September 2-14, 2015
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| Seven Siblings and significant others |
2-3 Sep, Wed-Thu - We left home at 2155, a bit later than planned for our 0045 flight but we had plenty of time to park at Sandstone Inn and get the 2300 shuttle to the departure level (not the usual courtesy vehicle dropoff point, so there was an advantage to departing so late from SEA) where it was an easy carry of our wings and rolling bags to the Delta baggage drop. We both were TSA pre-checked so the security check was quick. After a short wait our plane started boarding and we, with our Delta SkyMiles credit card, got called right after the First Class/Sky/Medallion passengers so there was plenty of room to stow C.J.'s rollaboard; I had already gate-checked mine all the way through to IAD (Dulles). It was 2hr40min to Minneapolis-St. Paul, our layover, and we made a good attempt at sleeping for most of the flight. At the surprisingly large MSP terminal we found our gate and then went to the middle of the concourse to have a sit-down breakfast at TGIFridays (spanish omelet and potato skins). We had about three hours before our flight to IAD. We arrived there around 1222 EDT and took the train from the arrival concourse to the baggage claim; it's a big airport. Our bags were among the first to arrive (Delta promises a wait of less than 20 min). We used a cart to move our stuff outdoors into the heat and humidity to catch a shuttle to the Budget lot. Our car was ready and it took literally no time for the agent to greet me and say, "Your car is in B-6; the keys are on the dashboard." It was the first time that Fast Break has worked so smoothly. It took a lot longer to cool the hot car down to a bearable temp. while we loaded two wings, one rolling duffel, two rollaboards and our daypacks. Then we set up our GPS (brought from home) to take us to Enola, PA, where we had reserved a room at a Microtel. After driving for an hour or so we started looking for a place to eat. We even got off the highway at Thurmont and drove through the old town without finding the perfect dining spot. Eventually we ended up getting off Hwy 15 and driving past or
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| NY INF memorial at Gettysburg near Culp's Hill |
4 Sep, Fri - The breakfast was typical motel: Belgian waffle, cereals, muffins, etc. C.J. asked about fresh fruit and got some oranges. That, tea and cream cheese was about all C.J. managed for her meal. We hit the road and didn't find morning traffic around Harrisburg to be much of a problem. We took I-81 to exit 101 where we left on US 209 which we followed all the way to Kerhonkson. Some of the towns, particularly Jim Thorpe (once, Mauck Chunk) looked old enough to be interesting although some of the old coal-mining towns looked pretty rundown. We got off 209 to drive up Blue Mountain to look at a paragliding site at the ski area (Terry Bono). We also stopped at the Appalachian Trail crossing to see if anyone had parked there to hike in to that launch (later we found that it is no longer used). We did not find a place for lunch until we got through the Delaware Water Gap NRA and stopped near Port Jervis at a Wayback Burgers in a shopping mall - great shakes, salad and burger. We reached our AirBnB
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| C.J. at the Kerhonkson AirBnB |
5 Sep, Sat - Although Paul had recommended trying to get an early flight (meaning 0800!) while the wind was either blowing "in" or was very light, we didn't wake up until 0800. Then we cooked up some of Kris' fresh eggs and toasted some raisin pumpernickel before heading for the LZ via a back road that took us right by the 1822 Wawarsing Prison. No one was flying; at least, no one was soaring
so we hung out for a while and registered for the fly-in ($45 each incl a t-shirt). We lucked into a ride up to launch with a pilot from Cape Cod and his wife Letitia. Unexpectedly there were some straight-in cycles up the north launch and C.J. launched after watching a couple of other pilots take off. She got above the launch briefly and found some other patches of lift, but not enough to maintain. I got in line on launch but the wind had become more W and my position on the N launch was not ideal. I tried one inflation then balled up and moved to the NW launch. Then I had to wait while Jimmy ? in a HG did a great job working lift just in front of launch. When he moved away, the wind went cross from the left and got very light. I waited, then let Paul go. He also found workable lift. When he was clear I took off. I found some lift to the left and across the highway at a lower, secondary ridge. I continued searching to the N along the ridge getting closer to the LZ working occasional light lift. I landed (0:20) after Paul but before a less-experienced pilot who took off after me. After packing up C.J. and I drove into E-ville to Wilson's deli which was supposed to be very good, but it was closed. We tried Cohen's but they were out of chicken/tuna salad-makings. We got to the Euro Deli just after it closed so we gave up and bought a plastic-wrapped sub and a half-gallon of lemonade/tea at Stewarts. Back at the LZ we ate and watched the few people who were flying. Folks continued to arrive until there was a crowd at least the size of that at Frostbite at Area 151 (and, like at Frostbite, most were hang gliders). Many folks were camping at the west end of the LZ near the creek. When Ryan Voight landed at 1700 he reported over-the-back conditions so we gave up on the idea of flying again. Later we ate the BBQ dinner prepared by Brian's Backyard and had some of the beer on tap. Ryan set up a small bouncy house for his daughter Scarlett and other little girls to play on. We left around 2030 shortly after the band started up. Until then there had been lots of people to talk to; many of them introduced themselves to C.J. - Jim Georg, James Kolynich, Paco Carr (local PG), Dave, and female pilots: Jane, Andrea, and, of course Desiree. Back at the Airbnb Kris had left with his girlfriend to visit his folks in the Catskills so we had the place to ourselves and were on our own until Monday. We were pleased with the way the Airbnb worked out with breakfast provided and being able to use the living area of the house and porch as well as the private bedroom. The next day was not forecast to be a good flying day and we discussed our options.6 Sep, Sun - More eggs for breakfast, but an hour earlier this time. We drove in to the LZ and conditions looked pretty much the same as on Saturday: launchable but not soarable (several HG had sledders but only two PG flew). We decided to go to Sam's Point, now part of Minnewaska State Park, around 1030 and stopped on the way up Rte 52 to check out the DOT-built concrete HG ramp (used in winter when the usual launch is snowed in) at a scenic overlook. Then we drove up the rough road to launch, still not rough enough to keep our Chevy Cruze rental from making it up easily. We watched a few H-2s take off; Andrea did not launch her Sport 2 while we were up there. We also took a look at the West Launch which seemed to be just fine for launching PGs as well as HGs. Taking that little bit of extra time meant that when we finally got to Sam's Point at Cragsmoor, the parking lot had just filled and the ranger turned us (and the dozen cars behind us) away. We returned to town and tried to get lunch at Wilson's (closed), Cohen's (out of lunch-makings), and then went to Walmart and bought the last rotisserie chicken in the cooler, and a box of salad mix. We went back to the cabin to eat lunch (with Kris' salad dressing, plates, ice, etc). Then we returned to the LZ where we hung out at the stream in the shade with Paul and Bennie Blood and their daughter Olive from E-ville. Later Voighter called to invite us to a cookout at his house. We got there after 1730 in time for a couple hours of snacks and drinks before dinner with all the Voights and Felipe and Leigh. We didn't leave for home until after 2200 and a forecast that Monday would be good for flying.
7 Sep, Labor Day Mon. - The forecast still looked good, but when we arrived at the LZ, there were
fewer people, tents, RV's, and the wind was still light and variable but mostly from the S and E. We hung around helping to take down the lights and banners from the big tent/marquee. Then we wandered over to help Ray Leonard and his 10-year-old son with a group of five people who were learning about paragliding at an "Adventure Day" (that might, but probably won't, result in real PG lessons). Around 1330 we returned to the cabin where we had lunch with Kris and Lindsey. After checking the weather once again (WSW, 6-10) we returned to the LZ. This time there were a few people doing sledders, even two PG (Dalton, the guy who carves pencil leads into intricate shapes, and Paco). Around quarter-to-five Paco arranged a ride up with one of the HG, Kenny, so we got to check out the conditions at takeoff. The last two HG launched, then another PG from the W launch, Paco from the very-cross NW and Dalton from the W. Except for Paco's disastrous launch, the PGs all had no problem launching. Still, all the flags were showing close to 90 deg cross and C.J. decided not to fly. I waited until 1740 then decided to drive Paco's SUV down; it was the last vehicle left at launch. Dalton flew one more time after we left and said it wasn't much fun. We said goodbye to everyone who was left including Lil and Jim Georg who turn out to be from near Rutland VT where they have room to put up 16 pilots. Paco told us he also has a spare room over his garage which he offered us if we ever come back. We thought we might go to Gabi's (Italian, one of the two restaurants recommended by Kris. The other one is Aroma Thyme, also on Central) for dinner but it looked kind of busy and I was ready for a shower after another, hot, humid day. We went back to the cabin and had a chicken sandwich. Kris and Lindsey went off on a hike to a swimming hole on the Ver Noy Kill but we were ready for dinner. And we still needed to get packed for an early departure.8 Sep, Tue - Up at 0600 for a quick breakfast of English muffin, but no jam anywhere. We got going around 0700 down 209 -17-NYS Thruway to Suffern, then I-287 south so we could stop in Pompton Plains. We checked out the old Farnsworth house, grandparents', Uncle Bill's, Paula's houses, and C.J.'s high school and her Catholic elementary school (which looked unchanged except for a gym added to the north side). Gas was only $1.99 per gallon (cash) so we filled up ($2.059 credit). We stopped at a supermarket in Raritan for some cookies, yogurt and a sorry chocolate-iced doughnut. We stopped again at a rest area to eat our snack - the fruit stand peach in yogurt. We followed 206 down through Princeton to I-95 with a few bobbles at the intersection. Lunch was late - around 1400 - at Friendly's somewhere north of Baltimore. Passing through (or around) Baltimore we saw banners welcoming Pope Francis so he must be going to visit that city after his stay in D.C. We didn't run into traffic until we were most of the way around the "outer belt" on I-495 to the north of D.C. The last five miles to the George Washington Memorial Parkway were somewhat slow. Then we had to rely on some complicated routing to get us onto the Lee Expressway so we could make the right turn on N. Quinn St. and our Airbnb in Arlington about 1645. Zarko, our host, was home and he showed us around. after visiting for a while we went out and walked up the hill to Arlington National Cemetery.
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| Burial at Arlington |
9 Sep, Wed - Up at 0730, oatmeal and peaches, out after 0900 to find the Rosslyn Metro station. We had to ask a couple of passersby for directions (ones that were not totally plugged in to their phones by earbuds). At the Commuter Store we bought two senior Smart Cards for $2 each and put $10 on each of them [It turned out we didn't need that much because senior fares are only half the regular rate.] Then we descended way down under the hill to catch the Metro silver line train to DC, getting
off at the Smithsonian stop on the south edge of the Mall (right next to Dept of Ag and its food court). We went directly to the Holocaust Museum thinking that we would have to get a ticket to return later, but it wasn't busy and we got right in. Starting on the top floor and working our way down we saw the whole history from the harbingers of Nazism to the "final solution". Back on the main floor after three hours there were displays about modern instances of genocide. It was already past time for lunch and we tried to get into the Dept of Ag but the x-ray machine at the entrance security console caught my little Opinel knife and I could either hand it in to be destroyed (or kept by the guard?) or leave. We left and I considered hiding the knife in a flower planter on the sidewalk, but decided instead to go back to the Holocaust Museum and go to the cafe behind the building (in the USFS headquarters). For some reason, if I had the knife in my pocket, the alarm on the walk-through scanner was not set off. So we had a decent lunch there. From there we walked past the Washington Monument to the new WWII Memorial, then on to the Lincoln Memorial, and the Vietnam Memorials. I bought a pin with the 101st Screaming Eagle bearing a "Vietnam" banner in place of "Airborne". Eventually there will be an actual visitor's center for the Vietnam Memorial. After I put the pin on my hat several 
people commented on it and I ran into a volunteer who knew the 3/187th (Rakkasan) unit and showed me where he thought the casualties from Hamburger Hill might be. I was not surprised that I didn't recognize any of the names. We continued on around the Mall on the northern side past the White House and the Wash. Mon. and stopped to get out of the heat at the Museum of Natural History. After resting and viewing a photography exhibit on Iceland we continued east to the Sculpture Garden (it was open although most of the Smithsonian museums closed at 1730). We also cut back across the Mall to the sculpture garden associated with the Hirschhorn. Meanwhile, Wally and Ginny had gotten seriously stuck in traffic coming in from Dulles. They were guessing at an ETA of 1900. By now we were dragging and ready for some down time. We walked into the Penn Quarter through Market Square where there is a Navy War Memorial and found the Smithsonian Portrait Gallery and American Art Museum. It was still open so we killed a little time there and learning more about US history. When they shooed us out at 1900 it was only a couple of blocks to the Marriott. Across the street was the Shake Shack which served burgers and frozen custard. [Score!] We went in and got some peach lemonade and root beer, saving the custard for another time. By then it was time to meet Ginny and Wally in the lobby of the hotel. The concierge gave us a recommendation for a place to eat and he seemed to really pay attention to what we wanted. Clydes at the Gallery on the edge of Chinatown had good service and the food was very good - "jumbo lump" crabcake and summer vegetable fettuccine. Afterward we caught the Metro at Metro Central not far from the Marriott and got back to Zarkos around 2200.10 Sep, Thu - We got up a bit later and didn't leave for DC until after 1000. At least now we knew how to get to the Metro. This time we got off at Capitol South and walked up Capitol Hill to the
Library of Congress/Thomas Jefferson Building. It was extravagantly designed with a Neptune fountain in front, domes, skylights, stairways, allegorical figures and a mosaic of Minerva. There were some interactive A/V devices to help visitors make sense of all the figures, putti and other statues and bas-reliefs. Next we went to the Supreme Court Building which contains a large bronze statue of John Marshall (which used to be outside), and the famous five-story, marble and brass self-supporting spiral staircase. A guide told us we had just missed a tour into the Supreme Court courtroom, and about an interesting tunnel from the Capitol basement to Library of Congress. But when we left, we skipped the Capitol visitor center and walked around the north end of the Capitol, passed by the Peace Circle and continued west down the north side of the Mall. Totally unexpectedly we bumped in Ginny and Wally as they came out of the Newseum . They went on to the Air and Space Museum and American 
Indian Museum while we headed for the Penn Quarter and the Shake Shack for lunch. We shared a Roadside burger with cheese fries (don't order those next time!) and a Concrete, a frozen custard concoction something like a Blizzard. After lunch we walked back to the Mall and, as it started to sprinkle (we had our folding umbrellas with us), past the Wash. Mon again, and south to the new Martin Luther King, Jr., Memorial. From there we continued on a trail around the Tidal Basin to the large Franklin Delano Roosevelt Memorial. And then on to the James Mason Memorial and the huge Thomas Jefferson Memorial. At 1630 or so we were back at the USFS building and we tried to get in to see the animatronic Smokey Bear but the VC had closed at 1600. We were pretty beat by now even though the temperature had dropped a bit so we walked over to the Mus. of Nat Hist again to use the rest rooms and benches until it closed at 1730. Ginny and Wally met us outside and we set out looking for a place to eat. Market Square had lots of choices and we settled on Plan B Burgers and ate outside next to the Navy War Memorial. After dinner we walked Ginny and Wally back to their hotel and caught the Metro back to Rosslyn. Zarko must have had a late class because he wasn't in when we got home around 2030.11 Sep, Fri - We got up around 0800 and out by 0930 to catch the Metro from Rosslyn one stop to Arlington National Cemetery. From there it was only a short walk to the Visitor Center where we signed up for a tour, usually $12 each or $9 for seniors. I showed my VA ID and WA state disabled vet card and got free tickets for both of us. We waited a while for the 1030 tram departure then got off at the first stop - JFK's grave and RFK's nearby. Then there was a long wait for the next tram. Once we were aboard it circled around through the upper part of the cemetery, through a section containing Confederate graves, and stopped at the Memorial Amphitheater where we saw the Tomb of the
Unknowns and the Changing of the Guard ceremony. We thought we had missed it but maybe our watches were wrong. Back on the tram we skipped the stop at the Custis Mansion/Lee's home and returned to the VC. C.J. was surprised that there was no mention of 9/ll on this anniversary date so we got directions and walked the mile to the memorial to those killed at the Pentagon on 9/11. There were a dozen or more soldiers or marines in uniform there but no organized ceremony. On the way back we stopped to watch two burials (out of the twenty-seven scheduled for that day); one had a bugler and a seven-soldier honor guard to fire the three rifle volleys; the other had that plus a military band and another dozen or so troops. By then it was approaching 1400 and we needed to be on the road to avoid rush-hour traffic. We took the M back to Rosslyn, walked the thirteen minutes up to Zarko's, loaded the car and got going about 1415. We took I-66 and ran into slow traffic leaving the metropolitan area - probably typical for Friday afternoon. Rte 17 took us south through the countryside to hit I-95 near Fredricksburg where we stopped for a break at Friendly's - a Fribble and a small sundae would hold us until dinner. We followed I-295 around Richmond to Williamsburg. Traffic in general wasn't too bad but it took us 45 minutes longer than the Google Maps estimate [not bad considering Ginny and Wally took five and a half hours from the airport (IAD), once they got there in a limo, to W-burg]. The GPS showed us the way to Powhatan Resort where we checked in to the wrong unit - but Pat straightened it out and we got to share the upstairs of a condo unit with Bill while Ginny and Wally had the downstairs with Rob. Other units have Mary and Dave, two of their sons, , Tim and his wife Jillian. Pat was staying there also in a unit with her friends from when she lived in Somerset, New Jersey. Later Greg and Mara arrived. [And on Saturday Kevin and Jennifer with their two youngsters, Macey and got in from their new home in the DC area.] For dinner, Dave ordered pizza for everyone - that was a lot of pizza, expensive, too.12 Sep, Sat - I drove out to the local shopping mall to get some fruit to go with our oatmeal; I also
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| Seven Siblings all in one place! |
13 Sep, Sun - Up at 0700 for a bagel,lox, cream cheese breakfast with Pat and whomever else was still around - most of us. Later c.J. and I drove the Colonial Parkway via Jamestown to Yorktown
Battlefield (NPS). We arrived just in time for a talk about artillery, and then a
cannon-firing, dry run, and another firing of an 18-pound siege gun by
costumed re-enactors. We then went through the visitor center/museum which had a 3/4-scale ship model and a tent used by George Washington. After that we took the driving tour around the battlefield stopping at the house where the British surrender terms were worked out - very knowledgeable docent there. By then we were tired and hungry so we headed back. We stopped at a park along the James River when we thought we saw a standard Rogallo, but it was just a big (10-12 ft) delta kite. I had clipped a BOGO coupon for Haagen-Daz at the General Store in Williamsburg so we stopped there for ice cream before returning to Powhatan Resort. Around 1900 we had dinner of leftovers with Pat, Gin, Rob and Bill. Later I got packed and checked in with Delta.14 Sep, Mon - We were up at 0700 for oatmeal and fruit, finish packing, and saying goodbye. We were on the road at 0915 and it took about three hours to reach the Udvar-Hazy Air and Space Museum, part of the Smithsonian. We got gas nearby so as to return the car with a full tank (2.139). The museum was free but the parking was $15. It was totally worth it because the building itself was huge, large enough to contain full size planes including some really big one like the B-29 Enola Gay, a Concorde, and an SR-71 Blackbird. There were smaller aircraft as well including several hang
glider (Pete Lehman's Talon, for example). In a separate area there was the Space Shuttle Discovery and a bunch of Mercury and Gemini capsules as well as military rockets. [The only down side of the museum was that the only place to eat was a MacDonalds. Knowing that we wouldn't last long on empty stomachs, we ate before beginning our visit.] We took a free tour with a very good guide who had stories about every exhibit we visited. Afterward we took an elevator up to the observation tower where we watched several planes land at the busy IAD. We left around 1500 for our 1700 flight, checked our rental car in, took the Budget shuttle to the terminal and dropped our bags off at Delta ($35 for one additional checked bag). We were TSA prechecked so the security line went quickly. The plane was taxiing by 1730 and we were soon on our way to ATL where we had a one-hour layover. We grabbed a very good pastrami/cheese/slaw on rye at a takeout Wolfgang Puck's ($12). As with all the other flights, this one was completely full. I wasn't sleepy so I watched "Night at the Museum - Battle at the Smithsonian" without audio (I hadn't packed my earbuds) mostly to see the places we had been while in DC. Arriving shortly after 2300, we found our bags, even the gate checked rollaboards, on the carrousel almost before we got there (bent axle on mine, again). We caught the Shuttle ($2) back to the Sandstone Inn around midnight and here home by 1330. |
| C.J. and Lincoln at Gettysburg |
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