VACTION AMERICA 2010

Harrison checks out the flight controls.


Harrison, Elle, and Gigi preflight the airplane before the big flight to Rapid City South Dakota.
Ella is making sure that Harrison's seat is flight worthy. Ella and Harrison both carry reference airplane models to make sure all the necessary components are on board. We never did find the other wing.

Harrison checks out the controls in a moment of ecsasy. Yes, we pilos have such moments of ecsasy. Sometimes when we get out of a thunderstorm and sometimes when we land or get a
low fuel price.

Gigi is not impressed with the ecstasy of flight.

Cassie andWarick pose before the plane before departure. Their commens were overheard. Cassie: "Isn't your dad deathly sick. Are you sure he can make it?" Warick: "Don't worry, I'll be flying the plane." Cassie: "But who is going to land it?" Warick: "Harrison. He has been practicing all morning with his model. Besides, he has the great looking flight helmet."

Now all together with "Uncle Dave."

And now with Grandma Karen; obviously Ella is auditioning for an impromptu stage production. Nex time we will fly to Broadway.

Here he is, Warick, the pilot, flying us over the highlands of Wyoming. He took us over most of the state on the diagonal. Through the rills and bumps of light summer disturbances he carried us, maintaining altitude and heading.

Here are his hands on the conrols. Yes, he is actually flying us across Wyoming.

The new Garmin 530W shows Warick keeping us on track on the leg of OGD to RAP, Ogden to Rapid City.

Descending across the Black Hills with the Presidents of Mount Rushmore, just above the parking lot and visitors center.

George Washington, in granite, through the gap of an open cave. Once discovered, we all loved this view.

The four presidents in the late afternoon in the shadow of the afternoon after the walking tour.

The buffalo, Mr. Bison, they sort of growled and rumbled with their diaphragm;p the cows stayed nearby and the other bulls stayed away. Wow, what a strong musk you have!

Here is he proof Adi has a win. At the couner of the Bluebell Lodge, where we each had our own style of a Buffalo burger, are listed the names of the employees and voila and "Adi." They called Adi from out of the back kitchen and he happened to be a man, from Indonesia with a very long, hard to pronounce name, hence the very short nickname. Whew, Adi, you could have been just the run of the mill young woman with a replicated name.

Warick and Harrison before Sylvan Lake in the Black Hills, made famous by the film National Treasure II. We are about to do the hike around the lake ringed with interesting granite formations.

The rail passes througha tight spot with boulders stuck overhead.

Oh oh, Harrison has unfortunately discovered Nicholas Cage's booby trapped opening. Can he produce the city of gold?

At Oshkosh Harrison was a hit with his flight helmet "where did you get that hat?" For example, he was the only one invited into the large olive drab airplane in the background, the C-47 "Southern Cross." He stands before two very traditional airplanes, the DC-3 or C--47, celebrating its 75th anniversary and the piper cub, a likewise traditional airplane and the symbol of Alexandria Field N85, our plane's home base. He kept his model and visited the real black cross flying Fokker airplanes, which his model mimics.

Meanwhile back in Utah, the girls were havingtheir own good times. The shopping and the zoo are not pictured but here is Gigi putting on a floorshow; entertaining everyone.

Ella, after discussing the fine points of rodent production, enjoys the latest crop.

After departing Ogden, Jill picked us up and hosted a family get together. Here are the ladies in red, Jalyn, Maddie and Katie. Their men folk (escept for a very obvious boyfriend) were on the East Coast. They seem to be very happy without them.

The hostess with the mostessss't, dog that is. No, this is only a bizarre phtographic affect, Aggie is not a demonic.

East of Bryce Canyon, south of Caannonville late in the day. In the left background is Table Top Mesa, where Warick and I flew by a couple of years ago in aboiding thunderstorms.

Near Rainbow Point, looking for a new piece of turquoise. Actually, we have not been back to Bryce since our children were small. There were as many memories as there were discoveries.

At the south end, at Yovimpa Point, clothes blimped up in the south wind, scouting out a new homestead on the Grand Staircase. Karen did not push me off.

Sunset at Nauvoo: the two brothers, Joseph and Hyrum, ride together.

The last light of the sun catches the face of the Temple as two patrons depart.

The famous sunstones at the tope of the Temple; One of the originals is in the Smithsonian.

Holiness to the Lord.

The moonstones at the Northeast corner.

Joseph and Hyrum on the last ride toward the Temple.

Winginamen from the airport; it still exists and is still beautiful. Notice the fawn lounging on the berm

With my girls in the warm sun of home.

Under the chokecherry tree, the deer are harvestin my chokecherries. Actually, one morning after a run and in between swims, I ate the best chokecherries ever; big, black and very fine tasting. Well, someday I will get them into a bottle.

Sorry to our Eastern friends, this was the last picure we took on this vacation.

Thanks for all the good memories.

The Pilot