2010 Summer Adventure - Planning

I'm sitting here at our kitchen table having just finished plotting routes on Sectional charts for the past half hour. Tomorrow is a big day as Gina and I will hop in a 172 and embark on a very long flying adventure. We're going to depart Stewart bright and early and head for Traverse City, MI. This weekend's the National Cherry Festival and we're going to enjoy the Blue Angels as they make their biennial appearance at the airshow. I plan on stopping in Jackson, MI on the way for lunch and fuel - it's right about at the halfway point.

Ladies and gentlemen, THIS is going to be a true cross-country!

We'll get out of Traverse City on the Fourth of July before noon so we can avoid the airshow TFR and make our way to Mackinac Island. Following a few hours there, we'll fly across the Straits of Mackinac and past the mighty Mackinac Bridge and follow the southern coast of the Upper Peninsula all the way to Escanaba. We'll park the 172 there for a couple nights and grab a rental car to visit Gina's grandma, who lives nearby.

Come Tuesday, we'll hope back in the airplane and fly direct to Oshkosh. Even though I have to miss Airventure this year I'm certainly going to land at OSH if I'm flying right by! Hopefully we have some time to enjoy the Airventure Museum and grab a bite to eat. Depending on the time of day, we might stay overnight in Oshkosh. If it's early enough we'll head back home to Stewart instead.

The flight back will take us past Chicago and I intend to fly the Lake Michigan shoreline route at about 1,500 feet AGL - it should be a beautiful sight. From there we'll turn southeast and land in Rochester, IN for a bite and fuel. Then it's a straight shot of about an hour and fifteen minutes back home to Stewart. I know that I don't even have to tell any of you how much I'm looking forward to this trip - wish us luck! :)