From Ideeho to Bremerton

We were headed for lunch on Wednesday, which was our day to return six passengers to Bremerton. My coworker mentioned that he had eaten at Café Rio the night before. Those magical words were all he had to say to me.

Have you been to Café Rio? I think that it is my favorite fast food restaurant out there. I usually get the pork carnitas burrito, but I’ve been adventurous lately by trying things like nachos, tacos, nachos, salad, nachos, and nachos.

And nachos. Holy smokes, I love this place. So much that I don’t think I could ever say no to it! I splurged today and tried one of their fruit lemonades to wash all that nacho goodness down.

With a happy tummy, it was time to head to the airport to ready Gladys for our short flight home. It would only take about forty-five minutes in the air to be “home” today.

When we got the airport, we discovered that Gladys hadn’t been pulled up front like we requested.

In fact, she was out in the sticks with some giant tumbleweeds. Can you see her?

Yeah, me neither.

Turns out that their big-airplane tug had gotten a flat tire that morning and had to be sent out for repairs. They tried to move Gladys with this little yellow tug but didn’t have the right fittings. Rather than try to connect with the wrong tow bar, I decided to leave her where she was.

I hate scratches. They’re just so permanent.

But good news came…our passengers were running about an hour late, and that gave us the time for the tire to return and the tug to be used to move Gladys. Otherwise, can you see the tumbleweeds that would have restricted access to get out?! Those things were huge!

This beautiful Falcon was still on the ramp, too. Turns out that there was a giant charity golf event in town while we were here, so I wonder if that is why this big guy showed up for a few days.

Goodness knows it wasn’t to enjoy the cooler weather!

Soon we were in the sky and waving goodbye to a beautiful town. I would say that my first experience with Coeur d’Alene went pretty well. And I even know how to pronounce it now, thanks to my Mama. Put the emphasis on the last syllable, so the “lane” comes out the strongest.

I could almost pass as a local. Almost.

We were bound to pass some pretty territory on our short hop back to the Seattle area. Doesn’t this make you want to sing “The Hills are Alive?” I get that feeling a lot in this airplane…

We stayed low for this short flight, heading home at just 23,000 feet. It gave a pretty good view of things going on down below. Hi, Columbia River!

And it was hard to fathom after a few scorching days in Coeur d’Alene, but there was still snow on top of the mountains just west of town! I had to take a picture to prove it to myself since it didn’t seem possible.

As we got closer to Bremerton, we also got closer to the typical overcast layer associated with Seattle. Here you can see where it starts just to the east of the city and continues until we descend beneath it on the approach.

And here we are underneath! I love how the lighting changes when the clouds cover everything. It was a beautiful day, and I had a hunch that opening the door to get out would feel a lot nicer than ninety-six degrees from the previous two days!

I hate to say it, but my hunch was right. It is a perfect sixty-four degrees today in Bremerton! May I please just stay here for the next four months?

Seattle is such a beautiful area, thought I as we got closer to landing. Sometimes, especially in the summer months, I long to live someplace similar to this. Where it’s green and cool and your fingers don’t melt when you accidentally try to plug in the metal seatbelt.

It’s the little things in life that make all the difference, you know?

I also love all of the water in this Puget Sound area.

Yes, I could live here. And this month, I practically have.

Hi, Little Bremerton! Yes, we’re back again. This time for a few days, and I have big plans during those few days! It’s nice to be back to cool weather and green sites. I know that I was only away from Bremerton for a few days, but I always love returning.

And Kyle from Avian Flight Center was there waiting for us to marshall Gladys in. He has done this a lot in the past few months!

After loading about sixty bags into their awaiting car, my passengers were on their way. Then it was time to get the crew bags out of the nose baggage compartment. She can store stuff in all sorts of spaces! I love this airplane!

This is where she will hang out until Saturday, when we will have a very busy work day.

Well, busy for this new job. It would be considered a typical day in the job I left in February to come fly Gladys.

Meanwhile, we hop in the crew car for a two-day stay in Bremerton! I had rooms arranged for us at the Fairfield Inn yet again. It almost feels like I should just pay these folks monthly rent! I’ve been here a lot this summer!

And I love it…

I asked for and received a harbor view this time around. Since I would be here for a few days longer, I cared about what I saw outside the window. I love this scenery because I can watch the Seattle ferry come in and leave again.

Tomorrow, I am going to take that ferry over to explore the city!

But until then, I will recover from such a “strenuous” day at work. Can you believe that my job allows me to fly all day and then get neat views from a calming hotel in downtown Bremerton?

Pinch me.

This might be why I like the Fairfield Inn most of all…the gigantic walk-in shower! I hate tubs for every reason, so this shower feels made just for me.

Come back tomorrow for a great day exploring downtown Seattle!