February 2, 2021 Airborne Canvases

The Liberty Gazette

February 2, 2021

Ely Air Lines

By Mike Ely and Linda Street-Ely

Linda: If the world ever opens up again and international travel resumes, be on the lookout for the coolest paint schemes on airliners. Alaska Airlines may still be sporting the characters from “Incredibles 2.” And look for the scene from “The Lord of the Rings” gracing Air New Zealand. One of WestJet’s planes carries Anna, Elsa, and Olaf from “Frozen” (out of 170 gallons of specialized aircraft paint) way up into cold altitudes. Speaking of cold, one of Iceland Air’s Boeing 757s sports a Northern Lights theme. And who could forget the beloved Shamu on Southwest Airlines? 

While we didn’t go to the expense of contracting with a major motion picture studio when we painted the Elyminator, considerable thought, design, and prep work went into our red and black-and-white checkered racing theme. 

Normally, aircraft paint shops remove old paint with chemical stripper before applying new coats. But Grummans are a bit different. Models like ours have bonded (glued) surfaces. Fewer rivet heads mean less drag and better performance. However, paint stripper could dissolve the bonding, so, we don’t use it. That means removal happens by hand sanding. It’s sanded wet, so the paint does not become dust, and that’s a lot of work. 

There’s also quite a process involved. Over the summer in 2011, we meticulously sanded the entire airplane, per our manufacturer’s maintenance manual. Wrapped in disposable paint overalls and masks, we got quite toasty during the July and August afternoons in the hangar that faced west. It took about 100 (wo)man-hours to sand it all.

Mike: Designing the paint scheme was the fun part. Linda wanted that racing look (plus the slightly sarcastic question on the belly, “Stuck In Traffic?”). I took the drawings for the airplane from the flight manual and created different designs and tried out various colors. With the final artwork in hand, we took it to a paint shop. Control surfaces (elevator, flaps) had to be removed to be painted, then balanced and reinstalled, requiring an FAA-certified airplane mechanic.

Unique paint schemes take time to create and apply, but eye-catching airplanes don’t fly different than others. Except maybe the 727 designed by Alexander Calder for Braniff for the 200th birthday of the United States of America. That airborne canvas was christened by Braniff, “Flying Colors of the United States,” but the crews who flew it called it “Sneaky Snake” because it had trim problems, which required them to hand-fly it a lot. Also, shortly before his death in 1976, artist Calder painted a little squiggly snake on an engine nacelle. 

Wet paint, of course, weighs more than dry paint. The number of layers is also a consideration for both the design and weight. The paint that goes onto our size airplane can weigh between 20 and 40 pounds. The paint that goes onto something like a Boeing 747, once it dries, would add between 500 to 550 pounds. But since that airplane weighs in at nearly a million pounds, I think it can handle it. 

ElyAirLines.blogspot.com

January 26, 2021 Bridges, Fortresses, and Flat Tires

The Liberty Gazette

January 26, 2021

Ely Air Lines

By Mike Ely and Linda Street-Ely

Linda: Another beautiful weekend, another lazy flight, just to get out. The day offered an unlimited ceiling, and it seemed a perfect time to stroll above the beach and take in the view of the waves
splashing up to the sand, the people as little as play figures and their toy cars and trucks. We’d head west past the Intercoastal Waterway, past Seafood Warehouse, the fly-in restaurant on Crystal Beach. Past the bridge under construction near Matagorda. The corkscrew replacement for the old Sargent swing bridge is a real eye-catcher from the air. You can see a cool video on this unique piece of engineering on YouTube. 

To our left, oil derricks working in the Gulf, probably their last few pumps, as they will soon be more victims of censorship, silenced by the corrupt, anti-American devils, and all the energy jobs will soon be gone as well. 2024 is too far away. 

Mike: Meanwhile, we have our wings, and God’s air gives them lift. I had rush-packed a picnic lunch. We tossed the bikes with new cushy seats back into the airplane and entered the Aransas Pass airport into the GPS as the destination. If you know where to look, it’s not hard to find. The runway is on the west side of the town. With prevailing winds from the south, take-offs and landings are usually toward the water, providing a scenic climb-out over the beach. 

The little building that serves as a pilot’s lounge is well-appointed with a dining table and cushiony chairs and sparkling clean restrooms. It’s easy to rent a golf cart at Mustang Beach, too. If you’re not feeling pedestrian, and you don’t have a set of wheels, you can pick from plenty of carts available from local vendors. 

However, since we brought our bikes, the plan was to coast down the beach, through town. Sometimes, though, a little snag can get into the barest of plans one has. Like cycling. My rear tire wouldn’t hold air, and after exhausting all the spare compressed air capsules I had, we put the bikes back in the airplane and set out on foot. With the beach such a short walk, it was no big deal. 

Linda: We picked our spot, opened our thermal lunch pack, and feasted. Over yonder, a big dad held his tiny daughter’s hand as she toddled to the water’s edge. It about covered her feet, but barely touched his big toe. A sweet, young family sat together facing the water, the two little boys working hard on a
spectacular sandcastle. “But we’re not finished yet!” they protested when I asked if I could take a picture. I bet it turned out to be an impressive fortress. 

ElyAirLines.blogspot.com

January 19, 2021 What's in a Name?

The Liberty Gazette

January 19, 2021

Ely Air Lines

By Mike Ely and Linda Street-Ely

What’s in a name? That depends. Your birth certificate may reflect a family name or a compromise of your parents’ preferences. And there are nicknames, some of them affectionate. Those are usually the ones you get from your parents, too. Some are not so affectionate. Those you probably get in school. And there’s a different kind of nickname. In military aviation, it’s a callsign, and for some, there’s a story behind the naming—not always printable, but we did collect a couple we could share. 

Our friend Tom Gallagher was a Naval Aviator. Tom is a tall, strapping young man. Neat, clean, professional, no slouch. He piloted Navy P-3s. He and some friends also had an open mic band on the side and gave themselves ‘80’s rock star stage names. His was “Tommy Günz”. When his squadron found out about it, everyone started calling him Günz. He’s not unhappy about it at all. It could have been worse. He says, “The best callsigns are the ones that happen organically, but often they give you one right when you get to the squadron, and it’s kind of forced.” In Tom’s case, they tried to name him “Sledge” at first, in reference to the smashing watermelon act of the comedian mononymously known as Gallagher. Fortunately, that moniker didn’t stick. It wouldn’t fit a lean, muscular pilot who plays ukulele on the side.

Tom says callsigns are not as common in the Navy as they are with Air Force jet pilots. Fortunately, we were able to draw out a story from one of them. And a U2 spy plane pilot at that!

Zach Johnson, a close family friend, is #887 of 1,060 U2 pilots to date, since 1955. Rarer than callsigns in the Navy. While on his first deployment, Zach went to set up his Skype account so he could talk with family back home. Not one to use the proverbial first-name-dot-last-name approach, it became a bit frustrating as every username he picked was taken. After many failed attempts, he had an epiphany: “JetJok”. He’s short like a horse jockey, confident like a football jock, and flies jets. It was perfect, and it was available on Skype. Finally, he could communicate with friends and family. 

“Then one day all the guys had these patches on their flight suits that said JetJok,” Zach explains. “Young and naïve, I thought it was cool and asked if I could get one. Little did I know they were all silently snickering at me the whole time. But no one let on it was a joke—yet.”

The next day, as Zach was returning to base in his U2, he radioed back to Dragon Ops. “One hour out, Code One.” He received the weather update as usual, and after a slight pause, he heard a raspy, drawn-out, ‘Jet…Jok’. In that instant, it was all clear, and the greeting at the bottom of the aircraft’s stairs was all smiles and laughs as they welcomed “JetJok” back to earth. 

ElyAirLines.blogspot.com

January 12, 2021 Come from Away

The Liberty Gazette

January 12, 2021

Ely Air Lines

By Mike Ely and Linda Street-Ely

Linda: Lest anyone think the 21st century has vanquished ridiculous machismo thoughts that some people have about women flying, let me just say, I see the comments daily. Multiple times a day. I’ve heard many personally. But the professionalism of Colonel Nicole Malachowski (also the first female to fly for the U.S. Airforce Thunderbirds demonstration team); U.S. Navy Lt. Commander and Southwest Airlines Captain Tammie Jo Shults (who landed a crippled 737 safely on one engine, after a fan blade failed, causing severe damage to the plane); 19-year old Ashli Blain, flying Blackhawks and Chinooks to fight fires in Montana and other hotspots last summer; American Airlines Captain, Beverley Bass, and others show just how ignorant those comments are. 

I could focus on any one of these ladies, each one a hero, but today, it’s Captain Bass. 

Captain Bass was born a Floridian, but she learned to fly in Texas skies. When looking for her first flying job, she was told women must not fly, because, “what would the wives of the executive passengers think?” But American Airlines knew her value and hired her in 1976, at age 24. 

Mike: We all know what we were doing the morning of September 11, 2001. The first plane, the news, the second plane, the shock, the horror, the anger, the resolve. But all pilots flying in or into the United States at that time couldn’t stand around a television and watch the news. They were being directed to cities not in their flight plan, some in foreign countries. Grounded. And no one knew for how long. 

En route from Paris to Dallas, Captain Bass was one of many pilots grounded in an instant that morning. But a few things set her apart. She was the first female captain American Airlines had ever had. She was responsible for the flight; in charge of the safety of her passengers, crew, and a Boeing 777 on that historic day. She had also been the captain of the first all-female flight crew in history.

Our northern neighbors took in many flights. Captain Bass’s aircraft was one of several ordered to land at Gander, Newfoundland, Canada. With a plane load of passengers, and no plans, she and her crew did what they had to do. They got them on the ground safely and waited for news as the local communities stepped up, reached out, and helped with open hearts, open arms. 

Linda: Thanks to the Canadians, the 2016 musical “Come from Away” that features Captain Bass’s flight that day, is still running on Broadway, Toronto, Melbourne, London, Sydney, and on tour. While the character is largely influenced by Captain Bass’s own story, the part is a composite of many pilots who were suddenly grounded after the attacks. But the number, “Me and the Sky” is all her. This woman, one of many who have endured the battles in the war on ignorance, would let nothing come between her and her sky. 

For information on the musical, check out https://comefromaway.com/.

ElyAirLines.blogspot.com

January 5, 2021 That's Just Beachy

The Liberty Gazette

January 5, 2021

Ely Air Lines

By Mike Ely and Linda Street-Ely

Linda: On the remote islands of far Northwestern Scotland, there aren’t a great number of airports. But there are a lot of rocks and water. And beaches. Which is where you’ll find the Barra Airport. You can’t miss it – it’s at the beach. (C’mon, it’s the Outer Hebrides. They do everything a bit different there.)

This is the only beach in the world that is used regularly for scheduled flights. They get two flights a day from Glasgow, cutting that journey down from eight hours by ferry and car to one hour by air. 

“Built” in 1936, this beach airport is a vital link for the communities on the isolated Hebridean Islands. It’s a lovely beach, which can be a problem sometimes because some people don’t realize it’s an airport. It is not uncommon for the airport manager or his staff to have to explain to “beach-goers” that they can’t hunt there for pretty seashells. 

In fact, there are three runways. For landing, they are oriented on the compass to 330, 290, and 250 degrees, generally, landing to the west. They are all one way in and one way out, which means you land one way but takeoff in the opposite direction. However, take note that London’s Heathrow Airport only has two runways. Reasons for this include the need for more options with higher island winds at the Isle of Barra (it’s important to land as much into the wind as possible), and that much smaller aircraft land there, as opposed to the “heavies” that frequent Heathrow. Still, it brings a smile to say that London has some catching up to do with the islanders. 

People come from all over the world just to experience landing on a beach (as a passenger). Barra is also one of the most photographed airports in the world, and, it can claim another “most” that isn’t likely to be eclipsed by any other—they say it is the cleanest airport in the world because, after all, it gets washed by the tide twice a day. 

Oh, and the name of the beach? It’s “Big Beach.” I guess originality has its limits.

Scotland’s national airline is Logan Air. When we stopped by their headquarters in Glasgow, unannounced, they were wonderfully welcoming and asked us to come back so we could fly some of
their routes with them. Flying into Barra will be at the top of my list when we go back there.

Mike: The Twin Otter is a perfect airplane to take into the Barra Airport. It has a long fat wing and big fat tires, great for floating along the sand on takeoffs and landings. That Logan Air operates such a unique airplane to such a unique place makes us want to be just like those other passengers that fly in there. However, having logged 800 hours in Twin Otters, I’d like to take a hand at the controls and make one of those big Scottish beach landings myself. 

Happy New Year to all who do not support censorship or Communism.

ElyAirLines.blogspot.com

December 29, 2020 Alternate Endings

The Liberty Gazette

December 29, 2020

Ely Air Lines

By Mike Ely and Linda Street-Ely

Linda: We’re almost there. We’re nearing the light at the end of the 2020 tunnel that no one, even with 20/20 vision, could have seen coming (well, except Fauci, Gates, China, you know). Good things have continued to happen for many, but we must not forget the deep pain and grief of others. 

Considering the crazy year, we thought we’d offer some ideas for alternate endings and encourage you to think of your own: write it down, post it on social media, share it with a friend, or stick it on the fridge. You deserve it. You deserve to dream of better. Here are ours. 

Christmas break, camping out in Northern Finland. That’s my alternate ending to 2020. Fly to Helsinki, and from there to Ivalo. Several airlines go there: Finnair, Air France, Nordic Regional, Japan Airlines, Qatar Airways, Lufthansa. I’ll pick either Finnair or Lufthansa. Finnair because it’s the local, and you should (almost) always fly the local. For instance, in Cambodia, we chose Cambodian Air, not because it’s luxurious, but because that airline’s home is where we were going. Lots of unseen benefits in doing that. Usually of the political kind. Lufthansa is a superb airline, so they are never off the list. 

At the Kakslauttanen Arctic Resort, we have the choice of snow igloo, wood chalet, or an igloo made of thermal glass and steel. I’ll take glass. Think luxury here. Cold outside, but unbelievable views of Northern Lights from a snuggly warm inside. 

The resort boasts celebrity treatment with world-class service, surrounded by nature. It’s in the Saariselkä Fell region of Finnish Lapland. If you’re inclined to tell anyone where you are, there’s free WiFi, but in my alternate ending, I’ll keep that a secret to share later.

The restaurants serve Laplandic specialties such as reindeer and char-grilled salmon, but we’ll request the vegan options in advance. 

There’s a relaxation room with an open fireplace, and a nearby ice hole, in case we need to cool off.

Husky and reindeer safaris can be arranged, and we can go snowmobiling, cross-country skiing, rent Nordic walking sticks and snowshoes.

Mike: Not that I wouldn’t enjoy spending time in an igloo—I’ve built them while snow camping in the Sierra Nevada—but I’m thinking of a warmer climate. Say, the middle of the Indian Ocean. The Maldives. This country has about 1,200 coral islands on which to get lost. And they are all accessible by seaplane. 

Not far from the equator, and surrounded by so much water, the year-round temperatures rarely vary from the mid-eighties. We’d airline into Male, the capital, and from there, take one of the 50 DeHavilland Twin Otters on floats to the Conrad Resort on Rangali Island and stay in one of their underwater villas. 

I’m not sure who would think they were in an aquarium, the fish or us. But it’s a unique year-end destination, a long way from the other parts of this crazy world. 

We’re looking forward to a better year!

ElyAirLines.blogspot.com

December 22, 2020 Love is in the Air

The Liberty Gazette

December 22, 2020

Ely Air Lines

By Mike Ely and Linda Street-Ely

Linda: Rachel knew as a teen that she would be a pilot. She began flying lessons in Santa Paula, California, and after becoming a private pilot with an instrument rating, she began working toward a commercial certificate. One day, she drove out to the Camarillo airport to fly a different airplane, a Piper Arrow. And this was her lucky day. 

With an instructor, she was flying instrument approaches into Camarillo, followed by a few turns in the traffic pattern for touch-and-go’s. Since this airport has an air traffic control tower, pilots must radio the tower before entering their airspace. That rule put Rachel in direct contact with Tyler, a dashing young controller still in training, just a year out of the U.S. Air Force. 

Being the only single guy working in the tower, Tyler was the target of many attempts to be “fixed up” with lovely ladies. “I was their entertainment,” he laughs about his co-workers.

On that day, while Rachel mastered the Arrow, every time she radioed the tower, they teased Tyler, “She’s flirting with you, you know.” 

But Rachel protests the allegation with a great sense of humor. “Honestly, I was trying to get a clearance to land! I wasn’t even thinking about guys!”

Mike: However, they needled Tyler, urging him to invite her up for a tour. “I told them no, that was too forward,” he explains. That’s when good ol’ Dave took matters into his own hands, determined to help a buddy out. 

As Rachel taxied back to the ramp, Dave pressed the mic button and invited her up. In most circumstances, a controller giving a pilot the phone number to call the tower is an indication that the pilot has done something wrong. But in this case, giving her the number would enable her to call to get through the security gate. 

After parking the plane, she drove over to the tower and called. It was Tyler who picked up the phone and graciously let her in. 

“They gave me a tour, and everyone was professional and courteous,” Rachel says. “I thanked Tyler for his service to our country, and I thanked all the controllers for showing me the inside of the tower.”

That would have been all there was, but after the tour, Rachel hopped in the fuel truck with her friend Brittany, whose job was to drive it and fuel airplanes. Through the airport’s private frequency, the guys invited them back after quitting time to play basketball at the base of tower. 

Whether Rachel offered her phone number or Tyler asked for it depends on who you ask. But they ended up on a date that night. “We went to Universal Studios,” she says, “and our date lasted twelve hours. I never laughed so much for so long, and that’s what won me over about him.”

Today, Rachel is a first officer with a regional airline, Tyler is keeping flights in order from Houston’s approach control facilities, and there is a beautiful wedding on the horizon. 

ElyAirLines.blogspot.com

December 15, 2020 Astronomical Corned Beef

The Liberty Gazette

December 15, 2020

Ely Air Lines

By Mike Ely and Linda Street-Ely

Linda: When astronaut Wally Schirra walked into Wolfie’s Restaurant and Sandwich Shop in Cocoa Beach, Florida and bought an extra corned beef on rye, he probably never thought it would be famous. Or infamous. Or that a replica would be made for a museum. After all, it was just a practical joke. He saved the savory meal for two days and then handed it to fellow spaceman John Young just in time for Young’s first launch later that day. 

That was March 23, 1965, when Young, his smuggled sandwich hidden in his spacesuit, blasted off aboard Gemini 3 with his Command Pilot, Gus Grissom. Once they reached cruise altitude, which is way up there, Young pulled out the sandwich. The conversation went like this: 

Astronaut John Young

Grissom: “What is it?”

Young: “Corn beef sandwich.”

Grissom: “Where did that come from?”

Young: “I brought it with me. Let’s see how it tastes. Smells, doesn’t it?”

Grissom: “Yes, it’s breaking up. I’m going to stick it in my pocket.”

Young: “Is it?”

Young: “It was a thought, anyways.”

Grissom: “Yep.”

Young: “Not a very good one.”

Grissom: “Pretty good, though, if it would just hold together.”

Young: “Want some chicken leg?”

Unfortunately for the crew, the audio recording of that exchange eventually made its way to Congress, where critters live, and a couple of them nearly blew their head gaskets because they had arranged for the astronauts to test certain foods. It seems there was some heated speech about wasting taxpayer money because the critters assumed after hearing that recording that the two astronauts ate none of the compact and “safe” food assigned to them for testing. 

There’s a valid point that great care must be taken when considering food in a space capsule in zero gravity. You wouldn’t want crumbs getting into the equipment or instruments, and there could be some concern about tiny floating particles being inhaled. Sandwiches aren’t the best candidate for a launched lunch. But the space travelers didn’t actually skip their duty to reconstitute dehydrated test food with a water gun. I’m sure that was loads of fun. 

You know how things can go when politicians see a chance for media attention. The encapsulated incident was blown out of proportion when the House Appropriations Committee met to discuss the threat of “costing the country millions of dollars,” and one member whined that it was “disgusting.” Okay, two-day-old corned beef, I might agree. But I don’t think I’d have gone to such extremes. I suppose NASA admins felt political pressure to make Young the first space crew member to receive a reprimand. 

The rest of the story is better, though. John Young turned out to be NASA’s longest-serving astronaut, logging 865 hours in space and a walk on the Moon. And Commander Grissom wasn’t mad. For him, the great sandwich caper was the highlight of the flight. So great, in fact, that at the Grissom Memorial Museum in Mitchell, Indiana, you’ll find a replica of the sandwich preserved and encased.

ElyAirLines.blogspot.com  

Replica of the famous corned beef sandwich

December 8, 2020 Hangar Time

The Liberty Gazette

December 8, 2020

Ely Air Lines

By Mike Ely and Linda Street-Ely

Mike: Here we are, that time of year again when the Elyminator must go to Dr. Mechanic for an annual check-up. It’s not that different from a human one, really. Our mechanic happens to be male, but not all are. He will check the “heart,” being the compression in the cylinders, like a blood pressure check. He’ll check all the “internal organs,” too, and even the hind-end, although probably not to the extent of a colonoscopy, thank goodness.

This is also the time of year when ceilings often are low, as cold fronts move in, and we wait on the ground for low visibility or high winds, or both, to pass on. Just before the weather hit over Thanksgiving, we landed the Elyminator at the Pearland Regional Airport and handed the keys over to the doc. He and his assistants remove the cowling to unveil the engine and poke around at all the vital parts. Sometimes things like o-rings and other seals need to be replaced. Sometimes there are surprises, like when you take your car to the dealer for scheduled maintenance and they find another problem to address. Except this airplane stuff isn’t like the reputation the auto repair or dealership businesses have. Generally, most aircraft mechanics are straight-up honest and are happy to let their customers work alongside them. This allows the customer to learn more about his or her airplane, and it also reduces the bill. We’ve been fortunate to have the best mechanics around. 

Linda: Meanwhile, here we are with an empty hangar. No time like this for cleaning and reorganizing. We went to work pulling cartons of things from the east wall. Out came the brooms, buckets, sponges, and mops. I especially like operating the five-horsepower shop vac, so the floor is once again clean enough to eat off. After picking up a couple of gallons of paint for the walls, we trapsed to a hardware store and put in the order for industrial shelving. Once delivered, all those items went into new bins, and viola! Organization began! Tools back there where the long workbench is. Cleaning supplies over here. Aviation reading material and DVDs in that spot. Extra parts in the west wing.  

Then, once we have the airplane back, we’ll anxiously await enjoyable winter flying weather, although, governments’ ridiculous reactions to this global flu virus ruined our travel plans this year (not to mention devastating businesses and economies). From our springtime trip to Rome and Sicily via airline, to a summer flight to Alaska in our own plane, to igloo camping in Northern Finland, every trip we scheduled has been displaced. But in a couple of weeks we will be able to claim victory in this hangar overhaul project, and the Elyminator will be sitting pretty—when it isn’t zooming us off somewhere. Someday, we hope the world will find its right mind again. Meanwhile, our fly-and-bike trips have given us fantastic new adventures, and we’ll keep finding ways to deal with irrationalities until the world gets a grip. 

ElyAirLines.blogspot.com 

December 1, 2020 Let's Go There

The Liberty Gazette

December 1, 2020

Ely Air Lines

By Mike Ely and Linda Street-Ely

Linda: Sometimes flying isn’t about seeing the most celebrated sight or the excitement in planning for specific experiences. Sometimes it’s best when we’re open to unknown adventure that lies ahead and in finding joy in simple things–just getting away from everyday life. 

We’ve especially looked forward to weekends this past month as breaks in Mike’s grueling work schedule. It seems we’ve developed a kind of mantra: In the air, doesn’t matter where, let’s go there. With that in mind, we’ve been keeping the bikes in the back of the airplane so that wherever we end up, we can extend the feeling of freedom cycling around, exploring a new town. Such was the case when we picked Texarkana. 

Mike: Wisps of clouds dotting the sky seemed to sweep by, and multiple shades of green landscape slipped under our wings as the Elyminator mightily trekked northward. The airwaves filled with the chatter of pilots announcing their position in the traffic patterns of many airports that share the same frequency. One pilot was taking off from Livingston’s airport while another was landing at Palestine. Each moment was a breath of fresh air that distanced me from the weariness of intensely focused work. 

Linda: Texarkana’s airport is conveniently close to town, on the Arkansas side. The friendly staff at TAC Air filled our tanks and offered to help us unload, but we’ve got this routine down pat. 

As Nick finished fueling the plane, I asked him about parks. What was the closest? Which was the best? While Spring Lake Park received a unanimous vote for best park, echoed by Michael and Kristina at the front desk, the Ed Worrell Memorial Park would be much closer, only about a ten-minute ride. We opted for the latter, only because of shortened daylight time. 

Mike: Some cities lack bike lanes or wide shoulders, so we study the routes from airport to town as part of our preflight exercises. Texarkana has a few busy streets, but after passing the best campaign sign ever (“Jesus–2020”), it didn’t take long to get to Worrell Memorial Park, which has a paved bike trail. It isn’t the most picturesque area, but the park served the purpose, and there were a couple lovely stretches. The autumn colors were mostly shades of brown. Piles of leaves surrounded bare trees, but the grass was green, and there were some pine trees, too. 

The trail followed a drainage ditch that meandered between neighborhoods. As we sat to eat, we laughed at the thought of traveling two hundred and twenty miles to sit on a rickety old wood bench with no table–because the park’s two picnic tables were already taken. But the munchies we brought still tasted great, we like each other’s company, and the journey itself is what draws us. 

Why fly two hours in the shortest daylight season of the year, just to bike for half an hour, find a picnic spot, and bike back for another two-hour flight? Adventure! Freedom, we say!

ElyAirLines.blogspot.com