Day 35: Part 1 - On a wing and a prayer - Aimless

July 24, 2013

Day 35: Part 1 - On a wing and a prayer

Today was just bad ass! And I really need to stop saying that, because I only say bad ass as a joke, becaus it seems to be the new "hip" saying among our young people. You know, like "far out" and "man, that's bad," when we were kids. And we really meant it was good, not bad, when we said "man, that's bad," which is a bit confusing when you think about it...

But my point is that today was AWEsome!

As I told you before, I need a more satisfying end to "Aimless" than driving home in a car, getting out of the car, slamming the car door and running to the bathroom to pee, because I didnt feel like stopping on I80 and waited too long. That ending felt decidedly anticlimactic.

So I talked to my friend Mark about flying me out to the coast.

"Sure!" He said. "Lets leave tomorrow!"

Well that was a little soon, since I JUST got home. But, you see, Mark and Debbie are good pals of mine and they have a small airplane. And the best part is that Mark can actually fly it. We've talked about him flying me someplace for a bike trip and it seemed like the time was right.

I think he had the back seat out of the plane by the next day, so The Trucker would fit. You see, Mark LOVES to fly and is always looking for a reason to do so.

Our schedules didn't mesh until today, but that's okay because I just got caught up with the journal anyway.

Flight time was noon, or whenever we both got there and loaded and ready. And I didn't even have to show up early to get groped by TSA! WOOO-HOOO!

The day couldn't have been nicer for a flight to the coast! It was clear as a bell, with almost no wind. Spectacular. Well, here, take a look for yourself and I will finish the rest of this at the bottom...

Here Is a pic of me sitting in the terminal waiting area. Geez, Mark, Hurry up! Is that pre-flight check really necessary?

Lift off! Do I get my soft drink and peanuts now?

And The Trucker seems happy enough. She didnt even have to be disassembled. Just took off the front wheel.

...and after about an hour we made it to the coast. Beautiful!

That's highway 1. I'll see YOU tomorrow!

I don't have pictures of the landing because I used the video mode for the whole thing. I cant remember my youtube password but I will post it when I get home. And I must say, Mark rocked on the landing! It looks really cool because when was the last time you got to see a plane land from the pilots seat?

After we landed we walked around the Mendocino airstrip for a bit. No one was there but us, except the people walking their dogs on the taxi way. Then we unloaded The Trucker and it was time for Mark to leave. But before that we, once again, marveled at our luck with the weather, and the clear views on the coast.

"Today was really bad ass," I said.

Mark smiled. "Yeah, it really was."

And with that he was off. After his take off The Trucker and I rolled off for Mendocino...

But more on that in my next entry...

Today's ride: 17 miles (27 km)
Total: 1,437 miles (2,313 km)

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