After first departing our home base airport, I flew in kind of a haphazard direction until we both could figure out just where we wanted to go. It was finally decided that we would be destined for New Garden airport in Toughkenamon, Pennsylvania. This route would take us over the Willow Grove Naval Base and just west of Philadelphia. The first item of interest is the King of Prusssia highway interchange and shopping mall. The large conglomeration of highways there are I-76, I-276, State 202, State 422 & Route 303:
Looking to the right (north) we could see Valley Forge National Historic Park, and after slight turn to the south we were now a short distance from Brandywine airport in the town of West Chester. This airport is home to the American Helicopter Museum, which holds a large airshow and demonstration event each Fall. The next area of interest was Longwood Gardens near Kennett Square, Pennsylvania. See my personal photo gallery of this incredible attraction HERE. Also along this route, I noticed a rather small golf course, which looks to have only nine holes:
In the distance, we could finally see New Garden airport. After landing, we briefly walked around and talked to a few folks working on their aircraft. We ate our picnic lunch in the plane, then departed for destinations north of the area. Passing just west of Brandywine airport, I took a photo of an interesting highway interchange; basically two interchanges merged into one:
Further on, I took note of a school with an entirely BLUE roof. I don't know, it just looked neat, so I snapped a picture:
We then flew just east of the Pottstown-Limerick area of Pennsylvania, and could see the power generating cooling towers looming in the distance. We always use these as a reference point and to see the severity of the winds aloft as it blows the steam pouring from these hollow, behemoth cylinders of re-bar and concrete. We were now over Quakertown airport in Quakertown, Pennsylvania, then decided to fly west for a flight over Dorney Park to check on the progress of their newest coaster, Voodoo. On the way there, though, I noticed an outdoor recreation shop along Route 309 near Coopersburg, Pennsylvania. It had a large selection of umbrellas stationed outdoors, and I thought it looked neat from above:
Ahead of us and in the distance, we could see the mountain ridge hiding the view of the city of Allentown and Bethlehem. I overflew Queen City airport and circled Dorney Park for some photos. Here is a picture of one area of the park, complete with a white water rafting and train ride:
After a quick landing and rest at Queen City, we departed and flew back east, destined for home. I noticed, though, a large expanse of blooming foliage on some of the surrounding hills:
We then reached the Delaware river, then turned south at the town of Milford. We both noticed that a new earthen-type dam (or something of this nature) was constructed on the east shore of the river, just south of Milford. My wife and I noticed this too while driving in this area. Take a look and see if you can figure out what this landscaped area is supposed to be:
After shooting a few pictures of this unknown landmark, I turned due northeast for our home base airport. The wind, however, was still out of the north which meant I would be dealing with a direct crosswind if I wanted to land on the main runway. Nah, no fun, so I opted to land on the cross runway which is a lot short and narrower, except that now I would have a direct headwind and be landing at a much slower speed. Needless to say, the landing was uneventful. We headed for the gas pits to drain our wallets with some $5 per gallon liquid gold, then parked the plane in our tie-down spot. It was a nice afternoon flight with rather smooth air, though a bit gloomy in the beginning. But hey, we were flying, and that is something we both cherish that we're still able to do. And to be able to share our flight and sights with all of you, well, that's just icing on the cake :) !!!
Thanks for Flying Along with Dad and I !!!
