The next leg was a short one, 180 miles, directly through Monument Valley and through the Four Corners area to Farmington (FMN), NM. My heading had not changed 10° since I had left Santa Rosa, but this time I did remain at a relatively low level and weaved through Monument Valley looking up at many of the monuments (mesas) there. Somehow I missed seeing John Wayne whom I was certain was still out there taming the Old West. Even with the outstanding scenery to distract me I arrived in Farmington slightly over an hour and a half after starting the engine in Page. By three o’clock (I had lost an hour with the time change to Mountain time) I was parked, refueled, hangared, and on my way into town.
Early the next morning I was thankful that I had taken advantage of the offer to hangar the CH601. The aircraft was frost-free even though the overnight temperature had dipped into the teens. Airborne before sun-up, I climbed above 11,000 feet to clear the peaks on a direct route to Quanah (F01), TX, slightly over 500 miles ahead. With a tailwind, and at an average 10,000 feet density altitude, I arrived at Quanah just under 4 hours later.
