We had planned a trip to take the kids to Disney land. Plans always seem to change and this trip was no different. We had the plane packed, and we were just waiting for a good weather slot to go. The weather was looking good to go but our daughter became sick with a fever. She was clearly ill, so we put off the trip until she was better.

A week went by, and the weather was looking great again to go. The timing was good as we would be leaving on a Saturday morning. Weather was not good through southwest Montana and all the way south through Utah. It was forecasted for high winds causing hazardous driving conditions, not good for flying either. No trouble, we would go through Denver, nothing wrong with a bit of extra flying. The plan was to get as far south as we could so the cold front would not be quite as violent when it went through.

That morning our son woke up early which was great. He felt warm and you guessed it, he had a fever now. He did not act sick and was ready to go. The fever was gone as soon as we gave him some Tylenol. I then had to make a decision, go or no go. I figured if we had an airline ticket there would be no choosing. Seeing how this would be the second time canceling, we would fly to Great Falls and see how he did.

Off we went and cleared customs in short order. Our son was fine and ready for the next leg. We planned Greeley, Colorado for lunch. Flight plan filed and off we went.

It was a long bumpy ride. Most airports along the route were over 30 kts and we had about a 40 kts crosswind at altitude. We chugged along as the kids played with the Apple technology.

As we approached Casper the famous line came up. “Dad, I need to pee!!” Are you really going to make me land in these winds? The flying part is fine; the doors are no fun to open in 40 kts. The instigator soon dozed off and we pressed on with our fingers crossed. The decision was to keep going direct or airport hop. We opted direct and crossed our fingers. 15 minutes out of Greely he woke and really needed to go. He learned how to hold it, and we made it into Greely for lunch.

We took our time getting the plane tied down and soon found out the restaurant closed in five minutes. Well, that plan did not quite work but we got a car to head into town. It was a nice break, and the decision was to get over the Rocks again into Santa Fe for the night.

We climbed out and soon got cleared through the Denver Bravo southbound. Winds were now straight on the nose but under 30 kts so we were happy. We had planned to Santa Fe Via Pueblo. There were many dust devil/storms getting kicked up making the ride fairly rough.

We soon turned on course direct to Santa Fe and started our climbed.

Center was quick to advise that the minimum IFR altitude through our route was 16,000’. We flew the pass and were soon over the Rio Grande. It is amazingly high country out there. 10,500’ felt like skud running. The sun was getting low making for some great scenery as we flew above the winding Rio Grande. Not long we were in our descent to Santa Fe just as the sun was setting. It was a good day with 1050 nm flown and 6.5 hrs for the day.

That night is when the plans started to change. I woke up in the middle of the night with a not so good stomach. Needless to say, I got bad food and was in bed for the entire next day. Something you always hope never happens while traveling in your own plane. I could finally eat the next day “somewhat” but felt pretty good compared to the day before. The weather was looking fine to Phoenix, so we had filed a direct route for Glendale.

Not long west of Albuquerque we hit lowering ceilings and snow. That was in the forecast for Santa Fe that afternoon and all the METARs looked good westbound. Trouble was there was no airport where the weather was low, and I did not know how bad it would be until I got into it. The XM showed it as lightly scattered; the visibility was just too poor to fly in that kind of terrain. We turned around and went for lowering terrain even though it was going to be the long way around.

We amended our flight plan to head south through Demmings. FSS quickly advised that all areas along our route of flight had sustained winds over 30 kts. That sounded better than snow and we were flying in that on every leg so far. We soon cleared the snow virga and the winds became evident. It was nothing but brown skies ahead. The wind had the dust picked up above our altitude. All of the high-altitude flyers were complaining about the rough ride. They could not find good air anywhere. It just was one of those days for everyone. I bet their ride was nothing like ours though.

Again, I said to my wife, I hope the kids do not need to pee. We chugged along doing our best to airport hop if we had to land, choosing runways that were somewhat into the wind. Did I say it was rough! I said to my daughter that this is just like a roller coaster, but she did not believe me. I am so glad everyone has good stomachs and not prone to motion sickness. This flight was definitely the test. We planned for Tucson as they were at least down to 28 kts. We made a long slow final after a long grueling 3.1hrs flight. A flight that was a little much after just recovering from bad food. The decision was made to spend the night there as the winds just were not letting up.

We rented a car in Tucson and took a drive out to the Bone yard. A couple of A-10’s were playing in the circuit. It was amazing to see all the dead airplanes. There is just so many. We got back to our room by dark and turned in for the night. Each night our son would develop a bit more of a fever. And this night our daughter was having the same trouble. Unfortunately, there was lots of coughing and little sleep for all of us.

The next day was just to be a short flight over to Glendale. A friend of ours had graciously lent us his house in Surprise. We would use this time to hopefully get the kids into shape to make Disney Land.

We fired up and taxied out to Alpha 6 while playing chicken with a Southwest 737. He turned off the taxi way before us, I guess we won. We were soon in the climb heading for smooth air and northwest bound to Glendale.

The ride was much better than the day before. The only obstacle was several skydivers in the area. We kept clear as we made our way. The kids hauled out the trusty books for some great in-flight entertainment. This flight they did not have to hold onto everything quite so tightly.

We landed in Glendale about noon. A friend of ours helped us unload and get the plane tied down. He was also kind enough to bring us to the house. Thanks Garrett! The kids continued to be feverish that night and our daughter started to get a plugged ear and earache. Well, we were not going anywhere. Their energy was shot and all we could do was give them medicine. We went to the zoo to say we had done something on our vacation and made a plan to get home.

I figured we would launch for Vegas as it was a short flight to test out the kid’s ears. If there were real issues I would send them home in the commercial tube. The flight went fine in the smooth air to Vegas.

We landed at Henderson and went in for lunch. The weather was looking good to Provo with only scattered snow showers near Provo. We got cleared through the Bravo and got asked to expedite the climb to 9500’ for traffic; sorry kids hope your ears are OK. It did not bother them and we were soon on course to Provo.

The snow showers had just moved through the area, and we were able to land without any trouble per say. Well, our sick kids were now passing on their wonderful sickness to us. My wife and I felt something coming on when we woke up that morning. It hit me on the flight and my ear got plugged on the way down, nothing too serious but a bit annoying. The shuttle brought us to the hotel, and we asked that the plane get plugged in early morning as it was going to get below freezing.

We awoke to a perfectly clear sky. It was a great day to be flying. They air was smooth and cool. We got cleared through the Salt Lake Bravo north bound. It wasn’t long we were on a direct route to Great Falls. We climbed to 10,500’ and then to 12,500’ for the Rockies. It was -16° C at altitude and it looked like the middle of winter below us. There was a nice, scattered layer that floated underneath. We flew over Ennis and then Three Forks to make our way into Great Falls to do the E-apis and Canpass calls. I know I was going to regret being at 12,500’ when it was time to come down. I never fly when I am sick, but it is different when you are trying to travel. My ear was plugged yet again but cleared on the ground. We got everything in order and launched for Customs in Lethbridge. Got the code and made the last leg to home for a 4:30 arrival.

The total trip was 2750 nm flown. Total hours slept was very little. Total hours flown was 18.1. Never added up the fuel but no matter the cost it is just too much fun to fly. We missed Disney and San Diego for a second year in a row so third time must be a charm.

Lesson learned, if the kids are even a bit sick, cancel the trip for when they are better. It is just not worth it. With your own plane you can make the schedule. Take advantage of that. I did not have the will to cancel twice but have learned my lesson the hard way.

New York is planned for this summer, and we are not leaving until everyone is 100% healthy.