We stopped over in Vero Beach, FL for the day to visit our RV-10 builder friend Kenny (sometimes known as "Falcon Guy"... a Falcon 900 pilot by day and RV-10 builder by night). It was awesome to meet him in person and see his project (and the Falcon!). Thanks for all your hospitality Kenny, not only to Sarah and I but to my parents also who were "in-tow" for the trip!
We also were able to visit our EAA Chapter 33 friends Ron and Connie, who were escaping the Iowa winter in a more pleasant area. We were able to track them down in Gulf Shores, AL and had a quick lunch with them while passing through the area. Good times!
We had hoped to have even more time to make a few more stops to see friends, both old and new, but unfortunately there's just never enough time. It was still an incredible trip and excellent reminder about why we love to fly so much!
Route flown (link here)
Random photo from the flight - here we are near Tampa FL, cleared to pass through the Class B airspace.
Team Mikey J and Sarah Maggie sporting our Vans-related gear :-)
It was good to visit my folks in FL... here we are at Sun Harvest Citrus buying some oranges and grapefruit to bring back to IA!
Spent some time with Sarah's brother and sister-in-law in New Orleans... missed Mardi Gras by less than a week! It was still a great time on Bourbon St.
Bottom line: We can't wait to take more trips like this in the faster and more capable RV-10! We absolutely love Julie the Archer, and we will certainly miss her when we start flying the -10, but we're ready for the change. In fact, this may very well have been our last "big" cross-country trip in Julie. We first took her to the west coast in 2013, then to the east coast in 2014, and now the gulf coast in early 2016. Fingers crossed we'll get to repeat these same trips (and many others) in the -10, and soon(ish)!
In order for that to happen, we've gotta keep our noses to the grinding wheel... or at least, if not our noses, some airplane part that is in need of grinding...