4/30/2022
In early summer, a plan was hatched by Sherman and Sam to do a July road trip into Eastern Utah. Sam was a resident of the Denver area and picked up Sherman at the airport in the afternoon. Early the next morning, the 2 struck out for Southwestern Colorado in 2 of Sam’s vehicles. Sherman in a 15-year-old, 4WD Jeep Wagoneer and Sam leading with his 10-year-old Mazda RX7. The reason for 2 cars was that Sam had to get back in 4 days for a 3-day flight bid. Sherman wished to turn this road trip into a week-long safari. Crossing over the 10,800′ Wolf Creek Pass gave both carbureted vehicles fits but they made it. On the west slope of the Rockies, it was smooth sailing when they reached Bluff, Utah and pulled into their tiny airport. Sam got checked out in a Cessna 172 and, upon landing with the flight instructor looking to confirm Sam’s skills, the aircraft was rented. The 2 gasoline aficionados took off in the heartland of the Colorado Plateau and found desolation and scenery in all directions. Going east towards Sleeping Ute Mountain, the pair enjoyed the details of the mountain top by skimming 300′ over its terrain. The weather was fine and clear, so Sam pushed the limits of the craft. Returning back to Bluff, he found a herd of cattle in a remote valley with no one around and proceeded to play cowboy by divebombing the herd and getting them to stampede. After 3 roundups and a ton of belly laughs from doing something a rancher might shoot you for, the pair landed at Bluff for the evening where it was off for a good meal and a good night’s sleep in a motel. Back at the airport in the morning to rerent the same plane, the person in charge refused to lease it again, blaming it on a broken altimeter. Rats! Someone may have saw the shenanigans yesterday and blew the whistle on the S&S gang. No matter. Back in the convoy and heading north, the pair located another airport at Blanding, Utah. The scoundrels were soon back in the air in a different 172.
Torked Truth 