John & Anne Wiley

2009/10/27

Time Travel

Filed under: Big Adventure,Flying,Has Photos,Nature — John @ 03:40
Several times tonight we’ve expressed amazement that yesterday we were in DC. Jot down your guess as to how many states we were in today. Late in the morning we rose out of Richmond and gazed in silence at this historic spot. Where the river ran we imagined legions of grim civil war encampments. None of the dozen or so people we spoke with during our overnight stay made any mention of that time, and we didn’t bring it up. Instead we asked people what they most like about living there, and received vague answers about work and family.
We headed into West Virginia, and were surprised by two things. First how smoky the Smoky Mountains are, along with the Allegheny, Blue Ridge, Appalachians and Shenandoah ranges we crossed. They’re scenic, but the photos make the haze even worse so we’re relying on our mental images rather than our hazy pix. Another thing that stood out in WV is how many mountains no longer do. That is, vast areas are chopped flat where entire mountains have been blasted flat to extract coal more cheaply than by mining. The rivers and lakes look polluted, and we imagined what’s no longer there reflected in stagnant black pools.

Surrounding states like Kentucky didn’t seem to have much mountain mauling going on, and the colors in KY were bright as you can see looking back at Pikeville where we turned south.

We got fuel, junk food and sweet hospitality from the kind people of beautiful little Elizabethton, TN.
After crossing the mountains we stopped briefly in Asheville, NC where we’d visited a friend several years ago, and we enjoyed seeing it this time from the air.
We reached Greenville, SC just at dusk. Last night in Richmond we rummaged the web for a nice place for tonight, and I was struck by the tales of this place. Waterfalls in the restored downtown, and an airport in the city. Lots of art, theater, music and the sorts of things we enoy in Santa Barbara. After checking into the hotel we walked Main Street looking at menus and wound up at an affordable gourmet place overlooking the waterfalls. Walking back we took a detour down along the falls and up across the majestic curving pedestrian footbridge. Here’s a long exposure of the view back across to our restaurant.

Now it looks like weather might conspire to give us another night here, so we might go back to the airport and fetch our bike for some daytime exploration. Anne’s eyes filled with tears tonight as she realized the end of this Big Adventure is approaching. So many places still to look at and to briefly sample, but not much more than a week remaining.
Oh, states we’ve landed in today: VA, WV, KY, TN, NC, SC = 6 + Confusion. The state of Confusion is enhanced when we think about also being in DC, DE, MD for a total of 9 within 27 hours. You might recall my mention of “prop advance,” where flying for an hour makes everything you did before that seem like it happened yesterday. I doubt you can really imagine that taken to an order of magnitude, but lest you feel concerned I can assure you it’s FUN! We’re experiencing a sort of time travel, both back and forward. Walking “home” we talked about our early childhoods and our approaching old age, all stimulated by this amazing trip. It’s as if all we have ever been or could be opens beneath us in an arc over this enchanted orb we linger upon.

2009/10/26

Migrating South

Filed under: Aviation,Big Adventure,Flying,Has Photos,Random — John @ 04:04
This morning we got a relatively early start so we could gobble up more of our “must see” highlights of DC. “Let’s skip breakfast now and grab something along the way.” As you’ve already guessed, aside from a cookie and some coffee we didn’t eat until on the train at 1:30.
That did buy us time to visit some meaningful places and chat with people from all around the world, including DC. A couple from UK told us DC is a 5-visit minimum city, and their favorite in the world. We got misty at the Supreme Court contemplating rule of law, where two Presidents with vastly different style and values can peacefully and amicably transition.

We got misty on the steps of the Capitol where our representatives can disagree vehemently and still (sometimes) find common ground in the interests of the people. Adding a note of populism was some sort of Marine Corps marathon with a band playing and people along the route cheering them on (and nearly all transportation in the city shut down to make way for them).

We were moved by the new native american exhibit on the Mall, and wished for time to go inside.

By the time we reached the Air & Space Museum, I had tears in my eyes. This is a place I’ve yearned to go since childhood, almost since the birth of my dreaming of flight. Even looking at this dinky pic of The Spirit typing this, I’m misting up again. Dreams can come true.
The bird’s eye view of the city we’d been told of turned out to be great for small birds. There were vertical cables an inch apart perhaps to keep people from jumping as they do from bridges. We didn’t even get off the elevator, instead racing to catch the next train back to a real bird’s eye view: from Flash.
Taking off from New Castle (Wilmington, DE) we got permission to land near Patuxent River, MD. That’s where Anne was born while Dad was there as a test pilot, and today was the first time she’s ever been back.
After a short stop, we took off over Leonardtown where she lived as a toddler.

It was so smoggy we decided to skip our initial goal of seeing Chesapeake Bay and just head for historic Richmond, VA. Our decision was rewarded by a spectacular sunset.
Tomorrow our plan is to do some state hopping. Possibly the most in one day we’ve done so far. As you know, there are often differences between the flight we plan and the one we take.

2009/10/25

Two Great Cities

Filed under: Big Adventure,Flying,Happiness,Has Photos,Inner World,People,Random,Relationships — John @ 04:33
I’ve added to the Photo page, and here’s a snap of some favorite buildings from our second flight down the Hudson. Already feels like a week ago.

Amtrak from Wilmington to the Capitol was fast and comfortable, putting us near enough to walk. Instead though, we first got on one of the step on/off bus tours that run continually because it was raining buckets. We decided to get off and brave the elements though, because it was impossible to take pix and difficult even to see much. We bought one of the $5 umbrellas that seemed to appear on the streets, and that lasted us until the clouds finally parted at sundown.
We noticed a gentle mood in people. Everyone seemed solitary in contemplation, almost reverent, yet happy and so warm it reminded us of some global extended family. The kind that might disagree, but is well aware of closeness and reaching out to maintain it. We felt that the most here, and were moved all over again reading Lincoln’s words in this thoughtful historic place.

Sure wish we could fly near enough to get some pix from the air! A helpful Metro employee gave us a tip on a place we can easily get a bird’s eye view, so hopefully tomorrow we’ll get some panoramic pix from there.

2009/10/24

Mad About NYC

Filed under: Aviation,Big Adventure,Flying,Happiness,Has Photos,Inner World,People,Random — John @ 03:17
Something we enjoy about flying the way in which we do it, is change. There’s the change it makes to the psyche, somehow altering time and space as we know it. The change in our perspective on this incredible planet of course. Also though, there’s change of plans. It turned out that the airspace was locked up for flyers of our sort (poor), so rather than Linden our best option was Westchester. We connected with an exceptional couple near there who offered two of their places for us to stay, and their many kindnesses enhanced our brief NYC experience exponentially.
Our first night was in midtown in a loft of their business. Dropping our stuff (including the bike which I’d lugged on the subway and partially assembled outside Grand Central to the considerable enjoyment and/or annoyance of thousands), we set off to explore. This scene anticipates our adventures that Herman Hesse might say are best enjoyed by “Madmen Only.”
Dinner at Mario’s got us off to a great start, then we walked. A lot. Mostly up Broadway. Times Square is perhaps the most descriptive in this size of photo, but if time ever catches up again (maybe in a few days?) I’ll post some larger pix on the Photo link.
Meanwhile, there’s one detail from the Square that conveys what substance helped us stay so awake at 1am with little sleep and many travails.
Next day with the bike fully assembled we rode from 36th up to the park. Don’t do this if you are a fearful person, because the bike lanes are considered hunting preserves. We survived, and actually enjoyed it. These two outcomes might have been partly due to what we were riding: my custom bicycle for two, consisting of two seats and double-wide pedals on a cheap old standard mountain bike. People laughed, did double-takes, stared, took pictures, and perhaps decided to spare us as unique specimens of bike riders. It was also delightful to be riding rather than walking or sitting in a bus or subway, and being able to actually converse about what we saw. The park of course, totally blew us away. There’s simply no way to describe how amazing our time was there, as we rode around and through it all the way up to the Reservoir. Lots of pix of course, but here’s one I especially like for the size of pix on this blog (remember this from any movies?):

The day continued getting more magnificent as evening approached and our friends joined us for a truly breathtaking flight. With the Hudson now open to us, we four flew down and back. From all the pix, here’s one I like in this size:
Here’s another, of the Lady who symbolizes so much.
Wish I had time to write and to process/share more pix, but instead I’m going to sleep for the first time in three days (not counting truncated dreamtimes). Tonight we’re in Wilmington (change brought us here rather than the several other options we’d planned). Tomorrow we’re on Amtrak into DC for at least one night. At least that’s the plan tonite…

2009/10/21

Vineyard, Nantucket, Cape and Long Isl.

Filed under: Aviation,Big Adventure,Flying,Happiness,Has Photos,Inner World,People — John @ 01:34
Our ride back to Providence airport offered the opposite of last night’s driver. Joe has led a long and fascinating life. “I like the seasons,” he offered. He loves living and working in Providence, and going dancing with his girlfriend. He also seemed to enjoy flirting with the desk gals at the hotel, so there’s life in Providence after all.
After much discussion we decided to fly out and have lunch at Martha’s Vineyard. Along the way, RI offered some intricate interactions of wind, sand, sea and hardy plants. We wondered what would cause the shapes in the lagoon.

It turned out the airport is a long ride (when you can get one) from the tourist areas, so we grabbed a sandwich to go at the airport restaurant and then became captivated with the WWII memorabilia and stories from the days when this was a stalwart guardian of the north Atlantic and a training base for pilots. Now it seems to have become an outpost of the FedEx flocks from Providence, and a stop for tasteful tourists.

Then after more discussion we decided to go out and have a quick look at Nantucket. “It’s probably just like the Vineyard.” On the other hand, “It’s so close and something we’ve heard of since childhood.” Turns out it was completely different, and the rewards for our excursion were many. The lighthouse seems the epitome of courageous guardian, standing on a spit clearly overwhelmed by storm seas flashing its warning to seafarers.
Cruising back over the Vineyard, their light seems tame and protected until you contemplate the ferocious storms.
We crossed over to Woods Hole, and went up Cape Cod to Hyannis before turning into the wind for our dash to Islip before dark. None of our photos over Long Island came out due to smog and sunset, but the images sit sweetly in our memories. We were surprised at how few houses there are in the East Hamptons, until we realized they’re all cut directly into little squares of the forest.
Tomorrow we plan to skirt any TFRs and all the myriad airliner playgrounds, and slip into Linden, NJ for the Staten Island Ferry into Gotham.
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