SMA PLT CONTINUES INTO DETERIORATING WX. ENTERS CTL ZONE WITHOUT CONTACT.

Narrative

I RECEIVED A WX BRIEFING FOR MY CONTINUATION HOME FROM THE 1992 OSHKOSH FLY-IN FROM A MT ARPT TO MY HOME BASE IN THE PORTLAND AREA. PDX AREA WAS FORECAST AS DETERIORATING TO MARGINAL VFR. I MONITORED FLT WATCH AND DECIDED TO GO INTO THE PDX AREA VIA THE COLUMBIA RIVER GORGE. AT HOOD RIVER; THE CEILING WAS STILL 6000 PLUS WITH 25 MI VISIBILITY ALONG THE RIVER. HEADWINDS WERE BECOMING APPROX 35 KTS. THE LOWERING CEILINGS WERE A CONCERN; BUT PDX ATIS WAS RPTING; AS I BEST REMEMBER; 1200 FT BROKEN; 1700 FT MEASURED CEILING. NOT GREAT; BUT SEEMED OK. NOT QUITE TYPICAL AUG WX; EVEN IN OR! SO I LEFT THE GORGE AREA AND TURNED 20-30 DEGS S TO SKIRT THE TTD AND PDX CTL ZONES; THE CEILING WAS MUCH MORE RAGGED AND LOWER APPARENTLY THAN OVER PDX. I DSNDED TO 900 TO 1000 MSL TO MAINTAIN VISUAL RULES. VISIBILITY BELOW THE RAGGED CEILING WAS AT LEAST 12 MI; NO RAIN SHOWERS WERE NOTICED. BY THE TIME I REALIZED I HAD PROBABLY STUMBLED INTO THE CTL ZONE BELOW VFR MINS; I WAS PAST IT AND THE CEILING WAS OK FOR THE REST OF THE FLT. I HATE TO ADMIT IT; BUT I BELIEVE MY JUDGEMENT WAS WOUNDED BY THE GET HOMEITIS BUG. I SHOULD HAVE LANDED EARLIER AND WAITED A COUPLE OF HRS. ANOTHER FACTOR WAS MY SKEPTICISM OF FORECAST AND EVEN CURRENT WX RPTS. MY EXPERIENCE HAS BEEN THAT CONDITIONS HAVE BEEN SUBSTANTIALLY BETTER THAN FORECAST. WELL; THIS TIME IT WAS A LITTLE WORSE WHERE I WANTED TO GO. ANOTHER ITEM IS THAT I WILL GET MY INST RATING CURRENT.