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StPeteMark
01-01-2005, 05:54 PM
Happy New Year All!!!

Back home in St. Petersburg from a 5-day vacation in Stowe, Vermont. We had a wonderful time and were lucky that it gently snowed 4 of 5 days - temps were 10-30F degrees. We did many things except skiing (as native Floridians we have very little experience). The dog sled tour was our favorite experience!

See some our destination and in-flight PHOTOS in the GALLERY.

Flew JetBlue round trip from Tampa to JKF to Burlington - all planes were Airbus 320s. These were the most anxiety-free flights ever! ... thanks to posts on this board this year, posts from many of you "last year", a FOF tape course, books by Capts. Ray and Stacey, and my computer “Holding Pattern” aerial screensaver I see every day at work!

I made a slight adjustment to my anxiety medication. More importantly, I gave up control and gave full trust to the pilots and crew; all were friendly and professional. No feelings of panic at any time - before or during flight! Familiarity, repetition, and education are also key factors here. With Capt. Ray's book, I knew what to expect from take-off to landing with respect to routines, noises, speed, moves, and turbulence. The flights were fairly uneventful with a few segments of turbs - when they happened, I knew there was no danger and did not worry. :nod

The most dangerous part of the trip was the drive from the motel to Burlington airport yesterday morning. :beep Most of trip was to be on Interstate 89. When we left at 8am, we found out that there was a 15-car accident pile-up that happened at 6am due to ice from rain which started in the middle of the night. At 8am, the Interstate was still closed in the direction we needed to take for our 11am flight. Fortunately, there was a county road which paralleled I-89 to Burlington - traffic flowed adequately and we got to the airport in plenty of time to make our flight.

I feel great! With each flight comes more confidence for the next one! :woohoo

StPeteMark
:airplane

Passenger Mark
01-01-2005, 05:59 PM
Hey Mark!

I was just looking at those when you posted!

Wow! Great photos! Thanks!!!

And a great report. You are right, knowing, and being educated about the "what ifs" is the key. As Ray says... With Knowledge Comes Comfort"

Congrats!

Mark

spiffyone
01-01-2005, 09:35 PM
GORGEOUS photos! I love Stowe. Went in the off season (November) 2 years ago and loved it. Did you visit the Ben & Jerry's? We ate at this awesome Mexican restaurant after hiking - once I finished dinner, I couldn't get out of my chair!

spiff

StPeteMark
01-02-2005, 04:52 AM
Glad you enjoyed the photos! Yes, we went to Ben & Jerry's...for the second time...first time a few years ago when we first visited Stowe...by train...couldn't get me on a plane then. It was also around Christmas time and both times the plant was NOT in operation...this time for some machinery upgrades. But they we still giving tours, showing videos of daily operations, and giving out ice cream at the end.

Ben & Jerry's is now owned by Unilever, a mega international manufacturer of food, home care, and personal care products. The guys Ben & Jerry are somewhere living on Easy Street, but will make personal appearances for new retail store openings...that is their only involvement now. Unilever carries on their humanitarian Mission Statement, but it's disappointing to see items in the gift shop made in China.

I know what you mean about dining in Stowe...great selection of restaurants...we stuffed ourselves at most meals. Good thing we were there only five days! :nod

For more info on Stowe:
www.gostowe.com/ (http://www.gostowe.com/)

Now, back to the real world.... :sigh

StPeteMark
:airplane