Adirondack Escape

Flight Plan Fluidity

As fall developed, I secured a vacation day on October 11 for my annual fall solo flight. A new twist in this tradition for 2021 was that, for the first time, it would not be solo! Kristy had the day off from work and wanted to join. In keeping with the island theme of recent years, I considered three new-to-me destinations in three different directions: Nantucket Island in Massachusetts, Tangier Island in Virginia, and Put In Bay in Ohio. I was most excited about renting something with four wheel drive and the requisite beach permit for the seven mile trek through the dunes to Nantucket's Great Point Lighthouse. Unfortunately, despite considering locations with great directional diversity, the weather was poor in every one of those directions. It became obvious that conditions would favor putting the Warrior on a northeast heading. This made Lake Placid the destination of choice. There was a certain symmetry to this considering that weather forced a cancellation of the Williamson Flying Club's planned excursion to Lake Placid just a week prior. 

The weather giveth and the weather taketh away.

High Powered Visitor

As Kristy and I neared the Williamson-Sodus Airport on NY Route 104, we spotted a 2019 amphibious turboprop Cessna 208B Grand Caravan on short final for runway 10. It made for a rather large visitor to our small airport.

We do not sell Jet A, so turbine-powered visitors are rare. The crew was looking for a quick turn pitstop and I was in the right place at the right time to let them into the clubhouse. The aircraft was a corporate ship with a checkered history. Despite being a relative youngster compared to the aircraft I fly, it had already experienced a significant accident in which it flew through high tension wires while hotdogging low over the Susquehanna River. Coincidentally, it was en route to Sodus at the time. Despite significant damage, there were no injuries and the aircraft successfully returned to its home base on Long Island. The incident did, however, leave residents of Laceyville, Pennsylvania in the dark for a few hours.

I noticed that the tail number was blocked in Flight Aware, presumably to protect the privacy of any executives on board. Then again, if I had a history of flying through high tension wires, I might disable tracking, too. 

As promised, the crew made a quick turn of it. The Caravan was airborne before I could begin my preflight inspection of the Warrior.

Long Way Around

Date	Aircraft	Route of Flight	Time (hrs)	Total (hrs)
11 Oct 2011	N21481	SDC (Sodus, NY) - LKP (Lake Placid, NY) - K09 (Piseco, NY) - SDC	4.0	2377.1

We launched over photogenic Sodus Bay and climbed to 5,500 feet.

Ground track generated by ForeFlight from Sodus to Lake Placid.

The route to Lake Placid always merits some discussion. One option is to fly direct through military operations areas (MOAs) and over relatively desolate, densely wooded, and unforgiving terrain. An alternative route is to follow the Lake Ontario shore to the St Lawrence River Valley with an approach to Lake Placid from the northwest. This adds fifteen minutes to the overall flight time, but keeps the airplane over flatter open terrain closer to civilization. I opted for the longer route, though this confused the controller at Wheeler-Sack who was quite keen to clear me direct through the MOAs.

Northbound with the St Lawrence River in the distance.

Boldt Castle on Heart Island near Alexandria Bay, NY.

Although time was past for the Adirondacks to display their best seasonal colors, vibrant autumn hues still blanketed the lower elevations.

Closer to Lake Placid, a departure from Adirondack Regional in Saranac Lake popped up on the Boston Center frequency to request IFR clearance to Victor November Yankee.

I looked at Kristy with surprise. "That's Van Nuys in California!"

Boston Center cleared the aircraft, which was obviously no mere Cherokee, to Van Nuys as filed and issued an altitude beyond what Warrior 481 can achieve. As much as we enjoy our daytrips around the northeast, it is quite a thing to ponder a nonstop flight from the Adirondacks to southern California in a private aircraft.

Pointy and Lumpy

The Adirondack High Peaks ultimately emerged from the haze with the distinctive profile of Whiteface Mountain visible from many miles away. I have often said that flying the Adirondacks is good for a pilot's soul. This was my first visit to the northern Adirondacks since the end of 2020 and it was good to be back.

Whiteface Mountain and Lake Placid at left with the town of Lake Placid to the right

Final for runway 32 at Lake Placid. Photo by Kristy.

Short final to runway 32 at Lake Placid. Photo by Kristy.

Kristy with Warrior 481 on the ramp at Lake Placid and Whiteface Mountain in the distance.

Go with the Brussels Sprouts

An airport staffer showed us the back way to my current favorite Lake Placid eatery, Big Slide Brewery & Public House. A narrow access road leads from the airport's T-hangars directly to the pub without requiring anyone to hike along the shoulder of the main road. See? You learn something new every time that you fly.

We had a characteristically excellent meal at Big Slide, but particularly enjoyed the fried brussels sprouts (with crispy pork belly, walnut, goat cheese, pickled pear, and sour ale caramel). They were absolutely amazing and prepared without a hint of bitterness. This appetizer was so popular that most of the surrounding tables on the outdoor patio were also enjoying it. "I don't do brussels sprouts," proclaimed the guy at the next table at a self-righteous volume. Clearly, he had never heard of taking a "no thank you bite". 

Mirror Lake adjacent to downtown Lake Placid

We walked into town and explored the shops, picking up a knick knack on clearance for The Bear at a comic book shop with some rare -- and expensive -- collectables. Overall, it was a beautiful, warm fall day to explore Lake Placid.

Through the Mountains

Downtown Lake Placid seen on departure from runway 32.

The Olympic speed skating ring was being refurbished.

Both halves of Lake Placid on the left, the north end of Mirror Lake on the right, Whiteface straight ahead.

Although Mother Nature still had the color saturation turned way up on the lower elevations, it was a shame that we lacked a clear blue sky to really make those colors pop.

We followed NY-86 northeast out of the valley and past Whiteface before turning southbound to follow the Adirondack valleys southward toward Piseco, NY.

Piseco

As we lined up on runway 22 at Piseco, I was surprised to see that the runway lights were on at full intensity. When we parked, an airport attendant greeted us at the airplane. I asked him if he turned the lights on for us. "I turned them on when I heard you coming in. They're brand new! What do you think?"

I offered him some superlatives about their brightness, which seemed to please him greatly. We took on fuel, used the restroom, and launched a few minutes later on the return trip to Sodus, adding another successful fall excursion to the logbook.

The Great White Whale of Cleveland

"Did you know that there is a ship in Cleveland that hates my Dad?"

-- The Bear (routinely between July 2019 and October 2021)

"We Built This City"

Steamship William G Mather, photographed 20 July 2019.

Launched in May of 1925, the steamship William G Mather was once flagship for the Cleveland-Cliffs Iron Company. Measuring 618 feet long, the massive laker hauled so much iron ore to Cleveland steel mills that it was nicknamed the "Ship that Built Cleveland". She remained in service until 1980, experiencing multiple upgrades over the years. In 1946, she became one of the first Great Lakes haulers to be equipped with radar. Her original 2,300 horsepower, four-cylinder coal-fired reciprocating steam engine was replaced in 1954 with an oil-fired steam turbine engine that developed 5,000 horsepower. In 1964, the Mather was outfitted with a bow thruster and a computerized boiler control system, the latter being the first of its kind to be installed on a Great Lakes vessel. Because of her early implementation of these advances, the Mather is an American Society of Mechanical Engineers National Historic Mechanical Engineering Landmark. It seems fitting that such a big boat would carry such a wordy designation.

William G Mather, photographed on 20 July 2019.

Ahab of the Sky

Today, the William G Mather is a museum ship moored along the Cleveland waterfront and open for self-guided tours. Our first attempt to visit was in September of 2018, but a fire the previous day unexpectedly closed it to tours. The following year, we returned to Cleveland and reached the gangway only to discover that the ship was closed again due to a heat advisory. "That boat hates you," The Bear asserted counterproductively as we stood at the foot of the closed gangway. Twice denied, I became even more determined to explore this grand old lady of the Great Lakes.

It was Tom who dubbed the Mather a white whale for the Williamson Flying Club. We even considered planning another attempt in 2021, but the operators of the Mather indicated that it was unlikely to open in 2021 due to the ongoing pandemic. We resigned ourselves to waiting. 

Tom with the William G Mather, photographed 15 September 2018.

However, when it became clear that weather would force a cancellation of the Williamson Flying Club's annual (attempted) fall lunch in Lake Placid, Tom suggested a return to Cleveland as an alternative. Contrary to the declaration made at the beginning of the season, the Mather was indeed available for tour and we redirected our mountain fall foliage flight to the waterfront of Cleveland, OH. Expecting to lose most of the members keen to visit the colorful autumn peaks encircling Lake Placid, we were surprised to have a group of thirteen pilots and passengers hang in there for the revised destination.

William G Mather, photographed 15 September 2018.

"If you can't go to Lake Placid, where are you going to go?" queried The Bear the night before we departed.

"We're going to see the white whale," I responded cryptically.

"The white whale?" asked The Bear, perplexed.

"Is that not a literary reference you know yet?"

"Well, sure, but I don't..." The Bear's eyes suddenly widened and her voice rose in volume with newfound certainty. "YOU'RE GOING TO SEE THE SHIP!!!"

She is a clever Bear.

Convoy

Date	Aircraft	Route of Flight	Time (hrs)	Total (hrs)
02 Oct 2021	N21481	SDC (Sodus, NY) - BKL (Cleveland, OH) - SDC	4.4	2373.1

We had an early start. My previous flight in the Warrior was a two hour instrument practice session involving flying various approaches at Rochester, so I took on additional fuel before we launched to ensure a return without needing to refuel at Burke Lakefront. Somehow, paying $7/gallon to Signature for the same blue fuel available at home for much less seemed counterproductive.

WFC at Venango Regional: Lesly, Dan, Steve, Janice, me, and Scott. Photo courtesy of Dan, 06 June 2021.

Flying with me were new member Steve and his fiancé Janice, whom I previously met at a Williamson Flying Club dinner fly-out to Primo Barone's at the Venango Regional Airport (KFKL) earlier in the year. This would be our first time flying together in the same airplane, though.

While Tom and Alicia fueled Two Six Romeo, Dan and Scott prepared One Delta Tango for flight. Paula and Steve were also part of the convoy in Nine Four Romeo. Member Gilead and his friends joined us en route with a Rochester-based Cirrus SR-22.

"Hey, Two Six Romeo," Air Traffic Control called out to Tom, "What's going on in Cleveland today?" Gaggles, even well spaced gaggles, tend to get ATC attention.

Scott flying One Delta Tango on short final for 24L. Photo by Dan.

While Tom and Scott were cleared to land on 24 Left, we touched down on the longer 24 Right. I suppose that Lakefront Tower was trying to balance runway use.

Our arrival in Cleveland. Photo by Alicia.

Janice and Steve with Warrior 481 on the ramp at Burke Lakefront. Tom's Two Six Romeo is parked beside us.

Three of us parked on the free, public ramp at the base of the tower. Scott and Paula parked at Signature with the intention of taking on fuel for the return flight.

Once we had everyone gathered together, we walked a couple of blocks into downtown Cleveland to the Galleria where we had lunch at the Winking Lizard Tavern. Food options were varied, well-prepared, and delivered in substantial portions. Those who were not pilots in command enjoyed whatever was on tap. Best of all, there was no waiting for a party of thirteen people. It all worked out very well.

Group photo: Gilead, Alicia, Tom, me, Scott, Kim, Janice, Steve, Paula, Steve, and Gilead's friends (whose names, unfortunately, I fail to remember, but they were nice people). Not pictured: Dan. Photo by Dan.

Compulsively Humming Gordon Lightfoot

William G Mather photographed 15 September 2018

One of Gilead's friends was a former mariner and pointed out how the steel plating of the Mather's hull was pressed inward between structural ribs. "That's what the waves of the sea will do," he commented. Sea nothing, I thought. The Mather had been a laker its entire life. That pounding came from the Great Lakes, not the ocean. 

We explored a small portion of the forward hold that included an exhibit about the disaterous 1975 loss of the Edmund Fitzgerald on Lake Superior. I had started humming the Lightfoot ballad well before boarding the laker, but reading specifics about the Edmund Fitz only served to set the earworm deeper.

Bow Superstructure

As a flagship freighter, the Mather was a curious blend of elegance and utilitarianism. By way of example, the lower guest lounge was well-appointed with hardwoods and a fireplace. 

Stairs led to the large upper guest lounge that looked forward over the bow of the ship.

Accommodations varied in comfort. Pictured above and below were typical crew quarters.

Guest quarters were nicer than accommodations meant for deckhands. Guests on the Mather would have included industry executives, politicians, and families and friends of Cleveland Cliffs executives and ship officers. Sometimes, William G Mather himself -- the president of Cleveland Cliffs -- voyaged on the Mather.

The upper guest lounge was significantly more spacious than the lower and offered a view directly forward of the ship. It was positioned immediately below the ship's pilothouse.

Surely, this TV was not still in service when the Mather retired in 1980!

Because the main kitchen was located at the stern of the ship, a small kitchenette was available off the upper guest lobby.

The main deck featured multiple telescoping hatches over access points to the four cargo holds. The primary mission of the Mather was to haul iron ore from Duluth, MN to Cleveland, OH. Sailing from Cleveland to the Upper Great Lakes, she was usually laden with coal, salt, or grain to subsidize return trips to the iron mines. The Mather could carry nearly 14,000 tons of iron ore.

Tom and Alicia pose at the bow of the ship.

Truly, their hearts will go on.

Consistent with the way accommodations varied with station, the captain enjoyed a well-appointed three room suite near the bow that consisted of an office area (above) and a private bedroom (below) with an adjoining private head. Fittingly, a set of stairs led directly upward to the bridge.

This photo is a Ghostbusters joke just waiting to happen.

Valuables were safely stored in the captain's Detroit-built safe.

Which Station is Mr. Sulu's?

While it is no USS Enterprise, the bridge of the Mather was elegantly appointed in oak and brass. After all, it was constructed to serve as the flagship for Cleveland Cliffs.

This is the engine order telegraph (EOT). A matching unit stands before the engine control console in the Mather's engine room, ready to receive instructions based on the EOT setting in the pilothouse.

As far as I can discern, this device was essentially a nautical ADF (automatic direction finder), an early form of radio navigation that I needed to understand to earn my instrument rating. However, I have never actually used an ADF. The closest I came was tearing my arm open on the former ADF antenna mount that remained on top of Warrior 481's cabin years after all the ADF equipment was actually removed. That mount is gone now too, but I still have a scar on my arm.

This is one of two radar displays on the bridge. Peering into the viewfinder, I had a moment of existential crisis when I saw my own eyes looking back at me.

View of the Rock & Roll Hall of Fame and Cleveland from the Mather.

The Promenade Deck

The only way to reach the island superstructure on the aft portion of the ship is to walk the long deck over the cargo holds.

This seemed like good advice. Falling through one of these hatches into an empty hold is not a tumble that I would care to take.

At this angle, the telescoping nature of the hatches is evident.

Burke Lakefront Airport was readily visible from the deck of the Mather.

Zooming in, I could see Warrior 481 and Tom's Two Six Romeo. I suspected that my parking job was a bit crooked; this confirms it.

These windows provided natural light for the four story deep engine room.

As a throwback to the sailing ships of old, the aft deck featured an auxiliary ship's wheel.

An extra propeller blade was available on the aft deck, though it seemed somewhat the worst for wear.

Mess Deck

Mmmm...sausage making....

The guest's dining room was the most elegantly appointed on the Mather. 

Next door, the officer's mess was more spartan, but a step up from where most ship's hands ate. I confess to some idle curiosity about "Canadian Cheese Soup" and desperately hope that it is not simply the vat of molten Velveeta that I initially envisioned.

The large kitchen was built to accommodate a crew of 38 plus guests.

Give Me Steam!

The engine room is four stories high, built to accommodate the original 1925 engine. Steep stairways descend into the abyss, eerily lit by flickering lights below.

This equipment is for the Mather's power steering system, translating commands from the ship's wheel into the force required to move the laker's massive rudder.

The ability to make en route repairs is a must!

This is the main part of the engine room showing the 5,000 horsepower steam turbine that replaced the original engine in 1954.

This computer is the brain of the 1964 Bailey 760 automated boiler control system.

This is the engine room's corresponding engine order telegraph. Any time the setting was changed on the bridge, this indicator would mirror the new setting and ring a bell to alert the engineers that a change needed to be made.

This port gave a direct view into the single oil-fired boiler. This replaced the original three coal-fired boilers that the Mather launched with in 1925. Clearly, the engine room was once a much more crowded space than it is today.

According to various sources, this diesel engine would have allowed the Mather to limp to a port in the event that the primary engine failed.

The tour ends at this aft hatch adjacent to the engine room.

In the end, it was worth the wait. It is always fun to land at Burke Lakefront, especially with a group. Lunch was delicious. And the William G Mather is a well-preserved example of Great Lakes shipping that embodies many engineering advances that occurred throughout the twentieth century. While I appreciated the self-paced nature of the tour and learned a lot from it, I sometimes wished that a knowledgeable docent had been available -- particularly in the engine room -- to help explain some of the things I was seeing. The Mather certainly made our Pipers feel awfully puny in comparison.

Return To Sodus

Two Six Romeo departing Burke Lakefront with the Mather at frame center. Photo by Alicia.

We returned to Burke Lakefront Airport, paid our $7 landing fee (the airport authority no longer invoices by mail), and departed for home.  It was a quiet ride. Steve and I talked about flying. Janice snoozed in the back seat. In all, it was another fun and successful trip with the Williamson Flying Club.