PA32 PLT UNABLE TO LOCATE A SOURCE OF OXYGEN FILED AN IFR FLT PLAN USING THE LOWEST ALTS BTWN DEN AND SJC.

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ON OCT/MON/02; I DEPARTED BJC; NEAR DENVER; CO; ON THE FIRST LEG OF A 2 LEG XCOUNTRY TO RHV IN SAN JOSE; CA; VIA EKO WITH MY FAMILY IN A PIPER LANCE WHICH BELONGS TO MY FLYING CLUB. I FILED AN INST FLT PLAN TO EKO ON LOW ALT AIRWAYS. HAVING BEEN UNABLE TO OBTAIN A SOURCE OF A SUPPLEMENTAL OXYGEN; WHICH MAY HAVE BEEN NECESSARY FOR THE VERY HIGH MINIMUM ENRTE ALTS; I PLANNED MY RTE TO USE AIRWAYS WITH THE LOWEST MEA'S. MY FILED RTE OF FLT WAS VIA THE YELLOWSTONE DEP TO LAR; V4 CKW; V6 LWL; EKO AT 11000 FT. UPON APCHING LAR FOR THE TURN TO V4 ZDV ADVISED THAT I WOULD HAVE TO CLB TO 13000 FT. THE WX IMMEDIATELY TO THE W WAS NOT ENCOURAGING AND I ASKED TO MODIFY MY RTE TO TAKE V85 TO MBW; THEN V6; FLT PLAN RTE. THE MEA WAS 9400 FT TO MBW AND 10000 FT FROM MBW ALL OF THE WAY TO FBR. THIS GAVE ME COMFORT SINCE I DIDN'T WANT TO FLY AT A HIGHER THAN NECESSARY ALT ANY MORE THAN NECESSARY DUE TO MY CONCERN ABOUT NOT HAVING SUPPLEMENTAL OXYGEN. ZDV APPROVED THE RTE MODIFICATION. AS I APCHED MBW ON V85; THE WX TO THE W WAS CLR AND I REQUESTED CLRNC DIRECT TO CKW. CTR SAID HE COULD NOT APPROVE THE CLRNC UNLESS I ACCEPTED A VFR ON TOP CLRNC; WHICH I DID. CTR ADVISED THAT THEY WOULD 'PICK ME UP AGAIN ABEAM SARATOGA' WHICH I ACKNOWLEDGED. I PROCEEDED TO CKW AND CONTINUED ON FLT PLAN ROUTING FROM THERE TO EKW AT 1100 FT. ONCE I PASSED CKW IT WAS MY UNDERSTANDING THAT I WAS BACK ON MY IFR CLRNC; ALTHOUGH I FAILED TO VERIFY IT WITH CTR. I WAS HANDED OFF FIRST TO ZLC AND THEN SALT LAKE APCH. NO ONE MADE MENTION OF THE MEA CHANGE TO 12000 FT AFTER FBR WHICH CONCERNED ME; BUT I KNEW THAT CTLRS COULD ASSIGN ACFT ALTS BELOW THE MEA DOWN TO THEIR MINIMUM VECTORING ALTS AND THEREFORE THOUGHT THAT WAS WHY THEY HAD NOT ASKED ME TO CLB. I REFERRED TO THE SALT LAKE SECTIONAL CHART TO ENSURE SAFE OBSTRUCTION CLRNC AS A BACK UP. I AM ALSO SOMEWHAT FAMILIAR WITH THE AREA HAVING FLOWN OUT OF SLC OFF AND ON FOR OVER 20 YRS AND HAD BEEN VECTORED BELOW THE MEA THERE IN THE PAST. I WAS STILL THINKING I WAS BACK ON AN IFR FLT PLAN FROM THE TIME I PASSED OVER CKW. SALT LAKE APCH ASKED IF I WAS VFR ON TOP WHICH I RESPONDED THAT I WAS ON AN IFR FLT PLAN. WHILE FLT CONDITIONS WERE LESS THAN FULL VFR; I HAD ENOUGH VISIBILITY TO SPOT TFC CTR RPTED AND INTERMITTENTLY VERIFY TERRAIN CLRNC. UPON MY ARR AT EKO I WAS ASKED TO CALL SALT LAKE APCH WHERE I WAS ADVISED THAT SAFE TERRAIN SEPARATION HAD NOT BEEN MAINTAINED AND A DETERMINATION OF PLT OR CTLR ERROR WOULD BE MADE AND APPROPRIATE ACTION TAKEN. IN RETROSPECT MY CONCERN ABOUT SPENDING TOO MUCH TIME IN A HIGH ALT; LOWER OXYGEN ENVIRONMENT OVERSHADOWED THE NEED TO VERIFY THE TYPE OF CLRNC I HAD. I SHOULD HAVE QUESTIONED CTR BOTH ABOUT THE TYPE OF CLRNC I WAS ON AFTER CKW AND ABOUT BEING AT AN ALT BELOW THE MEA FROM FBR TO OGD.