And We Are Done

Well, 18 days, 47.4 hours of flying, 11 states, 17 airports, 21 landings, 1 go-around, and 9 hotel rooms later the adventure is over. It was a lot of fun and a great learning experience. We got to experience flying weather different than what we are used to and visit places that otherwise we would never have gone to. There was always something to see or do and we had a blast. Most importantly, after 47.4 hours in the same small space, Sharon and I are still talking to each other, which gives me hopes for the future of our relationship.

One question that we had before the trip was, how necessary is an instrument rating (so that one can fly through clouds) for this type of trip? Turns out it would have made some difference, but did not stop us from getting where we wanted to go. There was only day when we wanted to fly and couldn't, and a couple where we had to wait for the weather to improve. The rating would have made a difference in comfort, though; there were times when we were forced to deal with turbulence that would not have been there had we been flying over the cloud cover, instead of under it.

We'd like to finish this blog by thanking Cathy and Brian, Barb and Bill, and Linda and Rich for being such gracious hosts. We'd also like to thank Bill, Ed and Wolf for listening to our plans, giving us advice on the route and what to expect, and generally encouraging us to try this new experience. Thanks, and see you on the next blog.