Sitting in seat 33L of a 767-200 awaiting take-off from EWR. Light drizzle and gloom shrouds the airport but I know that clear skies are above and sunny 70s await me in New Mexico. Seven-across seating with narrow rows makes for chaotic boarding—especially with everyone carrying-on too many bags to avoid the checked baggage fee (including me...with only a camera case full of gear and a small hand bag with basics needed for a short weekend adventure.)
A full plane and few overstuffed roller-bags that just won’t fit into the compartments creates a little tension, but finally all is calm and everyone is seated. Suggestions to upright your seats and tray tables triggers complaints. A heavily-accented woman directly behind me protests to her husband. “WHY? WHY do we have to do that?” “ I’m sure they have good reason,” assures her husband. “I know why—they are afraid everything will break!” she fearfully retorts. “Nothing will break. It will be fine,” he adds.
Soon two powerful GE turbofan engines each deliver over 63,000 lbs. of thrust pinning me back in my seat (a thrill I’ve not experienced in years—reminiscent of my first flight on a DC-10). Within seconds we were steeply climbing through the dark gray blanket above Port Elizabeth. The rain-streaked windows soon cleared and the morning sun illuminated the wall-to-wall cloud carpeting now below me. I took a few quick shots of the changing colors and textures before permission was given to use electronic devices and I began to blog.
I set the headrest video monitor to “Flight Channel” and enjoyed charting my flightpath and monitoring the stats: -40 °F below, slicing through a 55 mph headwind at over 500 MPH, 38,000 feet just south of Charleston, WV, cruising down the Cumberland River Valley towards Houston, TX. I’m closing in on the last 10% of goal to visit all 50 states. New Mexico will be #46— an abundance of unused air miles, hotel points and a open calendar prompted this spontaneous weekend adventure.
Just landed at ABQ - NM is now checked off the list!
Posts
