Travel, Vacation, Flying, Harley Davidson and Fun.

Tortilla Flat, AZ

2010-04-08T07:07:00.003-05:00

Sunday was a ride to Tortilla flat. Another beautiful day in the desert. Mid 80's and clear.

Heading out of mesa toward the east on Apache trail highway. The mountainous terrain and winding roads makes for a fantastic motorcycle ride.

A quick stop at Canyon lake was welcome before we headed off to the town of tortilla flats. Population 6. Tortilla Flat

Tortilla flat is an authentic remnant of an old west town, nestled in the midst of the Tonto National Forest, Superstition Mountain Range. As well as being home for six adventurous people, Tortilla Flat has a charm that has surpassed time.

Tortilla Flat started out as a stage stop in 1904 and neither fire nor flood has been able to remove this historic stop along the Historic Apache Trail.

Mosey down the boardwalk and visit the Superstition Saloon. Real saddles serve as bar stools where you can enjoy a cold brew or sarsaparilla. The unique wallpaper is really dollar bills from visitors world wide.

Our Restaurant serves the biggest burgers, hottest chili and the coldest drinks everyday. The Gift Shop will surely supply your needs for the unusual.

Arizona definitely has a wide variety of riding, with very scenic landscape and challenges for the beginner to the experienced rider. Thanks again to Chris and Patty for a great weekend.

Motorcycle trip to Jerome Arizona.

2010-04-07T22:50:00.000-05:00

I rented a 2010 harley davidson street glide from Chester Harley Davidson. A great idea for those who want to ride and on vacation in another city when you cant get on your own bike.

The trip started out with some friends from Chandler, AZ. Route 87 into Payson, AZ. into the forest. Ultimate destination was Jerome, AZ. What a beautiful ride, scenic and brisk when we reached altitudes above 4000 ft. A stop for a beverage and food was great and welcome. Temperatures plummeted into the mid 50's from 70's in Phoenix.

Snow covered roadsides made the ride brisk through the forest. definitely needed chaps and more warm gear, but the scenery was breath taking.

Arriving in Jerome was a treat. Winding roads and steep peaks with the houses and building set into the hillside. Live bands and many tourists filled the streets.

2010 Harley Davidson Ford f150

2010-03-30T03:03:00.003-05:00

This is the 2010 Ford F150 Harley Davidson pick-up. What a beautiful truck. The color is Lava Red. Comes with just about everything in a tricked out pick-up and ford quality. Leather interior, Harley Davidson emblems, 22 inch wheels, heated seats, GPS navigation, SNYC system, and many more options.

I own an XLT F150 and i can say this ride is incredible compared to the standard truck. If you want a special edition truck with quality and great engineering and money is no option, this is it.

Heading to the Gateway to the west

2010-03-30T02:55:00.000-05:00

The trip started off with a quick turn to the Gateway to the west city of St. Louis. I had been a few years since I had flown into this airport. Interesting how quickly you recall airports once you land and remember all the landmarks from years past.

Many of the major rivers ( Missouri, mississippi, and the Illinois) leading into St Louis were swollen and at their flood stage with some over their banks.

Beautiful day for flying into St Louis today.

Donny Smith Bike show 2010

2010-03-28T16:15:00.001-05:00

If you like custom bikes and lots of them, then the bike show at the River Center in St. Paul was the place to be. I have attended the Donny Smith bike show a few years now and the bikes just get more and more tricked out.

Dave Perewitz and Donny smith are masters of their trait. Very approachable and always willing to share a few great stories of their start at bike building. Donny Smith ( a minnesota native) always has a great turn out for the show.

A lot of fun Harley Davidson baggers to look at. This year seemed to be how big you can customize your front wheel. One bagger had a front wheel with a 30" front tire and rim.

Lots of custom paint and a very special bike with a tribute to fallen soldiers in Iraq. They will be doing a " Toys for Tots" ride August 20th, at the Windy acres saloon in Stillwater, Mn. at noon. Entry fee is a toy.

If you like old vintage bikes, they have a few of those as well. They will be out at the minnesota state fairgrounds June 11-12. If you are interested in Minnesota motorcycle history, visit their website. Vintage motorcycle show.

The "Ride for Wishes" is also having a ride May 22. Leaves from Fury motorcycle in South St. Paul
Ride for Wishes

Lots of pictures below so check them out!!

Donny Smith Bike show 2010

2010-03-28T16:01:00.001-05:00

2010-03-27T09:54:00.001-05:00

JFK Airport

Flying to New York's Kennedy international airport is alway fun. From the pictures you can see the size of aircraft that fly into JFK. They have some construction going on one of the longest runways ( 13/31. This can cause a few delays when weather and winds restrict traffic. When the weather is good, operations move very smoothly.

.Detroit Metro and Minneapolis International airport pictured from the air.

Some of the Aircraft pictured here: 747, A340, 777, 757, 767

Blustery day in NYC

2010-03-24T12:37:00.001-05:00

Early departure this morning from New York's LaGuardia airport. Quite windy today ( out of the north at 40 Miles per hour) as you can see from the wind sock ( orange cone on a stick). Usually long taxi out delays when the winds are so strong due to one runway operation.

After takeoff when the weather is clear you have a nice view of the skyline of Manhattan.

Reaching cruise altitude of 38,000 the air was smooth even though we had 90 kts of headwind most of the flight.

The contrails from other aircraft usually looks like a giant etch-a-sketch. and makes for identifying traffic much easier on these old eyes.

Arriving into the Twin cites area of Minneapolis and St. Paul you can see the skiers still have some snow on Afton Alps for some winter fun. Uneventful landing and taxi into the gate and I can call it a day.

Spring is here

2010-03-23T20:35:00.001-05:00

2009 Harley Davidson CVO Road Glide FLTRSE3. What a machine. I love the power and the comfort. All the safety features a bike deserves. The Color and added chrome features are second to none.

I added a Klockwerk s windshield. What a difference that made. The screen moves the air above my head as I sit in the seat and added handling at high speeds.

I have also just added the 2010 CVO Street Glide seat. More back support and "HARLEY DAVIDSON" across the rear of the seat. Good luck finding one of these seats. They produced very few. I am glad, it makes a more unique look for the bike.

Coast to Coast!

2010-03-23T19:28:00.002-05:00

Day started out in Las Vegas today. Windy and warm. Here you can see the Madalay Bay and New York New York in the background. Always a very cool backdrop during takeoff.

Off we headed to the west into the early morning air. A small weather disturbance made for quite a bumpy ride for the one hour and eleven minute flight. LAX is always an exciting airport to fly into. Programming the flight management system and letting it do it's thing is a technological wonder.

Construction almost completed on the Spyder at the LAX airport. After a short stop, it was off to Detroit, then on to New York's LaGuardia airport. The flight to NYC is always exciting to fly into. The runways are short and traffic busy. Definitely is for the skilled aviator.

All and all the warm weather beats the picture you see above. Though very beautiful, still cold and winter!!

ViVA Las Vegas.

2010-03-22T16:41:00.001-05:00

Arrived in Las Vegas on a beautiful Monday morning March 22, 2010. Sky clear and temperature warm. Different from the morning departure out of minneapolis. WE stay at the Westin hotel just off the strip. Located 3 blocks east of Bali's. Very helpful staff and beautiful facilities.

Punta Cana Vacation

2010-03-19T07:18:00.000-05:00

What A great vacation. New hotel located next to sister hotel. Excellent food and staff. Plenty of beach and chairs for all guests. 5 beautiful dining facilities ( Asian, french, italian, steak house, internation cuisine). Swim up bar and very clean pool and lazy river to keep you cool. Weather was perfect during out Jan/Feb stay.

2010-03-19T06:57:00.000-05:00

2010-03-19T06:55:00.000-05:00

Fun flying and airports

2008-05-20T17:46:00.000-05:00

Another awesome trip. The weather was tough but manageable.

There is nothing more interesting and different each day then a career in aviation. What an awesome view from my office.

Some great pics of airplanes and airports. See if you can figure out which airports are shown in the pictures. One is a challenge for any pilot no matter what the weather.

Trip to Cozumel

2008-04-03T19:21:00.000-05:00

The trip to Cozumel was a ton of fun. We flew into Cancun. Then it was the 50 min bus ride to Playa Del Carmen( 8 usd per person). The buses are very nice and comfortable. The bus lets you off a block from the ferry pier. It is a 35 min ride across to Cozumel on the ferry. There are 2 companies that run you across. You can buy round trip tickets. It costs 11 usd each way. When you exit the ferry and retrieve your luggage, walk to the end of the pier. Many taxi;s await. We stayed and the reef club/Wyndham.

Awesome resort. Food was good and the entire staff was friendly and attentive. It does take a few days to get into the reservations to eat, so get them early or call ahead of time. The week went way to fast. The return trip went just as east, just remember to give yourself plenty of time on the return bus ride, they fill up fast and only run every hour.

I also stayed at the Omni at Cancun a week later. It is a great resort and the staff is very nice and respectful. It is a 15 min ride from the airport and the beach is very nice. Awesome waves and great for swimming and some boogie boarding. We had the breakfast buffet down by the beach ( 15.50 usd). Very good food and service. Gotta love Mexico when the winter lasts way to long. I have included pictures of both trips.

More Mexico pics

2008-03-10T09:17:00.000-05:00

The weather was beautiful and warm. The water was very clear in Cancun for snorkling and scuba diving. No better way to get away from the winter blahs.

Cancun

2008-03-04T19:14:00.000-06:00

A Feb trip to Cancun. Minneapolis to Cancun took about 3 hours and 22 mins of flying time. It is a very busy arrival time in Cancun around 10am-12 pm. Customs lines can be quite lengthy.

Normally put up at the Omni while staying in Cancun. This weekend was a surprise with a new hotel. The hotel Gran Melia, very tropical inside and out. Many amenities, good food, helpful staff, and awesome vacation atmosphere. Room was immaculate and fresh. Depending on the side of the hotel you are staying gives you a view of the ocean or the lagoon.

I have included some pics of the hotel and pics from the trip.

http://www.granmeliacancun.com/

Traveling easy

2008-02-27T15:28:00.000-06:00

I will be updating this blog with picture and information about traveling the united statesl, mexico, and Canada. This blog will include pics from recent trips, hotels, and useful information for airline travel. I am a pilot with a Major U.S carrier, and i hope you like the information.