After what seemed like a VERY short sleep last night, we are now proudly writing from Hugoton, Kansas. As we mentioned, Hugoton was supposed to be the finish line for day one... but we will all admit that there were moments that it looked like it would be unattainable! Despite the odds and challenges, we made it!
Let us fill in the details....
All of us were awake at 400AM this morning (now yesterday as we write this... imagine that!) and we headed out bleary eyed but at the same time very excited! We met for breakfast at Tim's (isn't this the perfect way to start a road trip) and promptly ordered very nearly the same thing for breakfast... Blueberry Muffins!
The weather looked perfect, and we all put the finishing touches on the loading of the planes and the plotting our routes. Our props turned at 630AM as scheduled, and everything looked perfect and according to plan. However, we had a few technical glitches that did not allow us to get off the ground and en-route as quickly as we would have liked. An unexpected flight to St. Andrews did not let us get airborne until 12PM! We still had (Literally!) nearly 1000 miles to go, and at least two stops and customs to clear!
Our trip to Fargo was fast. We climbed up to 8500 feet, where the winds were blowing strong, and where they pushed us along with great speed. We needed tailwinds, and on this trip we were going to get them. In fact, the winds were stronger than forecast, and we arrived nearly one half an hour sooner than the planning had said we would! What a great way to make up for lost time.
Clearing Customs was simple. They even came out early when they heard that we were early. More time gained! After clearing, we all piled inside the Fargo Jet Center, stocked up on Hot Chocolate, more muffins, and fruit... raved about their incredible restroom facilities (these are some of the nicest washrooms in the world, we are sure!) and then got airborne again.
Next Stop, O'Neil, Nebraska.
Once again, tailwinds helped us along. We arrived at O'Neill nearly 20 minutes earlier than planned, and started the turnaround. Brian, who runs the airport has a couple of really cool little dogs that will do all sorts of little dances and tricks for food! Brian fueled our planes for us, and we went to the planning stations
. Thanks to some advanced training that we received in the weeks before the trip, our turnaround time here in O'Neil was pretty good. We did not waste a whole lot of time on the ground... and we were ready to fly again within about a half hour. Aaron had taken care to simulate this trip in the days leading up to this big day with us beforehand. We had already plotted, planned, phoned, and pretended to do the walk-arounds and fueling on super short notice in the days before. We knew where and how to get the information that we needed, and we could and can do it quickly!
The final leg from O'Neil to Hugoton was to be the longest. In the name of speed, we had skipped lunch, and we also skipped supper. It was nearing 6PM, and we were by now all good and hungry... BUT we still had nearly 4 hours of flying to get to Hugoton! We are sure that anyone below us would have thought that there were thunderstorms on the way as our stomachs growled while airborne!
We made it to Hugoton, however, and we were surprised by a special treat. As we entered the airport building, we could smell a home cooked pot of Chili...
Boy did we clean it up fast! Nothing was left of it by the time we were finished! It was so good that we almost licked the pot clean!
So it is that we get some rest in Hugoton... with very full and very blessed tummies! We now hope to get what little of a nights rest that remains, and be up and at 'em around 630AM.
"Keep me as the apple of your eye; hide me in the shadow of your wings." Psalm 17:8
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