John & Anne Wiley

2009/10/31

Turning Toward Home

Filed under: Big Adventure,Flying,Happiness,Has Photos,People — John @ 04:22

Today we waited for weather to clear at Melbourne and then made a dash to the northwest trying to reach the front edge of a slow moving storm front so it would pass us overnight. To get around a rainy patch we went due west for a while and ended up passing not far south of Disney World.

Even with the distance and haze, we recognized two of the four massive areas in the complex.

Turning northwest toward the panhandle, we saw smoke stacks in the hazy afternoon sun in a somewhat developed part of the otherwise mostly wilderness Gulf coast.

Sundown approached as we drew near Tallahassee, so we decided to stop here rather than press on to the corner of AL. As with so many impromptu choices on this trip, it was enchanted. Little did we suspect that tonight is a Big Deal related to team homecoming. Several blocks of the downtown (serendipitously right outside the hotel where we got a good rate) are given over to a festival. At one end a bandstand with cheerleaders and other performing to loud music. An inflated trampoline with Spiderman “dancing” from the kids bouncing inside seemed to keep the beat.

At the other end a bandstand with live rock performers.

In between kids of all ages, food, crafts, face painting and general merriment.

What a great start to our return journey! Tomorrow we might reach New Orleans in time for Halloween. Will we be swept up in some celebrations there? If you know anything about this, please post a Comment!

2009/10/29

Different Places

Filed under: Aviation,Big Adventure,Flying,Has Photos,People,Random — John @ 04:34
Greenville was cool and foggy this morning, then suddenly brilliant clear. We hopped in Flash and headed South, curious whether things might be different. They are! Crossing into Georgia, we opened the air vents for the first time since leaving San Diego. It’s hot! Not just the fact it’s in the 80s, but especially the humidity. Attracted by the Halloween-ish name, we decided to make our first stop in Jekyll Island, GA. I was startled to see masts moving behind the trees lining the runway, and realized it wasn’t a pirate schooner but a shrimp boat.

On the other side was a sweet little airport office with a long row of golf carts parked outside next to the aircraft parking. Inside was air conditioned, and our trip almost ended there.
As you’ve guessed though, we soon got our courage back and braved the humid heat. I can assure you, our first order of business was to get the “fan” running!
Our next stop was in Spruce Creek, FL for my FAA medical certificate. Now we’ve seen a few airports, and they’re all different. The one in Jekyll with its shrimp boats and golf carts was more different than most. But the one in Spruce Creek easily out-differents them all. It’s not just a runway, nor does it have the typical few aircraft hangars and a fuel pump. No, this is an entire small town for pilots and their planes. We taxied along one of the main “streets” with car lanes on both sides of us and all the typical resources of a small town just beyond the car lanes. Say you need cash – just taxi up to the bank. In my case, we taxied up to the doctor’s office. I guess the closest thing I can think of is the typical movie western town, where hombres ride up to a business and tie their horse outside. If this place were in Santa Barbara, we’d wish we could afford one of the many houses that also connect via taxiway to the runway. The humid heat helped us taxi past the real estate signs.
It was fun knowing that every person we saw on the “street” loves to fly, and is completely comfortable with the idea of an airplane moving down the middle of their main drag as another plane turns into a “driveway.” As we took off, I looked back smiling at how these people have built their lives, businesses, homes and swimming pools around their flying. Oh, and after the doctor had taken care of me, he hopped into his Piper Cub to join his buddies flying in formation.
As we passed Cape Kennedy, having missed the news I wondered if the new NASA rocket might still be there. I guess it had recently left one of the launch pads we saw. There’s an airport nearby that people fly to for watching launches, and it got me thinking again about whether there’s something similar near Edwards where people fly to watch the rare west coast shuttle landings.
Nearing our final destination of Melbourne, FL we were struck by another difference about this part of the country: lots of water housing. That is, small lakes and canals are built into subdivisions so that many homes have some sort of waterfront.
So tomorrow I’ll look into getting Flash her routine oil transfusion, and we’ll go exploring the area with our sweet hosts who absolutely love the different life they have here. Their car and home have excellent air conditioning.

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.
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