Arrivals

Monday, May 26th

Perhaps arriving by plane isn't the magical and glamorous arrival that it once was. (I'm thinking of those black and white newsreels of stars emerging from planes in the early days of transcontinental flight with Sinatra's Come Fly With Me playing in the background.) However, soaring above New York harbor, past the Statue of Liberty, along the east side of Manhattan, past both Shea Stadium and Yankee Stadium before finally circling Laguardia is a pretty great way to arrive back home. Likewise flying in over Lake Michigan, past the spires of downtown Chicago and dipping down into O'Hare is pretty great.

Last night's arrival in Minneapolis was unexpectedly spectacular. When we left Grand Rapids, there was some pretty heavy weather over Minneapolis: tornadoes, thunderstorms and large hail. We flew around most of the storm with only a few bumps. As we got near MSP the sun was dropping low and the light started to take on a bright orange hue. The thunderheads were magnificent just to the east of the airport. The setting sun turned the Mississippi River and all the surrounding lakes into brilliant orange mirrors. The buildings of downtown Minneapolis also glinted in the distance. It was a beautiful welcome to a great city.

Taxiing to our gate (photo from Gurr's cell)

JV