California Dreams - Avalon to The Sea Ranch
The state of California is one of the most geographically diverse places in the world. It hosts a tremendous range of sights from urban, to coastal, to desert, to mountain, and much more. The state contains both the highest point in the conterminous United States (Mount Whitney) and the lowest point in the country (Badwater Basin). It is home to grand monuments of infrastructure and architecture like the Golden Gate Bridge of San Francisco and the U.S. Bank Tower of Los Angeles. It is also a realm steeped in history, notably of those inspired to dream big and create masterpieces of technology and art of all types and to strike off and explore the peaks, shorelines, and other reaches of the state.
California Dreams celebrates this part of the United States through an aerial itinerary that weaves through the most spectacular, the most renowned, and the most historic that this state has to offer. Beginning at Santa Catalina Island, one of southern California’s Channel Islands, the flight visits Los Angeles, the Mojave Desert, Death Valley, the High Sierra, the Great Central Valley, and San Francisco before coming to an end on the northern California coast.
Assistance on the trip will be available in the form of a 'Back on Track' button on the VFR Map -- however, be advised that using this will disable achievements tied to the activity.
Total Legs: 13 Total Distance: 860 Total Time(125kts): 6 hours 52 minutes
Leg 1
Catalina to Palmdale Usaf Plant 42
Leg Distance: 83.64 Approximate time at 125kts: 40 minutes.
Catalina(KAVX) to Long Point(POI1)
Distance: 19.92NM Bearing: 351° 10 minutes
After lifting into the sky from Catalina Airport, cross the Gulf of Santa Catalina, leaving Santa Catalina Island, the easternmost of the mountainous Channel Islands archipelago. Long Point is a promontory just to the west of the port cities of San Pedro and Long Beach.
Long Point(POI1) to Torrance(POI2)
Distance: 6.55NM Bearing: 15° 3 minutes
Fly inland toward downtown Los Angeles and its tall skyscrapers, passing over Torrance.
Torrance(POI2) to Downtown Los Angeles(POI3)
Distance: 13.73NM Bearing: 9° 7 minutes
Continue toward the skyscrapers and weaves of highways of downtown Los Angeles. Set against a backdrop of the San Gabriel Mountains, downtown Los Angles comprises some of California’s greatest architectural feats, including Wilshire Grand Center, the tallest building on the West Coast, and the U.S. Bank Tower.
Downtown Los Angeles(POI3) to Griffith Park(POI4)
Distance: 5.95NM Bearing: 320° 3 minutes
One of California’s most notable destinations is Griffith Park. Named after industrialist Griffith J. Griffith, who donated the land to the city of Los Angeles in 1896, the park is home to the famous Hollywood Sign, the Griffith Observatory, the Los Angeles Zoo, and at one time, the Griffith Park Aerodrome.
Griffith Park(POI4) to Mount Wilson(POI5)
Distance: 13.08NM Bearing: 55° 6 minutes
5,710-foot-high Mount Wilson, part of the San Gabriel Mountains, is notable for the Mount Wilson Observatory, which contains some of the most historically significant telescopes in the world of astronomy, dating to the early 1900s. The observatory continues to serve science with a number of instruments in use to this day.
Mount Wilson(POI5) to Blackbird Airpark(POI6)
Distance: 22.81NM Bearing: 345° 11 minutes
Continue to the north over the crest of the San Gabriel Mountains into the Antelope Valley, sighting Palmdale in the distance. Just to the north of downtown Palmdale lies Blackbird Airpark, an annex of the Air Force Flight Test Museum, which has on display a Lockheed F-117 Nighthawk, a Lockheed U-2 Dragon Lady, a Lockheed A-12 (progenitor to the SR-71), and a Lockheed SR-71 Blackbird.
Blackbird Airpark(POI6) to Palmdale Usaf Plant 42(KPMD)
Distance: 1.6NM Bearing: 351° 1 minutes
Continue north and land at Palmdale USAF Plant 42 Airport, the location of the famed Skunk Works facility.
Leg 2
Palmdale Usaf Plant 42 to Barstow-Daggett
Leg Distance: 78.58 Approximate time at 125kts: 38 minutes.
Palmdale Usaf Plant 42(KPMD) to Rosamond Dry Lake(POI7)
Distance: 12.58NM Bearing: 350° 6 minutes
After launching from Plant 42 Airport, head north to Rosamond Dry Lake, located within Edwards Air Force Base.
Rosamond Dry Lake(POI7) to Rogers Dry Lake(POI8)
Distance: 12.45NM Bearing: 52° 6 minutes
A National Historic Landmark, Rogers Dry Lake, part of Edwards Air Force Base, was used to test a number of experimental aircraft, including the Bell X-1 in which Chuck Yeager first broke the sound barrier, and Space Shuttle orbiters to land after returning from missions.
Rogers Dry Lake(POI8) to Helendale Radar Cross Section Facility(POI9)
Distance: 27.91NM Bearing: 91° 13 minutes
From Rogers Dry Lake, continue east-southeast, over the desert, to Helendale Radar Cross Section Facility, used to test and develop low observable (stealth) aircraft.
Helendale Radar Cross Section Facility(POI9) to Site of Solar One(POI10)
Distance: 23.08NM Bearing: 71° 11 minutes
Pass over the city of Barstow and just to its east lies the site of Solar One, an experimental solar power project.
Site of Solar One(POI10) to Barstow-Daggett(KDAG)
Distance: 2.56NM Bearing: 104° 1 minutes
Land at Barstow-Daggett Airport.
Leg 3
Barstow-Daggett to Baker
Leg Distance: 54.58 Approximate time at 125kts: 26 minutes.
Barstow-Daggett(KDAG) to Troy Lake(POI11)
Distance: 10.93NM Bearing: 80° 5 minutes
After lifting into the desert sky, fly east, over Troy Lake, which is occasionally inundated by water after heavy rains, but is typically dry.
Troy Lake(POI11) to Mojave National Preserve(POI12)
Distance: 20.3NM Bearing: 69° 10 minutes
Continue east, over the low Cady Mountains, to the desert wonderland protected by the Mojave National Preserve, which protects the Kelso Dunes and a number of jagged mountain ranges.
Mojave National Preserve(POI12) to Soda Lake(POI13)
Distance: 16.9NM Bearing: 2° 8 minutes
With the Kelso Dunes clearly sighted, turn into a north-northeast heading, flying over a broad desert plain called a bajada to Soda Lake, a large, white dry lakebed that lies at the terminus of the Mojave River. The tiny community of Zzyzx, built around a natural spring, lies on the western periphery of the lakebed.
Soda Lake(POI13) to Baker(0O2)
Distance: 6.45NM Bearing: 348° 3 minutes
After passing over Soda Lake, land at Baker Airport.
Leg 4
Baker to Shoshone
Leg Distance: 46.88 Approximate time at 125kts: 23 minutes.
Baker(0O2) to Silver Lake(POI14)
Distance: 4.29NM Bearing: 325° 2 minutes
Just north of Baker Airport lies the dry Silver Lake.
Silver Lake(POI14) to Silurian Lake(POI15)
Distance: 10.81NM Bearing: 336° 5 minutes
Smaller than Silver Lake, this dry lakebed lies just to the south of Death Valley.
Silurian Lake(POI15) to Ibex Dunes(POI16)
Distance: 14.07NM Bearing: 304° 7 minutes
Located at the southern end of Death Valley, the Ibex Dunes are some of the remote sand dunes in the United States.
Ibex Dunes(POI16) to Grimshaw Lake(POI17)
Distance: 11.94NM Bearing: 15° 6 minutes
Turn to the northeast and follow State Route 127 to the town of Tecopa and Grimshaw Lake, a small wetland.
Grimshaw Lake(POI17) to Shoshone(L61)
Distance: 5.77NM Bearing: 343° 3 minutes
Land at Shoshone airport, just north of Grimshaw Lake.
Leg 5
Shoshone to Furnace Creek
Leg Distance: 75.85 Approximate time at 125kts: 36 minutes.
Shoshone(L61) to Amargosa River(POI18)
Distance: 17.98NM Bearing: 238° 9 minutes
After launching from Shoshone Airport, fly southwest, over the Ibex Hills, into southern Death Valley and the Amargosa River, which is dry most of the time.
Amargosa River(POI18) to Shore Line Butte(POI19)
Distance: 5.33NM Bearing: 291° 3 minutes
Turn to the northwest to visit Shore Line Butte, an ancient cinder cone with terraces cut into it from waves from Lake Manley, which inundated Death Valley during the Pleistocene epoch (most recent Ice Age).
Shore Line Butte(POI19) to Gold Hill(POI20)
Distance: 14.22NM Bearing: 284° 7 minutes
Continue northwest, toward the Panamint Mountains, which form the western wall of Death Valley, and begin gaining altitude and pass over Gold Hill, site of an abandoned mine.
Gold Hill(POI20) to Telescope Peak(POI21)
Distance: 10.95NM Bearing: 318° 5 minutes
Gain altitude and continue to the northwest, toward the crest of the Panamint Mountains and its highest point, Telescope Peak, 11,049 feet above sea level, also the highest point in Death Valley National Park.
Telescope Peak(POI21) to Hanaupah Canyon(POI22)
Distance: 3.04NM Bearing: 62° 1 minutes
At Telescope Peak, turn to the east-northeast and follow Hanaupah Canyon, a deep chasm that opens to Death Valley, over two vertical miles beneath Telescope Peak. This location grants an exceptional view of Death Valley, which is technically a geologic feature called a graben, which sinks relative to the mountains on its boundaries through tectonic activity.
Hanaupah Canyon(POI22) to Sea Level(POI23)
Distance: 5.71NM Bearing: 59° 3 minutes
With all of the white salt flats of the lowest portion of Death Valley as a vista, pass over the sea level mark.
Sea Level(POI23) to Badwater Basin(POI24)
Distance: 4.41NM Bearing: 59° 2 minutes
Continue on course to Badwater Basin, the lowest point in California, the United States, North America, and all of the Western Hemisphere at 282 feet below sea level. This is also one of the hottest places in the world, with temperatures regularly topping 120 degrees Fahrenheit during the summer months.
Badwater Basin(POI24) to Artists Palette(POI25)
Distance: 7.52NM Bearing: 356° 4 minutes
From Badwater Basin, fly north, following the base of the Amargosa Mountains to Artists Palette, a multi-colored badland formation created due to oxidizing minerals in the landscape.
Artists Palette(POI25) to Furnace Creek(L06)
Distance: 6.69NM Bearing: 318° 3 minutes
Furnace Creek Airport: Land at Furnace Creek Airport, the lowest airport in the United States at 210 feet below sea level.