maybe it was a good thing that dad only came to town twice a year?

This past Monday, Hubby and I arrived at my parents house around noon. My Mom was just headed out the door to pick up T'liese and Evan from the airport in Salt Lake City, which takes just over an hour to drive. She asked if I would come with her, and I readily agreed.

Does it matter that my main motivation for joining her was that they were heading to Leatherby's for lunch? No ones needs to know that truth, right?

We got to the airport just in time. After just ten short minutes of waiting in the cell phone waiting parking, we pulled ahead and loaded a pretty lady and a cute boy into the car. Then I sped as fast as the little Chevy Cavalier would allow to get us to Midvale for some lunch. I've never had a problem with setting the proper priorities.

Mom and I split our favorite sandwich, the Chicken Cashew on grilled sourdough. It's Oh-So-Good and extremely healthy because it contains celery. Their french fries are always perfectly salty and tend to disappear too quickly. Did I mention they come with Fry Sauce?! This wonderful concoction doesn't exist in Arizona. I almost moved when I found out. T'liese split a soup bowl with Evan, who mostly focused on some bananas and avocado provided by our server.

And then the real fun began when dessert arrived.

If you think it looks insane...you aren't far off. Leatherby's makes the best caramel sauce, hands-down. I always ask them to go a little crazy with my sundae when they are drizzling on the topping. I have yet to be disappointed! I decided to get vanilla ice cream so as not to interfere with the caramel, but I think I'll follow my sister's example next time and get their delicious toasted almond.

Did I mention they make all of their own ice creams fresh on-site every day? Can you hear that host of angels singing?!

Mom got her favorite, the Alan's Black and Tan (this was called Bart's Black and Tan when I was a kid...I think a divorce took place in the Leatherby's family!). The only downside to this dessert is that you have to dig for the hot fudge and caramel swimming at the bottom of the dish. She was a trooper, though, and displayed incredible stamina while enjoying two different types of ice cream, homemade whipped cream, and a cherry on top.

Just kidding. I ate her cherry. And T'liese's. Who knew that I was the only one at the table who loves maraschino cherries?! My lucky day!

It was such a treat to dine at a fun place that holds so many memories for me. Thankfully, I'm not willing to drive eleven hours any time I get a caramel craving. My Mom helped that out by buying me a jar to bring home (it's half-gone now, Mama, and rather delicious). I try to avoid bringing such gym-defying ingredients into my home, but I couldn't resist for such a special occasion.

What food location brings back memories for you?