I drove home today:
Another amazing summer trip! Highlights were five first-time states flown, the solar car race, and lots of amazing mountain biking. See you next summer!
See the trip map for today’s drive.
Dawn at FlyPPG in Fowler, Illinois:
Flight 143, first in Illinois:
The motor went lost power for a few seconds mid-flight. I thought I was going to land out, but power came back, so I came back and landed.
Admiring the crops:
I packed up and continued east to Lincoln Home National Historic Site in Springfield, Illinois:
The Lincolns purchased this home in 1844, two years after their marriage and sixteen years before Lincoln was elected president. It is the only home the Lincolns ever owned:
Touring the house:
I had arranged to fly with a group of pilots at Wilbur Wright’s birth home in Indiana, but winds were too strong, so I continued East to overnight at the Cracker Barrel of Sunbury, Ohio. See the trip map for today’s drive.
Dawn at Carrollton Memorial Airport in Carrollton, Missouri:
Unfortunately, my starter failed. I took it apart and fixed the problem:
Fellow PPG pilot Tom came out to watch the flight:
By the time I fixed the starter, it was too late in the day to fly. I watched the crop duster come and go:
The plan was to do my first flight in Illinois tomorrow, so I drove east to Monroe City, Missouri. It’s hot today, so I worked in the library until late afternoon, then drove to the airport to try again to fly Missouri:
Pilot getting into this replica of a 1930s-era Pietenpol Air Camper:
I had a really hard time getting my engine started, so I only got to fly a short time before sunset forced me to land. Flight 142, first in Missouri:
I continued east to overnight at the FLYPPG paramotor school near Fowler, Illinois. See the trip map for today’s drive.
Sunrise in Eastern Colorado:
I continued on to Gardiner, Kansas for my first flight in Kansas with the Kansas City pilots. We had a dozen pilots in the air for my flight 141. There were also three fixed-wing planes in the area, so it was good to have the aviation radio so I could hear what they were doing.
Flying low over corn:
I continued east to overnight at Carrollton, Missouri’s airport, where I hope to fly my first flight in Missouri.
See the trip map for today’s drive.
Before leaving Hartman Rocks, I motorcycled down to this little off-road pit:
Sadly, Gunnison did away with their free RV dump site, and no longer provides water at the visitor center.
I rode the Signal Peak trail network north of town. The trails were unremarkable compared to Hartman Rocks, but there were nice views north towards Crested Butte:
I continued east to check out the town of Salida, Colorado:
I rode the trails east of town, past this tomb of a famous local dog:
Colorado doing its thing:
The trails were great, in particular the descent on “Chicken Dinner”!
I continued east out of the mountains to overnight at the Walmart of Falcon, Colorado:
See the trip map for today’s drive.
Facebook
Instagram
Email