Ohio

So if you're on Facebook, you probably saw the picture I took on the ramp this morning.  I woke up at 4:45 am even though I didn't have to get up until 5.  Nice break there.  ;)  The temperature outside was 2 degrees according to my car, with the wind chill close to -20F at 6 am when I got out to the airport.  In case you're wondering, I'm not a fan of 6 a.m., or -20F wind chills.  You know, on the off chance you didn't know that about me.

I drove out to the ramp to check conditions, like I always do in the winter when it has snowed or sleeted, to make sure of what I've got before I take an airplane out there.  Each year at least once I have to drive my SUV back and forth over a spot to flatten out a place to taxi, or even shovel some.  Not this time, at least.

D came along, but this time he wanted me to sit left seat, so I flew us there.  He started cackling and laughing when they reported braking action as "medium" and "poor" on the ASOS, when I was supposed to shoot the ILS 23 there and I was still at 8000' and there was a wall of snow showers on the other side of the airport, but I saw the runway, said I saw it, and they cleared me to land while I was on top of the field at 8000' with little room to maneuver, with a 70 degree crosswind gusting to 25 knots, and then they piped up with "And 9JM, there was wind shear reported on final with a previous airplane, so let us know if you get any of that."  So to recap, I have to lose 7000' of altitude on a short base because of a snow storm right there, prior to landing with wind shear and gusty winds on a questionable runway with questionable braking action.  He snickered at me.  I put it down on the numbers, on the centerline, gently, thank you very much.  ;)

And the runway was fine.  There was snow blowing across it, but the braking action was fine on that runway, just not on some of the taxiways/ramps.

We were in Canton, Ohio.  While I was there I went to a place in town called "Samantha's", which had some seriously weird but tasty breakfast food.  I ended up with cranberry walnut french toast and bacon, and coffee, lots of coffee, and it was good.  D said he'd be ready to be back at 11:30, but it was closer to 12:30.  The trip home was sunny, windy, and uneventful, just as I don't mind it.

As soon as I landed at Kokomo, I warmed up my car (which didn't want to start), ran home, picked up Kaylee's band clothes, drove back to the school, picked her up, found out she forgot her shoes and needed food, went to Culvers, went home, picked up her shoes, dropped her back off at the school for her band concert, came home, tried to pass out in my chair for 30 minutes, then left with Steve to go to her band concert until 8 pm.  Got home at 8:20 or so, finally got my contacts out, which I think were glued to my eyeballs, and am trying to stay awake...

Now my next mission is to make it to Texas and back without flying the Cheyenne through or onto a runway covered in sleet/ice.  That's trickier than it sounds over the next two days.  ;)

A picture J. Byrd took of me coming home in the Cheyenne the evening D. Rozendaal flew over to come to Wyoming with us, having nothing to do with today, but I like the photo.

This is me, excited to be out on the ramp at 6 a.m. with a below zero wind chill.  I had to hold my ear flap down to keep the wind from picking it up and freezing my ear.  I did have gloves.  Just couldn't operate a phone with them on.

Full moon behind me.

Beautiful sunrise thinking about dawning in front of me.

Here it comes...

Before the sun has fully come up...

On the ramp as the sun finally rises.

Leaving Akron Canton.  Sub-zero wind chills, nice gusty winds, icy blue and white everywhere.  Took me one hour to get there and 2 hours to get home.