The weather was absolutely gorgeous today! Mary and I decided mid-week that we would head south and spend the day in the Outer Banks, Nags Head to be more specific. The last time we were in Nags Head was June 2016.
Departure Day
We were both up early, I had to take care of the pets and my bride headed for that first cup of coffee. I do the pets in the morning and Mary takes care of them in the evening.
I did a final weather and NOTAM check, and made sure the cameras were indeed charged and packed. Time to hit the shower and then look for jeans since the temps may be a bit cooler then usual today. After some thought I stuck with shorts and brought along a long sleeve cover just in case.
I had taken on limited fuel yesterday, so to complete my pre-flight I needed to sump the tanks. I limited my fuel because here in OCMD it’s $7.25 a gallon. Dare county full serve was $6.24 a gallon. The plan was to tanker as much fuel home as possible, keeping just under the magic 2650 lbs ramp weight limit.
After some warm up time I back taxied for runway two after picking up my clearance with Patuxent. This morning I was immediately released.
The air at six thousand was a cool fifty to fifty-five degrees. Mary and I actually had to turn the heat on to take the chill out.
Pax handed me off to Norfolk and they in turn handed me off to Oceania. Oceania eventually handed me off to Cherry Point.
Once I had the weather I canceled and switched to CTAF at Dare County. I set up for runway three-five, a first after many trips there. Three-five has quite the displaced threshold but useable is thirty-three hundred feet.
Once shut down Mary went in to secure the rental, a Ford Fusion. I ordered fuel and took on thirty-four gallons to bring me to sixty total for the ride north.
We were like two kids, off on an adventure. First stop was Roanoke Island Festive Park.
The sailing ship Elizabeth II was docked and open for tours. One of these days I’ll climb aboard and have a look around.
We decided to make our first stop the Wanchese Pottery shop. No kitty today, Miss Hazy Daisy passed a few years ago and there's no new kitty in the shop, Yet.
Mary and I remember the original cat, Pots. There he sat usually curled up in a bowl on the counter. Luckily we met him and hazy daisy in our previous travels.
Both Mary and I ate a very light breakfast this morning. I had rice pudding and my bride had yougurt. We were both getting hungry.
As we walked down the Main Street we were overcome by the smell of burgers cooking. So much for seafood, we were seated at an outside table at the Lost Colony Tavern and each ordered the Wagyu burger and split a Scotch Egg appetizer. The meal was very good and so was the service.
Once we hit all the shops we decided to drive over to visit Nags Head. We checked out the hotel we typically stay at and some of the cottages, maybe there are Airbnb’s to investigate for our next visit.
After checking out the shops, restaurants and hotels, we headed back across the Washington Baum Bridge to Roanoke Island. The last stop would be the Christmas Shop before returning to the airport.
The fuel and rental car were paid when we landed so it was simply drop the keys and go. The winds had changed now favoring runway five. With a full belly of fuel I’m sure 3 Tango Charlie appreciated the additional runway length. With the cool temps 3 TC climbed her way to five thousand five hundred. I contacted Cherry Point and picked up a squawk code and flight following for the ride north. Another beautiful flight, this time north up the coast.
Virginia Beach came into view just twenty miles south of the vacation get-away. We crossed the Chesapeake Bay noticing more tankers at anchor then this mornings south bound pass. Now traveling north up the peninsula Mary and I were searching for traffic, a Grumman Tiger.
After fifteen minutes we finally had a visual as the Tiger passed overhead. Once locating the traffic and noting the weather at OXB we canceled with Patuxent and let down for Ocean City. It was busy in the pattern and with the single runway and no taxiway it was a bit congested.
I entered the left down wind for two-zero and had a school plane report left base for the same runway as I was getting ready to make the same call. Yikes! I quickly announced I would extend my downwind and asked the base turning plane if he meant crosswind, he did. No harm no foul, I turned base and landed offering to clear the runway at the taxiway H end so he could land. It saves time to both back taxi together since there were aircraft headed for departure. It all works out if we just communicate.
Mary and I decided that the fantastic weekend wx forecast called for a flight. Where you ask, well it really doesn't matter as long as the sun is shining and I'm flying. We managed to narrow it down to either a few day trips or two nights in Nags Head, NC. Nags Head it is, let the planning begin. I immediately started on my flight plan and wx review. Friday was looking iffy but I pushed our departure up from 10:30-11:00 to 8:30. The TAF (Terminal Area Forecast) was looking worse as the day went on for the first hour of the flight. We needed to clear Salisbury Maryland by 11:00 at the latest or it was going to be a reach. The other option was to sit on the ground and wait and launch late afternoon. The late launch was a no-go, not night current and with the freezing level so low I didn't want to stumble into wx and pick up ice.
We loaded up the dogs who were going crazy running laps in the house thinking they were going for a ride. Well, they were going for a ride alright but it was a short hop to jail....er....ah...the boarding place. Maggie and Rudder were admitted, processed, whatever and we were headed to the airport. Mary and I have the routine down pretty good as we uncover, pre-flight and pack the bags. I fired up 08R and sat at low idle to let my oil temp come up, it didn't take to long. I was cleared to taxi to runway one via Kilo. With the run up complete I was cleared for take off and following my back taxi I turned into the wind and launched to start our vacation 2 day get-away.
I climbed to 3,000 and tracked direct to the Salisbury VOR. Just south of Wilmington the soup was thick and I descended to 2,500 for a better view and to maintain VFR. Once past Dover the sun was starting to burn off the layer and visibility really opened up. I asked approach for 4,500 and kept the nose pointed at Salisbury MD. By the time we passed Georgetown (KGED) it was pea soup once again. My visibility was down to five miles but I had solid ground contact. Mary started to feel ill when it's hard to make out the horizon so she closed her eyes and took a nap. I was handed off to Patuxent, then Norfolk when I asked for 6,500 now that the we were South of SBY and the sky opened up just as clear and blue as could be. I was handed off to Oceania twice and we managed to see two F-18's launch from the base and circle climb out to pass 15 miles off our nose in a tight formation and heading to the Giant killer restricted area. Very cool sight to see!
Oceania handed me off to Washington center as I was about to cancel but the controller said he already handed me off so check in and update center. No problem thanks for the service. I contacted Washington center, updated the altimeter setting and advised I had the field in sight. I was 17.5 miles north and was looking down runway one seven. I listened to the AWOS once again to make sure the winds hadn't changed and announced my position and intentions for Dare County (KMQI). I had some altitude to loose since I had requested lower a few miles back, actually with the last Oceania controller and now was letting down for pattern altitude 1050' now out of 3500. I made a call for a four mile 45* for runway three five and joined the pattern, oh baby the winds were kicking. Base to final was a fun ride with winds gusting out of 340*. There is a long displaced threshold here due to thew huge tress on final approach. This landing took some throttle work with the winds and I held off on adding that last notch of flaps until I was late in the flair. Super soft landing and a long slow roll out to a left turn out and taxi back to the terminal. A quick review and fuel check shows each tank at the slot which is 20 per side which means we burned roughly 17 gallons in just under two hours. Not to bad of a fuel burn and we had a nice tail wind with ground speeds of 130+.
Mary went for the rental while I tied down and buttoned up 08R. I had the bags ready to go as she pulled up in a nice Explorer. I said wrong car we reserved a Ford Fusion for $50 a day, she said it was given out so we got the truck for the same price. We decided to get to the hotel and reserve a room then search for lunch. The plan was to head north and visit the First Flight museum. First flight is less then 15 minutes from the hotel so we made a first stop at a local watering hole, Awful Arthur's for lunch. Wow, supper crab dip that had some spice, my tongue, lips and even my ears were burning....but it was a good burn. After lunch we drove south a few blocks and turned in the park. Entrance fee was $4 per person and you could come back a second day. We drove around the monument then went into the museum. We had fun, took some pictures and looked at all the paintings on the walls.
With the early start time, flight time here and lunch we decided to call it an afternoon and head back for a nap, hey, it's vacation. Nap completed in a very cold room, our heater decided it was not going to blow any warm air. We called the desk and the maintenance man came right up, pulled the unit and replaced it. Wow, quick service and a really nice guy. The new heater was cranking out the warm air and quickly brought the room up to 70*. With the heat issue resolved we once again hit the road. The rental Ford Explorer is racking up the miles. We had no idea what we wanted but we headed north just in case, towards the all you can eat seafood or a steak house we had passed. We decided on JK's Steak and Seafood and it was a great choice!! Mary and I each had the fillet Mignon with a huge baked potato smothered in butter and sour cream. I passed on the asparagus but Mary took on the side dish and seemed to enjoy it. My fillet was cooked perfect, it was so tender you only needed your fork, unreal. It ranks at the top for taste with just a basic salt and pepper rub but the grill really sealed the deal. No dessert, we were way too full. We checked out more of the area and finally called it a night, heading back to the Surf Side.
DAY TWO, Saturday, March 6th
We each had the pleasure of sleeping in, no Rudder begging to go outside and no Maggie pacing the floor at 5:30 also wanting out. There were no cats to let us know their food bowl was empty and the phone didn't ring. I think we got up around nine then got ready to head out to the Grits & Grill for breakfast. Is there anything better then Grits and sweet tea? I think not. A great breakfast of omelets, hot tea and coffee. Today we decided on hitting whatever shops were open in Nags Head, Kill Devil Hills and Manteo. With full tummies from breakfast we lasted into the afternoon despite Mary's attempt to walk every pound off me. We ducked into Darrell's for a snack and something cold to drink. Mary ate the fried oysters and I had the shrimp. A great quick snack or early dinner appetizer washed down with a Corrona for the Bride and a sweet tea for me.
We hit a few more shops, checked on the local cats in the Roanoke Island Festival Park and scoped out some condos for sale and in general scouted the area for potential retirement living. We did manage to connect with two agents that provided some listings for us to look at. We really like the area, the people are so friendly and just about anywhere is a short hop to the ocean. Of course I would like to stay in Manteo closer to the airport. We finished up our long day and headed back to call it a night. We planned on a nap and late dinner but both had passed out.
DAY THREE, Sunday March 7th
A bright and early start for us today as we get ready to make the 1 hour hop over to KLHZ, Franklin County Airport to visit family in the nearby area. The room was squared away in short order and we were ready to go. I had rolled out of bed early in order to finish my pre-flight wx checks and plan for the trip home.Having this small Dell computer has been great, easy to carry, performs all my flight plan tasks and allows us computer time if we want to check in. We have no plan for breakfast and decided to wing it for now. I get us checked out and load the bags. We decided that it would be best to just head towards the airport and find a place to stop along the way for fuel and food, not necessarily at the same place. I topped off the explorer and cleaned off the windows, the salt spray left behind each morning was starting to look pretty gross and it was making the side mirrors harder to view. Our timing was looking good and we found a local hangout called TL's. Breakfast and service was very good and we were set to go.
The folks at Dare County airport are so nice. I had called for fuel at 8am while finishing up breakfast so that task would be scratched off the list. I unloaded the explorer, packed the plane and then completed my pre-flight. Winds favored runway 35 this morning so I opened up my Flight guide for a quick check of the taxiways and was ready to fire up 08Romeo. I plugged in our course on the Garmin 530 , tuned the Raleigh VOR as my back up nav and left the Garmin 496 with no plan but to just use for situational awareness. I like to cursor on airports for distance and heading as I fly always working a plan in my mind. 08R climbed out of Manteo and was ready to stretch her wings and I was too. The wx was so perfect for flying and after the Delaware winter wx this weekend was a welcome treat.
I was soon turning cross wind and departing the area to the west for our one hour hop. Mary asked me if it felt cooler then normal as I was getting ready to check in with approach. She asked again and I reached over to pull the heat on and it was already on. Hmmm....I do feel a slight draft that's not the norm for 08R, she's really airtight. I check Marys door and then mine, it's open. Ugghhh, my door is cracked open! I immediately level off and decided to turn back to Dare County. I did attempt to close the door once and it's a no go so my focus is fly the plane, get back on the ground. I turn back for the airport, announce intentions and decide runway five is perfect. I come over the water and cross the fence for a nice landing and roll out clear of the runway. Ok, door shut and checked we taxi back for a second attempt at this flight.
I announce our departure and start to roll. A check of the airspeed alive and a quick check on gauges green and I'm just about ready for wheels up. As I'm looking down the runway I catch a glimpse of two dogs crossing the runway as I am just ready to rotate. I focus on getting in the air and Mary said they both stopped in their tracks, thankfully no problems for either of us. Call me crazy but that's strike two in my three strike rule to flying for the day. The remainder of the trip is uneventful as we smoothly fly along listening to the xm radio country classics and taking in the view. As we approach Franklin County I copy the wx and listen for traffic on CTAF which I soon realize is shared with a few other airports. I announce my position and intentions about ten east and continue in noting the aircraft in the pattern on this clear sunny day. From ten miles out it was like watching bee's fly around the nest. I entered on a base leg which worked out great for spacing as I was number two behind a Cessna. Mary and I secured the plane, I had the tanks topped off and my Cousin Rob was there to pick us up, great timing.
Rob asked about flying to Ashville for some fantastic fly fishing, I'm game if we can fly there! It was fun to catch up with family and to spend some time with my Mom's sister. Always such fond memories growing up and spending time together in Wilkes-Barre, PA. It's funny to look back and now see where we all ended up. Annette and Rob are grandparents, my aunt a great grand mom or as she is called Gmom and now with great grand children that call her GG. North Carolina seems so far from the little area of Plains township but life has treated them well and they are very blessed to have a nice home a great family.
Since I am not night current we needed to get in the air in order to be home before turning into pumpkins or is that mice? (Beech Sundowner history joke there) We say our goodbyes, which is always hard, and make our way back to the airport. 08Romeo awaits our return like a faithful pup, knowing it's once again her turn for attention. A fuel sump and walk-around confirms all is in order so we load and a make for Wilmington. We manage to just beat the jump plane out loaded with meat missles and swap info on my departure route so everyone knows what everyone else is doing. I soon pick up flight following with Raleigh approach and advise my altitude and climbing for 7,500. We make our way north east on the west side of the Chesapeake Bay opting to fly over patuxent and restricted area R4007 that has a 5000 foot ceiling. The view is gorgeous as we look east and see the mouth of the bay, Newport News and even the last island off the penninsula. We stayed with center most of the way and was handed off to Philly approach just north of Dover Delaware. I advised that I had current ATIS info and would like to cancel following at this time. I switched over to Wilington and advised 15 south with info inbound for full stop. The TFR had long passed and we were headed in. I was instructed to make a left base 27 entry, I acknowledged. As I turned base I was asked to keep my speed up to be number one to land followed by getting clearence. Great, or so I thought. The next call from the tower was proceed direct to the numbers. Never heard that one before and it certainly wasn't that busy to squeeze us in. The reason we practice I guess as I held off on flaps and kept 08R at best speed. As soon as I had the runway made I pulled power dumped flaps when I could and as I flaired lost sight on the runway with the wicked sun glare. I held it off but manged to plant it pretty good with a short skip that felt worse then it looked I'm sure. Once rolling I retracted flaps made for the first trun off "without delay" and cleared the runway. We were home!
Monday I'm taking a day off to get 08Romeo's oil changed and to give her a much needed wash and wax. 6.5 hours flying this weekend and a fun time, we can hardly wait until Spring!
Mary and I planned a quick get-away weekend since our calendar was free. On Tuesday I called our favorite hotel in Nags Head, NC., the Surf Side, with the hope of finding a room with an ocean view still available. We were in luck, one room with a king bed and a balcony view of the ocean, sign us up!
Wednesday after work we headed to the airport to give Ziva some play time and I could ready 08Romeo. I took on fuel to bring the plane to fifty gallons, checked oil and completed a preflight. With 08Romeo good to go I just needed to watch the weather and put my flight plan together. Our normal plan is to fly along V139 to Cape Charles then fly the coast line to First Flight and cut across the bay to Manteo, MQI. That's what I filed for and that's the email I received confirming ATC's routing.
The Flight
I bugged out of work early and Mary had the pets boarded and our bags ready for me to load in the SUV. We packed a bag with cold drinks and snacks then headed for the airport. I tugged 08Romeo out into the sun and did another pre-flight then saddled up for our flight, we were both excited.
The clearance
I contacted Potomac clearance delivery and my routing had a slight change. We would fly to Norfolk (ORF) then Stay on V139 to SUNNS to V266 ECG then direct. Not a big deal but we would have preferred the coast instead. We launch and track a 270 degree heading as we climb out until Patuxent confirms our position. Once ID'ed, we are turned direct Snow Hill (SWL) and we're on our way.
ADS-B is tracking multiple targets heading the opposite direction but I have no visual yet. At this point Patuxent turns me to a 180 degree heading, I acknowledge and make the heading change. As soon as I'm established on the new heading ATC then directs me to intercept the 060 degree radial inbound to Snow Hill. Honestly, that caught me off guard, but I quickly checked to see exactly where I was in reference to the Snow Hill VOR. I hadn't set up the Garmin 530 nav yet, I like to keep each VOR dialed in, in advance.
I did have Snow Hill set up on number two nav, the Collins 351. One nice feature of the Collins is the ability to track the radial so with a flip of the switch I noted crossing the 053 degree radial. I spun the CDI for nav two to 060 and then immediately set up the 530 for Snow Hill and Cape Charles. I watched both nav's count the radials as I crossed until 060, then I started my right turn inbound. At this point ATC asked if I was inbound, I guess they prompt you just in case. I acknowledged already turning inbound on 060.
Direct MQI
It was good to shed the rust and get on my IFR game. Having not flown much since I went back to work it was good to see that the muscle memory kicks in and you just do that pilot stuff without trying to think it through. We crossed Snow Hill and could see Wallops pass by followed by passing over Accomack. Patuxent handed us off to Norfolk approach and we road along for a short time when, without asking, we were given direct Dare County (MQI). Nice!
I pointed 08Romeo to her new heading and we were soon heading out over the ocean. Hmmm... I haven't been this far off shore and as we crossed the mouth of the Chesapeake Bay at only six thousand I had concerns of making land. I didn't hear any funny noises or 08Romeo didn't feel any different but as pilots we are always looking for an out, working our plan, staying ahead of the plane. At the very least with the strong tail winds pushing our ground speed to 150 plus and hitting a high of 160 knots I figured I could climb and make the south side of the bay, maybe even land at Oceania NAS...(insert eye roll).
Mary and I enjoyed the coast and we were treated to an F18 passing just off the nose and nine hundred feet above. It was an awesome view of the worlds finest as we watched the aircraft streak by and out of sight. After that treat we were handed off to Cherry Point approach and continued towards MQI. I did manage a good shot of First Flight off our left wing and continued my descent for the pattern at Dare County. I canceled IFR at five miles out and switched over to unicom to announce my position and intentions. I was following the jump plane in as I watched him turn final when I called out a two mile forty-five entry for the left downwind runway five. I exchanged position reports with a helicopter giving rides and made a nice landing coming over the water and across the numbers, always a beautiful view.
First Flight
Mary secured the rental car as I secured the plane. I can't remember the last time I used the tail cover or the plane cover, we usually put 08Romeo in a hangar, even when on the road. With the ac cranked up we hit the road for Nags Head. So much has changed since our last visit back in 2011. We really like it here, always have, and the people are so friendly. Off to our hotel to check in then time to scout out the area.
We made our rounds noting locations and all the new construction. We eventually decided on dinner at Millers Waterfront, great food and service, we would eat here again. Yes, we got our desserts to go and had them back in our room.
Saturday
Our loud neighbors were up and down the hall yelling at kids and playing. Really, 7:30 and you're all this loud? I got up and opened the door, it was like ringing the school bell at Catholic school, everyone froze. I looked at the parents, grandparents and the little kids, they looked at each other and then everyone looking at me said good morning. Grr...I nodded my head and shut the door. We didn't hear a peep after that.
We grabbed breakfast at the hotel then headed out to the beach. Today was all about relaxing and enjoying the sound of waves crashing and the seagulls squawking. We decided to rent two chairs and an umbrella ($32) then settle in for the day. I managed to get this blog started and catch a few Z's in between.
A sand crab ducking in and out of a hole in the sand.
Jennette's Pier in the background
I was treated to a biplane making multiple passes up the beach every time they gave a ride from the airport. We saw a few dolphins swimming up the coast and pelicans flying low over the water in perfect formation. A Robinson helicopter made a few passes as it gave rides up the coast, business seemed pretty good today. I really got a laugh watching the banner tow planes as they turned north up the beach after crossing the shore line pointed east. Each plane pretty much turned around and pointed directly at the beach and had to crab their way along the shore line, not a fun ride for them.
After deciding to call it a day we packed up and headed back to our room for some rest and showers. We dressed for dinner and headed out early so we could hit a few of our favorite shops. The final stop was dinner at JK's Steaks and Seafood. Mary and I both agree that JK's is by far the best steaks we have ever had. The owner stopped at our table and chatted for a bit as he does with all his guests, a nice touch for his patrons.
With full tummys we headed back to the hotel with desserts to go in hand. We both settled in and watched some TV then passed out.
Sunday
Did you hear that, I asked. Mary said hear what, the sound of silence, I said. Our neighbors were very quiet this morning. Big evil grin.
The plan was to head to the beach for a few hours then clean up, pack up and head home. That plan didn't last long after I suggested getting in the air early and heading home so we could dump the bags, grab a couple of chairs and head to the beach club at home. We were packed and checking out in record time. Breakfast? We ate the blueberry cobbler from JK"s with the vanilla ice cream. Yes, we got a few strange looks from the other guests in the breakfast room but neither of us really cared.
We arrived at Dare county and passed through the security gate and parked in front of 08Romeo so we could load the bags. I usually climb on the wing and fold up 08Romeos cover, today my Bride decided she would do the wing thing. As she climbed up she struck her ankle on the flap, it was loud and I thought for sure she was coming off the wing. She did manage to hold her balance but the ankle did not do so well, thankfully no cut. Like a trooper she stayed the course and folded the cover and rolled it up for storage.
I finished up the pre-flight, adding oil, and getting everything secured in the baggage compartment except one bag so I could put my sump away and oil spout. I did have to clean the windscreen, it was really dirty. I grabbed the pledge and a clean microfiber towel from the baggage area and climbed up on the wing. When finished the one side I needed to rinse and repeat for the other. As I came off the wing I tripped backwards on the bag I left out and took a real header landing on my left forearm and elbow. No skin loss just a massively bruised ego.
I joined Mary in the air conditioned car and we headed back out the gate to settle up the fuel bill and hand over the rental keys. What a start to the trip home.
I departed runway two-three and climbed over the Croatan Sound in a left hand pattern. I heard the jump plane give a warning for time to jumpers away as we crossed the Roanoke Sound just north of RT 64. I contacted Cherry Point Approach and requested flight following, now reporting three miles south of First Flight I punched in the squawk code, advised my cruising altitude and fought the headwinds through the climb to six point five. Oh how we pay the piper for the most excellent tailwinds we had heading south on Friday.
I was handed off to Oceania then two sectors for Norfolk and eventually Patuxent when closing on Accomack. According to the AWOS the winds had picked up at home, 280/11 G22. I cancelled flight following and switched to Unicom to make my position calls at five miles inbound for midfield left down wind runway three-two. It got bumpy when we got below three thousand and even worse at pattern. Once turned final I set up for a nice crab and worked the throttle for a smooth landing, we were home.
I tucked 08Romeo in the hangar and I will get back out the airport tomorrow night to clean her up and plug in the battery minder. With a pat on her cowl I thanked her for getting Mary and I home safe. Lights out and locked up we were heading home.
I have made similar posts over the years but this year seems to hold a bit more meaning. This post was initiated by my bride, that's right, Mary suggested we make a list of places we want to explore. So let's get to it, in no particular order, our list. New Adventures Boston, MA Martha's Vineyard, MA Fremont NH Bar Harbor, ME Niagara Falls, ON, Canada Charleston, SC Jekyll Island, GA Singer Island, FL Destin, FL Mackinac, MI Blacksburg, VA Return Trips Myrtle Beach SC Key West, FL Nags Head, NC Williamsburg/Newport News VA Blacksburg, VA Lets dig into the 'New' list first. Mary and I have been to Cape Cod and used that as a take off point to explore Nantucket. This time we would like to land near Boston, specifically, Norwood - KOWD. We will finally get to visit family, and our friends Mike B and Kim. This may also serve as a jump off point for a day at Martha's Vineyard, Lord knows I don't want to overnight there (insert cash register sound...kaaa..ching!). The Boston run can take on a few different spins. We would also like to finally get to visit our friends Adam B and Jeanine, and meet their little man Declan. So lets add KLWM into mix and a short drive to Freemont NH. We would plan for some time away to make all the stops necessary to complete this mission, we may even need a four day get-away at Bar Harbor to recover before pointing for home. We have had Niagara Falls on our list, not that this would be a new place for us, but a new way to get there. Last time we drove, this time we would fly into Canada or into KIAG and make the short drive across the border. Early Fall would be the time to plan for traveling south. Mary and I want explore Charleston SC. Also on the list is Jekyll Island GA, so we will work that four day get-away into the schedule. Fall and winter will also be a great time to push a bit farther south. Singer Island FL has been on our list since we had the Sundowner. Our reservations from January 2014 were snowed out so I spent that extended weekend shoveling snow. Not Cool. We have given some thought to returning to Gulf Shores but we both wanted to try someplace new along the gulf coast. DestinFL seems like a place we read a lot about so we both agreed to add it to our list. It seems I missed Mackinac,MI this has also been on our list of places to visit, but, its definitely a summer trip. While exploring Michigan we would also like to visit our friends Jeff and Lori who are along the way, located south of Grand Rapids. The 'Return Trip' list is a bit shorter but still just as fun. Nags Head, one of our favorites, and Myrtle Beach are always great for a weekend get-away. Williamsburg is also a short hop and we love meeting up with our friend Susan and catching a show at the Ferguson Center in Newport News. We have been to Keystwice, well once for Key West and one time to Marathon, although we drove to Key West from there for a day trip. I think Mary and I both love Key West. We followed fellow blogger Geoff's suggestion and we will return to the Sheraton Key West at Smathers beach. Great beach access, shuttle that runs all day providing access to great food and entertainment downtown. The last entry on each list is Blacksburg, VA. I should add we haven't been there yet, but, with our friends Candy and Mark from Texas moving there, we will be making frequent trips back and forth. So we have a list, now we need to get the plane back online. I am still waiting to have the parking brake valve serviced. Another post is in the works for the repair. I think Mary is just as excited as I am about getting back to traveling and exploring new places. I am looking forward to more videos and blog posts, taking our readers along for the adventure. Time to Spare...Go by Air, the next chapter, is about to get started.
