Homeward bound....

Virgin Airlines, Flt 77, Dulles to SFO...

It was a dark and dreary day in our nation's capital... A bit cold, gray, drizzling...

Better than the snow earlier in the week, but dark and gray...

Steph and I took Metro into town for the last time this trip... Headed for the Smithsonian Art Museum's archive and library... Researching an artist who painted a painting found in the attic of Paterson house... my former work place.   The archives had a file on the artist John Koch, but nothing on our painting.

Having completed our research, we found something to eat, then took the Metro back to northern Virginia, to the nieces house, to grab luggage, loose the daughter (who is staying behind for a few weeks), I say goodbye, give the great niece a hug, and depart... then head for the airport...

It was raining, nearly rush hour, and I was a bit nervous about the traffic on the way to the airport... I left a bit early... Then found no traffic, and made near record time... Dropped the rental... Checked in... Cleared security... Nearly 2 hours before boarding.  I found a place to sit with a beer and a plug and signed on to the Internet... Some of you may have received an email... Having consumed I  found a seat by the gate until it was time to board...

The boarding was anti-climatic... Without much warning they announced "general boarding"... I walked up, they scanned my boarding pass and walked down the jetway...

They announced that they had closed the doors and  pushed back 4 minutes early... We were wheels up 8'minutes later...  I feel like I'm on an express train...

 Now 2 hours later, somewhere above 30,000', , 1,100 miles into the journey the sun is setting to the west, below clouds could easily be mistaken for ocean waters... Home is 4 hours away...  Out beyond the sunset...

My seat back entertainment system is on the fritz (Oh my God!  The inhumanity, turn the airplane around... How will I survive the flight?!)  so I am listening to music, mostly Houston Jones, writing this blog post and reading...

The clouds broke, briefly, as the sun light finally failed, somewhere west of the Mississippi.. Exposing the ground below... We are now over the plains, Kansas or Iowa, or maybe Nebraska...  There are few lights below...   Houston-Jones are singing.... "Out where the sea meets the sun" ( the word "out" is missing from the song title, but is an important part of the lyrics)...  Three hours to go.

The entertainment system magically came to life over South Dakota...  But I think I will stick to Houston-Jones and my book...

 I run out of Houston Jones songs over the Rockies... With the entertainment system working I have a map showing location, ground speed, elevation and such... I switch to Mark  Knophler...   Quick time and distance calculation (790 miles at 475mph). suggests we are less than the two hours out the schedule calls for...  We may arrive a bit early.

We were just crossing the Utah/Nevada border, when I noticed that our miles to go (475 miles) and speed (485 mph) were, for a moment the same... The clock suggests we have an hour and a half to go...

We have crossed a line in the sand... we have entered my home territory, places where I can find my way without benefit of a map... A couple if ranges west is Ely... I have driven home from Ely in a day, more than once.   An hour before our scheduled landing we are 289 miles out, over Railroad Valley (strangely a valley which never has had a railroad) over Tonopah, over Rhodes Marsh...

45 minutes out, the map says we in California, over Mt Tom in the Sierras...  Ahead in the distance I can see lights of a city in San Joaquin valley... Likely Fresno or Merced... 166 miles to go... Still at 34,000'

30 minutes out...  100 miles to go... Now descending...   29,000', 26,000'... The lights outside forming familiar patterns...  We bank left loosing a bit more altitude... Down to 21,000'... We are coming in over the South Bay...

We cross the Sam Mateo bridge, and drop the landing gear at 23 after... And touch down at 9:25... 15 minutes early... And are at the gate by 9:28...  I am at baggage before our scheduled arrival at 9:40... It is 10:00 before I find my bag... someone pulled it off the carrasell... and set it aside...

By 10:30 I am home and settled... the dogs are happy...