My Flight to the East on July 22, 2008

Flying above the central portion of the United States and the Mid-west seems like endless miles of crops, outlined by roads, creating a checkerboard of squares. Every so often a town will appear but they are sparsely scattered.

It’s amazing to me how inhabited this region is, as it contrasts with the miles of forests and deserts in the West. Flying over Oregon, Idaho and Utah give you a sense of nothingness as no signs of civilization appear for minutes, if not hours by plane.

Here in the Mid-west, even though towns are scattered, the mark of the human hand can be seen from above in the never-ending squares.

Where are we? I may not know what state we’re flying over at the moment but I’m sure we are over the Mid-west. Gone are the acres of wilderness and uninhabited land. Throughout Utah and our journey east, I was able to follow the interstate headed east. It seemed our flight plan followed the same direction as the road below.

Now, I see a myriad of roads, both paved and not. They intersect at towns, boarder farms and indicate important places.

Thunderheads tower massively above the cloud layer, as fluffy cottonball clouds float below. I wonder what it looks like fro below, as the land lay dark in its shadow. Is the thunder booming or lightning flashing below? Our captain tells us of several storms over Baltimore, which may cause a bumpy ride.

Now I see hills and treed areas which makes me wonder if we’re near the Appalachians, nearing the east coast. From my previous flights to St. Louis, I can only remember the miles of squares. This hilly landscape is new to me. From the air, this region reminds me of a multitude of golf courses, all lined up; grasslands framed by trees. Roads carve through treed areas and rivers are lined with industry. An interstate appears brightly white, contrasting with its green surroundings. The signs and marks of civilization are still clear.

Yet it makes me happy to see the wind turbines lined up on the hill below. I’m glad to see us harnessing the free and natural power of the wind.

As we begin our initial approach to Baltimore, I see a river curve with S-shapes through the trees. The hills shape waves of trees and slope down, as cities encroach up their sides. Now more cities and suburbs can be seen, with interstates and roads. Baltimore is just ahead and we’ll be on the ground in 15 minutes.

This week I am off to Wyoming and Utah for my wild west adventure and press trip. I already have a line-up for upcoming articles and I'm sure once I'm there, my list will only expand. Be sure to check back and look for my new articles at Suite101.com. I am also looking at some other publications for publishing my stories.

I have been enjoying my experience of becoming a travel writer. I love writing and I love to travel, so what could be better than being a travel writer! Sometimes I do struggle finding the time and energy for writing, because my job at the hospital has been so busy lately. But coming home and being able to be creative helps me thrive.

One thing I struggle with is remembering to write about the other states in my Travel Section at Suite101.com. The states included in my section are Alaska, Oregon, Idaho, Washington, Montana and Wyoming. I think it's just that Oregon has so much to offer and I live here, so it's much easier to see something and want to write about it. Yet, I am traveling to Utah, Wyoming and Colorado in August, so I will definitely have some things to write about for those states.

It would be my dream to just be a travel writer full-time or make enough money to just be a writer but it's not logical right now. It's nice to dream though.

I am excited about traveling to the East Coast next week, arriving in Baltimore and traveling through Pennsylvania. I will definitely create some articles from my travel. These articles may not be in my section but I can post them in the other travel sections. I'm sure I will enjoy researching and writing them, even if they aren't about NW U.S./ Alaska travel.

If you have any ideas for travel in my section, please let me know.

I wanted to announce that I won the Editor's Choice for one of my latest Oregon Travel articles. Here is the link:
Jackson-Frazier Wetland Park

If you have a chance to visit the Willamette Valley or Corvallis, be sure to visit this amazing park hidden within the city limits. It is peaceful and interesting to hear the birds or the frogs, and be surrounded by nothing but nature.

I am still looking to expand my writing skills and experience. I've been trying to write more articles on travel, going so far as to launch a website/ blog devoted to NW Travel.

Sometimes I feel overwhelmed by how much there is out there to discover! I see so many wonderful things to write about just here in my hometown. So, I will take it one step at a time. I have been talking with a few travel writers in my Suite101.com group. I hope they can give me some advice on travel writing.

So, if you have any ideas or suggestions, please leave me a message.
Thank you!