Day 7: We Made It!

Lebanon, Mo (LBO) to Chicago, Il (PWK)

I am temporarily away from my GPS, so I can't post the distance or map, but here I am in Chicago. We woke in Lebanon and headed to the airport. We fueled the plane with avgas and ourselves with home-baked banana bread at the airport office. We were ready to leave on a leg that would take us to Springfield, Il when a series of small events sent us through a replanning exercise. After considering a range of options, we concluded we were ready to finish this expedition. We fired up the engine and pointed to Chicago.

We didn't see a lot along the way, but one treat was our transition through downtown St. Louis at 1600 feet.



The Gateway Arch is an amazing site from close up. After St. Louis we flew up through Springfield, Il and on into Chicago. Entering the Chicago terminal area was busy but manageable. We landed at Chicago Executive and surprised our friends here by calling a day early for a ride from the airport to the train. A short time later, we were checking in to the Hilton and looking back on the whirlwind events of the preceding week.

We have been in nine states, flown about 1700 nm, and logged over 20 hours of flying time. We are looking forward to seeing Chicago and visiting friends over the coming days. After that, our trip continues with a flight to Birmingham, Al to pick up our daughter Sarah and visit with friends where she has been staying.