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Next day of travel ... the 18th one ...

 

 

Day Eighteen: Tuesday Oct 19th

To Salt Lake

 

 

 

Eighteenth day of travel: from Medford, Oregon to Ogden, Utah, via Oakland, Sacramento and Reno.

 

I will follow as precisely as possible the journey of Phileas  Fogg, esq., and Jean Passepartout around the world. Mr. Fogg and his companions debarked from the steamer General Grant at San Francisco and immediately took a ferry to take the transcontinental railroad at Oakland Terminal Station. They went to Ogden where they went to Salt Lake City for a few hours. We and our honorable travelers of today will spend the eighteenth night of the journey in Ogden, Utah, on the bank of the Great Salt Lake.

 

 

Flightpath followed on Tues. Oct. 19:

 

 

 

 

October 19 - Leg 64 – Medford-Oakland

KMFR-KOAK

 

Flight route (from FSFK). Green, planned; Red, actual.

 

It’s 8 AM, at parking 18, Medford Rogue Valley airport. Our “honorable passengers” have just boarded and we’re ready to begin our flight to the Bay Area. The destination of this leg is Oakland on the San Francisco Bay opposite to San Francisco. This is a flight of about 275 nm.

 

Climbing out of runway 32 at sunrise.

 

Climbing to our cruise altitude (10,000 feet for this flight) and heading south, with a last view on Medford that is crossed by the Interstate 5, the Pacific Highway.

 

View from FL100 on the Klamath River, its valley and the vast Klamath National Park on our right.

 

From the same place, we can see, pointing over the clouds, the summit of Mount Shasta culminating at 14,179 feet. Mount Shasta is a dormant stratovolcano that rises some 10,000 feet over the surrounding mountains. It is the most voluminous of the Cascade Volcanic Arc and is a complex of four overlapping volcanic cones fused in one giant volcano.

 

View of Mount Shasta

 

View of the Trinity Alps and of Trinity Lake, an artificial reservoir used to provides the Central Valley with water for irrigation and produces hydroelectric power. This lake is known for its many small arms, inlets, and great fishing and water-skiing conditions.

 

View on Redding, California, on the banks of the Sacramento River that flows through California Central Valley.

 

View that Mr. Phileas Fogg has from his seat while flying above the northern part of  the Californian Central Valley, the one that corresponds to the Sacramento River. Mr. Fogg reads in his Bradshaw’s and Wikish’s Continental and General Guide: “The Central Valley is a flat valley that dominates the geographical center of th California. It is 40 to 60 wide and stretches approximately 450 miles from north to south, inland from and parallel to the Pacific Ocean coast, composed of the Sacramento valley at north and the San Joaquin valley at south. It is California's single most productive agricultural region and one of the most productive in the world, providing more than half of the fruits, vegetables and nuts grown in the United States. More than 7 million acres of the valley are irrigated via an extensive system of reservoirs and canals.”

 

View on the Sacramento and San Joaquin Rivers delta with the Sherman Lake on left and the Grizzly Bay on right, which is a small inlet of the San Francisco Bay. The city on our imemditae right is Vacaville and the city ahead is Fairfield. We can see the huge Travis Air Force Base, the so-called “Gateway to the Pacific”, home of the 60th Air Mobility Wing that is the largest wing in the Air Force's Air Mobility Command. Travis AFB also hosts the Jimmy Doolittle Air & Space Museum.

 

Twenty minutes later, we are in the approach circuit at Oakland airport. WE are flying over Fremont, with Union City ahead. We can see, crossing the San Francisco Bay, the 7-miles long San Mateo-Hayward bridge.

 

View on Hayward Executive airport (KHWD).

 

Finale for runway 29 with a view in the background of the Financial District skyscrapers at left and on the high buildings of Oakland downtown at right.

 

Parked at gate 8 at Oakland international airport after a 1h50min flight from Medford. The sky is blue and the outside temperature is about 10°C, a nice weather.

 

 

 

 

October 19 - Leg 65 – Oakland-Sacramento

KOAK-KSMF

 

Flight route (from FSFK). Green, planned; Red, actual.

 

 

At 10:50 AM, we begin our second leg for today, this time we go to Sacramento, the capital city of California. The Phileas Fogg and Jean Passepartout of 1872 arrived at San Francisco main pier on Tuesday, December the 3rd at 7 AM. They took a ferry to cross the San Francisco Bay to reach the railroad main station, the west terminal of the transcontinental railroad, at Oakland. They left Oakland on the same day at 6 PM. Our honorable passengers of today are leaving Oakland on Thursday October the 19th at about 11 AM, this is 45 days and 7 hours ahead of the 1872 schedule. This second flight is a very short hop of about 60 nm, probably about half an hour of flight for our twin-engined Dove. We aim Sacramento because the Central Pacific train taken by Mr Fogg and his friends in 1872 made at midnight a stop at Sacramento. We are number 3 for takeoff. In front of us there is a FedEx MD-11F leaving for Portland and a Delta Air Lines Airbus A321 for Salt Lake City.

 

Takingoff from runway 29.

 

Climbing to our cruise altitude (7,000 feet for this flight) with a view on San Francisco, the San Francisco-Oakland Bay Bridge and, in the distance, the red pillars of the world-famous Golden Gate Bridge. We are flying over San Leandro with its distinctive features, the San Leandro Bay on which there are the Oakland-Alameda County Coliseum and, just behind it, the Oakland Oracle Arena. A bit farther, on our left, there are the Oakland downtown buildings on Lake Merritt and the Oakland estuary that separates the mainland from Alameda Island. This is the last look on San Francisco Bay, a beautiful place to be! This was the area of the world where I went as a tourist for the first time in my life back in the early 1970s.

 

View from 7,000 feet of the city of Antioch, and on the Sherman lake and Sherman islands that are at the confluence of Sacramento River, on left, and of the San Joaquin River, on right. We are now heading northwest.

 

Five minutes later, we are again flying close to Travis AFB, but this time going northward.

 

And ten minutes later, we are at 1,400 feet in the approach circuit at our destination airport. We are flying over the farms of this rich cultivated area, in the vicinity of Dixon, California. Sacramento is about ten miles ahead.

 

Finale for runway 34L, with on our right the Tule Canal and the Sacramento River. We also can see the buildings of Sacramento downtown.

 

Parked at gate Alpha-4 at Sacramento international airport, after a short 31-minutes flight from Oakland. It is 11:40 AM with a clear blue Californian sky.

 

 

 

 

October 19 - Leg 66 – Sacramento-Reno Lake Tahoe

KSMF-KRNO

 

Flight route (from FSFK). Green, planned; Red, actual.

 

 

Ready at gate A4 for the third flight of the day, this time to Reno, Nevada. It’s 12:25 AM, and this leg is again a short one, about a hundred nautical miles only. Again, less than one hour of flight!

 

Climbing to our cruise altitude (13,000 feet for this flight) and heading northeast, with a view on the northern suburbs of Sacramento: Roseville, Citrus Heights and Folsom.

 

Heading due north at FL130, with the long asphalt strip of the Interstate 80. This 2,900-miles long transcontinental highway runs from downtown San Francisco, California, to Teaneck, New Jersey, in the New York City Metropolitan Area. The highway was designated in 1956 and is the second-longest Interstate Highway in the United States, following I-90. The I-80 runs through many major cities including Oakland, Sacramento, Reno, Salt Lake City, Omaha, Des Moines, and Toledo, and passes within 10 miles (16 km) of Chicago, Cleveland, and New York City. This area is that of Gold Run, a Californian small city founded during the 1849 Gold Rush.

 

The California Historical Landmark at Gold Run. Gold Rush in 1852.

 

View from Mr. Fogg seat of the Northern Sierra Nevada and of the South Yuba River valley.

 

Ten minutes later, heading north-north-east (25°), we fly by Loyalton, California. This small city is located on a plateau at some 5,000 feet in the Sierra County.

 

Ten minutes later, we enter Nevada airspace with the Pedersen Mountains just below and, ahead, Dogskin Mountain at left and Moon Rocks at right. A lots of wild horses are living in this area of North Nevada.

 

In the approach circuit to our destination, over Sun Valley with, on our right, a vast body of sands in Honey Valley, at the California-Nevada border, with the huge Sierra Army Depot and its airport, Amedee Army Airfield.

 

Long finale for runway 16R over the houses of Sun Valley with Mount Houghton partially hidden by the clouds.

 

Short finale for Rwy 16R.

 

Parked at gate Charlie-7 at Reno-Lake Tahoe airport after a 55-minutes flight from Sacramento. The airport is at an elevation of 4,500 feet. It’s past 1:30 PM, time for us to have a lunch. And this is a similarity to what the 1872 travelers did at Reno, as  indicated by Jules Verne: “ The train entered the State of Nevada (…) going always northeasterly; and at midday reached Reno, where there was a delay of twenty minutes for lunch.

 

 

 

 

October 19- Leg 67 – Reno-Ogden

KRNO-KOGD

 

Flight route (from FSFK). Green, planned; Red, actual.

 

Taxiing to the active runway at Reno airport, it is 2:30 PM and we are going to begin the last flight of the day to Ogden, Utah. This is a rather long flight of about 375 nm. The high building in the distance is the GSR, the Grand Sierra Resort and Casino formerly built by the Metro-Goldwyn Mayer Company on May 1978.

 

Takingoff from Rwy 16R.

 

Fifteen minutes later, we fly by the city of Fernley, Nevada.

 

Fernley School on a sunday in 1903

 

Heading northeast, we are flying at FL130 over the Nevada Central High Valley. The numerous reservoirs that can be viewed belong to the Dixie Valley system.

 

Forty minutes later, we approach the border between Nevada and Utah. We can see ahead on our left the Wendover airport (KENV), formerly Wendover Air Force Base. During World War II, it was an important training base for B-17 and B-24 bomber crews. Wendover, Utah, is a city built on the border and split between Nevada and Utah, the part of Wendover in Nevada is called West Wendover.

 

Fifteen minutes later, we approach the Great Salt Lake with Carrington Bay ahead and Ogden on the opposite bank.

 

On the other side of the lake, we entered the approach circuit, with Farmington Bay under us and Antelope island behind.

 

Finale for runway 03. We can see, in the distance, the opening between the two mountains ranges of the long Ogden River Canyon.

 

Parked at parking 9 at Ogden-Hinckley airport after a 2-hours flight from Reno. It’s 5:45 PM and time, for our honorable passengers, to go to their hotel for the eighteenth night of our journey.

 

P. Fogg, esq., wrote in his diary: To be continued … and went back to his whist game.

J. Passepartout simply wrote: À suivre!

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Next day of travel ... the 19th one ...

 

 

Day Nineteen: Friday Oct 20th

Great Plaines

 

 

 

 

 

 

Nineteenth day of travel: from Ogden to Des Moines, Iowa, via Fort Collins, Kearney and Omaha.

 

 

I will follow as precisely as possible the journey of Phileas  Fogg, esq., and Jean Passepartout around the world. Mr. Fogg and his servant boarded the Transcontinental Railway at San Francisco-Oakland main station and are going to New York via Omaha railroad hub. So do we! We and our two honorable travelers of today will spend the nineteenth night of the journey in Des Moines, Iowa.

 

Flightpath followed on Fri. Oct. 20:

 

 

 

 

 

October 20 - Leg 68 – Ogden-Fort Collins

KOGD-KFNL

 

 

Flight route (from FSFK). Green, planned; Red, actual.

 

 

It’s 7:30 AM at Ogden-Hinckley airport, still at night. Our “honorable passengers” have just boarded and we’re ready to begin our first flight of the day to Fort Collins, Colorado. The Phileas Fogg and Passepartout of 1872 left Ogden on December the 5th at 6 PM. Our passengers of today are one month and seven days ahead of the 1872 schedule! The destination of this leg is at the foot of the Rocky Mountains on their east side. This city stands at the border of the Rockys and of the Great Plains. This is a rather long flight of about 315 nm, about two hours for our twin-piston engine Dove.

 

Climbing off runway 03 with a view on Ogden at night from Mr. Fogg’s seat.

 

Sun rising over the Wasatch Mountains with Ogden and its street lights, and the Interstate I-84 that crosses the Wasatch Range through the Weber Canyon, which is also used since the 1860s by the transcontinental railroad.

 

At our cruise altitude (FL140 for this flight) and heading due east, we have a nice view over Salt Lake City, the capital city of Utah and the world headquarters of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints. The city's street grid system is based on the temple constructed by the Church at its center. The city was originally founded in 1847 by Brigham Young.

 

The Great Temple of the Church of the LDS

 

View of the Uinta Mountains, Utah, and the Upper Stillwater Reservoir from FL140.

 

From the same place but looking northeast, we are flying over the vast Ashley National Forest which covers about 5,600 km2 of Utah and Wyoming areas. In the background, the range with Mount Lovenia and its 4,020 meters. The whole range is at more than 12,000 feet.

 

View from FL140 of Vernal, Utah.

 

Fifteen minutes later, we entered the Colorado airspace. We follow eastward the canyon of the Yampa River over the Dinosaur National Monument.

 

Approaching Longs Peak (4,340 m) in the Front Range of the Rockies with the Great Plains ahead.

 

From the same place, view on Grand Lake and its natural lake, with a series of other lakes, the greatest complex of lakes in Colorado. The one farthest is an artificial one, this is Lake Grandby. This system is giving water to a 3-m wide tunnel, the Alva Adams tunnel, which brings water from here to the other side of the Front Range mountains right under the Continental Divide.

 

After crossing the Front Range, we began our descent to our destination. At about 8,000 feet, we fly over Longmont, Colorado, a city that takes its name from the Longs Peak that overlooks it.

 

Long finale for runway 33 with a view of the city of Loveland ahead and Boyd Lake at left. At left, we also can see the Interstate-25 that runs north-south from New Mexico to Wyoming.

 

At parking 4, Fort Collins–Loveland Municipal Airport also known as Northern Colorado Regional Airport, after a two-hour flight from Ogden.  A last view of the Front Range in the background.

 

 

 

 

October 20 - Leg 69 – Fort Collins-Kearney

KFNL-KEAR

 

 

Flight route (from FSFK). Green, planned; Red, actual.

 

 

At 10:30 AM, takingoff from runway 33 for the beginning of our second flight of the day, this time to Kearney, Nebraska. This is a flight of about 274 nm, probably about 1h30min of flight for our twin-engine Dove.

 

At our cruise altitude (9,000 feet for this flight) ad heading east, we pass by Greeley on our right with a view on Poudre River.

 

The west side of the Great Plains from 9,000 feet and heading east. We are in the vicinity of Fort Morgan and the area was that of the Pawnee people.

 

A few minutes later, at the vertical of the city of Brush, Colorado. Just ahead, is a badland named the Windmill and that culminates at Fremont Butte. There is also a nice array of highways and train tracks going to different directions. from left to right, we see the Colorado State highway 6 with the transcontinental railroad track, in the centre the double-highway of the Interstate-76 (76 for 1876, the year Colorado enters USA as a state) and at right the State Highway 34 that goes east to Omaha.

 

Thirty minutes later, view of McCook city, Nebraska. Amtrak, the national passenger rail system, provides service at McCook, its California Zephyr stops at McCook daily in both directions between Chicago and Oakland.

 

Fifteen minutes later, we have begun our descent to our destination. At 4,000 feet, we fly over Holdrege and, on the right, the US State Historical Route 6, here the Nebraska highway 34. About the Route 6, that was in the 1930s the longest highway in the US that, contrary to other transcontinental routes, does not serve a major corridor, George Stewart wrote: "Route 6 runs uncertainly from nowhere to nowhere, scarcely to be followed from one end to the other, except by some devoted eccentric". In the famous novel On the Road by Jack Kerouac, protagonist Sal Paradise actually considers hitchhiking on US 6 to Nevada.

 

View of the South Platte River from Mr. Fogg’s seat.

 

Parked at parking 4 at Kearney Regional airport after a 1h34min flight from Fort Collins. It is about 1:15 PM, time to get a lunch. It is sunny outside but deep freezing at -12°C. Kearney was built on the north bank of the South Platte and, on the other bank was standing Fort Kearny in the 1860-1870s.  Jules Verne in his novel places here the attack of the train by a band of Sioux. The travelers of 1872 have to get off the train here after being rescued by the US Cavalry from Fort Kearny. Such an event is somewhat of an anachronism, given that the conflicts with Native Americans had largely shifted away from the area by the time of the completion of the railroad. The 1872 travelers missed the departure of the train and reached Omaha by a somewhat unexpected vehicle: a sledge with a sail sliding on the snow-covered area. They arrived and departed Fort Kearny on Sunday December 8th. The travelers of today arrived on October the 20th, so some 49 days ahead of the 1872 “honorable travelers”.

 

The train was attacked by a band of Sioux (from the French 1872 book)

 

 

Travel by sailed sledge. As written by Jules Verne: “While each of the party was absorbed in reflections so different, the sledge flew past over the vast carpet of snow (…) Sometimes flocks of wild birds rose, or bands of gaunt, famished, ferocious prairie-wolves ran howling after the sledge. Passepartout, revolver in hand, held himself ready to fire on those which came too near. Had an accident then happened to the sledge, the travellers, attacked by these beasts, would have been in the most terrible danger; but it held on its even course, soon gained on the wolves, and ere long left the howling band at a safe distance behind.”

 

 

 

 

October 20 - Leg 70 – Kearney-Omaha

KEAR-KOMA

 

Flight route (from FSFK). Green, planned; Red, actual.

 

 

Departing Kearney at about 2 PM and flying eastward with a last view on the airport. This third flight of the day is to Omaha, the capital city of the Western Great Plains. Omaha was in 1872 a big hub for railroads. This is a short leg of about 144 nm, about one hour of flight. This is the 70th flight since we departed London-City airport nineteen days ago.

 

View of the Platte River from 7,000 feet. The Platte River is a tributary of the Missouri River, which itself is a tributary of the Mississippi River. The Platte over most of its length is a muddy, broad, shallow, meandering stream with a swampy bottom and many islands—a braided stream, as it can be seen here. These characteristics made it too difficult for canoe travel, and it was never used as a major navigation route by European-American trappers or explorers. The first Europeans to see the Platte were French explorers and the named it “plate” (with only one T) in French which means ‘flat” river. The Pawnee Amerindians living here called it “Nebraska” which means … the flat river!

 

View of the Platte River close to its confluence with the Missouri River, with the Nebraskan city of Ashland just below.

 

Long finale for runway 36 with a view on the Missouri River and the high buildings of downtown Omaha City. Below us, the important interchange of the Interstates I-29 and I-60. We are flying over the city of Council Bluffs, Iowa, and, on the other bank of the Missouri River, stands Omaha.

 

Just before landing on Rwy 36.

 

Parked at gate Papa-11 at Omaha-Eppley airport after a one-hour flight from Kearney. it’s 3 PM on Friday October 20th. The 1872 travelers arrived at Omaha on their sailed sledge on Monday December 9th at 1 PM. Our “honorable passengers”, flying on this BOAC aircraft chartered and operated by Andras Meridian Airlines, are therefore 49 days and 22 hours ahead of their 1872 colleagues.

 

 

 

 

October 20 - Leg 71 – Omaha-Des Moines

KOMA-KDSM

 

 

Flight route (from FSFK). Green, planned; Red, actual.

 

 

Taxiing to the active runway at Omaha-Eppley airport while a Southwest Boeing 737-800 is taking-off. This is the last flight of the day, to Des Moines, Iowa. This is a very short flight of less than 110 nm.

 

Takingoff from runway 36.

 

Fifteen minutes later, we fly over Griswold. The town was named for J. N. A. Griswold, a prominent railroad director, as can be read in p.145 of Henry Gannett’s The Origin of Certain Place Names in the United States (1905).

 

Fifteen minutes later, heading due east at 7,000 feet with a view on Winterset (not winter-is-coming), Iowa. Winterset is widely known for its covered bridges. A total of six covered bridges are located in Madison County, including one in Winterset City Park. Winterset is also known to be the birthplace of the famous actor John Wayne.

 

John Wayne birthplace at Winterset, Iowa.

 

Long finale for runway 31. with the south surburb of Des Moines.

 

Parked at gate Golf-15 at Des Moines airport after a 45-min flight from Omaha. It’s about 5 PM and time, for us, to go to our hotel for the 19th night of this journey.

 

 

P. Fogg, esq., wrote in his diary: To be continued … and went back to his whist game.

J. Passepartout simply wrote: À suivre!

 

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Next day of travel ... the twentieth one ...

 

 

Day Twenty: Saturday Oct 21st

Eastern USA

 

 

 

 

Twentieth day of travel: from Des Moines to Harrisburg, Pennsylvania, via Iowa City, Chicago, Columbus and Pittsburgh.

 

I will follow as precisely as possible the journey of Phileas  Fogg, esq., and Jean Passepartout around the world. Mr. Fogg and his servant were traveling on the Transcontinental Railroad from San Francisco to New York changing of train at Chicag. So do we! We and our two honorable travelers of today will spend the twentieth night of the journey in Harrisburg, PA, after crossing the Appalachians.

 

Flightpath followed on Sat. Oct. 21:

 

 

 

 

 

October 21 - Leg 72 – Des Moines-Iowa City

KDSM-KIOW

 

 

Flight route (from FSFK). Green, planned; Red, actual.

 

It’s 7:10 AM at our gate, Des Moines airport. Our “honorable passengers” have just boarded and we’re ready to begin our first flight of the day, the 72th of this journey. We are going to Iowa City. Iowa City was the first capiatle city of the State of Iowa. Des Moines is now the capital city. Des Moines is French name and means: “of the monks”. Founded 1844 by US Army as Fort Des Moines, the name of the growing city around the fort was shortened to "Des Moines" in 1857. It is on and named after the Des Moines River, which likely was adapted from the French original name, Rivière des Moines, meaning "River of the Monks". The today leg is a very short hop of about 94 nm only.

 

Takingoff from runway 31 at sunrise over Des Moines lights.

 

Twenty-five minutes later, at dawn, somewhere midway between Des Moines and Iowa City over the Midwestern Corn Belt area.

 

Long finale for runway 30, with a view on Iowa City.

 

Visual approach to Rwy 30.

 

At parking 2, Iowa City Municipal airport, after a 44-min flight from Des Moines. It is a bit after 8 AM, so still very early in the morning. Time for breakfast? Nope, our passengers wish to start the next leg asap.

 

 

 

 

October 21 - Leg 73 – Iowa City- Chicago Midway

KIOW-KMDW

 

 

Flight route (from FSFK). Green, planned; Red, actual.

 

At 8:50 AM, we begin our second leg for today, this time we go to Chicago, the big city of the MidWest. This is a flight of about 175 nm, probably about one hour of flight for our twin-engine Dove.

 

Climbing to our cruise altitude (8,000 feet for this flight), view on Iowa City on the banks of the Iowa River.

 

View of the Cedar River, a tributary of the Iowa River. The Cedar River takes its name from the red cedar trees growing there.The first Mississippi steamboat navigated on the Cedar River in 1844, and during the next decades, the Cedar River was an important commercial waterway.

 

Two minutes later, we approach the Mississippi River that marks here the border between Iowa and Illinois. The city of Muscatine can be seen on the Iowan bank of the River. The origin of the name Muscatine is debated. It may have been derived from the Mascoutin Native American tribe that lived here. The Mississippi is the chief river of the second-largest drainage system on the North American continent. Its length is about 3,800 km long and its basin about 3 millions km2. This river also marks the limut between the Midwestern states and the Eastern states.

 

Twenty minutes later, we have begun our descent to our destination. With the southwest suburb of Chicago, ahead Aurora and the Fox River.

 

At 4,000 feet, we fly over O’Hare international airport with Lake Michigan in the background.

 

View of Chicago North Side and Lake Michigan from Mr. Fogg’s seat. On our right, this is East Rogers Park suburb of Chicago with its famous Loyola Beach. Going to this beach is a lovely activity on a warm summer day, it is also locally known as Morse Beach or Pratt. The Chicago downtown is a bit farther but its high buildings are clearly visible.

 

The finale for runway 22R at Chicago-Midway has an impressive approach right over Chicago downtown and the Chicago River and its numerous bridges. The iconic black skyscraper crowned by two huge antennas is the 875 North Michigan Avenue, formerly known as the John Hancock Center. The other iconic pink skyscraper on its side is the Willis Tower, more commonly known as the Sears Tower.

 

From the same place looking east, on the lake shore we see the Grant Park with several interesting buildings. From left to right, the Shedd Aquarium, the Filed Museum and the Soldier Field football stadium. At the west tip of Northerly Island, there is the Adler Planetarium.

 

Finale for runway 22R over Archer Heights surbub. On our left, the Corwith Yard facility of the BNSF Railway.

 

Parked at gate Bravo-7 at Chicago-Midway airport, a major Southwest Airliens hub, after a 1h10mi flight from Iowa City. It’s 10:15 AM and despite the clear blue sky, the outside temperature is a freezing -16°C.

 

 

 

 

October 21 - Leg 74 – Chicago-Columbus

KMDW-KCMH

 

Flight route (from FSFK). Green, planned; Red, actual.

 

We are ready for our third flight, to Columbus, Ohio. This is a rather long leg of about 240 nm. It’s 11 AM and our ‘honorable passengers’ are back aboard after having some rest time in the terminal. Midway airport is an important Southwest hub, as obvious on this picture.

 

Climbing to our cruise altitude (7,000 feet for this flight) with a  last view on Chicago skyline and Lake Michigan.

 

Flying southeast right over Chicago-Midway airport.

 

Twenty minutes later, we fly over the city of Peru, Indiana, on the Wabash River.

 

And twenty minutes later again, we fly over the city of Piqua, Ohio, through which the Great Miami River flows. The Interstate I-75, that links on 2,890 km Miami to the Canadian border, runs north-south on its east side.

 

Ten minutes later, we approach the Great Columbus metropolitan area though which the Scioto River flows.

 

View at 2,500 feet. Mr. Fogg sees the St Alban Golf Club in Alexandria, north suburb of Columbus. As a due member of the The Honourable Company of Edinburgh Golfers, he strongly appreciate, undaunted, this view.

 

Long finale for runway 28R with a view on Columbus downtown high buildings in the distance.

 

Parked at gate 28 at Columbis-Port Columbus John Glenn airport after a 1h40min flight from Chicago. It’s about 2 PM.

 

 

 

 

October 21 - Leg 75 – Columbus-Pittsburgh

KCMH-KPIT

 

Flight route (from FSFK). Green, planned; Red, actual.

 

Holding for runway 28R at Columbus-Port Columbus airport for a traffic to land. This is a United Embraer ERJ-170. It’s about 2:40 PM and we prepare to fly to Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, for this fourth flight of the day. This is a short flight of about 140 nm.

 

At 7,000 feet and heading due east, with a view on the Muskingum River with the little city of Franklin, Ohio, ahead. Funded in 1795, the city is named after Benjamin Franklin.

 

Twenty minutes later, we fly over the valley Ohio River in the vicinity of Steubenville. On the west bank it is Ohio, on the other bank it is West Virginia. Several State highways and an important railroad system follow the Ohio River.

 

Fifteen minutes later, at 3,000 feet over the city of Pittsburgh, a snow storm arises. The downtown high buildings are seen at the confluence of the Ohio and Allegheny Rivers.

 

Finale for runway 28L in a snow storm.

 

Parked at gate Papa-21 at Pittsburgh international airport after a one-hour flight from Columbus. It is about 4 PM and it snows a lot. 3 million people make the metropolitan Pittsburgh area the largest in both the Ohio Valley and Appalachia.

 

 

 

 

October 21 - Leg 76 – Pittsbiurgh-Harrisburg

KPIT-KMDT

 

Flight route (from FSFK). Green, planned; Red, actual.

 

Departing Pittsburgh for the fifth and last flight of the day. We are at the holding point for runway 28C while a Boeing 737-800 is starting its takeoff roll. It is about 4:45 PM and this last leg is going to Harrisburg, Pennsylvania, at some 143 nm. This should be a flight of about one hour for our Dove.

 

Takingoff from runway 28C in a snow storm.

 

Fifteen minutes later, we fly close to New Florence, PA, which is located on the Conemaugh River.

 

The parallel ridges of this area of the Appalachian Mountains near Tuscarora National Forrest and Cowans Gap with its small lake. The narrow valley in which Cowans Gap stands, was for all the first half of the 18th century the border between French America, at west, and British colonies, at east.

 

Over the Great Appalachian Valley in the vicinity of Gettysburg where, in July 1-3, 1863, the famous battle took place that saw the defeat of the Confederate army and that is infamous for being, with about 51,000 casualties, the bloodiest in US history.

 

View from 7,000 feet of the Susquehanna River in the distance, the longest river on the East Coast of the United States that drains into the Atlantic Ocean, with the four huge white cooling towers of the infamous Three Mile Island nuclear plant. The city that can be seen ahead on our left is York, PA, known as the White Rose City. The city has been called an architectural museum because the downtown features numerous well-preserved historic structures, such as the famous 1741 Golden Plough Tavern. York also calls itself the First Capitale of the USA since York served as the temporary capital of the Continental Congress. The Articles of Confederation were drafted and adopted in York. This city became the largest Northern town to be occupied by the Confederate army when the division of Major General Early looted the city on June 28–30, 1863.

 

Long finale at dusk for runway 31. With the cooling towers of the Exelon Three Mile Island nuclear plant. The Three Mile Island accident occurred on March 28, 1979, in reactor number 2. It was the most significant accident in U.S. commercial nuclear power plant history. Three Mile Island nuclear plant currently uses only one nuclear generating station, reactor 1, the other one has not been used since the accident.

 

Parked at gate Charlie-1 at Harrisburg-Middeltown airport after a 1h10min flight from Pittsburgh. It’s 6:10 PM and time for us to go to the hotel for the twentieth night of this journey.

 

P. Fogg, esq., wrote in his diary: To be continued … and went back to his whist game.

J. Passepartout simply wrote: À suivre!

 

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Next day of travel ... the twenty-first one ...

 

 

Day Twenty-one: Sunday Oct 22nd

East Canada

 

 

 

 

Twenty-first day of travel: from Harrisburg to Saint-Pierre, France, via New-York, Portland and Moncton.

 

 

I will follow as precisely as possible the journey of Phileas  Fogg, esq., and Jean Passepartout around the world. In Jules Verne novel, Mr. Fogg and his servant arrived at New York railway station “the train stopped in the station on the right bank of the river, before the very pier of the Cunard line.” They get off the train at right bank of the Hudson River, so they arrived at Jersey City. We will thus arrive at Newark airport, which is located on the right bank of the Hudson River. Mr. Fogg, his servant, Mrs. Aouda and the inspector Fix missed the Cunard steamer China by only 45 minutes. They then crossed the North Atlantic Ocean aboard the steamer Henrietta. So do we! We and our two honorable travelers of today will cross the Atlantic Ocean by a north route and spend the twenty-first night of the journey in Saint-Pierre, the capital of the French territory Saint Pierre-et-Miquelon.

 

Flightpath followed on Tues. Oct. 22:

 

 

 

 

 

October 22 - Leg 77 – Harrisburg-New York Newark

KMDT-KEWR

 

 

Flight route (from FSFK). Green, planned; Red, actual.

 

 

It’s 7:10 AM, at gate C1, Harrisburg-Middletown airport. Our “honorable passengers” have just boarded and we’re ready to begin our flight to the Atlantic Ocean. This is a chilly early morning, the outside temperature is quite low, -9°C. This is a short flight of about 127 nm, less than one hour for our Dove.

 

Takingoff from runway 31.

 

Sun rising over Pennsylvania. The visible highway is Pennsylvania Route 283 that connects Harrisburg to Lancaster as a freeway.

 

Twenty minutes later, heading east at 7,000 feet, ahead is the Raritan Bay in which the Raritan River empties.

 

Then we begin our approach to runway 11 with New York Manhattan skyline in the background and the Upper Bay at right and the Hudson River at left. We follow the Interstate-78 that runs from Harrisburg, Pennsylvania, to Newark and to the Holland Tunnel and Lower Manhattan in New York City.

 

Parked at gate 41 at Newark-Liberty international airport after a 48-minutes flight from Harrisburg. It is 8:15 AM, and we can see the Air Train Newark, a monorail system connecting the Newark terminals and car parks to the Newark Liberty Station.

 

 

 

 

October 22 - Leg 78 – New York-Portland

KEWR-KPWM

 

 

Flight route (from FSFK). Green, planned; Red, actual.

 

 

At 9 AM, Newark-Liberty airport, we begin our second leg for today. This time, after flying through the Portland of the West some days ago, we go to Portland, Maine, on East Coast. This is a flight of about 250 nm, probably about 1h30min of flight for our twin-engine Dove. There are a lot of American birds around. This is the morning rush hour it seems. The 1872 honorable travelers arrived at New Jersey station on December 11th at 11:15 PM. They left New York on the Henrietta steamer on December 12th at 10 AM. Our honorable passengers of today are leaving New York area at 9 AM on October 22nd. Mr. Fogg and his friends of today are thus almost exactly 51 days ahead of Mr. Fogg and his friends in 1872.

 

Taxiing to the active runway, we pass close to all the different Newark terminals. This New York airport is a main hub for United.

 

After Chicago and Houston, Newark is the third largest hub for United in terms of number of flights and destinations and United's main hub for the East Coast. About 24 million passengers fly on United through Newark every year, or about 65,000 people per day. United controls about 81% of the slots at Newark and carries about 68% of all passengers at the airport. United has important hangars on the North side of the airport.

 

Takingoff from runway 22R with a view on the whole Newark-Liberty airport and on Newark downtown buildings in the distance.

 

At 7,000 feet and heading northeast, with a view over Manhattan, with the east River in the distance and the Hudson River closer. We also see Governor Island at the south tip of Manhattan.

 

Small hills of the Connecticut with the Candlewood manmade lake ahead, a renowned resort for New-Yorkers. The city that can be seen on the southern bank of the lake is Danbury. Although it was almost called Lake Danbury, the new body of water ultimately got its name from Candlewood Mountain.

 

View from 7,000 feet of Hartford, the capital of Connecticut. Hartford is nicknamed the "Insurance Capital of the World", as it hosts many insurance company headquarters and insurance is the region's major industry. The city was founded in 1635 and is among the oldest cities in the United States.

 

Five minutes later, we fly over Holyoke, Mass., which is crossed by the Connecticut River.

 

Fifteen minutes later, we are flying over New Hampshire with a view on our right of the Ipswich Bay, the Merrimack River, and, in the distance, Halibut Cape on the North Shore Peninsula.

 

Finale for runway 29. We have Willard Beach on our right, the houses and buildings of South Portland, and on the Portland harbor, the Portland Casco Bay Bridge.

 

Parked at gate 9 at Portland Jetport international airport after a one hour and a half flight from Newark. It is about 10:45 AM.

 

 

 

 

October 22 - Leg 79 – Portland-Moncton

KPWM-CYQM

 

 

Flight route (from FSFK). Green, planned; Red, actual.

 

 

Departing Portland, Maine, at 11:20 AM. At gate 9, our “honorable” passengers have boarded for this third flight of the day, to Moncton, New Brunswick, Canada. We are leaving the US. This is a rather long flight of about 275 nm.

 

Takingoff from runway 29.

 

Ten minutes later, we fly over Cumberland County in which the Androscoggin River runs and, in the distance, the city of Brunswick, Maine.

 

View from 7,000 feet of the city of Bangor, Maine and the Penobscot River that flows through it.

 

View of the Sainte-Croix River that forms the natural border between USA, Maine and Canada, New Brunswick.

 

Twenty minutes later, the city of Rothesay, a northern suburb of Saint-John, New Brunswick, one of the main seaports of Canada.

 

Long finale for runway 29 with a view on the Trans-Canada highway that runs from Newfoudnland to Victoria, BC on some 7,800 km.

 

Parked at gate 15 at Moncton-Dieppe Roméo Le Blanc airport after a 1h50min flight from Portland. It is about 2:30 PM. The outside temperature is a low -6°C with a nice sunny weather.

 

 

 

 

October 22 - Leg 80 – Moncton-Saint Pierre

CYQM-LFVP

 

 

Flight route (from FSFK). Green, planned; Red, actual.

 

 

It is about 3 PM, we and our “honorable passengers” are ready for the last flight of the day. This leg, the 80th since we have departed London for this round-the-world journey, is for Saint-Pierre, Saint-Pierre and Miquelon, a French territory along North-American coast. It is the only part of New France that remains under French control since the 1763 Treaty of Paris, with a population of about six thousands. This is a rather long flight of about 355 nm.

 

Takingoff from runway 11, in the opposite direction at which we landed less than one hour ago and we fly among a sudden snow storm when the sun was shining when we landed.

 

Fifteen minutes later, we are flying over the Prince Edward Island, with the Northumerbland Strait behind and the Confederation Bridge, on which the Trans-Canada Highway runs, that crosses the strait at ts narrowest point from the little harbor of Borden-Carleton visible behind us.

 

Snow at 7,000 feet over Cape Breton Island, Nova Scotia, and in front of us the complex system of the Bras d’Or Lake, a large 1,100 km2 body of partially fresh/salt water in the centre of Cape Breton Island. Canadian author Silver Donald Cameron describes Bras d'Or Lake as "A basin ringed by indigo hills laced with marble. Islands within a sea inside an island." The lake is connected to the North Atlantic by natural channels.

 

Still in a snow storm heading east over the city of Glace Bay on Cape Breton Island.

 

At 7,000 feet and heading east, we are flying over the Cabot Strait that separates the vast

Saint-Laurent Gulf on our left and the Atlantic Ocean on our right.

 

Twelve minutes later, we approach the coast of Newfoundland , ahead is the Burin Peninsula at the southwest tip of Newfoundland Island.

 

Long finale for runway 26 under the snow.

 

Parked at gate 1 Saint Pierre – Pointe Blanche airport after a 1h50min flight from Moncton. It is now 5:15 PM and time for us to go to our hotel for the twenty-first night of our journey. It is snowing.

 

Saint-Pierre island.

 

P. Fogg, esq., wrote in his diary: To be continued … and went back to his whist game.

J. Passepartout simply wrote: À suivre!

 

 

 

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Next day of travel ... the twenty-second one ...

 

 

Day Twenty-two: Monday Oct 23rd

To Nunavik

 

 

 

 

Twenty-second day of travel: from Saint-Pierre to Kangiqsualujjuaq, Quebec, Canada via Gander, Goose Bay and Hopedale.

 

I will follow as precisely as possible the journey of Phileas  Fogg, esq., and Jean Passepartout around the world. The Mr. Fogg, his servant, Mrs. Aouda and the inspector Fix of 1872 missed the Cunard steamer China by only 45 minutes. They then crossed the North Atlantic Ocean aboard the steamer Henrietta. So do we! We and our two honorable travelers of today will cross the Atlantic Ocean by a north route and spend the twenty-second night of the journey in Kangiqsualujjuaq, a small Inuit village in Nunavik, the northernmost part of Quebec, Canada.

 

 

Flightpath followed on Mon. Oct. 23:

 

 

 

 

 

October 23 - Leg 81 – Saint Pierre-Gander

LFVP-CYQX

 

 

Flight route (from FSFK). Green, planned; Red, actual.

 

 

It’s 7 AM, sun rises over Saint Pierre and Miquelon. Our “honorable passengers” have just boarded and we’re ready to begin our flight to the Labrador. The destination of this first flight of the day is Gander on Newfoundland Island. This is a short flight of about 145 nm.

 

Takingoff from runway 26.

 

Approaching in a light mist the southwest coast of Newfoundland at our cruise altitude (7,000 feet for this flight).

 

Over the Burin Peninsula in southwest Newfoundland, we see on our left the Frenchman’s Cove lagoon and the sand bar that separates it from the Ocean.

 

Ten minutes later, we approach Fortune Bay.

 

Thirty minutes later, we are on a long finale for runway13 with a dense fog below and ahead.

 

Parked at gate 18 at Gander International airport after a 56-minutes flight from Saint-Pierre. We are back in Canada. Gander airport opened in January 1938 as Newfoundland airport and was a main refueling stop for all transatlantic flights from 1940s to early 1960s. With its four runways, it was the largest airport in the world at that time.

 

 

 

 

October 23 - Leg 82 – Gander-Goose Bay

CYQX-CYYR

 

 

Flight route (from FSFK). Green, planned; Red, actual.

 

 

At 8:55 AM, we are taxiing to the active runway. Our destination for this second flight is Goose Bay. This is a long flight of about 340 nm, probably about 2h30min of flight for our twin-engine Dove.

 

Takingoff from runway 13. The fog disappeared during our stopover.

 

Climbing to our cruise altitude (9,000 feet for this leg) and heading north-north-west, we see ahead the city of Gander along the long and narrow Gander Lake.

 

Fifteen minutes later, we are approaching of the southeast coast of the Great Northern Peninsula, the largest and longest peninsula of Newfoundland, approximately 225 km long and 80 km wide.

 

And fifteen more minutes later, we approach the Strait of Belle Isle that separates Newfoundland Island from the Labrador Peninsula and the Gulf of Saint-Laurent (on our left) from the Atlantic Ocean (at right).

 

Heading due north at 9,000 feet, over a flat land full of lakes and rivers in Labrador.

 

Flying over the Mealy Mountains on the south side of Lake Melville.

 

Heading north over the Kenamu River valley.

 

Long finale for runway 26 over the Goose Bay at the west end of Lake Melville.

 

A few seconds before touching at runway 26.

 

Parked at gate Golf-3 in a rather empty and large apron at Goose Bay airport after a 2h22min flight from Gander. It is 11 AM, local time (30 min behind Gander time).

 

 

 

 

October 23 - Leg 83 – Goose Bay-Hopedale

CYYR-CYHO

 

 

Flight route (from FSFK). Green, planned; Red, actual.

 

 

Departing Goose Bay at about noon from runway 26 with a last view on the airport and, in the distance, Lake Melville. This is the third flight of the day, our destination is Hopedale, a town located in the north of Labrador. This is a short leg of about 125 nm.

 

Climbing to our cruise altitude (9,000 feet for this flight) and heading east with a light mist and a view, on our right of the Churchill River.

 

Fifteen minutes later, at our cruise altitude in the mist we fly over the Labrador desert and snowy land.

 

Approaching the coast of the Labrador Sea which is quite rich in fjords in this area of North Labrador.

 

Twenty minutes later, we are on visual approach for runway 26 at Hopedale.

 

After landing on the gravel runway, we are parked at one of the few parking positions at Hopedale airport after a one-hour flight from Goose Bay. It’s 1 PM and the outside temperature is a terrible - 24°C. We stay in the airplane…

 

 

 

 

October 23 - Leg 84 – Hopedale-Kangiqsualujjuaq

CYHO-CYLU

 

 

Flight route (from FSFK). Green, planned; Red, actual.

 

 

Departing Hopedale and its gravel runway at about 1:45 PM and flying westward with a last view on the airfield. The houses of Hopedale can be seen in the background. This is the last flight of the day. The destination is Kangiqsualujjuaq, this is a flight of about 272 nm or approximately two hours for our Dove.

 

Ten minutes later at our cruise altitude (6,000 feet for this flight) we follow the coastline, with its numerous fjords.

 

About half an hour later, we fly over the vast icy solitudes of North Labrador.

 

And again half an hour or so, and we are descending to our destination over the Ungava Bay that opens on the Hudson Strait.

 

Visual approach on runway 16. Can you spot the runway?

 

Short finale for the gravel runway 16.

 

At parking 1 on the empty apron of Kangisualujjuaq airport after a 1h45min flight from Hopedale. It is 3:45 PM and it’s already dusk at this latitude. We are going to our hotel for this twenty-second night of our journey.

 

View of Kangiqsualujjuaq at dawn in March

 

P. Fogg, esq., wrote in his diary: To be continued … and went back to his whist game.

J. Passepartout simply wrote: À suivre!

 

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Next day of travel ... the 23rd one ...

 

 

Day Twenty-three: Tuesday Oct 24th

To Greenland

 

 

 

 

Twenty-third day of travel: from Kangiqsualujjuaq to Kangerlussuaq, Greenland, via Kimmirut and Pangnirtung.

 

 

I will follow as precisely as possible the journey of Phileas  Fogg, esq., and Jean Passepartout around the world. The Mr. Fogg, his servant, Mrs. Aouda and the inspector Fix of 1872 missed the Cunard steamer China by only 45 minutes. They then crossed the North Atlantic Ocean aboard the steamer Henrietta. So do we! We and our two honorable travelers of today will cross the Atlantic Ocean by a north route and spend the twenty-third night of the journey in Kangerlussuaq, formerly known as Søndre Strømfjord, Greenland.

 

Flightpath followed on Tues. Oct. 12:

 

 

 

 

October 24 - Leg 85 – Kangiqsualujjuaq-Kimmirut

CYLU-CYLC

 

Flight route (from FSFK). Green, planned; Red, actual.

 

It’s 8 AM, sun rises over Kangiqsualujjuaq. Our “honorable passengers” have just boarded and we’re ready to begin our first flight of the day. Our destination is the airfield of Kimmirut on Baffin Island. This is a leg of about 275 nm.

 

Climbing out of runway 34.

 

Heading due north and climbing to our cruise altitude (7,000 feet for this flight). We are leaving the coast of Labrador with a last view of the estuary of the George River on which is located Kangiqsualujjuaq.

 

At 7,000 feet over the water of the large Ungava Bay.

 

View of Akpatok Island, one of the uninhabited Canadian Arctic islands. At its north begins the Hudson strait. Akpatok Island area is about 903 km2, ringed with steep cliffs that rise 150 to 250 m above sea level. The cliffs are broken in many places by deep ravines allowing access to a flat plateau.

 

Thirty-five minutes later, we approach the southern coast of Baffin Island.

 

Fifteen minutes later, we are on short finale for a visual approach of the gravel runway 35 at Kimmirut … an uneasy approach with a cliff partly blocking the access slope to the runway.

 

Parked at the small apron of Kimmirut airfield after a one hour and a half flight from Kangiqsualujjuaq. It is 9:45 AM and the outside temperature is -19°C.

 

 

 

 

October 24 - Leg 86 – Kimmirut-Pangnirtung

CYLC-CYXP

 

Flight route (from FSFK). Green, planned; Red, actual.

 

Departing Kimmirut at about 10:30 AM off runway 35, we begin our second leg for today, this time we go to Pangnirtung, Nunavut, Canada. This is a flight of about 226 nm, probably about 1h30min of flight for our Dove.

 

At our cruise altitude (a low 5,000 feet for this flight over Baffin Island) heading northeast with a last view on Hudson Straight behind us.

 

Ten minutes later, we fly over the western end of the Hall Sound, called Frobisher Bay.

 

One minute later, we fly over Iqaluit airport (CYFB), that serves Iqaluit, the capital of Nunavut and its only city. This city was known as Frobisher Bay until 1987, after the large bay on the coast of which the city is situated. In 1999, Iqaluit became the capital of Nunavut after the division of the Northwest Territories into two separate territories. The city is highly isolated, like the rest of Nunavut, since Nunavut has no road, rail, or even ship connections for part of the year to the rest of Canada. The city also has a polar climate, influenced by the cold deep waters of the Labrador Current just off Baffin Island; this makes the city of Iqaluit very cold, even though the city is well south of the Arctic Circle.

 

Twenty-five minutes later, Mr. Fogg contemplates from his seat the cold waters of the Cumberland Sound that opens, in the distance, between Cumberland Peninsula (at left) and Hall Peninsula (at right) on the Labrador Sea.

 

On long finale for runway 24, the approach is visual and a bit tricky due to high relief on our left.

 

Just before landing on the gravel runway 24.

 

Parked at parking 1 at Pangnirtung airport after a 1h26min flight from Kimmirut across part of the vast Baffin Island. It is almost noon and time to have a lunch. The outside temperature is a terrible -35°C !!!! We quickly closed the door.

 

 

 

 

October 24 - Leg 87 – Pangnirtung-Kangerlussuaq

CYXP-BGSF

 

Flight route (from FSFK). Green, planned; Red, actual.

 

Departing Pangnirtung at the holding point of runway 24 at about 1 PM. This is the third and last flight of the day, our destination is Kangerlussuaq on the West coast of Greenland. We prepare to cross the Labrador Sea and leave the American continent. This ia a flight of about 365 nm, probably more than 2 hours for our Dove.

 

View of the mountain range on Cumberland Peninsula, Baffin Island, with Mount Odin on our left.

 

Half an hour later, we have a last view over Baffin Island and the American coast, with Cape Dyer on our right.

 

At our cruise altitude (9,000 feet) heading east, we are crossing the Labrador Sea.

 

Fifteen minutes later, heading southeast at dusk, halfway between the American and the Greenland coasts over the Davis Strait, with the Labrador Sea on our right and the Baffin Sea on our left.

 

Again, fifteen more minutes, and we are flying over Greenland with, on our right, the

Sulugpâvarsior fjord on which the small seaport of Sarfanguaq is located.

 

Twenty minutes later, at 4,200 feet and heading south, we approach the 190 km-long Søndre Strømfjord on which Kangerlussuaq is located.

 

Short finale for runway 10 at dusk.

 

Parked at gate Golf-2 at Kangerlussuaq airport after a 2h13min flight from Pangnirtung across the Labrador Sea. We just left America. Kangerlussuaq airport is one of only two civilian airports in Greenland large enough to handle large airliners. It is located away from the coast and hence less prone to fog and wind in comparison with other airports in Greenland. Kangerlussuaq Airport is the international hub for Air Greenland. The Kangerlussuaq area has very few inhabitants, around 500, so few passengers have their origin or destination here. Most passengers change planes. Very surprisingly, the outside temperature is way less cold than on the other side of the Labrador Sea, it is only -5°C outside compared to -35°C in Baffin Island. It is past 4 PM and time for us to go to our hotel for the23rd night of our journey.

 

P. Fogg, esq., wrote in his diary: To be continued … and went back to his whist game.

J. Passepartout simply wrote: À suivre!

 

Distance signpost at Kangerlussuaq airport.

 

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Next day of travel ... the 24th one ...

 

 

Day Twenty-four: Wednesday Oct 25th

Iceland

 

 

 

 

Twenty-fourth day of travel: from Kangerlussuaq to Reykjavik, Iceland, via Kulusuk.

 

 

 I will follow as precisely as possible the journey of Phileas  Fogg, esq., and Jean Passepartout around the world. The Mr. Fogg, his servant, Mrs. Aouda and the inspector Fix of 1872 missed the Cunard steamer China by only 45 minutes. They then crossed the North Atlantic Ocean aboard the steamer Henrietta. So do we! We and our two honorable travelers of today will cross the Atlantic Ocean by a north route and spend the twenty-fourth night of the journey in Reykjavik, Iceland. We are back in Europe!

 

Flightpath followed on Wed. Oct. 25:

 

 

 

 

 

October 25 - Leg 88 – Kangerlussuaq-Kulusuk

BGSF-BGKK

 

Flight route (from FSFK). Green, planned; Red, actual.

 

It’s 8:25 AM, sunrise over Kangerlussuaq. Our “honorable passengers” have just boarded and we’re ready to begin our first flight of the day, to Kulusuk on the east coast of Greenland. The Phileas Fogg and Passepartout of 1872 left Suez on October the 9th. This is a long flight of about 340 nm, probably more than two hours of flight for our Dove.

 

Climbing out of runway 28 with a view, in the distance, of the high cliff of the inlandsis.

 

Leaving behind Kangerlussuaq and its long fjord, heading southeast.

 

View from Mr. Fogg’s seat, the sun rises over the Greenland inlandsis.

 

Crossing west-east the south part of Greenland ov

er the high inlandsis.

 

Forty-five minutes later, we approach the southeast coast of Greenland. Ahead is the Strait of Denmark that, despite its name, does not make any contact with Denmark but separates Greenland from Iceland.

 

On our left, the Sermilik fjord, one of the main fjord in this area of Greenland.

 

At 4,000 feet, view on the frozen Qordlortoq Lake and the Vegas Fjeld round-top mountain.

 

Visual approach to runway 11 in an unexpected dense fog, typical of the varying weather conditions in Greenland coasts. Visual, you said visual?

 

Following as precisely as possible the magenta line on the GPS and … The runway is in sight.

 

Short finale for runway 11. A bit too high, but I preferred to fly at a rather higher altitude than necessary in this dense fog.

 

Parked at parking 2 at Kulusuk airport after a 2h147min flight from Kangerlussuaq. Despite the dense fog, it’s possible to guess the high relief surrounding the terrain.

 

 

 

 

October 25 - Leg 89 – Kulusk-Reykjavik Keflavik

BGKK-BIKF

 

 

Flight route (from FSFK). Green, planned; Red, actual.

 

 

At 11:40 AM, a sudden strong snow storm strikes, we begin our second and last leg for today, this time we go to Reykjavik, Iceland. This is a quiet long flight of about 400 nm, probably about 2h30min of flight for our twin-engine Dove, except if we have strong tailwinds, always a possibility on this leg.

 

Takingoff from runway 11, still in a very dense fog but the snow storm has finished.

 

And one minute later, we are out the fog with Kulusk Island behind and the entry of the Sermilik Fjord in the distance.

 

At our cruise altitude (9,000 feet for this flight) and heading southeast, we cross the Strait of Denmark.

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One hour later, we see on our left the Snaefellsjokull, a stratovolcano at the western tip of the Snaeffel Peninsula, one of the westernmost points in Iceland. We are flying heading southeast over the vast Faxa Bay on which Reykjavik is located. 

 

Long finale for runway 20, we are flying over the houses of Gardur.

 

Short finale and the fog is suddenly appearing.

 

Parked at gate Foxtrot-2 at Reykjavik-Keflavik airport after a two-hours flight from Kulusuk. The flight was so short because we had very strong tailwinds, giving us a ground speed of over 235 knots, compare to the usual 190 knots. It’s 4 PM and it is raining. It is time for us to go to our hotel in Reykjavik for the twenty-fourth night of our journey. We are back in Europe after twenty-four days of flying 7 days a week!

 

View of Reykjavik skyline at night on winter.

 

 

P. Fogg, esq., wrote in his diary: To be continued … and went back to his whist game.

J. Passepartout simply wrote: À suivre!

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Next day of travel ... the 25th one ...

 

 

Day Twenty-Five: Thursday Oct 26th

To Ireland

 

 

 

Twenty-Fifth day of travel: from Reykjavik to Belfast, United Kingdom, via Vagar, Hong and Inverness.

 

 

 

 

I will follow as precisely as possible the journey of Phileas  Fogg, esq., and Jean Passepartout around the world. The Mr. Fogg, his servant, Mrs. Aouda and the inspector Fix of 1872 missed the Cunard steamer China by only 45 minutes. They then crossed the North Atlantic Ocean aboard the steamer Henrietta. So do we! We and our two honorable travelers of today will cross the Atlantic Ocean by a north route and spend the twenty-fifth night of the journey in Belfast, Northern Ireland.

 

Flightpath followed on Thurs. Oct. 26:

 

 

 

 

 

October 26 - Leg 90 – Reykjavk-Vagar

BIKF-EKVG

 

 

Flight route (from FSFK). Green, planned; Red, actual

 

 

It’s 9:30 AM, sunrise over Keflavik airport. Our “honorable passengers” have just boarded and we’re ready to begin our first flight of the day to the Faroe Islands. This is a long flight of about 414 nm, about two hours and a half for our Dove.

 

Takingoff from runway 20.

 

Climbing to our cruise altitude (7,000 feet for this flight) over the seaport of Njardvik on the Southern Peninsula just a few miles east of Keflavik airport.

 

Ten minutes later, we fly over the large Olflusa River. In the distance, ahead of us, can be seen the large Eyjafjallajökull, one of the smaller ice caps of Iceland with about 80 km2. The ice cap covers the caldera of a volcano with a summit elevation of 1,651 m. The volcano has erupted relatively frequently since the last glacial period, most recently in 2010.

 

From the same point, we see the city of Hveragerdi just on our left, a town known for its greenhouses that are heated by hot water from volcanic hot springs.

 

View of the Hekla volcano, one of Iceland's most active volcanoes; over wtenty eruptions have occurred since 874. During the Middle Ages, Europeans called the volcano the "Gateway to Hell". Hekla is part of a volcanic ridge, 40 km long, well visible here.

 

A 1585 map of the Hekla volcano.

 

Ten minutes later, we have the Skeidarársandur system of lagoons and Skeidara River just ahead. A sandur, in Iceland, is a plain formed by the water coming from the melt of a huge glacier. This sandur extends over 1,300 km2.

 

Somewhere over North Atlantic Oean midway between Iceland and Faroe islands.

 

At 7,000 feet heading southeast, we fly by Mykines Island, the westernmost of the 18 main islands of the Faroe Archipelago.

 

At 3,000 feet in the approach circuit to our destination, we fly over Sandoy Island, one of the southernmost in the archipelago. The island is considered the best island for agriculture due to its fertile sandy soil. The largest potato farm in the country is located on the island.

 

Short finale for runway 30 in the fog.

 

Taxiing to our gate.

 

Parked at gate 1 at Vagar airport, Faroe Islands, after a 2h29min flight from Reykjavik. It is past noon and time to have a lunch. For the first time since several flights, the outside temperature is positive at 4°C.

 

 

 

 

October 26 - Leg 91 – Vagar-Inverness

EKVG-EGPE

 

 

Flight route (from FSFK). Green, planned; Red, actual.

 

 

At 1 PM, we begin our second leg for today, this time we go to Scotland, and more precisely to Inverness. This is a flight of about 292 nm, probably about 2h of flight for our twin-engine Dove. It rains.

 

Takingoff from runway 30.

 

View of the rugged coast typical of Faroe Islands from Mr. Fogg’s seat during takingoff.

 

Fifty minutes later, we approach the northern coast of Scotland. Mr. Fogg is back to United Kingdom. Ahead is the county of Sutherland, we can see on our right the opening of the Kyle of Durness, a coastal 9-km long inlet that divides the Cape Wrath peninsula from the mainland.

 

Heading southeast at our cruise altitude (7,000 feet), we have a view on Loch Shin in the Scottish North West Highlands.

 

Approaching the east coast of the Sutherlands and ahead is the North Sea. On our right, we can see the Dornoch Firth and the Dornoch Sands.

 

Ten minutes later, over the Inverness Firth at 2,000 feet, we enter the approach circuit to our destination.

 

Long finale for runway 23 in a typical Scottish autumn weather.

 

Parked at gate Alpha-4 at Inverness-Dalcross airport after a 1h42min flight from Faroe Islands. It is about 3 PM.

 

 

 

 

October 26 - Leg 92 – Inverness-Belfast

EGPE-EGAA

 

 

Flight route (from FSFK). Green, planned; Red, actual.

 

 

At our gate A4 at Inverness International airport, it is 3:35 PM and we are reayd for our third and last flight of the day. Our destination is Belfast, Northern Ireland, United Kingdom. This is a rather sort leg of about 180 nm, about one hour of flight.

 

Takingoff from runway 23.

 

View from Mr. Fogg’s seat: the A9 motorway and, in the distance, the city of Inverness and its Firth. The A9 road runs from the Falkirk to Scrabster Harbour in the far north. At 439 km, it is the longest road in Scotland. Historically it was the main road between Edinburgh and John o' Groats in the far north Scotland, and has been called the Spine of Scotland.

 

At our cruise altitude (8,000 feet for this flight) and heading southwest, we are flying over the Argyll and Bute area. We are over the Loch Fyne, a long inlet, and ahead is the Kintyre Peninsula.  On the other side of the North Channel (known alternatively in English as the Straits of Moyle or Sea of Moyle) which is the strait separating Scotland from Ireland and connecting the Irish Sea with the Atlantic Ocean, we see the Irish coast.

 

About 30 minutes later, we are on final for runway 25 and it snows!

 

A few seconds before touchdown.

 

Parked at gate 17 at Belfast-Aldergrove airport after a 1h11min flight from Inverness across North Scotland. It is 5 PM and time for us to go to our hotel for the 25th night of this journey around the world.

 

P. Fogg, esq., wrote in his diary: To be continued … and went back to his whist game.

J. Passepartout simply wrote: À suivre!

 

 

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Next day of travel ... the 26th one ...the last one!

 

 

 

Day Twenty-Six, Last day of travel: Friday Oct 26th

Back to London

 

 

 

 

Last day of travel: from Belfast to London City, via Cork, Dublin and Liverpool.

 

 

I will follow as precisely as possible the journey of Phileas  Fogg, esq., and Jean Passepartout around the world. The Mr. Fogg, his servant, Mrs. Aouda and the inspector Fix of 1872 missed the Cunard steamer China by only 45 minutes. They then crossed the North Atlantic Ocean aboard the steamer Henrietta. So do we! We and our two honorable travelers of today will cross the Atlantic Ocean by a north route and, after stopovers at Cork, Dublin and Liverpool, as the honorable passengers of 1872 did, we will be back to London, today.

 

Flightpath followed on Fri. Oct. 26:

 

 

 

 

 

October 26 - Leg 93 – Belfast-Cork

EGAA-EICK

 

 

Flight route (from FSFK). Green, planned; Red, actual.

 

 

It’s 7:50 AM, at gate 17 at Belfast airport. Our “honorable passengers” have just boarded and we’re ready to begin our first flight of the day to Cork, our last day of “flight around the world”. This is a short flight of about 187 nm.

 

Takingoff from runway 25.

 

Eight minutes later, at our cruise altitude (6,000 feet for this flight) and heading south, we approach the airspace of the Republic of Ireland. Ahead is the inlet named Carlingford Lough that marks the border between Ireland and Northern Ireland. The area has been a popular tourist destination since Victorian times when the railway between Dublin and Belfast was opened. Situated approximately halfway between the two cities, the easy access to the area combined with its scenery and sheltered location are still important factors in its popularity today. In the background, we see the large Dundalk Bay.

 

From Mr. Fogg’s seat, we see the Dundalk Bay, the estuary of both the Flurry River (at right) and the Castletown River (at left) that combine and form the Dundalk Harbor.

 

A few minutes later, heading west, we fly close to the city of Blanchardstown, which is in the northern suburb of Dublin.

 

Fifteen minutes later, still heading due west, we approach Lough Derg of Shannon, to not be confounded with the other Lough Derg in North Ireland on which stands the Sanctuary of Saint-Patrick.

 

And, on the bank of the Shannon River, the Shannon airport (EINN). We will soon turn back southeast to reach Cork.

 

Twenty minutes later, after a U-trun, we fly over the natural harbor of Cork, with a view of The Sound, ahead, that opens the natural harbor on the Celtic Sea. In the time of the British transatlantic steamers, all ships were going to Queenstown harbor through The Sound.

 

In long finale for runway 35 at Cork airport, we face Barrys Head, a known cape between Cork natural harbor and the Old Head of Kinsale, another prominent cape in this area of Ireland.

 

Long finale for runway 35 in the fog.

 

Short finale for runway 35 in the fog.

 

Parked at gate 1 at Cork airport after a one hour and a half flight from Belfast. It is 9:30 AM past. We are in Cork. Cork harbor is a natural harbor and the largest city which forms the Cork seaport is named Cobh. From 1849 to 1922, the seaport of Cobh was named Queenstown in honor of Queen Victoria who visited Cobh in 1848. This is here that the travelers of 1872 landed after having crossed the North Atlantic Ocean aboard Henrietta.

 

 

 

 

October 26 - Leg 94 – Cork-Dublin

EICK-EIDW

 

 

Flight route (from FSFK). Green, planned; Red, actual.

 

At 10:15 AM, gate 1 at Cork International airport, we begin our second leg for today, this time we go to Dublin. This is a flight of about 119 nm, probably about one hour of flight for our twin-engine Dove. In 1872, Mr. Fogg and his colleagues reached the natural harbor of Queenstown, i.e. Cobh seaport, on December the 20th at 1 AM (they thought it was the 21st) aboard the Henrietta that was turned into a flat hulk to burn all that was in wood. They left immediately aboard the express train to Dublin the same day. Our today honorable passengers are leaving Cork on October 27th at about 10 AM … almost two months ahead 1872 schedule. Jules Verne indicates about Queenstown that: “Queenstown is the Irish port at which the trans-Atlantic steamers stop to put off the mails. These mails are carried to Dublin by express trains always held in readiness to start; from Dublin they are sent on to Liverpool by the most rapid boats, and thus gain twelve hours on the Atlantic steamers.” Therefore, the next legs are for Dublin, then Liverpool, then London.

 

Taxiing to the active runway in the fog.

 

Takingoff from runway 35.

 

Twelve minutes later, at our cruising altitude (7,000 feet) with a view on Munster Blackwater River that flows through Waterford County. The Blackwater is notable for being one of the best salmon fishing rivers in Ireland.

 

While flying over the Knockmealdown Mountains, we see ahead the city of Clonmel on the northern bank of the River Suir. The area ahead is the well-known Tipperary County and, yes, it was a long way!

 

Ten minutes later, we fly over the V-shaped valley of the River Nore with the slopes covered with forests. On our left, we see the city of Kilkenny.

 

Ten minutes later, we approach the south range of the Wicklow Mountains with mica-schist rocks and these mountains stretch outside their borders into County Dublin where they are known locally as the Dublin Mountains.

 

Six minutes later, we approach the Bay of Dublin with the capital city of Ireland that can be seen through clouds on our left. The city that is seen on our left is the coastal city of Bray.

 

Fifteen minutes later, we enter the final approach to runway 28. On our left, the Dublin Bay with, in the background the Dublin Mountains, Bull Island on our immediate left, and the Poolbeg Peninsula with its typical landmark: the Poolbeg Chimneys. The thermal station chimneys at Poolbeg Generating Station are among the tallest structures in Ireland and are visible from most of Dublin city. Both chimneys are 207 meters high.

 

Long finale for runway 28.

 

A few seconds before touchdown.

 

Parked at gate 116 at Dublin-Collinstown at a remote apron at the north of the airport, after a 59-minute flight from Cork. It is 11:30 AM past and the outside temperature is a low 0°C.

 

 

 

 

 

October 26 - Leg 95 – Dublin-Liverpool

EIDW-EGGP

 

 

Flight route (from FSFK). Green, planned; Red, actual.

 

Departing Dublin airport at about 1 PM for the third flight of the day, to Liverpool. This area of Dublin-Collinstown airport is dominated by Ryanair birds. This is a short flight of about 115 nm.

 

Takingoff from runway 28 with a view on the Bay of Dublin in the background.

 

After a U-turn, we pass over Dublin airport heading eastward.

 

At our cruise altitude (7,000 feet) heading east over the Irish Sea.

 

Twelve minutes later, we approach the coast of Wales. This is Gwynedd County. We see on our right, the Llyn Peninsula in the background. We see three Welsh islands. The big one is Anglesey Island, the one at the western side of Anglesey is Holy island, so named because of its high concentration of standing stones and burial chambers.

 

Fifteen minutes later, we approach the coast of Merseyside. Ahead is the city of Formby and the airfield is Woodvale RAFB.

 

A few minutes later, we have begun our descent to our destination and, heading east, we fly over the city of Wigan.

 

Long finale for runway 27. We fly over the city of Runcorn with the Mersey River and the Manchester Canal on our right. Ahead is the Britannia Bridge that crosses the Mersey.

 

A few seconds before touchdown.

 

Parked at gate 4 at Liverpool - John Lennon international airport after a 56-minutes flight from Dublin. It is about 2 PM locally. “Having arrived at Liverpool at twenty minutes before

noon on the 21st of December”… the travelers of 1872 arrived about noon on 20th of December, we are at Liverpool airport at 2 PM on October the 27th … well ahead the schedule of 1872! And nobody was arrested!

 

 

 

 

October 26 - Leg 96 – Last Leg – Liverpool-London City

EGGP-EGLC

 

 

Flight route (from FSFK). Green, planned; Red, actual.

 

 

It’s 2:40 PM, at gate 4 at Liverpool airport. Our “honorable passengers” have just boarded and we’re ready to begin our 96th and last flight of our Round-the-World journey. This is a rather short flight of about 155 nm to London-City.

 

Twenty minutes after takeoff, we fly by Stafford.

 

And just four minutes later, we fly over Birmingham. Mr. Fogg feels more at ease, he’s at home and soon be back in London.

 

Ten minutes later, heading south, we fly over Oxford. The city is known worldwide as the home of the University of Oxford, the oldest university in the English-speaking world. Oxford is known as the "city of dreaming spires".

 

Fifteen minutes later, we have begun our descent to our destination. At 3,600 feet, heading east, we fly over the city of High Wycombe. The city is just 29 miles north west of Charing Cross station in London; this information is engraved on the Corn Market building in the centre of the town.

 

And Mr. Fogg looking at his window admires the typical English landscape that characterizes the far suburb of the London megalopolis.

 

At 1,800 feet heading south over the London surburb of Edgware with the M1 motorway just below.

 

Long finale for runway 09 at London City airport, a not so frequent approach that shows some of the most prominent London monuments. We see the London Eye, a giant Ferris wheel 135 m tall. Ahead of us we can see St Paul’s Cathedral.

 

One minute later, we have the Tower Bridge and the Tower of London, officially named Her Majesty's Royal Palace and Fortress of the Tower of London, just ahead of us. In the distance, we see the high buildings of Canary Wharf. London City airport is just behind them.

 

Short finale for runway 09.

 

Parked at gate 11 at London City airport after a 1h10min flight from Liverpool. It is 4 PM and we have finished the Round-the-World journey in much less than 80 days, even in less than one month, in just 25 days, flying seven days a week. We are parked just in front of an official building.

 

 

P. Fogg, esq., wrote in his diary: The End , closed it and went to the Reform Club.

J. Passepartout simply wrote: Fin!

 

 

 

Summary of the Around the World in 80 days journey with a D.H.104 Dove

 

 

Departure                 London City Monday October 3rd at 8 AM

Return                       London City Friday October 27th at 4 PM

Total travel time         25 days and 8 hours

 

Round-the-World journey in 96 legs

Total distance flown EGLC-EGLC    26 364 nm (i.e. 48 830 km)

Total flight time flown 148h25min

 

 

Map of the Dove RTW journey

 

 

Flags of countries and states visited

 

 

 

 

- THE END -

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Helo neal,

Many thanks.

Oh so you're not far from Northern Ireland?

Dundalk Bay was nice to (cyber)fly over ... Ireland a wonderful country.

I'm impatient to go back there and spend a few days, for real that time.

Have a good week neal!

Philippe

From the south south part of France!

We have direct flights to Dublin from Toulouse.

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  • 5 weeks later...

I was away for more than a month, a belated -yet well due- congratulations on your safe arrival, Philippe. . You have done the Dove proud and a grand job with your presentation of your trip. I so enjoyed reading what I missed of it. I also have hidden a bottle of stout ale for you. Best wishes. Cheers. :cheers_s:

 

Khalid

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