Archive for the ‘Travel Stuff’ Category
Thursday, September 23rd, 2010
It is looking like the foliage will peak 1 to 2 weeks early. I noticed on this morning’s flight, that the colors are coming on strong, just since my Monday morning flight. Those of you who want to view the foliage at or near it’s peak, will need to schedule your flight withing the next 2 weeks. I have plenty of space available on my weekday flights, the weekends are full until the 9th. The color should hang on through the 3rd weekend, but after that, it probably will be over. Here is what it looks like around peak foliage around here -
 One of the views out in the flying area  Peak color from up high  The way it looks right now out there!  Peak foliage up close  What peak foliage looks like on a late afternoon flight.  A fall foliage engagement flight
Posted in Hot Air Balloon Flying Weather, Travel Stuff, Visitor Tips, Weather | No Comments »
Wednesday, August 11th, 2010
I thought I might give some of my blog readers some perspective of where Ted Stevens and his party’s plane went down in Alaska. My son Grant lived in Dillingham Alaska for 4 years before moving into Anchorage, and then on to Colorado. Dillingham is even by Alaska standards, considered remote-you can only get there by plane or boat (when there is no ice). In 2005, my wife and I made the first of our 3 trips to Alaska to visit with Grant and our other son Eric, who was also in Dillingham at the time. On this trip, we visited them in Dillingham for the first part of the stay. I’m posting some pics of the area so you can get a perspective of just where this happened.
 Anchorage Ted Stevens Airport and our plane to Dillingham. Notice the shorts on the airline employee-it's February folks and not a warm spell either.  The view from the plane on the way to Dillingham. Notice no superhighway, so you can't get there from here other than by air!  Dillingham airport terminal. They had shoveled a nice path for us.  The view of downtown Dillingham from our B&B, Thai Inn  Dillingham Harbor, remember folks, this is February.  Some of the fishing fleet?  Fisherman's Cafe that's sinking into the bay.  The straight road below, is Aleknagik Lake Road  Here we are at Aleknagik. Our tour boat arrived just in-time before the lake froze.  This is Grant and his doggy Saranac on Snake Lake Mountain w/Snake Lake in the background. The plane went down up that way and to the right where Aleknagik Lake is.  Grant doing some spring skiing with either Lake Aleknagik or Snake Lake in the background. And that’s it for this trip.
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Friday, April 30th, 2010
I’m just back from a quick trip out to Elkhart Indiana to meet up with my bro Dick, who flew-in from Vero Beach FL, for a visit with our Aunt Joan and Uncle Dean. They are the last of our family on my father’s side who are “living in the country” where our Jackson family comes from. Elkhart is where we first lived before the fam moved to upstate New York. It was a fun trip for us to visit with our Aunt and Uncle, revisit what’s left of the old places and relive the early days.
 Ran into buddy Skip Dickstein, who was on his way to photo shoot the Kentucky Derby for Blood Horse Magazine. We shared the ride on SouthWest to Chicago.  Leaving Albany in the rain  Above the weather  Coming into Chicago  Taxiing-in at Midway Airport  Picked-up the rental and on the road to Elkhart - god, the mid-west is flat!  With Aunt Joan, their daughter Sharon, Uncle Dean and me at their current place  The fam's original digs in Elkhart before moving to NY.  The grandparent's place on Laurel that was just a little down the street from our place. It's no longer the place that I remember as a child, and I have no recollection of our first place on Laurel.  Joan and Dean's old place on Beardsley still looks good.  The Main St bridge over the St Joe River into downtown Elkhart.  After moving to NY, my bro and I would spend our summers back in Elkhart with our Granparents, and Aunt Joan and Dean. Our parents would put us on the train at Schenectady NY, and give a Porter some $ to see that we got off the train ok at Elkhart. The New York Central's 20th Centry Limited would go right through Elkhart on it's way to Chicago. This pic is the old Elkhart train station that our Granparents, or Aunt and Unc would get us off the train.  A model of the 20th Century Limited we rode to Elkhart in the railroad museum at Elkhart Depo  Museum rolling stock similar to what we rode to Elkhart from Schenectady NY  What a train dinning car looked like, except that back in-the-day, it was very plush with fine china service, heavy silverware. A big treat was oatmeal and cream served in the dinning car for breakfast.  Northern Indiana Iron and Brass Co. that was started by my granfather, Laz Jackson, and Casper Sweitzer back in the 1920s.  This is the original NIBCO on Plum and Mishawaka that my gran built  The original, original part of Nibco that my granfather built brick by brick as my Aunt described.  Bro Dick and I in Harry Caray's Restaurant at Midway Airport waiting to fly out. Harry Caray was the Chicago Cub's announcer who was famous for his rendition of "Take Me Out To The Ballgame" during the 7th inning stretch.
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Saturday, January 30th, 2010
Looks like -6′ here this morning. That’s ok, it’s the end of January so we are near the bottom of the winter cold. Usually, something like January 10 through February 10 is the coldest part of winter. Other than the early part of January, it hasn’t been that cold again this year. Being below O’ on the overnight is not an unusual event for this time of year. But, for the last 10 years or so, our winters don’t get that cold anymore and below O is no longer the norm for this time of winter. Around 5 or 6 years ago, Lake George never completely froze over. That was a first time event in local recorded history. And, 2 years later, again Lake George did not completely freeze. Don’t know if it’s Al Gore’s global warming, but winter is just not what I remember it to be. I went to Florida 2 weeks ago for a couple of days to visit w/my bro who lives in Vero. They had a record breaking hard freeze for them which made the news for damage to their crop. The day I got there, it was in the 50s to 40s overnight. You could see the damage in the lawns, the palms and other vegetation from the cold which lasted almost 2 weeks I believe. By the time I left, it warmed to near 80. Weather was pleasant for the most part and even spent part of a morning hanging at a beach with a few beers in the cooler, taking in a few rays, watching some fishermen and rain showers off shore. I’ll post up a couple of pics of the beach.
 Bro Richard  Off shore rain  All the fishermen  Rain heading to the north  Rain coming onshore and time to pack-up for lunch at Squidlips.
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Tuesday, November 24th, 2009
We had a short trip to Golden CO to visit w/#2 son Grant and his family. This is our third trip by plane in a year, 2 to Denver and 1 to Orlando, and every flight going and coming has been full or nearly full. Not sure how the airlines are losing so much $ if my flying experience is the norm? I know one thing, they certainly are making use of all available space on Southwest’s planes. Not a lot of room for an over 6 foot, 210 lb guy like me. After reading the NTSB report of the crash of last winter’s Continental Commuter flight into Buffalo and the (to me) astonishing revelation of the lack of experience and low pay of the pilots flying these short haul connector flights for these contract commuter airlines. I now prefer to fly someone like Southwest who only uses their own planes and pilots, expecting that they are at least captained by someone with experience and are being fairly compensated for their experience.
 Welcome to Golden Colorado. Early Sat AM walk to the coffee shop.  #2 son Grant and Tani at the Windy Saddle Coffee Shop  son Eric  Katia and Milo  Our B&B in Golden. A real nice and convenient place to stay while visiting Golden CO.  Campus of Colorado School of Mines w/Table Mesa in background.  Dinner at Tony Rigatoni's, plus other great places to eat in Golden - The Table Mountain Inn, Bridge Water Grill and "D" Deli.  Monday, last morning on the way to the coffee shop.  Last morning in Colorado at the Windy Saddle.
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