HomeHome

Flying with Chris

February 08, 2010

01
For Joshua's fourth birthday we went flying with my brother Chris. (Chris is 18 and is working towards a career in flying.) What an amazing experience!
02
03
04
05
Once we were in the air, Joshua could get unbuckled and look out the window. He also liked hearing his voice on the radio...
06
07
08
After take-off, we headed up the Columbia River Gorge toward Mount Hood.
09
Crown Point seems so high when you drive up and stand by the edge!
10
We've been to the top of Multnomah Falls before, but now we've been much higher!
11
Bonneville Dam
12
Approaching Mount Hood.
13
Over population doesn't appear to be a problem. I guess we'll go ahead and continue having children...
14
There were clouds over Hood River so we climbed altitude and flew over them.
15
16
17
I've grown up with this mountain on my horizon. I'm rather sentimentally attached to it.
18
A frozen lake.
19
A glimpse of forest through the clouds.
20
As we rounded the mountain we got to see the ski slopes!
22
23
24
Timberline Lodge
25
26
The whole mountainside was devoted to skiing.
27
28
Mount St. Helens
29
Mount Ranier and Mount Adams
30
Leaving the wilderness behind, we flew over Oregon City. All the hills that are so tiring to walk up seemed minuscule from a height of 2000 feet! Here you can see Reformation Covenant Church just across the street from the OC swimming pool.
31
Home! A bit obscured by some trees, but there's no mistaking that blue house next door!
32
The Carnegie Hall block across from that big pink church.
33
The falls.
34
As we flew toward Portland, Chris had to radio the Portland airport air traffic control and get permission to fly into their air space.
35
36
KOIN building
37
38
Bridge Town!
39
40
41
42
The Sternwheeler
43
A last look as we fly back to the Troutdale airport.
44
45
Thank you, Uncle Chris!
46

I'm not sure how much of this trip Joshua will remember in the years to come. If you ask him now what we did for his birthday, he will say something about going to an airport and then ending up on the ceiling. At one point I asked Chris if he could do any barrel rolls or tricks. He said the plane wasn't made for it but there was one thing he'd seen done but hadn't done himself. Then he accelerated and suddenly the plane dropped out from under us! My camera was in my face, my stomach was in my head, and my heart was racing. I screamed, grabbed Chris's shoulder, and tried to keep from hyperventilating. In the back Joshua, who had been on his knees, was now on his bottom and Eli was laughing. That part of the flight, I'm pretty sure Joshua will remember!

Back to Photo Album