John & Anne Wiley

2010/08/30

Early Winter

Filed under: Flying,Happiness,Has Photos,Inner World,Nature,NxNW Adventure,People,Random,Relationships,Tripp — John @ 21:53

I once scribbled a rough poem with the same title as this post, sitting on the tree stump that was then the front porch of the small cabin I built between two lakes a few miles outside the small town of Smithers, B.C. Though the view was different from there, the Presence of the mountain towered over my loneliness. Looking again today at this photo, a wide spectrum of powerful feelings is somehow summed up in a long, deep sigh.

0262 Return To Mountain

0262 Return To Mountain

More than with the first photo I posted from that flight a few weeks ago, this one connects because we’re sitting at home with time to reflect. Being a California native that was my first real Winter, and marking the end of my first marriage it was also a very cold season of my life. How miraculous to have transcended this icy passage shouldered up to Anne’s warmth, with Tripp’s stout wings lifting us effortlessly behind the throaty song of her engine. An archetypal journey with mythical steed.

0266 Cascade of Memories

0266 Cascade of Memories

I have paused in the refreshing mists of many waterfalls since this one draining the glacier on that peak. Each has cleansed my wounds with rainbows of acceptance and awareness. Nourished my arduous climb back into the light of Loving and Understanding.

2010/08/29

Looking Back

Filed under: Aviation,Flying,Happiness,Has Photos,Nature,NxNW Adventure,People,Tripp — John @ 01:15

Today’s plan was to fly another dear friend around town, but she was just too exhausted after errands so we’ll reschedule. Like us she tends to get carried away and overdo things sometimes, so we certainly understand. In fact, we’d done exactly that yesterday after our flight!

Instead, today I looked again at pix from our NxNW adventure and in this extended review I’ve reached the first passage of that trip through the Jasper area. Wow.

Even with the smoke that day (seems impossible it was this month!), it’s easy to find more pix that convey some glimmer of how incredible it was.

0182 Eastern Gate

0182 Eastern Gate

From the Hinton airport I’d admired this silent sentinel, so minutes after takeoff we were awestruck by the magnitude of it and imagining the glacier that carved it.

0186 Tree Choir

0186 Tree Choir

Glacier, rain, river and other now silent forces were also on display in this bend descending from the peaks. A rugged stand of trees in the natural amphitheater seems to be pausing in a performance for an audience of their peers across the ravine. All this within a few miles of takeoff, as you can see from this glance back at the sentinel gate beneath Tripp’s broad wing.

0191 Looking Back

0191 Looking Back

The glacial water in the river was a brilliant hue of turquoise. I was reminded of the views from my only other trip through this valley, decades ago on the train. I recall the magnificent snow-capped mountains, and peaks endlessly assaulted by cloud armies.

0208 Cloud Cauldron

0208 Cloud Cauldron

Beyond the spectacle provided from the train, this time the view was expanded considerably by our increasing altitude. We spotted a tram station among the trees with cables leading up the slope that would be all but invisible from the train. Near the peak the cables end at buildings on a high ledge where people hiking to the top make small groups of happy little dots on the road.

0214 Alpine Perch

0214 Alpine Perch

By the time we were nearing the end of a powerful fast moving hour in slow flight we had risen above the lower ridges to gaze in wonder at the rows of ragged peaks layered among clouds into the distance.

0228 Upper Passage

0228 Upper Passage

Glancing again at a pic showing the lines of road and rail in the valley, I’m moved to offer a suggestion for anyone who dreams of flight: when you visit this area, be sure to include an aerial tour. Hinton offers them, and you can probably also buy rides in Prince George just a few miles from where I snapped this.

0234 Western Gate

0234 Western Gate

2010/08/28

Speaking of Which

Filed under: Aviation,Flying,Happiness,Has Photos,People,Random,SB Region — John @ 09:27

Speaking of weather, rather than risk getting fogged in at Oceano we flew our dear friend along the shoreline to Montecito and fog was flirting with the shoreline. Unheard of for late August here, but these are unusual times it seems. Sure was beautiful, and maybe Anne will share some of the shots she got on the way out. I got these two coming back.

0975 Andree Clark Bird Refuge

0975 Andree Clark Bird Refuge

I imagined the waterfowl hunkered down with their feathers fluffed up against the cool sea breeze. The recently famous Clark estate is disappearing into the fog at the top where Cabrillo bends and at the right you can see colorful shelters set up over tables for some event at the SB Zoo. Montecito Country Club is still in the sun at the bottom of this pic.

0981 Hidden Harbor

0981 Hidden Harbor

Santa Barbara Harbor is all but hidden in the fog, with the stadium at the picturesque SB City College still in the clear. It was a beautiful game of peek-a-boo flying along the coast, and we could see the fog moving inland and then vanishing just in from the beach. The airport was completely clear, and I kept one eye on it the whole time just in case. Such a beautiful flight.

2010/08/27

Weather

Filed under: Aviation,Flying,Happiness,Inner World,People,Random,SB Region,Tripp — John @ 20:21

We’ve been watching weather because we’re flying a friend the short hop to Oceano. As you may recall that’s one of our fav nearby airports. Because it’s on the beach, fog can be an issue in early Summer. Well, with this year’s freaky weather the fog is sitting offshore there today so we’re waiting for a satellite update to see which way it’s moving before we meet our friend at the airport. I’ve been catching up on email, and came across one sent in appreciation of this blog that ended with the words, “from a cold wet August in Aberdeen, Scotland.”

Got me thinking about how much Santa Barbarians take weather for granted. It’s basically “Goldilocks” weather here (not too hot, not too cold – just right as in the “Three Bears” kids story). Because our small section of coastline runs East-West, the wind and ocean currents are disrupted. The result is often better weather than Los Angeles in Winter and better weather than San Fransisco in Summer. The one drawback people here like to whine about is coastal fog, but I like it! Any time the fog gets annoying, it’s a few minutes’ drive to reach sunshine (half as many if it’s possible to take off from SBA). Local pilots have tried in vain to coax me into getting an “IFR” license so we can take off in fog, but even tho Tripp’s equipped for it I’d rather spend that extensive training cost flying us in clear air where we can see the magnificent and endlessly fascinating sights of Santa Barbara.  Can you tell we like it here? 🙂

2010/08/24

Shadows On The Land

Filed under: Flying,Happiness,Has Photos,Inner World,Nature,NxNW Adventure,People,Random — John @ 07:48

There is magic for me, in revisiting another hop on our NxNW Adventure each day. Tonight I’m moved again by snapshots of the landscape passing serenely beneath our wings across Manitoba. The clouds we were navigating between cast enchanted shapes across the fields.

0087 Shadow Shapes

0087 Shadow Shapes

I see also the transient shapes traced by a meandering stream and by shallow creeks. Centuries of land use tell their stories, with the most recent chapters on top. Trees and other life planted or wild are slow dancing with structures, paths and roads. All of these things pass quickly in earth time, just more fleeting shadows gone forever, never seen by some future eye. Only in this brief moment of passage from this particular angle did a finger push a button to create this pale reminder. I was here.

Exploring around our hotel in Winnipeg that night of July 30th, the moon cast a shadow of our passing and complemented the city lights.

0055 Moo Moon

0055 Moo Moon

Walking “home” after our fun meal and a brief wander in the blinding fluorescent lights of a supermarket to find Anne’s new fav yogurt, we paused to admire the fresh concrete curb outside a new mall being built. Vandals left a mark. A vain attempt to cast a longer shadow perhaps? Was it rubbed out in the morning, will it survive a few years until eroded by the severe seasons, or might it last a decade or more before being crushed to dust making way for something new?

0057 Curb Enthusiasm

0057 Curb Enthusiasm

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