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Showing posts from September 19, 2010

Honshu and Okinawa

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I am back. I spent 10 days in Japan, 5 days for work on the main island of Honshu and 5 days of solo adventure in Okinawa. Travel is so invigorating dispite the uncomfortableness. Jetlag, anxiety, crowds, and other discomforts aside, it is mind-expanding and rewarding. Work went well. I flew a new airline (Skymark) from Tokyo to Naha. I am always wary of strange discount airlines and all the traps they set. However, I had a great expereince with "Sky". I was actually shocked. Super easy checkin at the airport, no extra fees even with extra luggage. The primary mission in Okinawa was to visit the Peace Park and the suicide cliffs of Okinawa. From what I understand, at the end of WW2 the inhabitants were encouraged to commit suicide rather than surrender to the Americans and get tortured and eaten. Besides other types of suicide, they jumped off the cliffs at the Southern end of the main island. If you have seen the original color footage taken at the time, I am sure you ...
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I have a quick trip up north for a couple of days (leaving tonight). The first couple of weeks in Oct I will be in Europe. I am planning a weekend in England. I'm not sure what I am going to do, but I will have a car. This will be my first right-drive car experience. I will also be going to France and Finland. I am getting in the air in a couple hours with a new instructor. I need to finish up with my license before all the prereqs start expiring.. Its all about the tractors. The open window pic needs a clever caption.
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I am a bit home sick this week. The lows at night in Duluth have gotten into the 60s. It is still touching the 90s in the afternoons. I like the picture of guy working on the mega mart sign. I don't know why. It says something though. How big is big enough? The other pic captures a guy in a pickup with a flasher behind a cop. I am not sure what the whole story was. It was just weird to see a cop getting pulled over by a guy in a pick up. Weird.
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Just a few weeks ago I was telling a friend that I would never go for a ride in an old Ford Tri-motor. Today I did just that. I decided to go down to the Gwinnett county airport and bum around. The pilot's lounges are nice, people are friendly and it sure beats sitting around. Unknown to me the EAA's Ford Trimotor was there offering rides at the airport today. No waits; no hassle. I also met some ham radio operators giving an HF demonstration. They got a big kick out of my former callsigns, KC4AAA and KC4USV. I just couldn't resist going for a ride. My only regret was not jumping at the opportunity to sit in the right seat. The slight hesitation cost me the opportunity. The plane was built in 1929, has (3) 450 HP radial engines and cruises at 87 knots. The pilot's window was open the whole flight. There is a lot more legroom than there is today's airliners! The plane only holds 9 passengers. www.flytheford.org
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