Williamsburg, VA (USA)

My friend from Notre Dame, Bob, called me and suggested we meet in Williamsburg tonight. I'm glad that he thought of coming down here because we move next week! I headed across the Hampton Roads Bridge Tunnel around 1630 - not much traffic until just after passing the Hampton Coliseum. Luckily, the signs told me about the jam and I took Jefferson all the way up to Williamsburg. Faster (even with lights) than the interstate (could see it on my left - parallel). Arrived at Kingsmill Plantation around 1730. Bob was delayed, so I explored the grounds - it was very nice! I had never come here - just heard that they served the special Anheuser-Busch products that are sold in Busch Gardens. I learned today that it isn't true. Still, by the time Bob arrived, I was sipping a stout at the Eagles golf club. Enjoyed a fine meal with Bob and one of his friends from work. Later, we walked around and admired the pretty view of the James River. Didn't leave until it was getting dark (2045). Almost ran out of gas, but got some just in time. Made it back to Virginia Beach around 2200.

Ithaca, NY (USA)

We got up pretty early - both to be able to leave and to catch Carolyn before she had to be at work. It was a good thing, too, since Nicky left her keys at Carolyn's house... We drove along through green valleys and saw lots of farmland as we used I-81 down to Luzerne County, PA. We had lunch near Hazleton and then we got off the beaten path - using US-209 as it snaked its way through Schuylkill County. I have always been interested in this area - almost all of the early Coogans in the US lived either in New York City or in this area of PA. Nearly every town had some significance - Coogans had lived in almost every one between Tamaqua and Pottsville. We were racing the rain clouds, so we didn't really stop again until we were well south of central PA on the extreme east side of Pennsylvania Dutch Country. Saw lots of buggies and happy Amish families. Used several PA highways to make it to Delaware - crossed near Wilmington and got on DE-1. Good drive with little traffic all the way through DELMARVA. Dinner at Popeye's Chicken (mmm...). Hit Chesapeake Bay Bridge-Tunnel just before sunset and had a beautiful view of the sun dipping into the Sea. The kids were still jazzed all the way home - only a couple of movies on the entire trip. Home by full darkness.

Ithaca, NY (USA)

The morning started out OK - rain cleared out early. Carolyn came over to meet us at the hotel and then took us to the Cornell Ornithology Center. They had great trails and lots of birds to see. We even saw a muskrat! The kids enjoyed themselves in the sunny, crisp air. We went back to the hotel for lunch (leftovers and peanut butter sandwiches!). Afterwards, we headed over to Carolyn's house for an afternoon of games. The kids played "The Game of Life" - and with Carolyn's cats. We then went over to a beaver pond and saw lots of rabbits, groundhogs and other small animals (Mollie even spotted a snake). Just after we got back in the car, it started to rain (again...). We had dinner at the A&W stand in Cortland - Chili Dog Night! Picked up some donuts on the way back to Carolyn's. The kids had fun with a donut race (eating off a string) and even Nicky tried it. Finished the evening with some more card games. We had to take Carolyn back to her car at the hotel - so we got one more swim in at the pool! We'll leave in the morning.

Ithaca, NY (USA)

Got a later start today (around 1000). To find Carolyn's house, we had to navigate around some construction (down country roads). Carolyn's house (a pretty little place) used to be a one-room school house long ago. After meeting her cats and looking around, we drove over to a nearby nature trail. We had nice walk through shady glens and enjoyed the sun. Afterwards, we drove over to where Carolyn worked and met all her friends. Lunch was at Friendly's (complete with ice cream). Later, we explored some nearby parks along Cayuga Lake. Carolyn took us up to Taughannock Falls - where we walked on more nature trails and enjoyed the last bit of sun before it began to pour. We drove around Cornell a little bit more and then headed back for some swimming at the hotel. The kids had a great time - that only got better when Carolyn bought us some Papa John's pizza. The night finished up with several hours of games: UNO (card game) and Scattergories were the favorites. Bed was kind of late - everyone was really tired!

Ithaca, NY (USA)

It turned out to be a great day for driving today! The forecast included lots of rain, but we never saw any! Left at 0915. We took I-64 over to US-17 and then made our way up to Frederickburg. On I-95 all the way to Baltimore, then got on I-83. This way has worked pretty well before - and it did again (Sunday is the best day for this route). Caught I-81 in Harrisburg. Great views of Schuylkill County today - could see a lot of mining operations and some pretty farm scenery. Crossed into New York around 1700. Took the scenic route to Ithaca - drove through Dryden and found our hotel near the Ithaca airport. Met Carolyn at her job - she was just getting off work. Went to a Chinese Buffet for dinner (mmm...). After a little rain shower, we went over to see the Cornell Campus. It is pretty and we had a nice evening for walking around. Later, we saw a nice waterfall and walked on a suspension bridge nearby. We went back to the hotel that night around 2100. We'll have lots more fun tomorrow...

El Paso, TX (USA)

Left early this morning (0800) - needed to get to El Paso before the 100 degree weather! Good flight and great views of high desert and Guadalupe Mountains. Landed to only 85 degrees (nice) and made it out of there before it got hotter. Could only get to Killeen, TX, with our cargo and fuel. OK stop there. Great flight up to Fayetteville, NC. Saw lots of Mississippi River and flew right over Meridian, Tuscaloosa and Birmingham. Could see all the way from Columbia, SC, into North Carolina. Pretty area - green fields and lakes that would probably be a cool break from the 100 degree weather here! On our way after a stop - home before 1900. Still hot in Hampton Roads with haze from fires in North Carolina...

Terceira, Azores (Portugal)

Woke up to heavy mist and rain - it seemed like a good day to leave England... Our crew checked out of the Gateway (Air Force) Inn early and we left Mildenhall Air Base on time.  Overall, it wasn't a bad start to the day - we got lots of help from the London controllers (I guess they didn't want us on their airways) as we flew towards the Azores.  At one point, we had fuel concerns - fortunately, everything worked out. Best part of the first leg was seeing the green coasts of Terceira. Flew in on a visual approach (rare) and had very little wind (even more rare). Great turn around on the ground - some problems with flight plan, but quickly fixed. Weather said to be OK in Canada, so left for Gander again. About 3/4 of the way there, we started to hear that the weather was not good at all - right at minimums. Sweated our way to about 100 miles and still heard no good news. Thunderstorms in St. John's kept me on track for Gander - and we broke out of the clouds around 400 feet. Believe me, we were happy to have even that ceiling (not much fuel for a "fun" divert)! Another great turn here - the place is slowly growing on me... Trip down to Hampton Roads was pretty easy - except for a huge thunderstorm in the first 30 minutes. We dodged it OK and then had nice views of Cape Breton, Cape Cod & the Islands, Long Island, Sandy Hook (NJ), Cape May and DELMARVA. Could see downtown Norfolk from 50 miles! Had to wait for a crew to drive over to take the aircraft from us (we reached our crew time limit) - that took a few hours. Finally got to my car around 1830L (2330 in London). Very tired... Glad to have this trip opportunity - definitely one to remember!

London, England (United Kingdom)

Unbelievable day! Started in the wee hours (continuing flight from 31 MAY). On the NAT, we saw lots of other east-bound aircraft - nearly flying in formation - throughout the night. Some stayed close all the way, but others blew us away with their speed while we conserved fuel... Saw fringes of light on the northern horizon all night and then a brilliant orange crescent of moon around 0500L. Didn't feel tired until the sun came up and shone in our faces for the last two hours. Weather was beautiful on the western Irish coast - could see Galway Bay, Arran Isles and other terrain features that are usually obscured. Weather degraded, though, until we landed in Mildenhall Air Base around 0730L. Glad we made it in - it would have really sucked to have to fly for much longer. Took a nap for about three hours after getting checked into the Gateway (Air Force) Inn. Met the rest of the guys around 1300 so we could try to get to London. When we left, I really didn't think it would work out. However, the directions from the friendly locals were great: a nearly 30 pound taxi to the Ely train station (saw the pretty cathedral on the way); a 14 pound round-trip train & Underground pass (best deal when we bought four tickets); a one hour and 15 minute train ride to King's Cross/St. Pancras; and a "Tube" ride to Tower Gateway station ("Mind the Gap!"). We were in the city, walking near the Tower of London, in less than two hours! Very misty. We walked for a bit in the financial district (all closed) and found a nice pub that served all the local beers and had fish & chips. After awhile, we walked around the Tower and enjoyed the Thames views of the Tower Bridge. Most of the attractions were closing by this point, but it was nice to walk. Later, we took the Tube again to Westminster. Came out on the "Houses of Parliament" tunnel and got a view of Big Ben from about 30 feet from the base! Really spectangular angle! Could see the London Eye, but thought better of using our precious time to visit it. Instead, walked around Westminster Abbey (closed for church services) and then down to where we could see 10 Downing Street. Continued over to Trafalgar Square. At this point, I found a map on the ground and we learned that we were near the St. James Park and Buckingham Palace. Enjoyed a stroll with much improved weather (sun was actually poking out of the clouds by this point) down "the Mall" (parade route for the Royals). Reached Buckingham and Victoria monument around 2000. Enjoyed a little more of the parks nearby before heading up to Piccadilly for some quick shopping. Finally went over to Green Park Tube station - only to discover they were working on the trains. Luckily, another train went back to King's Cross/St. Pancras. Our train left about an hour later - had a good sandwich in the station. Train ride back to Ely was long - and I was exhausted by this point... Fortunately, cab was waiting at the station and we had a quick ride home. Driver told us about the local area (good story about the "island of eels"). Bed around 2300. Whew!!!!!