Follow me on my trip in a Cessna 152 across the wonders of the American West.

From Mammoth Lake to Death Valley

Thanks to the excellent facilities and staff at Mammoth Lake Airport, I could use the shower in the pilot lounge so I left in better shape than I arrived in, and after about an hour I was in the air again. Death Valley is incredible, so huge and imposing that I almost forgot the engine noise. Two enormous chains of mountains, the Sierra Nevadas on my right and the smaller Paramints on my left, border this valley whose floor is a desert with a 6,000' elevation...

The spectacular lavinated landscape of the High Sierras

Abandoned airports, which appeared now and then, were easy landmarks for my navigation, and I constantly checked the MOAs (Military Operations Areas) for news of any military aircraft that may have been flying. There are numerous MOAs in Nevada, including the famous Area 51, the nuclear testing zone.

Spectacular desert scenery showing colorful mineral deposits

Owens' Lake, a huge desert of brightly-colored mineral deposits

Death Valley

I landed at Death Valley, one of the most desolated areas in the USA. The landing strip is well below sea level, with an elevation of minus 200', but altitude is not a big concern here in this Martian climate with the sea safety behind the high Sierras. Upon landing, I was greeted by a dozen black GI's who had just finished a survival exercise and were climbing into their gigantic black twin-rotor helicopter. A guy gave me a lift to the Valley's tourist center (not in the helicopter, alas), where there is a very good museum dedicated to the Valley and the heroic times of the pioneers. The guy at the entrance gave me a form requesting me, among other things, to state how I got there. I explained to him how I had arrived, asking what I should write. He smiled and announced loudly to all present: "He flew in".

Desolation around Death Valley