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 | Wednesday, September 26, 2001
Just after arriving for fuel in Rock Springs, Wyoming
Well, here we are in North Platte, Nebraska after a very long but enjoyable day of flying. We went all the way from the Salt Lake valley to well into Nebraska. I think this is the longest day we will fly on the entire trip; we traversed well over 600 miles.
The air was calm as we lifted off at Provo, Utah and climbed eastward thru the mountain valleys. The scenery was just beautiful. In many places in the mountains there are Aspen trees interspersed with pines. The Aspens leaves are just now changing to a spectacular yellow color and stands of them are splashed across the mountains as though they are accents for the forest green of the pine trees. This is such a beautiful country!
I climbed to nearly 10,000 feet above sea level at some points as I ventured from Provo, Utah over Evanston, Wyoming and then directly over Green River, Wyoming at the north end of the Flaming Gorge. There really are not enough words to describe the beauty of flying an open cockpit bi-plane through this breathtaking scenery on a cool crisp late summer morning. From Green River, we headed to our first fuel stop at Rock Springs, Wyoming. From there it was on to Cheyenne, Wyoming for fuel and lunch just as Amelia had.
Lunch in Cheyenne with my airplane mechanic and chase plane pilot, Brent Taylor, also Exectuive Director of the Antique Airplane Association.
I must confess that I was getting a little tired just flying straight and level so I began flying up and down, swooping, climbing and turning just for fun. It was a nice break from sitting in one place for so long. I can almost guarantee Amelia did the same thing on the long portions of her flight too.
The last leg brought us to a very nice welcome in North Platte, Nebraska where I signed probably forty autographs and gave a TV and newspaper interview. I must say that I loved my steak dinner at a restaurant near the hotel and I?m now ready for bed. Tomorrow it?s on to Omaha where we will arrive at the main airport about 12:30 in the afternoon.
Visiting and signing autographs in North Platte, Nebraska
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