By Eric McCarthy

Descending through the San Pasqual Valley (Rich Lee) I recently had the opportunity to fly with a good friend, Rich, in his beautifully maintained C-172. Our flight was to take us from Imperial County Airport (KIPL) to our home base, McClellan-Palomar (KCRQ). The contrast in terrain and weather along our route could not have been greater. Imperial sits 54’ below sea level in the middle of a vast agricultural area south of the Salton Sea, and even though we departed before noon, with clear skies, it was already hot.

Departing from IPL, we skirted El Centro Naval Air Facility’s airspace (KNJK) and joined V458 westbound to the KUMBA intersection, where V458 turns northwest bound to the Julian VOR (JLI). Just a few miles west of El Centro, the terrain changes dramatically from the miles and miles of lush greens and dormant browns of agricultural fields, to desolate gray desert, punctuated sporadically with cactus and hardy low bushes. The terrain starts to rise significantly as well, with peaks more than 6,000 feet, just 40 miles west of below-sea-level Imperial Valley.