ACFT LANDS ON DIRT ROAD.

Narrative

AFTER FUELING IN GREY BULL; WY; I DEPARTED FOR CASPER. I MADE A PRECAUTIONARY LNDG AT WORLAND TO WAIT FOR A TSTM IN THE AREA TO DISSIPATE. AFTER ABOUT 1 1/2 HRS THERE; THE FSS ATTENDANT INFORMED ME THAT THE LCL STORM WAS DISSIPATING; AND THAT THE PREVIOUS ACTIVITY NEAR CASPER WAS NOW ALSO GONE. I TOOK OFF AND FLEW S TO BOYSEN RESERVOIR; THEN HEADED E. AS I FLEW OVER THE BOYSEN RESERVOIR VOR; I CALLED CASPER FSS TO RPT A BRUSH FIRE VERY NEAR THE VOR; AND TO MAKE A POS RPT. FSS INFORMED ME THAT THERE WAS A TSTM CELL NEAR MY RTE; BUT THAT IT WAS OFF TO THE N SLIGHTLY. I PASSED OVER THE DIRT STRIP AT SHOSHONI AND REALIZED IT WAS 75 NM TO CASPER; WITH NO ARPTS ANYWHERE NEAR THE RTE. I THOUGHT I COULD CIRCUMNAV THE STORM TO THE S; (I COULD SEE IT BY THIS TIME) SO I PRESSED ON. I FLEW SLIGHTLY S OF MY COURSE. AS TIME WENT ON; THE TURB STARTED GETTING A LITTLE WORSE; AND I WAS FINDING MYSELF GETTING FURTHER AND FURTHER OFF COURSE; FLYING OVER THE MOST REMOTE LANDSCAPE I'D EVER SEEN. I COULD NOT GET FSS ON THE RADIO; AND THOUGH TOO LOW TO GET RADAR SVC (I TRIED). I LISTENED TO ZDV. THEY ISSUED A CONVECTIVE SIGMET FOR THE TSTM I WAS TRYING TO GAR. WHEN I GOT TO 10 NM SW OF PATHFINDER RESERVOIR; I CALLED CASPER FSS AND ASKED FOR THE STATUS OF THE STORM. THEY TOLD ME IT WAS DUE TO PASS OVER CASPER SOON; AND THAT THERE WERE RPTS OF HAIL. SHORTLY AFTER; I PASSED AROUND THE STORM; AND STARTED HEADING N; ONLY TO FIND THAT IT EXTENDED OFF TO THE NE. I REALIZED BY NOW THAT I HAD FLOWN FAR S AND IT WAS TRAVELING IN A SE DIRECTION (RAPIDLY). I KNEW THAT I WOULD NOT BE ABLE TO GET TO CASPER. I HAD FRANTICALLY SWITCHED; BY THIS TIME; FROM FSS; TO SLC CTR; TO ZDV TO FSS; TO CASPER APCH; TRYING TO GET INFO ON WHERE I COULD GO TO: FSS WAS APPARENTLY CONFUSED ABOUT MY LOCATION AND SUGGESTED I FLY NW; WHICH WOULD HAVE TAKEN ME INTO THE STORM. I LOOKED SW TO RAWLINS; PROBABLY 40 NM AWAY; BUT SAW A LINE OF DARK CUMULUS WITH RAGGED BOTTOMS (VIRGA) ALL ALONG THE RIDGE BTWN ME AND THERE I WAS GETTING BUMPED AROUND A LOT; AND I WAS UNSURE IF MY FUEL SUPPLY WOULD TAKE ME TO LARAMIE. I WAS VERY AFRAID; AND I DECIDED TO LAND ON A DIRT ROAD BELOW! I DRAGGED THE FIELD; AND LANDED WITHOUT INCIDENT. I RECEIVED HELP FROM MOTORISTS AND CALLED ON 121.5. AN AIRLINES CAPT RELAYED MY MESSAGE TO CASPER FSS THAT I LANDED SAFELY; WITHOUT DAMAGE TO ACFT OR PLT. I INFORMED CASPER APCH OF MY DECISION WHILE STILL IN THE AIR. I AM ENROLLED IN A PART 141 INST (COMMERCIAL PLT TRAINING PROGRAM IN EVERETT; WA; AND THIS WAS A CROSS-COUNTRY TRAINING FLT. AFTER LNDG; PASSING MOTORISTS HELPED ME TO PUSH THE AIRPLANE OFF THE ROAD; AND GAVE ME ROPES AND STAKES TO TIE THE AIRPLANE DOWN WITH; AND GAVE ME A RIDE INTO TOWN. I FAULT MYSELF FOR PROCEEDING INTO AN AREA OF KNOWN TSTM ACTIVITY WITHOUT ANY ARPTS NEARBY. I WAS NOT LEAVING MYSELF AN 'OUT'! CONTRIBUTING FACTORS WERE UNFAMILIARITY WITH THE LCL WX PATTERNS AND ENVIRONMENT; UNCERTAINTY ABOUT MY FUEL STATUS; AND CONFUSION IN MY CONVERSATIONS WITH CASPER FSS ABOUT MY LOCATION AND THE DIRECTION OF THE STORM'S TRAVEL. I WAS RELUCTANT TO TURN BACK WHEN THE SIT CALLED FOR IT; UNTIL IT WAS TOO LATE (LOW FUEL). THE PROPER ACTION WOULD HAVE BEEN TO HAVE A PLAN BEFORE I LEFT AS TO WHERE TO GO IF I ENCOUNTERED HAZARDOUS WX OR OTHER EMER ENRTE. IN THIS CASE; THE PLAN WOULD HAVE BEEN TO MAKE A 180 DEG AND GO BACK TO THE LAST ARPT; NO MATTER HOW FAR; WHILE I COULD; INSTEAD OF FLYING 30 NM OFF MY COURSE; FLYING OVER WILDERNESS INSTEAD OF FOLLOWING MY COURSE OVER HWY 20. EPILOGUE: AT THE OWNER'S REQUEST; I HIRED A MORE EXPERIENCED PLT TO FLY THE PLANE OFF THE ROAD TO CASPER. I THEN CONTINUED MY TRIP WITHOUT INCIDENT.