Provincetown, Islip, and New York
Flying the Edge of America
Thursday, August 14, 2008
We had a very lazy day in
our hotel today. We ate another great lunch and dinner in Providence, swam in
the pool, and worked out in the gym. We are really looking forward to flying to
Provincetown tomorrow. We find that once we stop in one place too long we
get board quickly; this is the price we pay for being nomads.
Friday, August 15, 2008: Provincetown, Massachusetts
Ptown airport.
Rain storms swept through
Pawtucket early this morning, a chap at the airport told us that it was the most
rain he had ever seen fall at one time. It
is very odd weather compared to what I am used to, all very localized; we had no rain at all in Providence
while it poured in Pawtucket.
The flight to Provincetown went well in the
respite we found between storms. We glided over
the green, green landscape of Rhode Island before encountering a bit of
the Atlantic Ocean separating us from what is known locally as Ptown. As we left the
land behind us we soon found ourselves surrounded by hazy blue waters and hazy
blue skies; which merged into one hazy blue view. Then in the distance Cape Cod appeared before us. The cape has a
strange hook at its end and the airport lies on this odd formation. As we drew
closer we noticed perfect concentric waves on the water radiating out from the
tip of the cape. It looked the same as dropping a stone into a pond. We never really found out what
this was or what could cause
such an odd phenomenon.
Ptown Flight Video
After landing 51-Juliet my
good friend Jackie met us at the airport and whisked us away in her car to
downtown. It was so good to see Jackie as it had been 10 years since we had last
met. We soon found ourselves at her home in Ptown where her mum and dad greeted
us. I had not seen Jackie's mum or dad for 10 years either so it was really good to see
them again and to find them so well. We shared a laugh or two and some stories
about our adventures then headed out for lunch with Jackie.
Ptown is a cross between,
the Castro and Sausalito districts in San Francisco, Mackinac Island in
Michigan, and Key West in Florida; very colorful. After a wonderful lunch we
walked to the pier where we boarded a boat bound for whale watching. After a
short and pleasant cruise we found the whales feasting on krill and small fish.
I have never been so close to a whale before and it was a phenomenal experience.
The only thing in my experience that was remotely like it was watching elephants
feeding and walking in South Africa. Both creatures are enormous and both move
so gracefully and in slow motion.
Whale Video
Only too soon we were back
on dry land in Ptown, checked in to our bed and breakfast, eating dinner with
Jackie and her parents, then wandering down the main street observing the now
extremely colorful nightlife. That evening the thunderstorms that have been
following us since we left South Dakota found us again and filled the evening with lightening, thunderclaps, and pouring rain. What will the weather
bring us in the morning for our flight to New York?
Saturday, August 16, 2008: Islip and New York, New York
Commander pilots.
Once again the gods of randomness granted us a break from the awful weather this
morning; enough to allow us to fly from Ptown to Islip in New York on
Long Island. The flight took us over Martha's Vineyard, Block Island, the
Hamptons, and many other wonderful places before landing us in Islip.
Also the
weather really cleared up so the views were better than we had expected. Once on
the ground we were greeted by five fellow Commander Owners who soon
directed us to their hangers for parking. After meeting and being greeted by everyone we went for lunch.
We all shared flying stories and ate a New York deli lunch which Sven generously
paid for.
Sven, who is known as the Yoda of
the Commander aircraft group, organized the event for us and so Julia and I would like to really
thank you Sven for doing this. We really want to thank all the other Commander pilots that met us
too: Brian, Bill, Frank, and Bob. See you all at the Commander Fly-in weather
permitting.
Islip Flight Video
Lady Liberty
After a pre-flight briefing Bill offered to fly his plane with us
through the Hudson River corridor. This flight is something I have dreamed about
doing for many, many years and spent hours on Computer Flight Simulators flying
virtually.
The real flight was one of the most amazing flights I have ever made.
We had to fly
at 400 feet at times to avoid intruding on JFK airport airspace and then the
experience was enhanced by flying in close formation with Bill's airplane.
We passed close by Elis Island and the Statue of Liberty, and we flew so close
to buildings on Manhattan that my GPS collision alarms warned us of imminent
collision. Thanks
Bill for taking the time to make this an amazing flight!
Hudson River Video
Just to top the day off, after taking a cab into New York, we met up with David
for dinner. We were really lucky to see David twice on this trip, once in
Providence and then in New Your. Thanks David for giving us such a great first night in New York
City.
Sunday, August 17, 2008
Julia in her New York abode.
The sun was out in full force this morning. After breakfast we walked to Time
Square and tried our luck at buying tickets for a Broadway Show. We managed to
get two tickets to see Young Frankenstein; which is now a Broadway Show of the
Mel Brooks film. Julia was extremely happy about this as the film is her
favorite movie; she watches it on a regular basis.
The show was really funny and
followed the film closely; but it has a different ending. After the show we ate
lunch at a New York deli, very yummy. Then we walked to and through Central Park
for three hours. We visited the John Lennon memorial along the way and found a
small band of locals performing his songs. One can only wonder if John would still
be here if he had stayed in England, or if guns were not so prolific in America;
but you know what they say: "if my grandmother had balls". I am he and as you
are me and we are all together.
New York Video
For Maeve St. Patrick's Cathedral.
We were so tired after our walk we could only manage walking to the restaurant
next to the hotel for dinner.
It was a bit expensive but the food was superb if
a little too large for our requirements. Julia ordered the pork loin and received
half a roasted pig. The waitress, not knowing we are both Americans and quite
used to the enormity of food portions, said welcome to America when we
commented
on the portion sizes.
Monday, August 18, 2008
The happy band.
We visited with Julia's friend from Brown this morning, Kate. We got to meet
Kate's new baby Alex who is extremely cute. Julia and Kate caught up and we
shared some of our travel stories with her then left to visit the Frick Museum.
Alas, on Mondays in New York all of the museums are closed so we walked down
Madison Avenue window shopping on our way back to the hotel. It was very hot in
the city this day.
At dinner Julia and I met up with my old friends Susan and Munish. I had not
seen them for a long time so we had lots of catching up over a very excellent
dinner in the Meatpacking district in New York. Susan and Munish thanks for
making Julia and I feel welcome. See you when you get to California next.
Trip stats
Obama: 16
McCain: 3
Undecided: 2
Miles Hiked: 144
Miles Flown: 5,615
States Visited: 17
Towns Visited: 28