John & Anne Wiley

2011/04/20

Mighty Pretty

We got to singing songs as we bumped along leaving TX this afternoon. First as we crossed the state line into OK we were singing the one from the musical. Then nearing our home for the night we switched to Route 66 inspired by the line, “Oklahoma City looks mighty pretty…”

7073 OK City

7073 OK City

We really wanted to get a hotel in the city, but they’re all booked due to a game so we got a great deal near the Will Rogers airport. I wanted to land at Wiley Post so this blog could have a Wiley post with that name, but they were much more expensive for both parking and feeding Tripp. We spoke with several OKC natives who assured us this is the best place to live on earth, and factors cited were the night life and the low cost of living. They tempted us with descriptions of several enticing places downtown that got us even more excited about going. Then we got settled into the room, and decided to ask ATC if they’ll allow us a flight over the city when we leave tomorrow. 🙂

We’d been less tempted to go into town during our brief stop in Amarillo, which of course is also named in the song. Due to approaching weather I doubt we’ll stop in Joplin, MO or St. Louis but we’ve been in all the other towns named so maybe someday we’ll return to complete the set by at least visiting all their airports.

7048 Amarillo, TX

7048 Amarillo, TX

Almost forgot, I got this fun pic of Tripp “looking up at” a C-130 Hercules that was practicing approaches and landings while we were there. I’ve also put a cool jet pic taken at the airport on the Photo Page.

7051 Envy or Concern?

7051 Envy or Concern?

The day began of course in Albuquerque, with a slight detour to have our first closer aerial look at the Sandia Mountains.

7025 Sandia Mtns.

7025 Sandia Mtns.

Maybe I’m not Albuquerque enough, but to me the mountains around SB are more interesting up close. This range does greatly augment sunsets, shining in the afterglow over the city. There’s a tram ride people take to the top that I’m sure would be fabulous for people who don’t fly, but between Tripp and SB as you can see I’m quite a snob even though we’re only impoverished, pretend late-comer Santa Barbarians and low-budget aviators (we know several genuine SB natives with cars that cost several times what Tripp did and use several times more gas per mile). Am I sounding defensive? 🙂

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