May 26, 2023 - Flight Home from Florida Part One
Ah, my flying vacation was over all too soon.  Friday morning I was in the air by 8am.  The weather was great that early.  But by the time I got to the south Jacksonville area, rain showers were all over the place and I had to deviate west to get to Waycross, Georgia.  Also, no tailwinds this time.  For the first two thirds of the flight home, I was only doing 130 mph over the ground.  The disgrace!  From Waycross, I cut over to Brunswick and the coast.  But it was bumpy down low and when I started getting rained around Beaufort, I turned north to get out of the rain.  After Lumberton, NC the weather cleared up and my speed gradually improved until by the time I got to Maryland, it was sunny and I was doing a nice 160 mph ground speed.
   
Ellen ordered Bruce to get a selfie of us prior to me taking off.  Manly aviators don't take selfies but we decided to do it for Ellen.  So here it is.
   
A lot of training takes place at Sebastian Airport.  I had to wait in line to take off.
   
Heading northwest out of Sebastian, into the flat country.
   
Not much civilization in Florida once you get away from the coast.
   
Following a levee north at low level.
   
A low-level flyer's paradise.
   
Following a river.
   
Checking out a large field.
   
A huge marshy area opened up in front of me.
   
Reminds me of the Blackwater Marsh in Maryland.
   
 
   
 
   
I pass by an upscale aviation community on a grass strip called Lafayette Landings.  It's 11 miles west of Daytona Beach.
   
There were five private grass airstrips all close together by Crescent Lake so I decided to check them out.  Here is the first one.  It's Skinner's Wholesale Nursery Airstrip.
   
Here's the next one.
   
Not a grass strip, but a nice scene of waterfront houses.
   
Passing by Thunderbird Airpark.
   
And finally, Ponoma Landing Airport.  This one was a former World War II Army Air Forces emergency landing field. It was closed after the war and abandoned..
   
Now I'm on the big St. Johns River.  The river was angry today, my friend.
   
 
Further up the river, the clouds turned into a low overcast and rain was ahead.  Plus there was all sorts of Class D and Class C airspace ahead.  I decided to angle off to the northwest in hope of finding better weather and less restricted airspace. 
 
   
I ran into rain clouds so low I had to turn around and head due south.  I couldn't even turn west because of a restricted area.  Finally, around Palatka, I was able to turn west and along the southern edge of the restricted area.  Thankfully, the weather was much better to the west.
   
I came across Keystone Heights Airport (42J).  It looked familiar and then I realized it was one of the airports I stopped at on the 2003 Baby Ace Miami to Baltimore flight.
   
Those look like Lockheed Electras down there.
   
And then I saw three P-3 Orions.  Unlike the Electras, these look airworthy.  In case you don't know, the U.S. Navy P-3 Orion maritime patrol aircraft was a derivative of the Lockheed Electra commercial airliner.
   
Now heading north towards Waycross I passed this massive  prison complex.
   
Looking east at Interstate 10.
   
And west.
   
Soon I was over the Okefenoke Swamp.  At first it was mostly woods.
   
But then I started seeing a lot of water.
   
Approaching a very interesting part of the Okefenoke.
   
It was very scenic from the air.
   
 
   
 
   
Probably lots of gators down there but I didn't see any.
   
 
   
 
   
And then back to forest again.
   
Trees as far as the eye can see.
   
And then the Okefenoke Swamp ends and there is Waycross, Georgia.
   
Glad to be back at Waycross!
   
 
   
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