Flight to Monterey Peninsula Airport (08-15-2003)

(Cut from weblogs) Today I was planning to take my brother for a city tour around the bay area. We woke up bright and early, getting to Palo Alto airport at around 6:30AM. After preflight, taxiing, and runup, we were in the air at about 7AM. The plan was to fly into Half Moon Bay (HAF) for breakfast, but as I was approaching the mountains I could see complete cloud cover definately going all the way up to San Francisco. The backup plan was to turn around, and fly to Stockton or Modesto and looking back, the Sacramento Valley was also under cloud cover. I remembered getting weather for Monterey Peninsula Airport (MRY), and they had clear skies, so I reconfirmed with their ATIS, and turned south. We stayed along the coastline for some nice views of Santa Cruz, Watsonville, Salinas, and Monterey. When we got there it was 8AM, but the restaraunt didn't open until 9AM... so we hung out at Monterey's passenger terminal for people watching. The breakfast at this place was great, nice service too. After breakfast we went back to the plane and requested 1000ft above the coastline to the south from Clearence Delivery, which they had no problem with. After takeoff it was a nice flight going south along the coast... we wanted to see whales and stuff but they probably are smart and don't wake up so early. On the way back, instead of going around the coast and over the mountains I just took a more direct route over Gilroy, and San Jose. It was easy to spot the bay area, there was a blanket of smog over it. Landed, went to Jamba Juice, and too a nap... what a day :)


	Moffett Field

At the airport in Monterey	Clouds over the mountains

Santa Cruz Beach Boardwalk

Shoreline Ampitheater, Mountain View	Downtown San Jose

Going back north.. view of Monterey Peninsula Airport	I think they were looking for sea life too



Watsonville	San Jose International Airport

	NASA Ames Research Center, Moffett Field behind it

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