Tag Archives: Williams

The Mohave County Fair

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We give Kingman residents and visitors helicopter rides.

I started planning for the Mohave County Fair at least a year ago. I exchanged phone calls and e-mails with the folks who handle the concessions for the fair, including Betty Watters and her son Phil Richardson. I flew up to Kingman in June to check out possible landing zones. That’s when I paid the fee for my “booth” in the north parking area. The dates September 15-18 went from pencil to ink on my calendar.

Mike and I went up to Kingman early Thursday morning. I flew, Mike drove. Mike brought our camper up there. It’s a 3-horse slant trailer with living quarters. I left about an hour after Mike and arrived at the fairgrounds the same time he did. I did a lap around Kingman, planning my route for rides, while Mike parked and secured my landing zone. Then I landed in a huge cloud of dust, cooled down the engine and shut down. We spent the next two hours setting up boundaries for the landing zone, putting up banners and signs, and doing housekeeping chores in the camper. The nice folks at the fairgrounds allowed us to park the camper at one end of the landing zone. On the other side of the fence were a few portable toilets (which we wouldn’t need) and the trailers and living quarters for the carnival folks. Beyond that were the carnival rides and attractions. And beyond that was the rest of the fair.

Photo

Mike made a trip to the local True Value hardware store to pick up a sprinkler and another hose. Phil had run his own hoses to the landing zone and we decided to use a sprinkler, which we’d move periodically throughout the day, to keep the landing zone damp. That would keep dust down. Mike also had to take a trip to town to fill the camper’s two gas bottles so we’d have refrigerator, hot water, and stove use. The camper also has a full bathroom with two holding tanks, so we could use our own clean toilet and shower daily.

We also had Jack the Dog and Alex the Bird with us. Jack had to stay on a leash. Alex stayed under the trailer’s awning in his cage. Neither of them were bothered by a helicopter taking off and landing about 150 feet away from them.

Betty had asked her neighbor, Tony, to give us a hand. Tony is on permanent disability after being hit by a truck years ago, but he was fully capable of helping us with the things we needed to do. He wound up working with us on Thursday and Friday and lending moral support on Saturday.

By 2 PM, we were ready to do rides. The only thing we needed were passengers. That was the problem. It was 2 PM on a weekday. Kids were in school, parents were at work. No one was interested in the carnival or our rides.

The ride took off from the north parking area. I had to make a crosswind departure, since heading into the wind would have taken me right over the carnival rides. From there, we flew up the east side of Centennial Park, north of Wal-Mart, just north of the I-40 pass through the mountains, down to the Beale Street exit on I-40, along the south side of Andy Devine Boulevard, across Hualapai Mountain Road, and up the east side of the fairgrounds. I made a 1807deg; turn at a cell tower north of I-40, then came straight in to the landing zone, landing right into the wind. Total time was about 6-8 minutes.

I’d priced the rides at $25 per person including tax. This was before fuel prices went up, so it was a real bargain. My usual ride prices are $30 to $35 per person for an 8-10 minute flight, but the fair folks practically begged me to keep the price down. So I did, depending on the cheaper price to attract more passengers and shorter ride length to make it profitable.

We managed to give 11 rides on Thursday. Very disappointing. We went to the Dambar restaurant for a good dinner, though.

On Friday, things weren’t much different. I walked over to the nearby junior high school around 10 AM, suggesting that a few of the teachers might want to walk students over to see the helicopter and get one of my presentations on aerodynamics or how helicopters fly. The school was very interested, but Fridays are half days so classes are shorter. There wouldn’t be enough time for any of the classes to walk over and back and get the presentation.

Things picked up late Friday afternoon. We did 10 rides, most of which were after sunset. The moon was big and full and beautiful and the carnival rides looked great from the sky.

By that time, our two helpers, Alex and his college buddy Ryan, had come to help out. There wasn’t much for them to do. They pitched their tent behind our camper, uncomfortably close to those portable toilets on the other side of the fence. We ate carnival food for dinner and walked around the fair.

We were pretty disappointed at the turnout so far.

Saturday changed everything. Although I wasn’t supposed to start flying until 10 AM, my first passenger arrived at 9, before the fair even opened. Heck, I didn’t care. I gave him a ride. For the next two hours, I did a few rides. Then the dam burst (so to speak) and I had a nonstop flow of passengers. Mike, Alex, and Ryan loaded 2 or 3 people on board for each flight. The only time I shut down was to get fuel at the local airport 5 miles away (three times!) and to take a 20-minute lunch/bathroom break. I put 5.5 hours on the helicopter’s hobbs meter that day — quite a bit when you consider that the hobbs only ticks when I’m in flight so my time spinning on the ground didn’t count. I figure I took about 100 passengers for rides that day. Most of them were in a helicopter for their very first time. I gave all the kids who flew with me helicopter toys (while they lasted). One guy liked it so much he went up twice.

We celebrated with four steak dinners at the Dambar.

Sunday looked as if it might be a repeat of Saturday, but the flow of passengers was starting later. The wind was stronger than the previous few days and it was warmer, so taking off with a crosswind (rather than a headwind) when I was heavy was tough. I did about 20 rides before we decided to call it quits. It was 1:30 PM. We packed up, said goodbye, and got ready to go.

I stopped off at the carnival office to leave a card for the carnival owner. I’d had a good event and was interested in working with carnivals to do it more often.

Mike left with the camper and I took off with Alex and Ryan. We took the scenic route home: to Bullhead City and down the Colorado River to Parker, where we refueled (at $4.54 per gallon!). From there, we hooked up with the Bill Williams River, overflew Swansea and the Alamo Dam, and returned to Wickenburg.

We’ll go back to the Mohave County Fair next year. But we’ll just spend all day Saturday and Sunday. I’m already looking forward to it.

My thanks to Betty and Phil for all their help.

Williams, AZ

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A small town success.

As I mentioned in another blog entry, I can’t say enough good things about Williams, AZ, my summer “home town.”

Williams was once a thriving Route 66 community, offering motels, restaurants, and service stations to folks driving between the eastern and western states. Then I-40 came along. East/west traffic sped by and the businesses that catered to the slower, Route 66 traffic folded one after another. But rather than dry up and blow away, Williams cashed in on its location at the junction of I-40 and State Route 64, approximately 60 miles south of the Grand Canyon’s South Rim. It reinvented itself as the “Gateway to the Grand Canyon,” and managed to attract many Grand Canyon visitors.

Williams’ success is due primarily to its strong Chamber of Commerce, which has worked hard to make Williams a destination in itself. While it’s true that Williams doesn’t have anything that can compete with the majestic beauty of the Grand Canyon, it does have many things that the Grand Canyon doesn’t: affordable motel rooms and restaurants, shopping, and a couple of features you can’t find anywhere else: the Grand Canyon Railroad and nightly shootouts.

During the summer months, the Grand Canyon Railroad runs an authentic steam engine from Williams to Grand Canyon Village. If you’re a train buff, this is a train that you simply must see. You can walk around it at the Williams train depot each morning before 10 AM (when it departs for the Grand Canyon) or at the Grand Canyon train depot each afternoon from about noon until 4 PM (when it departs for Williams). The train ride takes just under 2 hours each way and I’ve been told that the train is often robbed by bandits on horseback. I’ve seen the train from the air many times — both at its arrival at the Grand Canyon when I flew for Papillon last summer and enroute between Williams and Howard Mesa on one of my many flights in the area this summer. (As a matter of fact, I saw it again just today.) The Grand Canyon Railroad runs year-round, but in the other three seasons of the year, they run a diesel engine. The ride is just as much fun.

Back in Williams, there’s trouble brewing every night. You can expect a shootout on the street, and fortunately, the local Chamber of Commerce seems to know exactly when and where each shootout will be. You can pick up a list of upcoming shootouts in many of the local businesses, so you can find a good spot for the action. Bring your camera! The town of Williams just doesn’t say it’s a “western town.” It proves it with tourist attractions that have a definite western flair.

Afternoons and evenings in Williams are fun for everyone. There are horse-drawn carriage rides up and down old Route 66. There are shops and restaurants. And you won’t find a “For Rent” or “Not a Retail Outlet” sign anywhere along the main drag.

If you’re looking for a strip mall or a big box store, you won’t find one. And fortunately, Williams keeps its fast food restaurants where they belong: on the I-40 exits. In town, there are locally owned and operated restaurants featuring Mexican, Italian, and American food.

If day-to-day activities in Williams aren’t enough, the town goes the next step by playing host to a number of events that help the local businesses thrive. For example, a few weekends ago, there was a big Harley Davidson rally in town. Every hotel room was booked, every restaurant was filled. A few streets and parking areas were blocked off with event vendors. The event was a big success. Oddly enough, I overheard an attendee talk about it on the last day of the event. She was telling a friend that next year, she’s coming to Williams a week before the event so she can enjoy the town without the crowds.

If you’re planning a trip to the Grand Canyon area and find yourself in Williams, make a stop at the Chamber of Commerce office. It’s full of knowledgeable people who can tell you about all the events and activities. But it’s also a museum, with exhibits about the area — a good place to get acquainted with the town.

I think Wickenburg can learn a lot from Williams. Sadly, Wickenburg seems satisfied to be a pit stop on the road from Phoenix to Las Vegas — rather than a destination worth stopping and staying at.

Java Cycle

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Where I get my latte and Internet fixes while up at Howard Mesa.

I need to spend some bytes here talking about Java Cycle, a coffee shop on Route 66 in Williams, AZ.

Java CycleOne of the many things I don’t have on Howard Mesa is an Internet connection. Sure, I have my PowerBook and sure, the solar panel on the trailer roof provides enough power for me to keep it charged. So I can compose e-mail messages, write blog entries, play with my GPS’s connectivity features, and work on my novel. But I can’t surf the Web, send and receive e-mail messages, or publish those blog entries. Enter Java Cycle. This funky little coffee shop, which used to be a bicycle shop, offers a full range of coffee beverages and free wireless Internet connection. Conveniently located on the eastbound side of Route 66, west of Grand Canyon Boulevard, I can usually find a parking space right out front. So I can take my PowerBook down to Williams, order a latte, and sit at a comfortable table while taking care of my Internet needs.

Java Cycle also has a computer that you can use to check your e-mail or surf the Web. It’s $1 for 15 minutes, which I think is reasonable. Best of all, it’s an old iMac. How can I not like that? That’s a great idea because it baffles the PC users just enough that they don’t spend much time surfing and the computer is nearly always available.

Want more? Java Cycle also has a stack of board and card games and tables where you can play them. So if you feel like taking a break from slow roasting at an off-the-grid trailer home, you can come down and play Monopoly or checkers or poker in air-cooled comfort.

There’s jewelry and artwork and other items for sale, too, just in case you feel an urgent need to shop.

I visit Java Cycle 2 to 3 times a week. Most of the folks who work there — and the owner — have gotten to know me, so I feel like a regular. I even have a punchcard that will reward me with a free latte when I’ve bought 10 of them.

Compare this to the Starbucks at Barnes and Noble, which I visited last week. I needed a map book to plan my August road trip so I visited the B&N in Flagstaff. A sign on the door invited me to try their wireless Internet, so I brought in my computer. I ordered an iced latte and sandwich and settled down to check my e-mail. Imagine my surprise when access required a $16 subscription. Sheesh. These places get you coming and going. I think I spent enough money on the map book ($17.95 plus tax) plus lunch (more than $12), yet they want to squeeze another $16 out of me so I can check my e-mail? Not likely. Businesses like Java Cycle — and the Old Nursery Coffee Company in Wickenburg — are doing things right by making wireless Internet access free.

And while on the subject of Starbucks, have you ever noticed that they seem to open in towns right next to an existing coffee shop? (I think I may have ranted about this in another blog entry; likely the one I swore that I’d never buy Starbucks again.) Starbucks is the Wal-Mart of coffee. I don’t think we should support any big company that appears to purposely drive its competition out of business, especially when that competition is the kind of local business that helps keep a small town alive. And what’s with the coffee sizes at Starbucks? Small, medium, and large aren’t good enough words to describe sizes? But now I’m getting way off topic.

My point: if you’re ever in Williams, AZ and you feel a need for a cup of java and chance to check your e-mail, be sure to stop in at Java Cycle. Tell them Maria, the helicopter pilot, sent you.