Patience wins out

 Tuesday, July 4

We forgot that everything aviation would be closed today. All the FBOs. So when we stopped to refuel, we couldn't get out of the heat. But it WAS cooler on the ground than it has been up til now.

As usual, Dennis had looked at the map and suggested our stops for today. He knows my constraints and his suggestions are always right on. Today was an easy-going day. Dennis and Andrew left the house early so Dennis could take him flying in the Aeroprakt. I stayed at the house with Jenny and the kids.

We left for Simsbury Airport (4B9), Connecticut about 11:30 a.m. My long-time friends Ann and Bruce live nearby and I really wanted to see them. We stopped quickly at Heritage Field Airport (KPTW) for fuel; it was only a six mile jaunt from where we had left the planes for the night at Pottstown. Then the adventure began.

We had been warned about thunderstorms along our route. Both of us figured we'd fly until we couldn't. Our route was supposed to take us northeast, but we had to veer almost directly south to avoid two huge cells. Then cells began to crop up, one after another. No matter which way I looked, I saw fewer and fewer opportunities to avoid them. I was flying at about 2500' and going lower wouldn't help. Dennis heard the stress in my voice as I radio'd and he suggested that we divert to the closest airport and land. That was Solberg Airport (N51) in Readington, NJ. We landed about 1:00 p.m. and watched as the fronts grew and grew, blackening the sky to the east. 

The FBO was locked up tight, but there were two wicker chairs near the picnic tables, and we sat and talked and napped for four hours, until the sky cleared in the direction we wanted to go. Dennis admitted that he would have tried finding a way if he was on his own, as he is very comfortable dodging storm cells. He grinned when he told me that he would have liked to put a rope on my plane and just haul me along behind him. Yet he never showed any impatience or urged me to go before I was ready.

When we finally took off - about 6 p.m. - the skies had cleared and it was BEAUTIFUL flying. Calm, cool air, absolutely no haze, and unlimited visibility. (I did fly through just a teeny bit of rain, but was through it pretty quickly.) I flew at about 2200' while Dennis stayed down at about 1300'.  I had never realized how incredibly rural New Jersey, New York, and Connecticut are. 

These nine photos don't begin to capture the beauty of this leg. NOTE: All the photos were taken by Dennis; for some reason my camera isn't downloading.

What a thrill to fly over the Hudson River! I was delighted that we flew over four states today: Pennsylvania, New Jersey, New York, and Connecticut. Dennis thinks we'll be in Maine tomorrow.

We landed at Simsbury about 7:30 p.m. Ann was there to meet us and she and her husband Bruce had saved supper for us She and I wanted to stay up and talk and talk and talk, but I knew we'd be flying again tomorrow and I need my rest!

Our track today: