John & Anne Wiley

2013/03/06

Islander Adventure

Filed under: Aviation,Flying,Happiness,Has Photos,Inner World,Islander Adventure,Random — John @ 09:44

Well, we’re seriously talking about another Big Adventure. This one we’re calling our Islander Adventure because our biggest new destination is the Bahamas. Getting there would involve flying about 55 miles across the water from West Palm Beach, Florida.  About five minutes of that flight would be beyond gliding distance to land, but the water’s warm and there are lots of boats that could give aid. We have lots of planning and packing to do, both before we go and along the way. Here’s our initial idea for a route.

Islander Adventure Route

Islander Adventure Route

As you can see (a little more clearly if you click to view the largest version) we also hope to fly the Florida Keys, and go beyond Bahama possibly all the way to the Virgin Islands. The southern route across the country would of course be our likely path East, coming home on a more northerly route. In case you’re wondering about the little jag on the border at Texas, that’s Big Bend that looked fascinating from a distance when we landed at Marfa, TX.

Weather will pretty much decide our timing and route. Like when an overnight stop on Prince Edward Island turned into a week. Or when we went to lovely Dubuque, IA because we couldn’t get any further from Iowa City where we’d taken off half an hour earlier.  So I smile looking at this map.

Whim will be the second largest factor. “Oh, that looks interesting,” has led to many diversions on our prior Adventures. What sorts of whims will we encounter in this Islander Adventure?

Islander Whim

Islander Whim

We’re bringing “Sev” our new Nexus 7 tablet with the great free Avare aviation app that’s going to pay for Sev with savings on FAA charts and documents, while making them much easier to use in flight. Maybe Anne will post some notes here on Sev along the way, and I’ll hopefully do some here on my MacBook named “Art.” Even if our words and pix aren’t interesting for anyone else, they’re fun for us to read because they bring back a flood of wonderful memories. Hope you’ll enjoy flying along with us! 🙂

2013/01/16

Close Encounter

Filed under: Aviation,Flying,Happiness,Has Photos,Random,SB Region — John @ 03:40

It’s fun being near bigger and faster planes when we fly. This big KC-130J was especially close, as you can see.

3663 Close Encounter

3663 Close Encounter

We were sitting in the “run-up” area for Runway 25, when this big critter cruised thru SBA for a “touch and go” practice landing.

3661 USMC KC-130J

3661 USMC KC-130J

So we weren’t more than a couple of wing spans away as it went by, and the pilot was clearly visible. These big birds are used by the Marines for aerial refueling. Felt like a mini personal air show. 🙂

2012/11/20

Bliss 360

Filed under: Aviation,Flying,Happiness,Has Photos,Inner World,Nature,People,Random,SB Region — John @ 04:40

Taking off from SBA is bliss in every direction. Mountains, ocean, city, country, and hints of all the other variety California has to offer from redwoods to lakes and rivers to deserts. All of it caressed by idyllic weather here in the Goldilocks zone. No matter which runway we use, lifting off we’re greeted by transcendent scenes like this.

1345 Up & Out

1345 Up & Out

The sensation of lifting up and flying out over the water is thrilling, quickening the heart and instantly expanding the horizon. There’s the beach, slough and pier where we just roamed with E Man. Arcing back over the shore in a gentle climb, the trusty song of Tripp’s engine disappears until the whisper of a gentle breeze soothes our souls.

1348 I See UC

1348 I See UC

There’s the Isla Vista we’ve strolled, and the UC campus of Erin and then Molly. Even after a long dry spell like we had here until this weekend, there’s so much to thrill the eye and nourish the soul as we approach the mountains this time.

1359 Eye Level

1359 Eye Level

Turning along the shoulders of the peaks we easily rise until eye level with the ridge. There’s the Old San Marcos stagecoach road we’ve driven with friends and family, pausing to enjoy the smell of sage and stretch our legs. Now I look at a dry waterfall, silently awaiting the rain that will refresh all this and trigger an explosion of life.

1362 Expectant Falls

1362 Expectant Falls

All of this, and a 360 degree panorama more, has slipped beneath our wings in just 360 seconds of bliss. This is why we fly.

2012/11/09

Up & Down

Filed under: Aviation,Flying,Happiness,Has Photos,Inner World,People,Random,SB Region — John @ 00:59

Some people don’t like going up. That phase of flight when the nose tips up and a moment later the ground drops away and the view expands, for some people it’s uncomfortable or even scary. Not for us! We love the feeling, and even more we love the view. A few days ago as we were going up, I again enjoyed this old bunker left over from the days when SBA was a Marine Air base.

1252 Hunkered Bunker

1252 Hunkered Bunker

Maybe it’s the contrast between a structure so bound to the earth, and the lightness of being we’re getting with our first gulp of flight. Because it’s on the airport property, I often don’t even notice it amid such an expanse of wonder and lift of excitement. Most of our takeoffs are South from Runway 15, so my first gulp is East toward downtown. When we take off West from the less common Runway 25, UCSB is on my side of Tripp so I have lots of pix like this.

1254 UC, IV, & CI

1254 UC, IV, & CI

On clear days like this, my view past the airport grounds expands to include UCSB, IV (Isla Vista), and across the water to the Santa Barbara Channel Islands. After a short flight out to El Capitan area and back, we were still Up long after coming down to land. Even after such a short time in the air. Maybe that’s why our evening meal prep looked so especially delicious, I paused to snap this.

1248 Dinner Colors

1248 Dinner Colors

Farmer’s Market Organic produce along with some steamed rice and an avocado from our tree, provided a Perfect way of bringing our bodies back to earth while extending our Up time.

2012/10/20

Everywhere

Filed under: Aviation,Flying,Happiness,Has Photos,Inner World,Nature,People,Random,Relationships,SB Region — John @ 20:32

I love flying, especially here in the SB region, which begs the question: where have we flown that I have not enjoyed. After a moment the one place I think of, is out of El Paso headed home from a Big Adventure. I thought 500′ would make it more interesting, but it wasn’t. After a few miles I climbed to 4,000′ or so and then it was fun again. Just as I love flying Everywhere, here in SB it’s fun looking Everywhere.

1083 Hope to Hills

1083 Hope to Hills

No matter which SBA runway we lift off from, or which way we turn, SB is a wonderland of magnificent vistas like this. Often while flying along the coast from runway 15 when ATC will grant us a “left crosswind departure” toward the harbor, I’m looking mostly at the mansions. Some of the most beautiful estates in North America are on the bluffs of Hope Ranch overlooking the Channel out to the islands and beyond. But glancing up on this flight, I enjoyed the line up past Laguna Blanca to the base of the hills where we live and up to the mountains. Maybe because of so many warm memories there, the attractions around Hendry’s Beach (Arroyo Burro) often catches my attention.

1084 Hendry's

1084 Hendry’s

I didn’t notice it during the flight, but on this pic I got curious about writing in the sand at the right edge. Flipped over and cropped from the original, here’s a better look.

1084 Wilcox Wife

1084 Wilcox Wife

Apparently, some enterprising suitor prepared this message in the sand and then proposed from the trail up on the Wilcox (Douglas) preserve. I wonder if the pranksters who changed the “RR” to “BB” had done so before the proposal. I guess we can assume her answer was “Yes” and that she’s soon to be a Wilcox Wife, joining the women before her proposed to or wed there. In this last pic for this post, is another popular proposal and wedding spot.

1085 Shoreline

1085 Shoreline

I know this, because we celebrated our impromptu marriage with a re-enactment for family and friends at Shoreline Park. It’s the sliver of waterfront grass with walking paths and trees right on the bluffs overlooking the water.

Everything about flying is evocative for me. The flying itself resonates with countless dreams, watching birds, and my lifelong fascination with aircraft. The new places I see from the air resonates with my delight in discovery and my enjoyment of views from high places. The familiar places we fly over resonate with memories. Yesterday we were talking about our good fortune in finding a partner who shares our love of flight. In a sense, for us flying is Everything.

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