dragonsblog

I'm so glad Tom flew with me on Saturday as my safety pilot/photographer and captured images and video of my "dream flight" to Iowa. He captured some fantastic images with his Canon digital SLR, a few of which I'm posting here. The image above shows the picturesque atmospheric conditions as we flew up the Mississippi River just north of Dubuque.


Tom captured a lonely little barge pushing upriver.


This view shows the broad expanse of the Mississippi at Guttenberg, including the dam there.


There were many wonderful patterns in the landscape below us, and Tom captured this one of a big John Deere tractor planting along the contours of a big field.


Tom caught this dramatic image as we flew over my cousin Stan's place north of Elkader. If you click on it to view the larger version you may be able to see Stan standing near his pond while his dog, Dutch, swims in it, and the shadow of our airplane passes by. The wing was washed and waxed that morning so the reflections really show up well.


We flew from Elkader to Prairie Du Chien, Wisconsin, just before sunset and were treated to dramatic golden lighting of the rolling hills near the river as we detoured north near Effigy Mounds National Monument. The sun set as we waited for fuel in Prairie, and then we enjoyed a fast ride back to Westosha at night, thanks to smooth air and a tailwind.

The highlight of the trip for me was being able to land at Elkader Airport (I27) and drive into town to visit my grandmother, Abbie. It was so nice to not have to drive 5 hours each way to see her! Although it was a challenge to fly into Elkader's 1700' grass strip on top of a hill, it was quite enjoyable and I look forward to doing it again. I also enjoyed flying over the Kobliska farm north of town, which I've wanted to do for years. I hope to soon add some pictures of Elkader and the farm, or link to them on Tom's site.