The Adventure Trip Comes to an End ~ Lewiston, Maine

After the last flight of the Adventure Trip, we all loaded up in the planes for one last breakfast together.The pilots were taking it easy after breakfast, reminiscing about their flights across the White Mountains... or were they planning the next Adventure Trip? Who knows! Maybe they were just pretending to be busy while the ground crew packed up for the last time...
But wait! The ground crew was busy relaxing as well!!

The whole gang - we actually had to pay each other to force the smiles as we were really tired by the end. Actually, parting ways was bitter sweet - we were all ready to go home but sad to see the Adventure come to an end. Until next year, gang!

Thank you to all of our hosts and hostesses (both planned and unplanned!), the great people we met along the way and to all those who participated in the Adventure Trip. Also, a special thank you to our star photographers Darlene, Jerry & Ray and to John for having such a hair-brained idea that, with a lot of hard work, became a reality.

The Adventure Trip Continues ~ Lewiston, Maine

The last flight of the Adventure Trip was delayed a bit by fog, but we managed to fly around Lewiston with the balloons for a little while. While waiting for the fog to lift, John, Mike and Rob had a discussion about something - we're not quite sure what but judging by the picture, it must have been pretty serious...

The Adventure Trip Continues ~ Tacky Decoration Awards

We're still not sure if it was due to the long trip, something in the water, or just plain old goofiness, but we decided to have a contest to see who could have the tackiest decorations on their rig. We present the following:

John & Aimee with their assorted party lights and pink flamingo spinner.

Jerry & Gordon with their lantern party lights and assorted "camp" gear.

Gordon shows off his style of "camping" - no decorations, but we deemed him tacky enough to enter the competition.

Mike proudly displayed his parking lights - not bad for someone who refused to participate!

Rob and Darlene were not prepared for the competition but made an impressive effort with their newly acquired lantern lights.

Ray went all out with two sets of lanterns - very nice!

And the winners are.....

John & Aimee stole the show with their vibrant spinner. John was beside himself and simply could not contain his joy. Aimee, while happy to win for the sake of winning, quickly tried to find a dumpster big enough to ditch the spinner as soon as the winners were announced.

The Adventure Trip Continues ~ Lewiston, Maine

We had quite a crowd at the Auburn-Lewiston Airport Friday evening, but the weather just didn't cooperate long enough for flying. It was nice to catch up with so many MPA members and share PPC stories.Meanwhile, Aimee & Gordon managed to find wi-fi at the FBO and hung out with their gracious host, Jane.

The Adventure Continues ~ Flight to Lewiston Airport

Our last leg... the pilots took off under clear skies this morning to make their last leg of the Adventure Trip. What a success it has been! Our final destination is the Lewiston Airport where we will be flying with the Balloons at the annual Balloon Festival.MikeJerryRobJohnThe five "White Mountain Adventure Pilots" take off on their last leg Coming into Lewiston, the pilots were greeted by the BalloonsWhile the pilots were flying, the crew stopped to have some of their own fun.Kevin O. joined the group on their flight and landed with them in LewistonThe boys got a little hungry while waiting for the ground crew to arrive at the airport, so they drove their planes across the runway to the local cafe. Way to improvise guys!Darlene got a ride back to camp after breakfast

The Adventure Continues ~ Bowman Airport

You know the old saying "When life gives you lemons, make lemonade?", well we came up with a new one: "When life gives you rain, make lake front property." We arrived at Bowman to find a rain soaked field so we strategically parked our rigs around the various "lakes". After setting up camp we even enjoyed a game of bocce and got to wade in our lake front property.
Some of the guys flew back over their emergency landing spot in the evening, but the rain showers started again and brought everyone back to camp.Darlene demonstrates the art of throwing the ball with perfect formGordon then tries his hardest to beat everyone (he failed)...The crew (Darlin', Buckwheat and Willy) got to enjoy the benefits of camping out on lake front propertyRay almost ran out of room to park...

The Adventure Continues ~ Flight to Bowman Airfield

The flight to Bowman Airfield in Livermore, Maine was an adventure! With clear skies in Bethel, the pilots anticipated an easy flight over to Livermore where the weather was predicted to be clear. Just a few miles shy from their destination, they ran into heavy fog and were forced to land in someone's backyard. Thankfully they were greeted with smiles and actually made the owner's day. Shortly after, the crew was picked up by the drivers and shuttled over to the airport. A fine example of piloting skill and good judgment. Great job pilots! Take off from BethelWhat a sight to see - six PPCs in the air at once! Great scenery on the way to BowmanJerry got a shot of the emergency landing spot before touching down.Happy to be safe and on the ground! Here the pilots are waiting for the ground crew to pick them up.The pilots with their wonderful hosts.