KAWO - Arlington, WA

Arlington Municipal Airport

Arlington is such a great spot if you love a busy airport. On any given day,  you can fly in and just sit and watch other GA aircraft come and go, and meet new people. There is also a good sized glider base, and those of course are always fun to watch! 

Personally, we use KAWO as our alternate if we ever can't get into 13W - mainly because if it's windy or foggy at our place, it's just as windy and foggy at BVS. And because AWO is inland just a touch more, you generally have a good 20 min before the weather comes in. Oh, and most importantly for us - my mom lives about 5 minutes away, so we can easily call and be like, 

"Hey Ma .. can you give us a ride home?" 

because who wouldn't want a ride home from this lady?! She's awesome. 

There is a restaurant on the airfield, Ellie's. NOM NOM NOM. Great portions for your $$! If you feel like venturing out, Skookum Brewery is across the street, and if you check out their website while planning your trip, you can see which food trucks are on location that day. They are usually closed Monday's & Tuesday's, and because it is a brewery, it's 21 and over. Sorry pilots ... no beer for you, but heeeeey passengers, I highly recommend their Jackass IPA or Amber's Hot Friend. 

Nom nom nom! 

There is Uber and Lyft in Arlington!! So .. if you are feeling extra adventurous get yourself an Uber and head on into downtown Arlington. Rocket Alley Bar & Grill has $4 burger baskets that are awesome, and definitely hit the spot. If you have time ... they make killer pizzas. Basically, you can order anything on their menu and you won't go wrong. I have never had a bad thing, ever. And if you aren't in the mood for grill food - there are so many other options on the strip as well. Mexican, bistro, thai .. you name it and it's nearby. 

Fuel prices at AWO are usually the cheapest in the area. The only contender is over at OKH but they are usually within .05 of each other.  Arlington Flight Services and they have FS and SS pricing. 

Now, on to the main reason that you need to add KAWO to your list of places to go ... 

The Arlington Fly-in!

We just finished up an amazing 2017 Fly-in and I can't even begin to tell you how awesome it was. I mean, I'll try - but I really didn't take that many pictures because I was so immersed in the weekend! We've gone the last few years (except last year due to our work schedules) but this year we were able to participate in a NEW experience called the FATPNW Sunday Fun-Day! We joined this group (FATPNW) as a way to meet like minded individuals and wow .. they are some amazingly talented, cool people!! Anyway, we were able to join in on the first ever Sunday Fun-day, which consisted of competing in a spot landing competition, a photo safari, and a flour bombing contest. If you have never done these things ... you are MISSING OUT! HA! 

Our overnight parking pass

Getting ready for flour bombing

Photo Safari was awesome. We wish we had more time, but it's basically a scavenger hunt by air! There were riddles that needed to be solved, and with those clues, you flew all over the PNW and took photos. Some of them required you to land and go into a business and take a photo. This was SO fun - especially trying to solve the riddles. It was amazing to see what everyone came up with for answers, some were easy and others .. well if you know me, you know I love to argue, hahaha so clearly there were a few that I argued!

3rd place photo safari winners
(shhh! it doesn't matter there were only 3 participants!)

I can't wait for next year's Fly-in! I have a feeling it's going to be much, much bigger as it will also be the 50th Arlington Fly-in! Tentative dates: July 6-8 2018. 

Here's some prior years' Fly-in photos:  

2013

2014

I think this was our most "active" year. Also, the first year we saw the Balloon Glow! 

2015 

Ooooooooooh man. This was the year of the bad beer garden! 

That.was.rough. 

Our lovely camping spot 

Ofda. Let's just say the next morning was ... rough. 

Aaaaand ... That's it, folks! Arlington in a nutshell! Go there ... and enjoy. And get ready for the 2018 Fly-in! 

ID05 - Hackney Airpark (PRIVATE)

Hackney Airpark

Okay, this airpark IS private, and you MUST HAVE PERMISSION to land. We just happened to know a guy, through another guy, who knew this other guy ... and thus the best summer trip EVER fell in place for us. If you've never heard of Athol, ID - that's okay. There really isn't much to it. But I bet you've heard of Silverwood Theme Park  - amiright?? Because this location is PERFECT (if you are able to land here, and camp on someone's property) to spend a weekend at Silverwood/Boulder Beach.

 This is Silverwood Theme park and Boulder Beach. As you can see - it's quite the place! Granted, it's no Disneyland, but hey, in our little Cessna it didn't take nearly as long to get here as I'd thought it would - nor was it as expensive as you'd think. Advice: Groupon, Costco, discounts through work, or even their own website has constant CHEAP tickets for admission. Just do your research and there are lots of discounts out there for you to find - and it's totally worth the 2-day pass, FYI. You won't be disappointed. Ps - yes, that is a runway ending at Boulder Beach, unfortunately, it is no longer in service.

Hackney is a grass strip, and it's well maintained. Our 'guy' met us when we landed, and helped us taxi back to his property for the weekend. Super nice family. I'm hoping to be able to update this post with his info, or be able to share who he was sometime in the future (so always check back!).

Pushing the plane into our 'parking' spot in his backyard. He has power hookups, and a nearby fully plumbed bathroom for guests to use! I'm not kidding when I say he is the nicest guy ever! He also had a car for us to use while we were there, so we could go back and forth to the theme park whenever we wanted.

Gage was not thrilled with the Tremors ride (it goes underground at one point). He was just at the height requirement, and I think the 'scariest' ride he's ever been on was the Yeti ride at Disneyworld.  The water log rides were definitely more his style (and mine LOL). 

This ride .. oh my gosh. Aptly named "Aftershock" .. I refused, and I think my husband wasn't exactly looking forward to it, but our daughter had this coaster on her list and there was no way we were leaving without her riding on it - so I made him go with her. No sense in her dying alone, right? (Thanks for taking one for the team, dear). 

1:32 seconds, 65mph, 3 inversions and 4.5 G's. Not for the faint of heart (or those with heart issues!). Click HERE for more info and HERE for a YouTube video. You're welcome. 

W10 - Langley, WA (Whidbey Island Airpark)

Whidbey Island Airpark

This place has a hidden surprise! By all accounts ... the airpark doesn't look like much, I mean besides being surrounded by the beautiful sights - but unless you know about the hidden gem nestled in the woods, I don't think it's somewhere that I would normally be like, "Hey guys! Wanna go to Langley?!"

But WAIT. There's MORE!! 

Mukilteo Coffee Roasters!! 

This is an absolute hidden, and barely marked treat for those that land and find themselves hungry. 

Just make your way down the runway after parking (it's on the west side) and you will find a decently marked trail. Follow that up through the woods, and nestled in the trees is the most AMAZING little coffee shop/cafe. NOM NOM NOM. 

Eat and enjoy! 

56S - Seaside, OR

Seaside Municipal Airport 

Hold on. Let me refill my wine glass before I start writing about this hot mess.

***    Holla! Okay, we can start now.


Like I was saying, our trip to Seaside was a hot mess. The last time we drove down to Cannon Beach, OR - we made a pit stop in Seaside to check out the airport. We noticed a bus shack outside the gate, and it had a route map, with stop times. We wrote them down, along with phone numbers so the next time we could just land there and take the bus.

That 'next time' turned out to be a sunny day in May, while the kids were at school. Because that's our life .. waking up and thinking, "I wonder what we're gonna do today?" Let's Go!

Flying in on a sunny day was absolutely beautiful, as expected. If you haven't taken a costal route on a sunny day lately, I highly recommend it.

We land, and like most small airports, it's a legit ghost town. Not one person around. We tie down and head to the bus shack, because by our notes - there's a bus coming.

**waits and waits and waits** No bus. No bueno.

We call the number and go through the automated system until we get a person, and we find out that hasn't been a stop in YEEEEEEEAAAARS. I think I heard the lady kind of chuckle under her breath. She then informed us that the closest stop was in town, that we could easily walk there, and gave us the times the next bus would be at the cinema stop. Kudos to her for helping us out, even if she did laugh a little bit.

So, here's the hike. And here's the bus info. PSA: Double check before you go. We found out later the "bus system" is kind of like ... meh .. when the guy feels like driving the bus that day, he will. It's only $1 so you can't really argue much.

And just so we're clear - I bitched about this walk the entire way. I won't even deny it. Hindsight, I'll admit, I'm a bit ridiculous ... but at the time ... I was really mad that Pilot Husband hadn't done his research and realized the bus didn't actually stop there. Finally at the actual the bus stop, we are met with the decision - do we catch the bus in 2 minutes and head on to Cannon Beach, or do we walk the rest of the way to the promenade in Seaside? We decide Cannon Beach, as it's one of our favorite places to visit. 

Once we got into Cannon Beach, I settled down. Because ... Shopping. 

If you know me, you know my odd love of two things. Pirates and Mermaids (okay 4 things .. add Pirates of the Caribbean, and Johnny Depp). So to me - this photo represents a few things, and I'd love to have it in my house; Captain (Jack), Captain (Pilot Husband .. and how hard he works) ... and Pirates .. again, Jack Sparrow. (And Rum. I love rum ... and pirates remind me of rum so Rum is now 5 things. Yay math!).

 

This sums up my general mindset about having to walk anywhere that day. And at the time of this writing - I'm still kind of pissed I'm not a mermaid. 

(I can't find a link for this shop - but I do believe it's called 'The Good Life')

It was about this point in our day that the oldest kid texted and was like .. 

"you aren't home. Were are you?" 

Haha minion ... far far away ..  

"Yeah right. You aren't at Cannon Beach". 

"OMG MOM. NO. MAKE HIM STOP. DO NOT DAB IN PUBLIC!" 

Hahaha. Hahahahaaa. Haha. Too late.  

So this is the perfect day trip from our house. 1:30min-ish flight time ... and realistically, I think we probably left around noon, and spent the most of the afternoon in Cannon Beach, and we were back to Camano by sunset. This trip was May 10th 2016 - sunset in WA was around 2030 ish. Give or take. 

There are SO many things to do on a day trip to Seaside and/or Cannon Beach. You can totally to them BOTH in one day! Give it a go - you won't be disappointed! 

0S9 - Port Townsend, WA

Jefferson County International Airport 

Let me first start by saying, this blog .. will be slightly biased about how AMAZING Port Townsend is - because this is where The Pilot Husband and I got married. So of course, being a woman .. here are some unsolicited wedding photos (you're welcome).

Whew. Now that THAT'S over ... let get back to business! 

We fell in love with Port Townsend by accident. While searching for wedding venues, I was looking at Fort Casey, on Whidbey Island, and somehow saw an affiliate link to a story about a "castle" in Port Townsend. Since I grew up in WA, I was like, "there's no castle in PT. What is this nonsense ... " *clicked link* and OMG HOLY CRAP YOU GUYS! THERE IS A CASTLE IN PORT TOWNSEND! So I told Pilot Finance, and he's like, "that's nice dear. *pat-pat* we're not getting married in a castle". A few weeks later, he ended up being stuck in Washington (we lived in Alaska at the time) overnight for maintenance. He convinced some of the flight crew to head out to PT to check out this "castle". Next thing you know  - they are offering him some serious discounts, and an amazing amount of info about surrounding hotels, their hotel, food, and more. Boom. We're getting married in a castle! 

(I still say we got such an amazing deal because he showed up to tour said castle in his flight suit. The ladies LOVE flight suits. It's a thing). 

Fast forward to present day, and we STILL love PT. And getting there is SUPER EASY. 

From CIA it takes about 20 minutes. There is a lovely little place right there at the airport called the Spruce Goose Cafe that has amazing food! You must check them out. They occasionally close for private events - so definitely make sure you check out their website or give them a call before you plan on flying out there to have lunch. Ps - BEST PIES EVER! 

After breakfast (or lunch) head west out of the building, toward the fueling station. Go past it, towards the hangars. You will find a trail .. take that trail for all of 5 minutes and you will pop out on Hwy 20.

Coordinate this little jaunt with the Jefferson County Transit page, and take bus #8 to the Haines St Park and Ride. It's $1.50 USD. Don't forget to grab a day-pass after you pay your original fare, so you can ride the rest of the day for free. From the park and ride, you can get on the #11 loop which will take you to downtown Port Townsend. If you've never been to the waterfront area - you are certainly in for a treat! There are tons of shops, and although you probably aren't hungry yet from your airport lunch, you MUST stop at the Ice Cream shop. Ooooh, you can smell those waffle cones for miles. YUM. Another awesome stop is to catch a movie at the Rose Theatre (we do this quite a few times a year!). For those 21+ check out the Starlight Room. General PSA - pilots cannot drink and fly. Have a DP (designated pilot - hahaha) or plan on staying at one of the many hotels that Port Townsend has to offer (my vote is of course, Manresa Castle).  

I can't even count the times we've made trips to PT to see movies, have lunch, check out the antique shops .. and even buy a wood slab for a project. And Pilot Husband hauled that $150 slab all around town, and on the bus back to the airport. He also wondered why so many women were honking and waving at him ... it's your wood honey, they like your wood.

So that ladies and gents ... is Port Townsend, WA. Check it out! Fuel is cheap, food is good, and you can't beat the bus fare! 

KOKH - Oak Harbor, WA

A.J. Eisenberg Airport 

Oh my gosh. This place is a total 10 on the family fun meter. Number one reason is that it's about a 5 minute flight time from 13W - and if we were to drive here from our house? It would take AN HOUR AND 40 MINUTES to get here! Score. And here's why ... 

BLUE FOX DRIVE-IN   

Yes, there is a real life drive-in still in business, and it's totally worth going. Not only do they show double and sometimes triple features, the food is great, prices are cheap ($6.50 admission) there is a go kart track, an arcade - and the best part; you are more than welcome to camp! It's a good 15 minute walk from the field to the drive-in and you just walk right in with your gear. The front row is specifically set aside for tents - just set up and you're good to go. Leave and head back to the field when you wake up in the morning. The kids LOVE this, and we love taking them! 

Bonus: cheap avgas!! I think it's usually the cheapest in the area, and the people at the field are super nice. Watch out for deer on the runway, and skydivers. 

Home Base: 13W

Camano Island Airport

I describe this place as "1750ft of terror, with a gnarly drop off, and the tendency for some mighty squirrely winds". Pilot husband describes it as "well wooded, with shrubby trees that will break your fall and soften the impact". Two big takeaways when coming to CIA:
1 - DO NOT TAXI ON THE GRASS OCT-MAY! The ground is soft and mushy, and the owner will come out and (rightly) chase you down - and you'll have to beg for help to get unstuck. (We love the owners by the way. If you need ANYTHING at all, they will help you in a heartbeat!)
2 - If you take off to the North - turn right. There is a private grass strip (price field) in the flats below, and it is a great back up plan if you're at least 300 AGL. That is NOT a guarantee of course ... just sound advice. We've never had to use it, but mathematically, it works out. For us anyway, I don't know what you fly!

Anyway, this is home and it is such a lovely place to live! We live about 5 minutes from the airfield and just love the area. There are many activities year round, miles of trails and beaches to explore and on the north end of the island, you get to enjoy the rain shadow. Island Country provides free bus service, and does a decent loop that can get you to most places on the island. The downside is that it only stays on the highway - so from the airport, it's a good 1.5 mile walk to a place called Terry's Corner, which also is a main bus hub, if you want to explore the island. From there - you can pretty much go anywhere. Even to Everett (last I checked, that was a $2 one-way fare).

If you aren't up for leaving Terry's Corner - there are plenty of things to do there as well. Camano Island Coffee Roasters, Camano Market, Del Fox Meats, and various other shops are located here. New this spring (2017) is Naked City Brewery, Brooklyn Bros Pizza and supposedly a "food market" (not sure what that is about). Also, every Monday 3-7pm during the summer is Monday Market - our local farmers market.


7/15/17: NEW EATS!! I've seen this place popping up all over my community Facebook groups and supposedly they have amazing lumpia! I'll admit, I haven't tried it yet, but I have friends that absolutely swear by its deliciousness and authenticity. The downside is that it is PICK UP ONLY (not a sit down restaurant) most items come frozen for you to cook at home, and you need to place your order online with pick up notice. I messaged with the owner though, and for an additional charge, they do have the ability to cook some of the items there - just ASK! Also, you can get hot pancit, cooked fresh & ready for pick up - so that is one of the exceptions to the frozen thing. They are located in the newly built buildings just north of the airfield. It's called Cristy's Lumpia - give it a try!