Day 3: Arrival to LANDER, WYOMING

I made it to Lander, Wyoming this morning!  Had a short 1.5 hour easy flight that I didn't want to end.  I find there's something so satisfying about thinking up an idea, whether grad school or flying out here instead of wasting a day on commercial aviation, and then carrying it out with all the unknowns.  Wasn't 100% sure the weather was going to cooperate - didn't want to get stranded - which makes it all the more sweet to arrive on time!  

For the music lovers: Freddy's engine makes a lot of noise.  I have a noise canceling headset, but I can still hear a lot of the noise.  Over the last few days on certain flights, I've started to hum along to Freddy's noise.  I was hey-ing and ho-ing one repeated sequence for some reason until I realized it all fit within Freddy's background.  So after a little experimenting, I determined Freddy sings in the Lydian particularly in the key of F, with a strong dominant 7th.  Generally the major third works best, but the minor sounds very good when thrown in there once in a while.  The normal 7th is too close to what Freddy's singing so it makes the flatted 7th of the Lydian mode sound so good.  It's perfect for Freddy.  A major chord of fun and adventure - but with just a touch of a minor third occasionally and the dominant 7th for some real character and color.  I sang almost the whole way.    

At one point along the way today I looked up into the blue sky.   I had a sudden flash of once being in the middle of the Atlantic Ocean looking south, dreaming of one day making it to Antarctica and the South Pole.  Now I look upwards, hoping to one day make it to space.  As I looked up again, I spotted a beautiful crescent moon.  Someday I suppose.  

My astronaut application, the first one I'm really qualified to have submitted, was submitted in March.  Now I wait and see.  The first interviews are between September and December.  Not sure what COVID will do to the timeline but we'll see.  I feel confident about getting the first interview.  After that is anyone's guess (there are three interview stages) and a lot of luck.  

That's it for now.  Heading into the mountains in a few day with the Naval Academy midshipmen and really looking forward to it.  And of course, it is wonderful that when that finishes, I still have another adventure flying east with tailwinds!