Two days later Doug was back on the same road with Pendleton #20 — still solo, still between shop errands and a visit with friends. Private Grass Airpark Retreat had worked once; it worked again.
Same small grass strip: no tower, no bustle at arrival, just quiet turf and a familiar pull-through. The trailer settled in without fuss. If anything, the second visit felt even more relaxed — less novelty, more “oh, you’re back.”
Evening was low-key. Doug mixed another Banana Chocolate Old Fashioned at the galley — the house cocktail when Marla isn’t along to judge the garnish — and spent a while on the host’s side of the fire pit. Talk drifted to local flying, the Challenger factory over in Davenport, and who might head to Oshkosh when AirVenture opens in late July. Doug mentioned he’d like to get back in the air someday; the hosts nodded like people who have heard that before and mean it when they say the strip is a good place to start.
No grand plans, no logbook sermon — just a pleasant Midwestern night at a Host that happens to own a runway. The clubhouse and shower were there if needed; the grass and the quiet were enough.
Silver Trekker verdict: Worth stopping once; worth stopping twice. Erie fits the Pendleton when you want peace more than spectacle.
