A PA28 PLT FLIES UNDER A CLOUD DECK. BECOMES IMC AND DURING A TURN BACK TO VMC BECOMES DISORIENTED; BUT RECOVERS TO LAND AT AN ALTERNATE.

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MY WIFE AND I DEPARTED DXR EASTBOUND FOR CQX (AT THE ELBOW OF CAPE COD ABOUT 12 MILES E OF HYA) IN CAVU. APCHING CQX; A CLOUD BANK WAS VISIBLE MOVING IN FROM THE SOUTHWEST AT ABOUT 2000 FT MSL. I FLEW OVER THE CLOUDS LOOKING FOR A HOLE; BUT NONE WAS FOUND. I TOLD MY WIFE WE WOULD CIRCLE BACK AND TRY TO GET UNDER THE CLOUDS AND IF THAT DIDN'T WORK WE WOULD BE FORCED TO HEAD BACK TO HYA AND RENT A CAR THAT WOULD COST US TIME AND MONEY. DUCKING UNDER THE CLOUDS PROVED FUTILE SINCE THE CEILING CONTINUED TO DROP AS I GOT CLOSER TO CQX. AT HALF THE NORMAL PATTERN ALT AND WITHOUT A SPECIAL VFR CLRNC I DECIDED TO HEAD BACK WEST TO HYA. I MADE A R TURN THAT WAS THE SHORTEST RTE TO HYA; UNFORTUNATELY THAT TOOK US INTO THE CLOUD BANK. CONTINUING THE R TURN WOULD HAVE KEPT US IN THE CLOUDS TOO LONG AND A BELATED L TURN NOW WOULD HAVE US HEADED OUT OVER THE ATLANTIC OCEAN IN IMC; SO THE ONLY OPTION WAS TO CLB TO THE CLOUD TOPS WHICH I KNEW WERE ABOUT 2000 FT. I BECAME CONCERNED THAT SOMEONE MIGHT HAVE GOTTEN AN IFR RELEASE AND THAT I MIGHT BE ON HIS RWY HDG AND THAT I MIGHT BE AT HIS ALT; SO I DECIDED TO CLEAR THE AREA AS QUICKLY AS POSSIBLE; WHICH MEANT CLB. AFTER AN ETERNITY; I THOUGHT I HEARD THE VOICE OF ONE OF MY FORMER INSTRUCTORS TELLING ME TO STOP LOOKING AT THE WHITE FLUFF OUTSIDE THE WINDSCREEN AND TO SCAN MY INSTRUMENTS. I SAW THE AIRSPD INDICATOR SLICING THROUGH 60 KNOTS AND QUICKLY BEGAN RECOVERING FROM MY UNUSUAL ATTITUDE (YEARS LATER I LEARNED TO DO CHANDELLES CORRECTLY). AFTER RETURNING THE ACFT TO A NORMAL CLB; WE CLEARED THE CLOUDS AND LANDED AT HYA WITHOUT INCIDENT EXCEPT FOR THE PART WHERE MY WIFE; A FLT ATTENDANT FOR A MAJOR CARRIER; DISCUSSED AT GREAT LENGTH THE VARIOUS DEFECTS IN MY BRAIN AND WHAT I SHOULD DO ABOUT THEM. MAKING THAT RIGHT TURN TO SAVE A FEW MINUTES OF FLT TIME AND WORRYING ABOUT 'MIGHT HAVES' COULD HAVE EASILY KEPT US FLYING FOREVER; BUT HAVING PAID ATTENTION TO GOOD FLT INSTRUCTORS IN THE PAST GAVE THE LITTLE VOICE A CHANCE TO BRING US BACK TO THE REALITY OF THE PRESENT.