Whidbey Island, WA (USA)

Got up early at the NAS Willow Grove Navy Lodge - it was cold!!!  After getting over to the hangar (brrr...), met up with my crew and we took off on time. Weather was great all the way to the Mississippi River - saw some great landmarks. Started to see snow near the Door Peninsula in Wisconsin - and then clouds covered everything until we arrived in Washington. Ended up flying over Duluth and through Canada (Winnipeg and Vancouver Center) - helped with the winds, though. Thought it would be cold on Whidbey Island, but it was actually warmer than in Philly! We spent a few hours there, waiting on everyone. Wish we were spending the night! Took off in the late afternoon and headed for San Diego. Saw some great mountain scenery again - and weather got even better as we got to the Central Valley of California. Could see Edwards, China Lake, the Chocolate Mountains, Santa Catalina and all of LA County. We had heard it had been raining non-stop throughout California but we never saw a single sign of weather. You can't beat this climate! Landed with some higher winds on Coronado (could see the high surf along Point Loma). After we were on the ground, it was clear that they had some tough times - trees down everywhere! Checked into our hotel (NAS North Island Navy Gateway Inn) and headed over to Miguel's for dinner. Tried a Margarita and a Mojito (OK). Went back to the hotel around 2000 - already tired... Actually went to bed around 2130L.