One if by Land, Two if by Sea
(Getting there is half the fun)
You are visitor number
since December 22, 1997.
I seem to have an affection for the vehicles which tend to move me around this crazy world. Not really an obsession (except for the airplanes) but a fascination with traveling. The trips don't have to be to exotic locales, as long as they are relaxed and shared with family or good friends. After all, life is a journey. Why not enjoy the ride.
I purchased my first Jeep
(pictured above) in 1992. They are not the most luxurious modes of transportation, but
they have an appeal that is unmatched in the realm of sport-utilities. No other 4WD
vehicle has the heritage that the jeep does, nor does any other vehicle offer the blend of
adventure and utility of a jeep. While there are many off road enthusiasts who like taking
their vehicles up sheer cliffs or through lakes of mud, I tend to wander down to the beach
when I feel the need to take my Wrangler off the beaten path. My favorite stretches of
beach are along Cape Hatteras and Ocracoke Island, North Carolina. There are miles and
miles of unspoiled shoreline there that offer a quiet getaway from the everyday grind. The
picture above was taken at Oregon Inlet, NC in May '94. My travels are not limited to the
sandy shores, however. One of the most relaxing drives I have been on was up the Blue
Ridge Parkway, from Roanoke to Lexington, Virginia one fine June afternoon a few years
ago. I am also looking forward to, one day, driving all the way from Virginia to Key West
with the top off.
But the beach offers
more than just the chance to drive on the sand. I have had the opportunity over the years
to expand my wanderings out to sea aboard several larger sailboats. During my years at the
U.S. Naval Academy, I participated in their off shore sailing program, both as a third
class midshipman (aka-Sophomore) participating in the annual summer training period and by
serving as an off-shore sailing instructor for 4
months
immediately following graduation. While attending flight school in Pensacola, I served as
navigator and winch grinder aboard Lloyd Stagg's 30' sloop SQUAW, out of Pensacola Yacht
Club for about 1 1/2 years of weekend regattas. I have cruised and raced, both in and
off-shore, earning my Navy Off-Shore Skipper qualification along the way. These sailing
experiences have proved both relaxing and challenging. I have enjoyed every moment afloat,
even the cold stormy nights off-shore (yeah, right).
Last, but certainly not least, is my
love of flying. Call it a curse if you must, but ever since Wright Brothers Day 1965, I
have been pursuing the dream of flight. I took my first lessons back in the summer of
1986, finally getting my liscense that December. Went on to go into naval aviation, and
while my eyesight prevented me from becoming a pilot, it did allow me to continue to fly
as a Naval Flight Officer. I have been flying in the service for about eight years, while
still maintaining my currency as
a civilian pilot in my spare time. I am currently working on my
Commercial liscense, and earlier this year I bought my first airplane, a 1968 Piper Arrow.
I have really put the miles on it, too. I have been all up and down the east coast in the
last few months, from Lakeland, Fl in April for the Sun-N-Fun Convention over to
Pensacola, Fl and as far north as Wilkes-Barre, PA. I wouldn't trade the flying for
anything in the world. It's tough to describe, but Stephen Coonts put it well, in his book
Flight of the Intruder when the character Jake Grafton said,
"It's like when you were a kid and you pretended you were sick so you could stay home from school. The rest of the world is working, at school, in factories, in offices. But there you are, sitting in your cockpit, feeling like you're getting away with something, flying smoothly along enjoying the sky and the clouds and looking down at the earth. You are free and unfettered and feel priveleged you can fly. But on the ground, a pilot is like a man waiting for a train. He's restless, anxious to get away. A pilot just bides his time until his plane can take him away again, into the air. He feels like a visitor when he's on the ground."
- Jake Grafton, from Flight of the Intruder by Stephen Coonts
Well, now that I have meandered sufficiently through the various planes, trains and automobiles of my daily life. Let me point you to some of my favorite links relating to them all:
Jeep Links
The Official Jeep Homepage The
Ultimate Jeep Page Matt's Jeep Wrangler Page
Sailing Links
Naval Academy Sailing The
Sailing Index SailNet Pensacola Yacht Club
Aviation Links
Av Web Coastal Planes Sun-N-Fun Online Southern
Aviator Landings
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This page created by
Bill Watkins with Microsoft®
Front Page™ and was last updated on Tuesday, December 11, 2001.
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