Beautiful Weather Leads to a Runway in the Sierra Foothills…

Although Northern California is still seeing some winter-style cold fronts, Saturday, April 17 felt like a typical spring day.  Dissipating mid-morning stratus layers over Bay Area airports required some IFR departures, but we were all soon VFR on top for a smooth and easy 45 minute flight to Columbia, O22.  With its 2,100 foot elevation and 4,600 foot paved runway 17, it was a terrific destination for the GGF spring picnic on the airport-managed picnic grounds on the west side of 17.

David C. served as P.I.C. (person-in-charge) for the event, and Stan served as chief chef for the plentiful hamburgers, hot dogs, veggie burgers, trimmings and soft drinks.  Larry S. provided his very famous potato salad, and we had a comforting pot of bubbling beans on one of the campgrounds many handy fireplaces.  With ideal, mild weather, we sat around, talked and ate and several members braved the short walk by nature trail into the old goldmining town of Columbia, now a California State Historical Park. 

In addition to three canine companions, our largely airborne excursion included 23, arriving in eight aircraft and two automobiles.  The passenger manifests included Tom from Stockton (C-170); Vogelmist from Byron (C-180); Keith, Walt, Finn and Bill from OAK (C-182); Larry S. and Ralph also from OAK (C-172); Jack, Chris and canine Gus all the way from SBA (Piper Arrow); Larry B., Jon, Dan, Cat, Robert and another small canine from LVK (Saratoga); David C., Hugo, David K. from SQL (Cirrus SR22); Kent, Frank and our third canine all the way from PSP via an earlier meeting in Bakersfield (C-182); Dennis from Pleasant Grove (by car); and, last but hardly least, Stan and Jim loaded with picnic supplies from San Francisco (also by car).  While most aircraft took the easy way in and out, using paved runway 17, our two taildraggers landed and departed on the grass, runway 29.

It was a day of good friends, delicious food, world-class scenery, clean-running aircraft, low density altitudes and precision flying.  What else could you ask for?