26 December 2008

Trip 19 Postscript

Random thoughts on the ferry trip:
-Everyone smiles at the goofy guy wearing the Santa hat.

-Virtually everyone you meet while traveling is nice.

-No matter how comfortable the bed, sleeping in a strange room in a strange bed with another dude in the bed next to ya DOES NOT lead to restful sleep.

-Some people pass gas loud enough while sleeping to wake you.
(See above. I wasn't sleeping that deeply, but I thought Gabriel was sounding his trumpet!)

-While flying on Christmas Eve, you have airways and airports pretty much to yourself.

-Climbing to 9500 feet indicated with a sinus blockage is damned uncomfortable.

-Descending from 9500 feet with a sinus blockage is more uncomfortable.

-Tailwinds truly are a gift from God. Strong tailwinds are a near-miracle.

-A backup pair of sunglasses is only a luxury if you don't lose your first pair.

-There are too few good restaurants at, or within walking distance of small airports.

-Airport courtesy cars, although clean and serviceable, never seem to have fewer than 150,000 miles.

-Those airports I know have courtesy cars have first priority on my list of places to stay overnight.

-GPS may be the most dramatic change in aviation... or maybe even life, in my experience.

-There is a whole lotta country out there where you can go a long way without running into another soul.

-Anything living in the desert has a hard time making a living.

-I'm ready to do it again. Let's go!


3 comments:

Unknown said...

Yee-hah! Sky King's back on the ground.

I've enjoyed reading your "pilot's log".

Merry Christmas and Happy New Year.
God rest ye, merry gentleman, for you deserve the rest...

Andrea

Steve Skinner said...

I agree with you on the courtesy cars. I once spent an unplanned night in Burns, OR because of thunder storm activity. The car was an ancient Plymouth station wagon that had at least 150K for mileage! On the other hand, for a car of its age and life experiences, it rode like a Cadillac.

Helo Pilot said...

I am waiting!!