After getting serious about “My 50 State Quest”, I have come to realize how much planning is involved. The first 25 states just sort of happened as a byproduct of Work, Angel Flights, and General Joyrides. However, the next 25 states will require much more active planning.
So here we are, near the end of September, and I am hoping to make it to a few new states in October. In general, I am thinking about the following options:
Option 1 (Northeast) – If I head to the northeast, I might be able to finish a bunch of smaller states and do it before winter arrives. Since I don’t have any burning desire to fly to cold places in the winter. this might be a good idea in October. In addition, this would give me a good excuse to visit some relatives in Raleigh along the way.
Here is the general route I am considering:
The total distance would be ~ 2200 nm and probably 5 new states.
Option 2 (Colorado) – One of the other destinations I have been looking forward to flying to, is Colorado. The Eagle/Vail airport, where my family and I go every year to ski, is a must visit. Then of course every pilot knows about Leadville, which is the highest airport in the country. Lastly, Colorado Springs, which is close to the Air Force Academy/museum is also a popular pilot destination.
The general route is shown below:
The total distance would be ~ 2800 nm and likely 3 new states.
So next step, later tonight if I can stay awake (or more likely l8r in the week) is to start looking for fly-ins, or cool places to land/visit somewhere close to my intended route. If anyone has suggestions, feel free to leave a comment or email me.
Cheers,
== T.J.==
== T.J.==