Flying Randall Airport

Posted on July 21, 2016 by Ben

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This morning I got up before dawn and drove up to Randall Airport near Middletown, New York. As I arrived, two hot air balloons were taking off. I set up my wing and prepared to launch:

Liftoff of flight #107:

I circled to gain altitude before crossing the runway:

And away:

My destination for today was this ancient lake bed known as the Black Dirt Region:

Winds at 1200 feet above the ground were smooth and blowing at 9 to 11 MPH from the west, but as I got down lower, shearing and perhaps rotor made for bumpy flying so I didn’t get lower than 200 feet above the ground:

On the way back I flew over this harness racing track. A horse and cart are visible on the leftmost edge of the track’s grey “lane”:

Returning to the airport:

Circling around for final approach:

Once I landed, I took a closer look at fellow PPG pilot Paul’s Emergency Response Studio, parked here at the airport:

I love the translucent wall section and the geodesic homage to Buckminster Fuller:

This bumper garden and trellis is fantastic:

Erie Canalway NHC, etc.

Posted on July 6, 2016 by Ben

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The kids received in the mail their Junior Ranger badges for the Erie Canalway National Heritage Corridor. During the trip, We had passed through the corridor but not near a visitor center, so the kids completed the workbooks and submitted them remotely:

We’ve started to get the house put back together, which included re-hanging the triptych I made from a photograph I captured of Death Valley National Park from Zabriskie Point at dawn. I just have to straighten the three panels:

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