By Elliott Brack
Editor and Publisher, GwinnettForum
APRIL 19, 2019 | Any trip can be great fun. We’ve had some unusual ones.
Years ago, a friend offered a trip—for two—on the Goodyear Blimp, in Atlanta for a promotion. He said: “Just two seats, leaving at 2 p.m. Sunday.” That caused a problem in our five member family. Pulling straws, our youngest won the second seat available.
We arrived at DeKalb Peachtree Airport…..and began waiting for the other five people for the seats of the trip. Finally, at 2:30, the pilots gave up on the others, and we lifted off.
Soon we were perhaps 2,000 feet high, flying toward downtown Atlanta. Eventually the pilot set the engines so that with the headwinds, we just hung there motionless in the sky—helpful we suspect when televising from the air.
Asking where we lived, the pilot turned the dirigible and headed toward Norcross. Soon we were over Edwin Howard’s house in Doraville, and there was the late Rachel Howard around their swimming pool with her children, waving at us.
We continued to Norcross, finding our house among the trees. Then we were over the Chattahoochee River, turned at what is today Peachtree Corners and headed back to the airport. It was a fun 30 minute blimp ride for the two of us.
ANOTHER FRIEND, from Lufthansa, the German airline, called: “Want to ride in a German three engine Junkers airplane?” Yes we did! Leaving from Peachtree-DeKalb airport, this one-time pride of the Lufthansa fleet was a primitive airplane. The frame was covered in corrugated tin. Two rows of single seats were buckets, with little padding. But the tri-motor lifted us gently into the air. There were about a dozen passengers—its capacity—flying to Jacksonville, Fla., as the airplane was touring the USA in a promotion for Lufthansa.
At about 3,000 feet, it was easy to see much familiar Georgia territory, especially around and south of Macon. We flew very close to where I was born. The flight took about 2.5 hours at about 125 mph. After landing in Jacksonville, Fla., Lufthansa soon had me on Delta and back to Atlanta.
USNS Darby
ANOTHER MEMORABLE TRIP: when in the Army, aboard the USNS General William O. Darby, transporting my wife and me to Germany to start military tour. I had a two-year commitment in the Army, but signing on for another year, my wife could travel with me. We had a small stateroom, while a big contingent of soldiers were billeted below. The Army kept me busy checking on troops during the day. In some rolling seas at one time, we both felt a little puny. It took seven days from New York to Bremerhaven.
HERE ARE THREE memorable railroad trips:
- The three mile trip on a cog railway to the top of Mount Washington, N.H., at 6,168 feet the highest peak in the northeast. This is a three hour round trip, at a speed of 2.8 mph on the 25 percent grade.
- The Durango and Silverton Narrow Gauge Railroad. This is a journey through the southwest Colorado’s San Juan Mountains. The trip is only 48 miles one way, but takes 67 minutes, as the train huffs and puffs along continually curving tracks through gorgeous country.
- The trans-Canada journey from Vancouver, to Toronto. It’s a four day trip, and the first two days are beautiful and distinctive. The last two let you see little more than rocks, trees and lakes….all boring.
How about it: what special trips do you remember?
MY APOLOGIES: Got a name wrong last week. It was Sandy Moore of Loganville who told us the name of the Snowball Tree. Pardon us, Sandy! She’s with Parks and Recreation for Gwinnett County. You can never tell what your mind will do to you!
- Have a comment? Send to: elliott@brack.net
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