Flyover Friday: When a Picture is Worth 1000 Miles

 

With a very few exceptions, all the travel photos I use for this blog are ones I've personally taken.  I don't travel with a fancy camera, or use many filters.  The world as I am lucky enough to see it simply doesn't need enhancement.  I think it's about time for some gratuitous travel photos, because Friday.  Also because I'm trying to convince myself it's still a good idea to get up at 3am and head to LAX for another same day turn to ORD in the morning.

Let's see if we can go 'around the world' in ten pictures or so.

  

While we're on the topic of Chicago, just reminding myself that Oak Park in the Fall isn't a bad choice.  It also gets about 3,400 qualifying miles from LAX.

 

Up next, taking it South, to the lakes of Panama, surrounded by thick jungle and mangrove. 

 

 

Meanwhile in Europe, meet one of my favorite travel photos of all time- A bike ride through Deer Park just outside of Copenhagen.  I'll explain in more detail in another post, but I'm hoping to go back to this region next Summer, since Finnair has released some impressive partner business class award tickets for next year.

 

And a stop in Tuscany between vineyards.  On our first full day in Italy, we got lost in the hills outside of Florence on bikes.  It was gorgeous, but our legs were very tired once we finally found our way back to the villa.  For the record- just because you didn't get lost biking in Berlin or Copenhagen....does not mean you won't get lost further South. 

 



 

From old to new - Doha's harbor, now dominated by ultra sleek and modern architecture, while fishing boats still dock beside.

 



 

 

Then go East.....Far East.  One of the most beautiful sunrise approaches I've seen, going Jakarta to Kuala Lumpur (top) and the staircase to the Batu limestone caves, Kuala Lumpur. (bottom)

 

 

On the home stretch, go a bit north, for a look at Shanghai from the Bund....

 

 

.......And the beautiful ceiling of Tokyo Station, before crossing the last ocean for home.



 

 To finish out, a reminder that sometimes you don't have to go far at all for beautiful sights, and good memories.  Back on the West Coast, Mrs. CruisingAltitude & BabyFlyer enjoy a Summer day in Langley, Washington taking in the Cascades in the distance.

 

In other news, as I said in a recent entry, I'm excited to now offer travel help, advice, and consulting through Altitude Consulting!  Altitude provides personalized assistance planning your next trip, finding the best redemptions for your air miles and hotel points, as well as consulting on any topic you've been wondering about the world of loyalty programs.  This is a new endeavor, so I'm still building out the site, but please check it out & get in touch.  I'd love to help you Travel Well!

 

~CruisingAltitude

 

This post is part of Budget Traveler's Sandbox' Travel Photo Thursday, and Life In Wanderlust's #FlyAwayFriday.  Go check out both these great collections of posts for some amazing travel info and ideas!





News from the ground...

No, I'm not in the air again just yet. However, it's been an interesting week in aviation to say the least, and I thought it was a good time for a between-travel post.

First off though, yes I did make it safely home after my last weekend of flying. This was no thanks, however, to the fine specimen of a human who saw fit to run into me on the 405 from behind... and then speed off. This was not the way I saw my weekend concluding, but it could have been much worse. Luckily, it was nearly midnight and as such when my car was shoved into the next lane there was no one else to hit, and a little paint work should take care of the damage. The most ironic part was upon leaving LAX I thought to myself, "Ok, be careful, how stupid would it be to come home safely from 10,000 miles in the air only to crash your car on the way home?"

This whole ordeal just reinforces for me the statistics about the relative safety of flying vs driving. When people tell me they're scared to fly, I always answer that they're far more likely to be in an accident driving to work than flying cross-country. So...there's the proof for you, though I could have done without actually demonstrating it so literally.

So that said...onto the exciting news-

Congratulations are in order to Boeing for their first flighttests of the 787 "Dreamliner." Yes, they are congratulations that the company was hoping to get several years ago, but better late than never. A few months ago I was in a conversation with a few people about it, and when someone asked what the "Dreamliner was," they were answered with, "Its a dream Boeing had once that they'd build a new model of jet."

Though I laughed, being from the Seattle area originally and I'm always rooting for Boeing to do well, knowing how much of an effect they still have on the economy of the area. So I'm glad to see this Dreamliner finally becoming a reality. Besides, I can't help but say it's a beautiful design, and.... it appears that the thing actually flies. I'm also glad the testing is taking place out of Paine Field. There's something fitting about seeing Boeing's latest taxiing down the runway on a typical Northwest rainy day, and taking to the sky over Puget Sound. Despite the airplane noise, and frequent worker strikes, no one really wants to see Boeing move manufacturing out of the Northwest. In fact in the 1970s the company fell on hard times, and the sentiment was best summed-up by a billboard erected that said, "Will the last person out of Seattle please turn off the lights?"

Though Boeing's corporate headquarters are now in Chicago, its production facilities in Everett still employ the majority of their workforce, and are the largest buildings in terms of volume in the world. It's really an impressive sight from the 526 freeway, and if you're driving by late at night you might get to see them sneaking a finished jet across the overpass to the airstrip. They try to do this at night because it's quite a distraction to drivers as a 747 is towed 20 ft over their heads.

While I know I won't get the chance for awhile yet to fly in the Dreamliner, it's good to see the aviation industry moving forward. The 787 is billed as being more efficient, quieter, and comfortable than it's predecessors. In short, it looks to have been worth the wait.