My first stop - Bennington, VT

I had to dodge some rain showers, but I made it to Bennington just
after 11am where Carla Lund picked me up. We headed off to a classic
diner and stopped by the Bennington monument before heading back to
the airport. It was so good to see Carla on my first stop. She sent me
off on my adventure along with the spirit of our dearly departed
friend Justus Taylor. I'm now in the back seat of a Cherokee 6 flying
back to Albany. What?? you say? More on that later.

Bon Voyage

Departure 5/31/09 10:45am. See everyone soon!

Packing

Ed Haddad just flew me over to North Adams. MA to retrieve my
airplane. Here it sits quietly in a hangar at the Albany International
airport awaiting tomorrow morning's departure. But now the work
begins: packing the airplane for the trip. I'll be working on that all
day into the night.

Both of my airplanes are ready for takeoff

I just received a call from my mechanic Brian Doyle. The plane is
ready to go! I will pick it up on Saturday. It now has a brand new
alternator, starter, and exhaust system. The engine was completely
overhauled two years ago. A new interior was put in a few years back.
I just reupholstered the seats. All it needs is a paint job, and perhaps
an avionics upgrade someday.

It's actually hard to believe that takeoff day is right around the
corner. My friend Ed says he wants to take a picture of my takeoff
from Albany, like Lindbergh leaving for Paris. I am incredibly excited
to get started and see the people and places on my itinerary. I just
added the Grand Canyon to my list today. I know that my flight won't
exactly follow my carefully laid out itinerary and that's OK.
Actually, I look forward to the twists and turns that await. That's
part of the adventure.

Since part of my trip will take place here in cyberspace, I would feel
ill-equipped if my virtual airplane wasn't tuned up and ready for
flight. Thanks must go out to my cyber-mechanic Jack Bulmer who
designed this replica of my airplane on Microsoft Flight Simulator X.
That is my plane, but it has been given a new paint job and wheel
pants at no extra charge! If you look carefully, you can see me in
the pilot's seat. Thanks Jack!

Front Seats have been reupholstered

You should have seen the seats before. You couldn't really call them
seats anymore. I purchased a seat kit from Airtex and with the
guidance of my mechanic Brian Doyle, I reupholstered the front seats.
I'm not sure if I will have time to complete the rear seats before I
leave. For those who will fly with me on portions of this trip, you
will find your brand new seat very comfortable.

Aircraft Repairs

I'm replacing several items: exhaust stack, starter, and alternator.
This is going to be an expensive annual. Everything should be ready by
the end of next week.

Airplane in for scheduled maintenance

Every year, an aircraft must be inspected by a mechanic. It's referred
to as the annual inspection All of the critical components and the
engine are carefully checked. This year, the inspection is more
important than most since I'll be flying this old bird over 7000 miles
in the next two months. I had some avionics work completed today, so
when the annual inspection is completed, the plane should be in tip-
top condition. For anyone who has flown with me in the past, you'll
be happy to know that I'm reupholstering my seats for a very
comfortable ride. Here's the plane sitting at the shop, waiting to be
worked on. I will be posting a detailed itinerary soon and contacting
people whom I will be visiting. T minus 2 weeks and counting.

Reconnecting with the past - Instant Gratification

I must admit that there are few things that catch me off guard these days. Today, it happened twice!! When I was in grade school, I had a good friend named Michael. His family moved from Peabody to Cape Cod around 1976 and we lost touch. My family never traveled, so even a short trip from the North Shore to Cape Cod was out of the question. I remember being told that he stopped by my house to visit one day in 1980 or 1981, but I was in school. I began planning this trip in 2007 and I was determined to reconnect with him. Through my research back then, I actually had tracked down his address, though I wasn't sure it was correct. Knowing that his family owned a chain of restaurants in the Boston area, I decided to call one today in order to track him down. I figured that I might get the Maître de, so I began by asking if the family still owned the restaurant. The answer was yes. Next, I began to mention that I was searching for a long lost friend, someone I hadn't seen or spoken to in about 33 years. To my astonishment, the voice on the other end of the line said "I'm Michael!" I really wasn't even prepared for that. I was in shock, and I was thrilled to reconnect with an old friend.

An hour prior to this phone call, I set about locating another old childhood friend who I hadn't seen or spoken to in about 30 years, Scott. I was about 95% certain that I had tracked him down in Oregon and had a phone number and email address. I sent an email and received an immediate reply. It was him!

Based on this, I've added Hyannis, MA and Newport, OR to my itinerary. Life is sometimes filled with the mundane chores of day to day living. Moments like these are invigorating and remind you about the wonder and unexpected joys that await. I know that this trip is going to reinvigorate my spirit. I am blessed with the opportunity to pursue my passions each summer and I intend to do just that. I think this is the beginning of something bigger for me.

I am in the process of finalizing my itinerary. It is more well-defined than I previously imagined. The proposed route below is quite accurate now and includes most of my stops. Denver stands out as somewhat of a deviation, but I have so many good friends there, it simply cannot be missed. I will be posting the itinerary soon, and please let me know if you'd like me to add a stop to come visit!

See you in the air everyone!

Flying to NH on Sunday

This will probably be my last cross country flight before the big
trip. There are now less than 30 days to go before I set off to fly
the United States on a wing and a prayer. Well, two wings and the FSM
actually. On Sunday, I'm meeting up with the Northeast Pilot's group
at Parlin field in NH for a Tres de Mayo party at the L'il Red Baron.
Track me live on the blog page. As the days count down, I'm getting
more and more excited about becoming a flying nomad. Sometimes, you
get sick of looking at the same four walls, no matter how pretty they
may be. I am happiest at 5000 feet or visiting with friends and I get to do
both on this trip.

For those whom I am stopping in to visit, I will be spending time on
the itinerary and will let you know when I'm coming through town. If
you'd like to be on the itinerary, drop me a line and I'll add a stop!

Two more weeks of teaching. Two weeks of prep while the airplane is in
for its annual inspection. Takeoff on June 1st. Return on August 1st.