It's time to end my blogging hiatus. First up: the Duluth Airshow!

We decided (last minute) to head up to Duluth to check out the airplanes last Saturday. After waiting in line to park for 45 minutes, we looked at a map, and realized it would be faster to bypass the line we were in. After a quick stop to grab lunch, it took us only ten minutes to park using the other way!

Within a few minutes, we found a decent spot to watch the airplanes do their tricks. Alden asked for the remote control (he's been flying airplanes on the computer), and was slightly disappointed when we told him he couldn't fly these airplanes. I mostly wanted to see the stunt pilots, and we made it there just in time to watch Patty Wagstaff flip, spin, stall, and fall. She's an amazing pilot, and an inspiration, too.


After Greg Poe (another stunt pilot) did his thing, the military birds took over. We saw an A-10 and a P-38. The A-10 made us glad we bought earplugs, although Elliot managed to sleep through the whole thing. Once the A-10 and P-38 finished their heritage fly-by, the main reason we came took to the sky as the Blue Angels trotted out their precision flying tricks.

First up, the piggy C-130 (dubbed "Fat Albert") demonstrated a steep, jet-assisted take-off that had me feeling the Gs by just watching it. Alden got antsy, so we went over to the Coast Guard C-130 to poke around in the cockpit. The plane shook as Fat Albert did a fly-by.

It started to rain in earnest by the time the FA-18 Hornets took off. We felt the jets' power in our chests as all six rumbled into the sky at the same time (four in one direction, two in another). While we shivered in the rain, the Blue Angels danced in the sky. I have to say it is one of the more awesome things I've ever seen, but Patty Wagstaff still took the cake for me.