Dear Coupers, I wanted to add a few more comments about our area. (Yes, I should probably volunteer for the tourism bureau because I never miss an opportunity for promotion.) Yesterday when I was describing what norterhn Humboldt county looks like from the air, I can see where I might have misled you. I have to realize that some of you have not been here. When I said that the Pacific was to the west, the mountains are to the east, and the towns and diary farms are inbetween, I was describing the most populated part of the county. Even the most poulated portion of the county isn't all that populated compared to what a lot of you are used to. The entire county only has a population of slightly over 100,000 and the land area is 3573 sq. miles or 2,286,720 acres. Humboldt is a good sized county. Most of the county is moutainous and heavily forested. In some places the coastal redwoods (Sequoia sempirvirens) almost meet the ocean. The towms would be dense redwoods too, if they hadn't been logged to build the towns. There are still some remnant redwoods and Douglas fir in town. Not enough trees for my taste, but I do enjoy looking at the remainders during my walks. Footnote to the footnote Although I have lived in northern California since the fall of 1978, last summer was the first time I had ever seen it from the air. All these years I have been enjoying and appreciating all this lovliness from the ground. Not to take away from that at all, but seeing everything from the air adds a new dimension and richness. Actually, I think that flying has given me not one but two more dimesions. There's the dimension of up-down business and then there's the dimension that goes beyond "normal" physical experience. Since my arrival in northern California, I have spent a lot of time looking up. The trees are so tall, there is a diversity and abundance of birds, the clouds are often breathtakingly beautiful, and when we do have a clear day, the sky is so blue! I grew up in Los Angeles where the sky is most often 18% grey (the photgraphers in the crowd will know what I mean). So I have never taken a BLUE sky for granted. Then there is always the hope that the guy from Redding (over the mountains to the east of us) with the P-51 or the guy from Fortuna, a few miles south of us, with the T-6 will fly over. I don't really need to scan the sky looking for those two. I always hear them way before I see them! The point is that I have been looking at the sky for a long, long time but I never realized that there is an entire world up there. If I had known, I would have pursued flying lessons many years ago. On the other hand, had I not had the opportunity to take the life altering flight with the Coast Guard last summer, I would possibly never known. And that would be very, very sad. Georgia PS I have a fanatasy of hosting an Ercoupe fly-in here someday. I would love to share Humboldt County with you all. We have some fun and interesting events here and it would be great if we could time the fly-in to one of those events. I am talking a few years down the road, but everyting starts witn an idea. For now, I need to concentrate on what is in front of me to do. __________________________________________________________________________ ______ To unsubscribe from this list please send mailto:[EMAIL PROTECTED] _________________________________________________________ Enlighten your in-box. http://www.topica.com/t/15
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