I love to travel - to go places. While I prefer road-tripping and just incorporating the process of getting there into the adventure, I surely don't mind how a massive tube of metal with wings fossil-fueling its way through the sky can get you there much quicker. I kind of endure the airplane thing - it's not nearly as much fun as when I was a kid. BUT BUT BUT, it's all worth while if I get a window seat and a nice crystal clear day.
I know I indulge in hyperbole quite often - too much even, but I don't think it's too hyperbolic to say that I find looking down at geography and terrain from 30,000 feet CEASELESSLY fascinating. Honestly - the plane landing or a serious headache would be the only thing to stop me from enjoying the abstractly fascinating textures and colors of a landscape scrolling slowly by.
I once had a flight straight from Seattle to Columbus - a beautiful cloudless day. Most of the 4+ hour trip I spent with my head firmly pressed against that little oval window looking down at the crazy quilt-patterns of the plains - the strange circles and half-circles - the dirt roads that matriculate aimlessly up into the Black Hills - strange man-made structures in the middle of nowhere - the gleam of a tiny little car on a lonely farm road (wondering what the heck that person was up to at that moment) - how streams and rivers divide farmland - the weird colors and shapes of retention ponds - and trying to guess where our plane was according to that urbanized area way over there by that lake.
It's one of the most interesting things in the world to me - and that's why, with a trip to Florida to escape the dregs of Winter in the next month, I wrap up my Things to Be Thankful For Besides The Obvious by being thankful for: WINDOW SEATS.
And here's my "Twilight Zone" tribute (still to this day one of the creepiest and most entertaining things I have seen in a movie...)
Ha! There's something on the wing! Great final post.
ReplyDeleteGood one Steve - I totally agree. A couple of years ago Magic sent me to Malaysia and the plane, in order to get on the other side of the planet, flew over the arctic circle. That's an amazing and terrifying landscape to be looking down on. It took hours - really praying for no mechanical difficulties.
ReplyDeleteSweet man...I hate the taking off and landing but flying is great. We're looking tohead down to florida ourselves( to miami to visit Mila's father, and we're planning on hitting the Everglades which is amazing if you ever get the chance to go...it's like every plant is from a planet of giant flora and there are alligators that swim right up next to your boat. Jsut don't dangle the kids ovder the edge....we tried that with our first child, Frank. We don' talk about Frank any more
ReplyDeleteNo no no... it's "there's some..........THING on the .... WING!"
ReplyDeletelol
It does suck however when you get in a row that's in between windows. Then you're at the mercy of the nimrod in front of you..and so many people just like to close the window and play on their laptop.
ReplyDeleteI love that. Look at these photos. They're in the same language that you are speaking. http://bldgblog.blogspot.com/2011/01/on-grid.html
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