Coast-to-Coast in the Mooney M20J
| << Leg 17 - Catalina Island, CA to Las Vegas, NV | Trip Home | Leg 19 - Sedona, AZ to Moab, UT >> |
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Leg Stats
- Time Enroute: 1.7 hrs
- Distance (direct): 186nm
- Distance (actual): 209nm
- Fuel Used: 17.2 gal
I wanted to go VFR by Lake Mead and Hoover Dam on the way to Sedona, so after doing a little research, I decided getting any Bravo transition was unlikely, and planned on having to do something approximating the Rocks Departure (except staying clear of the Bravo) way west and south of the Bravo to get over there. I queried VGT Ground and basically said "Hey, I'm trying to get over to Boulder VOR, what do you recommend given the current traffic situation?". Fortunately, they were quite helpful and they told me to try for the Nellis Transition, so they set me up for that and sure enough I got a transition to the east directly over Nellis AFB and down to Lake Mead. Saved us a few minutes/gallons for sure. Past Hoover Dam isn't very interesting terrain, we were near-ish to the South Rim of the Canyon but not really in viewing distance of it. But flying into Sedona is gorgeous and the airport sitting right on the mesa is just a cool visual. The runway is plenty long and the winds were nothing too bad, so it was very enjoyable. The FBO met us at the airplane with our rental car ready to go. We spent 2 nights and explored Sedona and Jerome, AZ. We found a really great "Healthy Italian" restaurant in Sedona (despite that being something of an oxymoron), and went back up to the airport area, which has a great overlook of Sedona itself. We walked around the town and the shops, visited the Church of the Rocks, and finally made a little half-day trip to Jerome, which was a cool little "ghost town" tucked up in the mountains.
Trip Leg Navigation
<< Leg 17 - Catalina Island, CA to Las Vegas, NV
