There is a story that when the founding fathers decided to make the bald eagle the national symbol, Ben Franklin objected. The bald eagle, he maintained, was a scavenger, ill mannered and ill tempered. The Wild Turkey, he argued, was a far better symbol for our new nation. As with many things it appears that old Ben was right. Bald Eagles are as common in Dutch Harbor as seagulls, and not nearly as well behaved. They are breathtaking in flight, but they are also dumpster divers and hecklers. One particularly scraggly fellow gave me the stinkeye as he was perched on the edge of the dumpster behind the Grand Alaska Hotel. He pulled himself up to his full hight clicked his beak once or twice, then spread his wings and dove in. There are also the biggest ravens I have ever seen, as big as red tail hawks. They look like the flew right off of the lonely Mountain in the hobbit, I almost expect them to talk to me.

May 28th 2009 10:31 20000 feet

It is the strangest thing, the sky is a gauzy periwinkle. Not light, yet not touched with that smudge of darkness that I would expect. I spent the last 2 days in Portland which was a nice break between flights.
Portland was a strange place. It was one of the few cities that I have pretty instantly felt comfortable walking around. Seen from a distance, Eastern cities are high, they try to pierce the sky and shake their fists in defiance. Even the bits of Chicago I saw from a distance were like that, cold high cliffs. Not once did I get that oppressive canyon feel in Portland. It was like the Elmwood area of Buffalo writ large. Portland is low and lazy, lounging between the rivers spreading out not up a lazy dog spreading between the two rivers for an afternoon nap.

may 26th

Some where over the rockies 3:01

Erin miller used to mock me mercilessly when I would talk about the Adirondack mountains in college. If I remember correctly he called them foothills. As I float here at 20,000 feet and look down at the Rockies I louse words. The Adirondacks are old and smooth the rockies jut endlessly like crumpled tinfoil covered with frost fro m the freezer thrown endlessly on the table. And just when you think you have hit the edge, that you are through them, its just another valley, and they rise up again.

he's on a mission from god

11:16 am (or is it 10:16, I don't know if I have crossed into central time yet.

Audio Accompaniment, Illinois Sufjan Stevens, It seemed kinda appropriate .

I don't care what any one says. That rush of thrust and that leap into the air is freaky. Cursing way up at the moment, but I cant see anything, the clouds are layered beneath me like snow. According to the light from the window we are going due southwest. Its strange really, but buffalo is gorgeous from the air. I always though the city looked like a gnarled old boxer from the ground, tough scared, but still strong and proud, but from the air, she,s a lady, wrapped in the Erie canal and buffalo creek, Lake Erie a shimmering cape, garbed in green.

Never let it be said that I lack the gift of hyperbole (bullcrap).

May 26

9:21 am

I made it ok to the buffalo international airport. No real surprises except for the fact that the security agent looked at my license and then looked at me and then looked at my license and then looked at me. I think it is time to get a new licenses. I am debating weather or not I should deploy the gnome from the garment carry on bag yet, but I don't know what kind of looks I will get if I try to carry him on board in my hand. Updates I n a while and if I think of it I will post a side by side of my license picture and a recent picture.

T minus one day and counting