The Things I Saw - Part the Eleventh

"You could fly to DC, rent a car and then drive south to Richmond for the price you're going to pay in gas," a well-meaning friend told me. "Plus, you won't have the aches and pains in your joints from all that driving. Have you considered your health?" She was rather upset with me that I should be considering driving to Virginia.

It was a long day, to be sure, but as I hope you have realized in this series of posts, I would have missed all these things because I was in the air, flying over the country I am driving through.

I would also have missed the chance to blunder into country I am totally unfamiliar with because of road destruction. Actually, it was a bridge that was being replaced and the road signs for how traffic was to partition itself were not clear to me. I wound up getting off I-79 north because that's the only option I had. Plus, there was no way to get back on at this interchange.

I realized, in following the road signs, that I was not the only person who made this blunder. There were 2 semi-trucks and at least 5 cars. The detour was well-marked, I assume to account for those of us who can't figure things out when they pass signage at 70 miles an hour. I rejoined I-79 3 miles south of the intersection with my destination, Interstate 80, but the slower going over a 2 lane highway behind 2 trucks added 45 minutes to my travel time.

Still, I would have missed this. I know it's a horribly blurry photo and I apologize. It was at a 4-way stop and traffic was proceeding through the intersection with all due speed. I didn't have time to really frame the photo or take it because we were moving.

I had to do some digging to figure out what these train cars were attached to. I knew it was some sort of railway museum but which one. I only got a small glimpse of the sign as I moved past.

This is the Harlansburg Station Museum outside Harlansburg, Pennsylvania. A former railroad station and two passenger cars seem to make up the buildings of this privately held museum. I had no idea this existed and wouldn't have known about it had I not blundered off the Interstate.

See this is what's important to me when I travel. I like to see things. Normally, I change the quotes to the right, sometimes, daily, depending upon what I'm writing about. The quote by G.K. Chesterton sums up my feelings about air versus car travel this trip.

The traveler sees what he sees. The tourist sees what he has come to see.
--G.K. Chesterton

I have seen things, and by extension, you have seen them, that I wouldn't have seen had I flown from Chicago to Washington DC. If I hadn't had to be back to Illinois that Thursday, I would have stopped here. I would have looked. I would have seen.

Too much of our life is spent going from place to place and not really seeing what there is to see. When I was in college, we had to take some Philosophy courses to become the well-rounded students Viterbo felt we needed to be. One of the philosophy professors, Sister Laurian, talked of having a "slender adventure" at least once per week. In this adventure, nothing is planned. You just go where your spirit takes you and be open to the things you'll see and experience. By driving, I could have more than enough "slender adventures" to fill weeks of blog posts and to look back on with pleasure.

So, I'm now curious about this place. It's close to Youngstown and April and Perry or I could simply go there and stay in nearby Oakland. What adventures would I have if my destination was this museum? Yes, I could have flown and rented a car for the cost of the gas for this trip, but I would have missed things along the way. I'll take the stumbling onto a transportation museum in the middle of western Pennsylvania over a walk through an airport any day.

Beverage:  Mixed Berry Seltzer

Deb

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Two weeks ago, I was in Chicago at the University of Chicago, working. As the Bernard Mitchell Hospital is close to the university, it's not uncommon to hear their helicopter arriving or departing. During the late morning, there was a drone of an aircraft that wasn't a helicopter.

I have no idea what the banner is. East of the University is the 57th street/ Museum of Science and Industry beach along Lake Michigan. I'm sure that's where the airplane was destined. It circled the university 4 times before disappearing. Each time, it was headed from north to south and you couldn't read the banner.

We don't see these things in the suburbs. This seems to be strictly a Chicago and, more importantly, a beach thing in the summer. It's interesting to see what is deemed worthy to be hauled behind an airplane. Occasionally, you'd see sky-writing but that seems to have died out.

One thing we do see in the western suburbs are the blimps.

This is the MetLife blimp and it was out over the beaches near 47th street and Lake Shore Drive. Blimps are usually stored at the DuPage Airport which is straight west of me. I can remember seeing the Goodyear Blimp with its scrolling screen on the underside of the blimp, flying over the house at midnight. Blimps have a distinctive sound so, if you know what you're listening for, you know it's a blimp. They used to give rides when they were in town, too, but I don't know that they do anymore. I haven't heard a blimp fly over the house in a couple of years. Those are impressive since they don't fly all that high. My luck, they will fly over when I'm in the middle of a World of Warcraft raid.

Beverage: English Breakfast tea

Deb

Zoom zoom

Today starts Chicago's annual "Air and Water Show". Along the lakefront from Grant Park to North Avenue Beach, the military puts on a show of airplanes. There are also bi-planes and Navy seals and fancy water craft. The airplanes are the thing, though. That's what people come to see.

I've gone once. It's you and a million of your best friends. But with the vast amount of the lakefront utilized, pretty much any spot from North Avenue south will get you a good view of airplanes.

One of the highlights is this group...


This is one of the older planes on display at the Museum of Flight in Seattle. Carole and I visited this museum when I was out there in May.

The year Carole and I went to the show, they had an Apache helicopter, the Blue Angels, a brand new American Airlines 777 that flew roughly 50 feet off the water along the beach. I think there were some fighter jets. I remember bi-planes and one bi-plane with a wingwalker. The highlight was the arrival of a stealth jet. All the noise is behind the jet. We kept scanning the skies for it. When it does show, it appears on the horizon looking like a dark bird. Suddenly, it's 200 feet in front of you and blasting over your head.

The Blue Angels do their "usual" stunts. I put that in quotes because I can't imagine what they do is "usual". If, however, you have seen footage of them or been to an airshow where they have appeared, they do the same body of work; flying upside down, flying straight up, flying back-to-back, flying really fast at one another and missing by feet. It's amazing flying even if you've seen it many times.

If I was in the city between 11 and 2 today, I would get a taste of the show. It's tradition to fly some of the jets around the downtown on the Friday before. The air overpressure from the fly-bys rattles windows in the high rises and can spook people who aren't sure what's going on. Today is absolutely glorious and the weekend will be perfect for a show. Part of me wants to drive the Jeep up and down the drive tomorrow between 11 and 3, when the show is in full swing. Top down, warm summer breeze, blue lake... Maybe I'll weed around the air conditioner tomorrow. That needs to be done.

I remember the first time I saw precision flying. I was 5 or 6 years-old and we had gone to Clear Lake, Iowa to meet distant relatives. I have no idea why but the Air Force's Thunderbirds were at the lake. I can't remember if it was Memorial Day, 4th of July or Labor Day. I remember them flying low over the lake and then up into the air. The planes were gray except for one that was camouflage painted. The country had just come through the Bay of Pigs incident. Flexing military might was important. I remember going back to a cousin's house to take a nap after spending time on the beach at the lake and hearing this loud roar as airplanes flew over the house. As this is not a usual occurrence in Iowa, my dad went outside to see what was going on. He saw the jets and we were hastily bundled into the car and driven back to the lake where I have vague memories of jets flying over the water. In family movies, there isn't anything showing the jets. It's just video of the lake and, I think, my brother, Steve and myself.

Sometimes, participants in the Air and Water Show will park their airplanes at the DuPage County Airport, which is west of me. I'll get to see them fly over as they head toward the lake. I probably could go downtown and watch by myself, but it's so much more fun to grab a friend or two, pack a picnic lunch and park yourself either on the beach or in Lincoln Park and just watch.
Maybe next year.

Beverage: Lady Grey Tea

Deb