Today I spent more time flying than any other day in the last 8 weeks of this adventure. Today I was no longer casually meandering about the country. Today I had a mission: Home.
From Winslow Arizona I flew 2 hours west to Kingman Arizona, refueled and headed south for an hour and a half, following the Colorado River to Blythe California, refueled, and headed straight west for another hour and a half, to Carlsbad. Five hours in the cockpit, in the worst heat, by far, of the entire trip. At the end of each leg, I was very tired, but the thought of home pumped fresh adrenaline and kept me going.
The plane ran flawlessly, and the winds were light. It was as if the Waco itself was looking forward to getting home. As the territory below me became more familiar, the biplane seemed to run even faster, and more sweetly than ever before. Is it possible that such machines can actually possess a spirit of their own, or that they share a spirit of their human partner? It seems to be a preposterous suggestion, but this Waco was acting as if it was as eager to get home as I was.
The landing at Palomar airport in Carlsbad was done on "auto pilot". I know the territory so well, I almost didn't have to think about it. As I rolled to a stop the controller in the tower asked me if I had moved away, because she hadn't seen my plane around for a long time. There were other signs of longer-term changes during my absence: construction projects finished, kids grown taller, faces changed in unexplainable ways. I thought about the story of the space traveler who rides a beam of light around the solar system and comes back to find everyone else has aged far more than himself. All these people have been going about their daily lives, and I have been living a dream of a lifetime.
Many times, at many different stops, I was told that I was doing what many people only dream about. And it's true. I know because for the longest time, I was one of those people who only dreamed about it. This was most definitely an extraordinary adventure, a lifetime memory. The people I met were the most outstanding experiences I have ever had. The sensations of flight, the G-forces, the visual delights, the fears, the ecstasy of cloud hopping, the tactile feel of grass field landings, the camaraderie of other pilots and dreamers, the friendship of real people, the wonder of strange places, the joy of learning, the challenge of natural forces against a toy of wood and fabric, the impossibility of flying through a rainbow, the exhaustion, the loneliness, the separation, the reward of perseverance, the enlightenment of solitude and introspection, the joy of playing in "The Fields of the Lord". All of these, and countless more, are the thoughts and feelings which rush through my mind, all of them real and true, but none of them complete. A kaleidoscope of touch, taste, smell, sight, sound, thought, emotion, and instinct. How could I possibly sum it all up?
It sure was FUN!
There is one thing I want to acknowledge in this last email: When I started this adventure, I thought sending a daily email postcard to some friends and family would be a good way to share the adventure as it unfolded. I wasn't thinking of anything more than that. As the trip progressed and I received so many replies with your personal stories about the places I visited, or the people, or the experiences, it enhanced the total experience for me. It was as if I had the fun of carrying along many co-pilots who contributed greatly to the total experience. I truly looked forward to the daily opportunity to share with you the happenings of the day. Without you, many of the great moments of this adventure would have been lost in a sea of experiences. Because of you, we now have a journal to share with many more to come. I hope you have enjoyed this trip as much as I have enjoyed sharing it with you. Thank you very much.