More Photos....

I had some time this afternoon to post some pictures that I thought you might like. 

We left Goodland, KS right after sunrise.  The airport was FABULOUS and provided transportation for us from the hotels.   Team 56 really lucked out and this was their ride. 

This was sunrise on Thursday at Goodland, KS. 

So sometimes we need to allow our friends to pass us.  Here is Mary Wunder passing below us from Goodland, KS to David City, NE.  

These are the fields of NE.....

Clarkson, NE.....

The Missouri River....

This is a grain elevator in NE.  In KS they were harvesting the winter wheat crop. 

The famous Spot!!!!  The orange thing in the bottom right is the GPS Spot tracking device.  I took this picture not knowing the spot was in the frame. 

Watertown, SD to Ashland, WI.....

Ski Slope.....

Ashland, WI to Sault St. Marie.....

The Soo Locks @ Sault St. Marie.....

The locks at night.....

After Sault St. Marie we flew over Mackinac Island. 

These are pictures of our trip from Sault St. Marie to Benton Harbor....

And then this was the weather between Sault St. Marie and Benton Harbor......

We went around this cell and it cost us some time.   :o( 

Batavia, Ohio

Sorry for not posting yesterday when we got into Batavia.  Things were a little crazy and we didn't get into Sporty's to almost 4pm (yes EST).   So we were socked in at Sault St. Marie until almost 11:30am and we did a fly by to continue at Benton Harbor (no fuel stop) and then on to Batavia.  There were 15 racers in the course of 2 days who had to put down at non-race airports because of weather.  They sat on the ground from 30 minutes to 1-1/2 hr.  That will make their score sheets not look pretty because their time didn't stop when they landed at these airports.  Thank goodness we were not one of those. 

We were assessed a penalty because our altitude was off in Gallup and they attempted to give us a penalty for flying a timing line in David City from the wrong direction.  We explained that was impossible because there was another plane 9 seconds behind us and if we flew it the wrong way we would have been heading toward each other and that didn't happen.  So we needed to find the other team and asked them to go back to the judges with us and give confirmation that we didn't fly the timing line wrong. 

Our score is over our handicap which is excellent but it won't win the race.  The timer told us we had one of the best legs from Hereford, TX to Goodland, KS.   That was exciting!!!  I will post pictures when I can but it might not be until tomorrow.  We have a busy day today.  We are meeting our friend Charrisa (Sporty's Flight Instructor) for lunch and then we have a Birthday Bash at the airport this evening.  There will also be fireworks.  How cool is that?  No...the birthday bash isn't for me but for Sporty's but why not jump on board and celebrate at the same time!!! 

I will be saying this many times in the next couple of days but thanks to all of you who have been watching and supporting our adventure across this incredible country. 

Aahhhhhhhhhh.....

We are in Sault St Marie waiting for the ceilings to lift and the airport to become VFR. We figure we have until noon to get out of here and try to make the mad dash for the timing line in Batavia, Ohio. Wish us luck.

Sault St Marie

Wow want a day of flying. We knew we needed to get to Ashland by the end of today but that would leave 6+ hours of flying on Friday. The timing line closes @ 5pm on Friday so it isn't like having until sunset like the other three days of the race. We got fuel in Columbus and Watertown. I have always wanted to fly by to continue at one of the stops but never had the fuel capacity until this year. Flying by to continue is flying the timing line and not stopping and going directly to the next stop. We did that on the Watertown to Ashland to Sault St Marie leg. Our plan is to try to do the same tomorrow and skip Benton Harbor. We will make that call in the am. Really, really beat so I will sign off. Nite-nite. Barb

Staying in Goodland

We are staying here again. The weather never cleared in the north so we sat tight here for the day. The volunteers have been great carting us back and forth between the hotels and restaurants. Now we will leave here tomorrow morning at 6:30am and the race begins to get to Ohio by Friday at 5pm.

Wednesday - June 20th Still in Goodland, KS

We are still sitting in Goodland, KS waiting for a front to move through Columbus, NE.   The weather here in KS is finally turning sunny, extremely windy and it is getting warmer.  We would like to get to Columbus but it isn't looking good.   They are experiencing rain and thunderstorms. 

So while I continue to sit at the airport I will update the blog with photos.  Remember....everyday is a bad hair day and my face has been as dry as the deserts we have flow over.   So don't expect glamor shots. 

This is Tuesday at the start of the race in Lake Havasu.

Here are some pictures of Lake Havasu airport on race day. 

Here is a picture of the "RON" sign in sheet at Gallup.   It is an easy name to remember!!!  :o)  

No laughing...this is us flying over the mountains.  At least we were still smiling.  

Windmill farms heading into Hereford,TX.

The Eastern PA 99s ARC Teams all in our various colored Butterfly Aviation t-shirts in front of a beautiful 195.  

 

The is Theodore and his mom Rita.  They were volunteers here at Goodland, KS and both took very good care of us while we were here. 

Winds in Hereford, TX....

I wanted to give everyone a perspective of how much wind we have encountered.  Here is a short video at Hereford, TX.