Winter is on it's way

Denver Rockies
The Snow Plows Practicing

The last day we flew out to Denver. It is very beautiful as there is more snow on the Rockies and they really stand out. As we were taxing into the terminal in Denver I could not believe what I saw. The snow plows were out in their shinny trucks practicing and getting ready for the first snow. It is hard to believe but we are only a few weeks away from our first snow fall. I am not ready for that. Winter is already upon us.

Rainy Days

In Line for Takeoff
Landing in Minneapolis
On Approach In Boston
Downtown Boston over the Airport

This trip was a wet one. Much of the country was covered with rain. It seemed like everywhere we went we were bouncing along in the storms. The top pictures we are leaving Minneapolis. A departure leaves about every 2 minutes and in between those departures there is an aircraft landing. As you can see one airplane lands and one takes off. When you land you better be right on because an airplane is sitting right next to the runway waiting to take off. There is always a audience watching your landings.

The next pictures is coming into Boston. It is a very cool city filled with history. The freedom trail is downtown and takes you past so many historical sites. The Boston Tea Party as you have studied is just one of the famous historical events that happened there. The airport is surrounded by water so I have to make sure I don't land short or roll of the end. Swimming would not be good there. The city is very close to the airport as you can see by the picture where you can see the downtown buildings over the airport terminal. There is a train that runs from the airport right to downtown. Very cool. A lot of ships will come into Boston and off load their goods in those giant containers you see stacked up and eventually those items will get shipped to our home town. Boston is one my favorite cities to visit as you really can see how our country was formed.

The road home

NYC taxi
Niagara Falls
Threat of Nature
Threat of Mankind

This trip was filled with adventure and beauty. The skyline in New York is the beauty that man has built. The New York skyline is like no other. There are 3 airports that are so close to the city and even though they are huge they are always at capacity. It always amazes me how close the airports are to the city. Most airports are several miles away from the major city.

The next site along the road home was Niagara Falls. The beauty that God made. It is amazing how large it is. It is next to Buffalo, New York. We are at 36,000 feet flying over. It is hard to see the magnitude of the falls at that altitude. Someplace I would like to take you to see.

One of the threats we deal with as pilots is one of nature. Snow, ice wind and as this picture show thunderstorms. It is hard to believe something so beautiful can be so destructive. The turbulence inside the storms this big can bend the wings. We also face man made threats. With the Republican National Convention here in St. Paul the security has been beefed up against the threats man makes against man. We were flying in yesterday and ATC closed the Minneapolis airport and scrambled the fighters as they had a security breach coming into the airport. The fighters approach the threat and intercept them and either lead them away from the airport or shoot them down. It is very serious business. We have been briefed on their procedures and consequences of ignoring their signals. The threat for us flying in is we do not always have fuel to hold and wait for the airport to open up. In today's fuel conservation mode every extra pound of fuel on the aircraft means it is heavier which means it burns more fuel. To save fuel they only load on the aircraft what is necessary. In this case ATC opened the airport just in time or we would have to diverted to a close airport because we were low on fuel. The new world for the friendly skies. Glad to be back.

Sitting in Jamaica

I am in Jamaica New York.  

My deluxe shower accommodations.  I am not sure what to do with it.

This is the cool lighting system at the airport.  Like something out of Star Wars.

Our deluxe transportation.

Standard issue phaser when leaving the hotel for lunch.

I am actually in Jamaica, New York which is a borough next to the JFK airport in New York City.  Most people refer to this area as Queens.  Not a great area to stroll around in as you can see by the standard issue Phaser.  The hotel is a little weird as it is used mostly for airline crews.  You see crew members from all over the world.  Kind of cool although if that is so, what is up with the shower?  There is a drain in the middle of the floor and the rest of the room is completely open.  I can't decide if I am suppose to stand up or sit on the bench.  Oh well, I knew you would want to see it.  The airport is fairly modernistic airport as you can see by the picture of the lights.  They reminded my of some sort of antennae of a creature out of Star Wars.  Well I will be home tonight. May the force be with you.

Labor Day

Lake Superior in Duluth

The city of Duluth

Phoenix, Arizona  (An oasis in the desert)

Another beautiful sunset

This trip has not been easy.  A lot going on and then the end of summer.  Today is Labor Day and I guess it is fitting I am working.  The sites have been beautiful.  I am in Duluth and the boardwalk along Lake Superior is amazing.  I looked up to see the sail boat passing by the light house.  It is a gorgeous day here.  The view of the city from the pier is cool.  soon it will be cold here again and the lake will freeze.  Hard to believe on a day like today.

Before flying into Duluth late last night we went to Phoenix Arizona.  It is very brown in color and desert like.  The picture of the fountain is cool in that it stands out from the air. Everything around it is brown.  The last picture is another beautiful sunset.  The colors and spectrum is very hard to capture with my camera.  It is spectacular to see though.  Well today on to Minneapolis and New York.  See ya soon.