Full Moon Rises Over The City?The Flight Out The trip began with the usual last minute checking to make sure the packing was complete and the needed items were in place. Then begins the mild panic moments patting yourself to see if the passport was still in your pocket. We planned the trip to Detroit that Wednesday so that I would have a buffer of 2-3 hours to get through security. Especially since I wasn’t really sure what to expect. Only two, Joe and Tori, were able to come with Lynn to see me off. Once we arrived it was relatively quiet so baggage checkin and security check went quickly. Having said my farewell’s it was off to wait on my flight. The flight took off somewhere around 4:00 pm. Soon I was watching the sun set over the wing.
South of Greenland
It struck me as a bit odd that my journey to the south most region of Africa would take me to the north most parts of North America. As I tracked the flight I keep look out in the dark in hopes of catching a glimpse of any lights. I never did see any but somewhere below was a dark blue sea of very cold water and probably a few icebergs. I noticed that the outside air temperature was over -100 degrees F and didn’t want to think much about having to ditch the plane in the water somewhere. We eventually flew over England and came to Amsterdam. It was still dark but you could tell it had snowed (unusual they told me). My watch still said 11:00 pm but I lost 6 more hours and it was already 5:00 am and soon the sun would be rising. The flight was scheduled in about 5 hours. Time to search for the next terminal and look at the mall in the airport.
Sun Up and Off We go
Local time was 11:00 am but my body was still on 5:00 am and no real sleep. We had been delayed .5 hours as something had happened and two passengers were prevented from boarding. Only the Lord knows what happened but I watched as Europe slipped underneath the wing. Soon an amazing site loomed beneath us as we flew over part of the French Alps. Breath taking view as we left Europe. .
Winging over Africa
Africa where we flew revealed only endless tan and red sand with occasional rocks and what appeared to be gem stone rocks underneath the surface. On occasion I even spotted what might have been some form of road or life. Seeing this I wondered who would ever live in such conditions and wondered what awaited me in Cape Town. We landed near midnight local time and it was the first real signs of life since Europe. I was met warmly by Steve and Sana at the Airport after passing through customs. Time for sleep. The next day I would see a site I would remember forever… a moon rising over Africa.
Part 1 – by Mark Vernik
