Finale

We wanted to complete the travelogue of Julia and Arlene’s Air Race Adventure by telling you about our return trip and filling in the gap of our delightful trip to Boston.

Sunday, after a mandatory de-briefing session, we squeezed in our Boston trip. How lucky can you be to have your own private tour guide? Caroline’s husband, Bill, picked us up and off we went to catch the 1:10 PM commuter train. We were bound for South Station, downtown Boston. Bill said there is also a North Station, but to get from one to the other, you had to take the subway. You could also connect at South Station to trains and buses. One of Bill’s grandfathers had worked as a postal mail sorter on a train to New York that left this station every night.

We were in the heart of Boston where Bill had worked in international banking. He not only grew up in Hingham and lived there when they were not overseas, but he also graduated from Harvard. Definitely knew the area, so off we went at a brisk pace to see as much as possible in the time allowed.

Looking from the site of the Boston Tea Party, Julia took this shot of the part of the old warehouse district with its very old, refurbished buildings, interspersed with new buildings.

This old swing bridge in the background was still operational when Bill was working in this area, and he said it made an absolutely awful noise. The middle section (where it arches) swung 90 degrees to allow boats to pass on either side.

We enjoyed the view off the old bridge of the harbor and were amused by the sign. (There were NO signs of efforts toward a re-opening of the bridge.)

You can see the clock tower of the old customs house in the background. A rather curious structure, with a lower level of one style of architecture and the upper part another. It has now been turned into a Marriott Hotel (building is the Greek columns in the center of the photo).

Some of the buildings were stone-fronted and

brick elsewhere. The one you can see in the background was stone-fronted on both sides and built on a pier. It and others like it would have been occupied by shippers and traders during the Boston Harbor heyday.

Bill told us that the plaza where we were standing was on top of the Big Dig – a 6 lane or more freeway that is underground, replacing the overhead the separated Boston and was a real eye-sore. The children are playing in a fountain right on top of the freeway, so I guess in Boston, it’s okay to tell your children to go play on the freeway.

Next, we saw the Old State House where the British ruled this area. Unfortunately, they were working on the steeple, so it lost a little of the ambience. It is completely surrounded by modern structures – amazing that it survived.

Faneuil Hall (1742) where much of the Revolution was planned is now a market center with shops and food court, etc. Quincy Market was added in the 1800s.












The historic churches were beautiful and still active. King’s Chapel was the first Episcopal Church in the U.S., formed in 1686. A church built on this location in 1689.

Park Street Church is an active Congregational Church formed in 1809 and the adjacent cemetery was the burial site of many famous Revolutionary figures.

Last, the Common and the State Capitol.

We rode the subway over the Charles River and back, caught a glimpse of M.I.T., and went back to Mansfield. Thank you, Bill, for a very interesting day.

THE TRIP HOME!

1374 nautical miles to Cleburne - 1581 statute miles. We knew it would take well over 13 hours of flight time and two days. Our first fuel stop was Altoona, PA. Amusing – our prize money did not quite cover the cost of the fill-up. We borrowed the courtesy car and drove to a Mennonite-run restaurant for lunch. The food was the best we’d had in a few days. The countryside is beautiful. The river is the Susquehanna.

Back to the airport and, as we thought, the line of thunderstorms between us and the Pittsburg area was impassable. We waited for about 3 hours for a break, and now nightfall was quickly approaching. We decided we would be better off to get as close as we could to Pittsburg to overnight. There was a break in the first line, but another one was behind it. So, we started off for one airport and diverted to the Arnold Palmer Airport in LaTrobe – IFR. Great service and good accommodations, and it is definitely an Arnold Palmer town – pictures everywhere – airport and hotel. Next morning, we filed IFR and were in the clouds for about an hour before the skies became clear blue. We crossed the Ohio River about mid-morning. You can see the barges in the river.

Going West, one can almost count on significant headwinds. By going up to 8500’, we were able to get no headwind or a very slight tailwind and were very pleased to get to Bardstown, KY just before noon. Again, we borrowed the courtesy car and went into town to eat at a 200 year old Tavern and read a lot of the historical markers. While we were eating, Julia discovered that the Abbey of Gethsemani was only about 15 miles away. One of her favorite authors is Thomas Merton, who was a monk at the Abbey for many years. So, off we go to see the Monastery (pictures copied from their website since we forgot the camera).

Next stop – Search, Arkansas.

Then, the most beautiful sight – DFW and HOME. We landed about 9:30 PM, July 1. Exhausted, but well-pleased.

Our total flight time home was 14.2 hours. Our total race time was 18.9 hours. Total trip was 45.4 hours. Our thanks to Sarah Hambly for her many hours of blog posting while we were traveling, and our thanks to each of you who took the time to post on our blog. Another adventure, and we thank you for sharing it with us.

2008 Classic 18 – Julia & Arlene