At the end of a 2 1/2 hour flight, I was suddenly weathered out of KBUR & KVNY.

KWJF Closed but last reporting winds 240 @30 gusting 45. Fuel OK but KMHV was worse.

So nowhere else to go. Set up for rwy 34. Decided to come in at 100 kts 20 deg flaps vs normal 80 & full flaps. Make steeper than normal approach as recommended. Gear down and 3 greens, fuel pump ON and confirm "GUMPS" again. Start reconsidering flap settqing so try full flaps but more turbulent back off one notch. Difficulty maintaining runway heading; not enough rudder to correct so final decision is to use the "big jet technique"... rwy heading then correct on touch-down.

To make matters worse the active runway was shortened due to construction. Try to touch down on the numbers @ 100 kts. Lined up on centerline and power to runway. Close throttle and "plant it". Resist any quick moves and smoothly correct to rwy heading and to get back near centerline straight. Full brakes and stop just before construction. Was on radio with Joshua Tree but no reception on ground but before landing I had asked controller to call me on my cell. Off active onto taxiway when phone rings

"Are you down OK." "Yes and thank you so much." "Great job ma'am.". "Not without your help it wouldn't have been." "You're very welcome but that's what we're here for."  

wow. "That's what we're here for... & thank God they are and thanks to them and also thanks to a really perfectionist and persistent CFII so am I.

Next day I checked with the Tower who said the winds were actually over 35 gusting to 50.

Moral of the story is I had been preparing for my IFR check ride requiring night landing with significant Crosswinds. So I had made probably 50 or more Crosswinds at night; some at Fox, Mojave and California City. I remember after a series of rather harrowing landings at California City on a moonless night saying to my instructor. "I'll just avoid these kinds of situations!" To which he answered "Sure you will but let's do another one ANYWAY!"

By then I was a bit fed up with my CFII... but no more. That experience of so many landings and the confidence and technique building plus the sticking to the technique and procedure is probably why am writing this from my desk vs not at all.

So just remember that training is so critical and as much as you might want to avoid certain conditions, there are those times when no matter how you plan you can't, and as a pilot, preparation is sometimes survival and you must rely on your training and a wee, wee bit of luck!

Kiss the ground, do your pre-fight and back up into the sky.

Swell & thankful Jill.