Big day today!

Woke up at 6:50 A.M.  Was supposed to be off the ground at 8:00 A.M.  Didn't end up leaving until around 9:00-ish, though.  Van, Jacob, and I were off to Chicago!

The flight itself was pretty uneventful.  We hopped from VOR to VOR to VOR all along the way.  Cruised at 5500 feet.  At one point we had to drop lower to miss some clouds.  Beautiful scenery.  Wish I would have used my camera!  Stopped at Burlington, Iowa, so Van could use the facilities!

Then headed to Clow International Airport in Bolingbrook.  And let me tell you, this was one fun airport.  It is nestled right in the middle of a neighborhood on the outskirts of Chicago.  You can see the skyline in the distance as you land.  It was a bit hard to find...nestled right in the thick, thick array of houses in suburbia.  And the runway itself is rather small...perfect for Cessna single's but a bit more intense for twins.  I came in with full flaps and at 95 mph instead of the usual 105.  The runway itself is only 3362 feet long, a full 1000 feet shorter than Chanute.

But the landing was fine.  I came in right over a house at the edge of the runway, touched down, then threw on the brakes.  No problems.  We dropped Van off, then filled the tanks up at $4.85/gallon.  Nothin' like a $241.53 gas bill!

Took about three hours altogether.

Jacob and I then headed down to Springfield to visit my family.  I'm tellin' ya, I love this twin!  We went from Chicago down to Springfield in exactly one hour!!!  It takes 3 1/2 to drive!  Of course, I had to say hello to my friends up at Lincoln, so I did a low approach right over the runway and campus.

There is just somethin' about crusing at 175 mph that just makes you feel all warm and fuzzy on the inside.

Mom picked us up from the airport, then we headed home, then went out for some Chinese.  We had to take advantage of being in a city!  We just don't get this in Chanute!  Jacob commented how the people were smaller (not as fat) and more beautiful.  haha...can't argue.

Went home after eating, then had Mom cook us an authentic meal!  Needless to say, at the end of the night, we were stuffed!!!  But it was good.  Real good.  Casey and Justin came by, and we laughed at Jacob's unique but comical view of life.  He's great!

Went out to Buffalo Wild Wings with friends later that night.  Told myself I wouldn't, but ended up eating a few wings tonight, too (I'm stuffed!).  Hey, they were free!

Went to bed at 1:00 A.M at Mom and Dad's house!