Vandalia, MO to Dayton, OH on August 23rd.
Left Independence yesterday morning to visit my Uncle Glenn and Aunt Gladys in Villa Ridge, MO, about 50 miles west of St. Louis. The drive between I-70 near New Florence (where I got off the interstate) to Villa Ridge is a nice trip of about 50 miles through farm land and, of all things, wine country. (Gotta try some Missouri mule-kick wine, I guess). I had a nice visit with Glenn and Gladys and left around 3:30 to get to the other side of St. Louis on Sunday rather than trying to do it during Monday morning rush-hour traffic. Stopped for the night in Vandalia, IL, about 75 miles east of St. Louis.
Got an early start this morning and made good time to Dayton, where I'm spending the last night of this trip. I arrived in Dayton around 2:30 and rode over to the US Air Force Museum at Wright-Patterson AFB in Dayton. I had spent time at the Museum two years ago and thoroughly enjoyed it, and today was the same story...VERY interesting if you're interested in the history of aviation. I did take pictures, so here's some of my favorites:
This is the Convair B-36, which was the Air Force's long-range strategic bomber during the early years of the Cold War, until the B-52 took its place.
This is the B-29 Bockscar, the plane that dropped the second atomic bomb on Japan (Nagasaki) in the mission that finally ended WWII.
These two planes are the F-86 (on the left) and the MIG 15 (on the right). The F-86 was the mainstay of the Air Force during the Korean War, and the MIG 15 was the mainstay of the Chinese and North Koreans during the War. I believe the F-86 had something like a 10:1 kill margin over the MIG, but both were advanced fighters for their day.
These are a B-17 Bomber and P-51 Fighter from WWII. The P-51 was arguably the best American fighter of the war, and the B-17 is the most famous, although not the most numerous or best-performing, heavy American bomber of the war.
I could go on and on, but if you ever get the chance, you should visit the museum. It's free, well-attended, and well-supported by knowledgeable guides.
Tomorrow, I'm heading for home. Approximately 350 miles to go! Miles yesterday: 336. Miles today: 330. Total to date: 11,952.
