Dan dropped me off at Santa Monica Airport at about 10:00 AM. I got Niner-Zero loaded up and ready then taxied down to the fuel pumps to fill up. This view is looking northeast away from the ocean and the low ceilings are starting to dissipate. After fueling I taxied over to a parking spot and waited. I did not have to wait long before I was able to depart downwind; out and under the overcast and into the blue before turning north towards the San Francisco Bay area.
I was hoping to meet up with a couple that I knew in Texas who now live in San Mateo. They knew I was planning to visit but since I don’t have a rigid schedule I let friends know when I will be arriving and hope for the best. If it doesn’t work out, I’m OK with that. I don’t want others to make plans around my unpredictable schedule.
The flight north was beautiful and I slowed down and opened the door to take a couple of photos. In this one the Channel Islands are visible on the horizon. I had a nice tailwind again and was making excellent progress. I stopped at Paso Robles for fuel and had a great lunch at the airport deli. I also checked my email but had received no reply so I sent an update letting them know I was a little more than an hour away.
The airspace around San Francisco is almost as confusing as Los Angeles. So soon after takeoff I was working with Norcal Approach. I was flying into San Carlos Airport, just south of San Francisco International. I could do it alone until about 5 miles from San Carlos but felt more comfortable working with controllers as it would allow me to enter the class charlie airspace and receive traffic advisories.
After parking at San Carlos I was walking across the ramp and heard a familiar voice calling my name. It was Stephanie and she had her two children with her. The last time I had seen her and her husband, Krishna, was before they were married and had children. They came out to see the airplane and I put her son, Griffen, in my seat so he could check everything out. Beatrice seemed fine just admiring the airplane from a distance. I had a great time catching up with Krishna and Stephanie and getting to know their children. I spent a couple of nights with them and on the morning I left I gave Krishna a short ride in Niner-Zero. Due to the weather and the airspace restrictions we were limited to a short hop out over the bay.