Flying Randall Airport

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:

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Liftoff of flight #107:

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I circled to gain altitude before crossing the runway:

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And away:

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

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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:

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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”:

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Returning to the airport:

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Circling around for final approach:

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

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

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This bumper garden and trellis is fantastic:

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Erie Canalway NHC, etc.

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:

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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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