A Grand Time at Grand GenevaI hadn't been to a lot of fly-ins this Summer and I'd been missing them, so it was great that a last minute flight took shape over Labor Day weekend. It wasn't even ironed out until ten o'clock the night before exactly where we were going and who was on board. We ended up agreeing on a flight to Grand Geneva airport since it was close, uncontrolled, and near a scenic location where we could get something to eat. Wheels-up time was at 8:30. My route of flight was via the DuPage VOR, and then northbound. Just about over the VOR, Bob cruised by left wing in his Cessna Turbo-210, obviously having picked the same route. Shortly afterwards, I cruised under Barry, who was one thousand feet above me. We all proceeded North, and over Galt, Mick spotted me at his 3 o'clock. With their higher top speeds it was no surprise that Mick, Jude and Bob got to Grand Geneva first. Actually, it worked out well because we didn't all get there at exactly the same time. 
By the time I rolled out and taxied clear of runway 23, Bob had shut down and Mick and Jude were just getting out of the RV. Barry showed up about ten minutes later, and Rich Wild shortly after that. 
Mick called a cab, which turned out to be a van, and it dropped us off downtown a block from the lake. It took us about ½ a block to find a place to eat. We had to wait a long time to get our food, but it was worth it. After breakfast, we walked down to the waterfront. 
The breeze off the lake took the edge off the midday heat, and pretty soon Bob was on a mission to find a speed boat to rent. As much as I wanted to go, parental responsibilities compelled me to catch a cab back to the airport. Pretty soon, I was heading back to Clow bucking the twenty knot headwind that had helped me two hours earlier. I hope the guys found that boat to rent, because I can’t think of a better way to spend such a picturesque day. 
Where To Now? |