The Flight of the Saltire

[BroosterB1]

It's close to midnight and something evil's lurking in the dark
Under the moonlight, you see a sight that almost stops your heart



You try to scream but terror takes the sound before you make it
You start to freeze as horror looks you right between the eyes
You're paralyzed



'Cause this is thriller, thriller night
And no one's gonna save you from the beast about strike



You know it's thriller, thriller night
You're fighting for your life inside a killer, thriller tonight



You hear the door slam and realize there's nowhere left to run
You feel the cold hand and wonder if you'll ever see the sun
You close your eyes and hope that this is just imagination, girl!



But all the while you hear the creature creeping up behind
You're out of time



Night creatures calling, the dead start to walk in their masquerade



There's no escaping the jaws of the alien this time
(They're open wide)



That this is thriller, thriller night
'Cause I can thrill you more than any ghost would ever dare try
Thriller, thriller night




This was part of a crew of folks who practiced for over 9 weeks to put on Michael Jackson's Thriller. The day of our Holloween dance the participated in a nation wide thriller dance and also filled a local city park with zombies. Acording to the local news that city park event broke the worlds record for most sycronized zombies at the same time! And the Saltaire was there!

Special thanks to our head Zombie and Dance master Elizabeth

[BroosterB1]

Semi annually I head to the reservation lands north of Gallup to a small town called Tohatchi. There is a Mission there run by a friend; due to the high usage of alcohol it is a natural place to hold a AA retreat. These pictures were on the trip to and from. While the Saltaire was in attendance I do not feel I should include pictures of others. She was lauded well round and people marveled at the many places she has been in her flights of friendship. I have a wonderful picture of Father J and I, he in his cossack and I in a Saffron with a black turtleneck; we look like we are from similar orders!

Anyway here is a shot of the journey out



Another with my dashboard friend



Looking east early in the morning across to the rising sun.



A modern day Hogan, this one was built with eight sides to the common room and a bath room on the back. The door faces the rising sun.



Our Lady; the mission is St. Mary's



The out side of the church, very traditional northern New Mexican.



On the way back I pulled down a side road to try and give you all some idea of the openness of the landscape the butte in this one was about three miles away.



Saltaire Blue against New Mexico blue Sky's



The road I came down to get these shots; the "highway" is about 1 1/2 back down the road.



Turned another 90 degrees and the mesa off the road was probably a good two miles away. As you can see, not lots of folks in this area. The blue of the sky is exactly as it was taken, no photo shop. It really is that blue.

[BroosterB1]

Met these guys a few miles down the road; they could have cared less that I was taking their photograph. I even asked them what they were waiting for..I was ignored.



About half way between Tohatchi and Crown Point This part of the reservation is pretty flat and well empty.



Chapter House sign. This is just the sign for the turn off the actual chapter house is 3-4 miles off the road.



Anybody good with Dine? The Japanese in WWII code not break the code talkers. I have met a couple of the guys who are still around, heros all.



From flat lands to mountains; this is coming into Crown Point.



The montains get bigger



And bigger



and taller



Until we cross the contenetal divide. The Altitude is where we are standing



Not where this guy is...I would say the top of that mesa is 9200 ft.

[BroosterB1]

Just as you drop down out of the mountains and back to I 40 (east west) you see something in the distance.....



This is Mount Taylor or Tsoodził, the turquoise mountain. One of the Four scared mountains to the Dine (Navajo) it is the home to several of their important spirits. At 11,300 ft it is almost a perfect strato-volcano and is the source of the lava flows that are directly south and west of Grants New Mexico.



I'll take my camera nest time we go camping there and show you all some neat stuff.

Heading into the Rio Grande Valley one of the major sites is Acoma the "sky city. This pueblo is about 40 miles west of Albuquerque.



This particular pueblo has been inhabited since about 1150 AD.



The Saltaire flys west leaving Acoma.



The wee airship is scheduled departure on Monday morn. I'll see if I can snap a few more shots around Albuquerque for your viewing pleasure. It has been both an honor and a privilege to host the Airship. May God bless and keep her and all that follow her voyages! ith:

[Riverkilt]

Ahhh, kilted on the rezlands.

Great AA campout on the Hopi at Five Houses near Polacca, AZ on the second weekend of Sept. Keep it in mind.

[BroosterB1]

Some good news this morning; the bodies of Richard Abruzzo and his co-pilot Carol Rymer Davis were found this week end. The Abruzzo family will escort Richard back to be interred next to his father who also passed in an aircraft accident.

The Saltaire will soon be off on further adventures. God Bless her flight of friendship.

[Panache]

To the Ladies and Gentlemen of XMTS,

Today the XMTSAS Saltire came home.

It is with mixed feelings that I opened the package that held her. So many miles she has travelled, so many wonderful places and people she has seen. It seems so long ago that I wrote the original story that introduced her to our forum and build this small representation for Big Mikey to take with him along his trip back to Canada.

So many changes since then.

One thing I am very glad is that she managed to hold true to her mission and has well indeed "Travelled in Friendship" all over the globe.

Perhaps a discussion should take place if she should continue on, or that maybe some new symbol in keeping with the new XMTS take her place. I suspect that she would find a good home in Storrington with a certain kilted gentleman I know.

But this is a talk for another day. Now I will read her log book and smile at all the special people that she has met along her flight.

I doff my plumed hat to you all

Sincerely

Jamie

[cessna152towser]

I am happy to hear the Saltire is safely back home again in the SF Bay Area after more than two years of worldwide travels.
Enjoy reading the logbook Jamie!!

[Woot22]

This was such a good idea. I have always enjoyed reading the posts about the Saltires journey. Hope someone has another plan or idea to continue uniting this forum in the future.

[piperdbh]

I vote for continuing the Saltire's travels. I have very much enjoyed reading the accounts of places she's been and seeing the pictures, too.

Thanks, Cap'n, for starting this journey a long time ago.