Mountains, Haze, and Tessie

Date	Aircraft	Route of Flight	Time (hrs)	Total  (hrs)
04   Jul 2008	N21481	5G0 (LeRoy, NY) - GFL (Glens Falls, NY) - LCI (Laconia, NH)	3.1	632.1
05   Jul 2008	N21481	LCI - 5G0	3.0	635.1

After a year of talking about it, the morning of July 4 found us aloft in Warrior 481 on our way to visit Ann and Greg in central New Hampshire.  I've known Greg since 5th grade and Ann almost as long - they are two of our favorite people in the entire world and a visit was long overdue.

We passed over the southern Adirondacks and stopped for lunch at Floyd Bennett Memorial Airport in Glens Falls, NY (GFL).  I did not think airports like this existed anymore.  As we turned off the runway, Unicom queried us on our intentions and, upon hearing that we were stopping for lunch, directed us to convenient parking adjacent to the terminal building (pictured above from our parking spot).  Rather than sitting behind a desk, the Unicom operator roamed the airport ramp area, directing arrivals to parking, fueling aircraft, and making small talk with transient pilots.  Parked, we were surrounded by a diverse cross section of aviation.  We were nose to nose with a jet that had just arrived from Dulles and next to a fabric-covered vintage Aeronca Champ.  We learned that "Mike's Airport Cafe" had just reopened as "Carol and Tessie's Airport Cafe".  Our server was Tessie, a well-humored grandmotherly type who accused The Bear of laughing at her throughout our lunch.  Like Piper Memorial Airport in Lock Haven, PA we were overwhelmed by the friendly atmosphere at Glens Falls.

 
Scenic Lake George in eastern New York photographed immediately after departure from Glens Falls.

From 7500 feet over Vermont, the Green Mountains made for a lovely vista, but were not terribly impressive in stature.  As we transitioned from the Adirondacks of New York to the Green Mountains of Vermont, the haze increased noticeably.

 
Our destination in Laconia, NH is adjacent to famous Lake Winnipesaukee.  The view was grand, but New Hampshire was very hazy when we arrived.  We had hoped that the view would be better when we departed the next day, but it was actually worse.  A portion of the Laconia Municipal airport is visible at the lower left corner of frame.

On final approach for Laconia Municipal Airport where Ann and Greg were waiting for us.  Our landing at this airport marked our farthest aerial journey east to date.  Photo by Kristy.

 
Returning to New York from New Hampshire, we climbed to 10,500 to escape the dense haze and scuzzy cumulus over New Hampshire and Vermont.

From time to time, we changed course to avoid build-ups like this one.