Best post of the day! (by dfwgator)
What are those mountain goats doing up here!
https://i.dailymail.co.uk/1s/2024/05/19/16/85066941-13435325-image-a-8_1716133531847.jpg
Best post of the day! (by dfwgator)
What are those mountain goats doing up here!
https://i.dailymail.co.uk/1s/2024/05/19/16/85066941-13435325-image-a-8_1716133531847.jpg
Many years ago my wife and I used to fly to Southern California frequently to ride the roller coasters. One time we ended up diverting a long way to the east to get around some nasty weather. We ended up over the Northern part of Utah before we were able to start making our way back.
We were flying VFR at a high altitude on a westerly heading, so we were at approximately 10,500 feet. We were getting jostled around pretty good because of the strong headwind, the mountain range obscured by clouds below us, and the two weather systems coming together. As we were looking at the clouds to the North, we could see something solid poking through at about our flight level. It was surprising how well the snow-covered terrain blended in with the clouds.
It was Lassen Peak which is 10,457 feet high. We were close enough that some of the turbulence we were hitting was actually from the “rotor” that forms behind a big peak in windy conditions.
Fortunately, about the same time we noticed Lassen Peak the clouds started clearing out and we were able to make a straight line for our fuel stop at Yolo County Airport. Yolo County Airport at that time had the largest skydiving operation in California, probably in the country. And it turned out that it was naked skydiving day so my wife and I saw some other interesting scenery that same day.