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Published: August 3rd 2014
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Thursday morning saw the Thomas family setting off for a family road trip, flying into Seattle and out of San Francisco. We got off to a great start when we were upgraded to business class, making for a much more luxurious journey and giving us all the chance to get a couple of hours sleep on the plane. A ninety minute wait to clear immigration was less amusing, but at least the officials were cheerful and smiling which made a pleasant change from most arrivals into the USA.
The guy at the hire car desk recommended we upgrade to a larger SUV, which turned out to be good advice as even that only just had room for our 3 suitcases plus hand luggage. With a combination of expert map reading by James and Sara and the satnav we'd brought from home, it didn't take long for us to reach our rental home for the first 2 nights. It was a duplex apartment with great views over Lake Washington and, if you craned your neck a bit, all the way to the glacier covered slopes of Mount Rainer, some 60 miles away.
Next day, we discovered there was an air
display at a park about an hour's walk away, so we strolled up there and settled down on the grass overlooking the lake. A succession of hydroboats were out practicing for the next day's races, at terrifying speeds and high volume. They were succeeded by a succession of air displays, each more impressive than the last. First came a vintage aircraft display comprising planes from Paul Allen's private collection (he of Microsoft),followed by a stunt pilot in a powerful biplane, and another in a P51 Mustang, describing corkscrew loops and defying gravity. He was followed by the display team from the Air National guard, who did some pretty impressive formation and aerobatic flying. Then a display from the US Marine Corps, involving Harrier Jump jets, helicopters, Marines leaping out of helicopters into the water, and the amazing Osprey which converts from a rotary wing to a fixed wing craft......the Marine display in particularly drawing ripples of applause from the patriotic crowd, American flags fluttering all along the lakeside. The finale was a display by the Blue Angels, the US Navy display team flying F18s and performing quite staggering manoeuvres including flying their planes 18 inches apart while one in inverted
on top of the other at 400mph. They make the Red Arrows look like novices it must be said, somewhat unpatriotically.
Finally came the real stars of the show, the Blue Angels - the US naval equivalent of the Red Arrows - flying F15 fighters in formations as close as 18 inches between planes.
In between the displays, there was a chance to buy food from a range of stalls and visit a host of military recruiting stalls. We declined the option to test our strength - no point in public humiliation - but picked up some freebie bags and carrot lollies (odd but surprisingly good). Watching our fellow spectators also provided hours of amusement, especially from Aaron, a hyperactive toddler with a mop of curly blond hair, clad only in his underpants, who spent his life barrelling down the grassy slope towards the water, pursued by his patient but ever more exhausted mother. At one point he gatecrashed the small tent brought by the mother of three older boys (all sensibly clad in sunscreen, sunproof clothing and life jackets), much to the mortification of his own mother.
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Sarah Pillay
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such excitement
As ever I love the description your trip. It felt like I was there with you guys. You should write a novel. More please.