WELCOME!

Thu, 17 Jul 2008 00:59:16 +0000

It’s been an incredible journey. It started over two years ago and still has not ended.

I want to thank everyone who continually tracked my adventure. Your interest kept me going throughout the trip. At times, in my inevitable loneliness, I questioned my purpose. But knowing so many people enjoyed reading about our “unknown America” made me feel driven to complete the five-month adventure.

Along the way, and since, I have received emails with logistical questions I failed to answer completely in my posts. So, I combined the most commonly asked questions and came up with some answers…

Why did you do this?

This question is probably the easiest to ask and the hardest to answer. Originally, I needed to get my airplane from Indiana to California (my home state). The trip grew from there. That’s the simple answer.

The real answer is a bit more complicated. I had two goals in mind before I took off.

1. I wanted to use my piloting skills for something unique, bringing aviation back into a positive light. In the same vein, I wanted to promote an aviation organization that I admire, Angel Flight.

2. Having studied journalism, I wanted to actually apply my education to a project all my own. I envisioned a string of first person articles about the good side of United States: hardworking people, fascinating history, active charities, and more than anything beautiful places to visit that don’t require going abroad.

Skyfemme and Kilo?

Yes those are nicknames I use. Skyfemme is a nickname for me and it represents my trip, the Skyfemme Adventure. Kilo is the name for my airplane. It’s basically just an abbreviation of her tail number, 9328Kilo. Yes, Kilo is a lady, sometimes a trouble-causing lady. But actually she was amazingly reliable.

How did you pick what stops you’d take? Which was your favorite?

I studied state tourism websites, history books, aviation maps, etc., for about six months before I took off. Each stop had a touch of history, charity, or adventure. My first stop was Ohio, for the commemoration of the 1970 Kent State shootings. That was one of the heavier stops. They ranged, though.

On the opposite end of the spectrum, I cattle drove in Idaho, not really a good experience. My best experience, I’d say, was either D.C. with the Quakers or building homes for habitat in the Upper Ninth with my dad.

What did you carry with you?

I had two bags; a backpack and a waist pack. The backpack had a ridiculous amount of pockets, but each one was filled — tiny umbrella, garbage bags, leatherman, mace, lighters, bug spray, chargers of all kinds and more.

I had a GPS and laptop inside, along with my toiletries and clothes. My waist pack stored my camera, voice recorder, cell phone, wallet and, to be really specific, hand sanitizer.

In the airplane, I had a stock of food, a small generator, and aviation maps/charts for the entire country.

How did you really get around?

Aside from flying, of course, once I was on the ground, I used all sorts of transportation— my three speed collapsible bike, buses, trains, ferries, taxis, occasionally rental cars and — I don’t like to admit it – a hitched ride or two.

Weren’t you afraid for your safety?

I realized I was a target in every way. I am young, I am a woman, I was alone on a bike, and to top it off I was carrying a lot of expensive equipment. Knowing those factors against me, I tried to be careful, but not fearful. Fear would have stunted the entire trip.

What were your favorite articles?

Vermont, Florida, Louisiana, Rhode Island

Thank you so much for your questions. Check back soon to learn about the Skyfemme book or join the Skyfemme Facebook Group to get an email update.

Good luck in your own adventures!

– Skyfemme and Kilo

San Jose, CA

admin — Tue, 16 Oct 2007 06:33:10 +0000

We sat, my parents and I, in the “green room” at the NBC station here, intently watching the 5’oclock newscast. I tried to keep my mind off the intimidating reality that soon I would be on the same stage I was watching, live behind a small glass screen.

I was as prepared as anyone could be; my makeup was on, my shirt was ironed, and I had the facts about myself memorized.

Then it was time. I chugged a glass of stale fountain water and walked in my new, patent leather flats toward the interview stool held together with duct tape. It seems the saying is true about television and perception.

With the green screen in the corner, the anchor desk to my left and three automated cameras in my face, I knew I had to study the moment, had to remember every detail. There were no practice questions, no briefing, and essentially no introductions at all. I was miked and the interview began.

The interviewer took the hard news angle of the story. It came off as shallow, a contrast to the journalism I sought to produce as I skipped across the country in my Piper Arrow, Kilo – 21 weeks, 85 flying hours, 38 states, more than 12,000 miles – searching for the soul of America.

I watched the footage of my landing that a cameraman caught just hours before at the airport. While on live television, I thought I could have done that one better. Of course, I tend to be hard on myself about aviation – but not so much about live television interviews.

Before I realized it, the interview was over. I was relatively pleased, for I had not fallen off the stool, stuttered incoherently, or inadvertently spit in the eye of the interviewer, causing him to fall off the stool. Oddly enough, I consider that a success.

Passing the colorful peacock feathers of the NBC logo, we exited the station. We drove home in our burgundy Grand Cherokee with all the possessions I carted for the last five months stowed solely in the trunk. We arrived home, and life was to back to normal. I ate dinner (Halleluiah to regular meals!), watched television and went to sleep, finally in my own bed.

Three weeks, two television interviews, three radio segments, and eight newspaper articles later, I still feel as if tomorrow I need to climb back into Kilo and fly to another podunk airport. And meet another amazing person. And see another fascinating place. And learn more about this country we call the United States of America. I only wish that was the plan.

In this, my final Skyfemme article, I want to get one central point across, in case I haven’t already: Strip away the flying, my youth, and my gender and you have the guts of the Skyfemme story — the rationale of the trip: Everybody has a story.

All the newspapers and stations seemed to miss that point, perhaps because it is so simple.

A young woman arrives home to California after a long, solo journey around the country, leaving behind a Kent State shooting victim who returns annually to join the family chosen for her because of a tragic event … and a Mennonite farming family in Georgia that battles drought wracking the Southeast … and a newly married couple that chooses to spend their wedding money to volunteer for Habitat for Humanity in New Orleans’ Upper Ninth Ward … and a devout hippie who pushes corporate to adopt a green agenda … and dozens of other people in all walks of life in a country where a multitude of paths wind in diverse directions.

Every one of those people – most of whom I ran into unintentionally – had all kinds of stories to tell, stories that illuminated what my amazing journey was all about.

Hope some of it rubbed off on you.
Thanks for coming along for the ride.

Eugene, OR

admin — Sun, 07 Oct 2007 18:35:30 +0000

From an untrained eye, they look like swamp hippies peddling used toilets. You need a toilet? They’ve got ’em — avocado, maroon, grey, yellow, certainly all the popular colors.

But from a trained perspective, well, they are actually suited hippies hawking second-hand building materials. The difference is they have moved from the swamp with one simple objective: to change our culture one shower door, one heating duct, and one roof shingle at a time. They are the folks at BRING Recycling, and they are doing more than just sorting bottles.

“I would describe BRING as being a cultural creative,” BRING director Julie Daniel said. “We’re more than an environmental organization. We’re really at our heart about social change. And it just happens that we are doing it through the vehicle of sustainability and resource conservation, but we’re all about helping people see the world differently.”

And they are achieving just that with programs created to get the community to reduce, reuse, recycle and rethink. But the organization’s message is nothing new. BRING was on the cutting edge of the recycling movement in the early 1970’s.

Only recently, however, has the public heard about it, thanks to Daniel’s foresight. As the director of the new state-of-the-art “green facility” in Eugene, she has risen from once being just an office helper. Working in a trailer that lacks air conditioning in the middle of a swamp, Daniel has proved herself an environmental innovator.

“I just thought this is an amazing organization,” Daniel said.

She said she recalled thinking, “It’s been a trail-blazer, but we’re going to die. Just reading the trade magazines and looking at what was out there and learning about the recycling industry, it became clear that we were not going to be sorting household recyclables in our future, that that market was going to go and we were going to die.”

So BRING adapted. With a new business plan, it once again is leading the industry.

From its on-staff deconstruction crew and community donations, BRING acquired used building materials to sell. The profits support the organization entirely, allowing BRING to create supplementary programs, focusing on art and education.

Art is not a mirror to hold up to reality but a hammer with which to shape it, Daniel quoted Bertolt Brecht, a German poet, playwright, and theater director.

Taking a Brechtian approach, BRING has splashed its new facility with works of art made from recycled materials, giving venue to local artists with a similar avant garde message.

“We want to create this facility to be nice looking, to surprise people,” Daniel said. “People expect used places to be sort of junky. There is a whole lot of association with deprivation or poverty. It’s about you can’t afford anything better, not about the environmental piece or the creative piece.”

After raising more than $1.8 million for its new facility, BRING has indeed surprised the community. Incorporating used materials from all around the city, BRING has become literally a three-dimensional story of the city’s history.

“There was a nightclub called Babes Cabaret,” Daniel recalled. “It was strip joint, and it was a very notorious spot where there was a lot of bar fights. You know, naked girls, guns and alcohol. It was heady mix. And eventually it was shut down and torn down. We got several thousand feet of red corrugated roofing, which now graces most of our buildings. So, Babes still lives.”

Leading by example, BRING shows everybody that taking roofing off a strip joint can be considered swank. And, hey, if it helps the planet, well, that’s just an extra incentive.

“We had a strong counter culture image,” Daniel volunteered. “We learned that people thought we were a bunch of hippies living in a swamp. We had to kind of grow up, get over ourselves and reach out to the community and create a place and an organizational culture that reflected the whole community, not just a segment. It was a huge cultural shift.”

And now, upon driving into the watershed collection parking lot, one sees Jaguars parked next to VW buses. It seems the whole community, as intended, is now taking part in BRING’S next environmental movement.

Soda Springs, ID

admin — Fri, 28 Sep 2007 06:15:46 +0000

Horses may have a hoof up over single engine Piper Arrows simply because they breath and eat, but given the choice I would prefer to ride Kilo through thunderstorms before climbing back on a horse from now until the day I can not do either.

On an Idaho cattle ranch, upon a horse named Sneuse, I chased a herd of portly cows across a large field toward a river. Quite surreal.

From a calm walk, Sneuse began a gallop. Caught completely off guard, I found myself immediately hanging from the horn of the western saddle. The jarring gait cut me loose and I fell to the ground, flat on my back. For the next 10 minutes, I could not move a muscle. I grasped at the dry field grass, trying to squeeze the pain out.

Miles from the ranch, I was asked to, as the saying goes, to get right back on the horse. I did, only to cross the river. Sneuse stumbled over the river rocks forcing out of me embarrassing yelps of pain.

I was left alone by a tree to wait, still clutching the reins of the whinnying equine terror. When the owner of the ranch returned, he asked if I, alone, could drive the truck and trailer back to the ranch 10 miles down the gravel road. Seeing that as my fastest way to ice, advil and bed, I agreed to drive the F350 with Sneuse in tow.

The next day, one day earlier than planned, I took off from Soda Springs with a 30 knot cross wind, proving my skills are in a cockpit, not on a saddle.

Pilot Report: Arrival

admin — Mon, 17 Sep 2007 20:40:46 +0000

WHO: Skyfemme and Kilo

WHAT: After 21 weeks of exploring the country, I finally arrive home to CA

WHEN: Monday, September 24th at 2pm, one week from today.

WHERE: San Jose International Airport, San Jose Jet Center 408.297.7552

WHY: Come see me, Skyfemme, land in San Jose, the last stop of 38 around the country!

Questions? Email me christy@skyfemme.com

Tucson, AZ

admin — Sun, 16 Sep 2007 06:07:19 +0000

After the day I had, it seemed fitting that I should have a near head-on collision with a mountain-scaling cow and, only moments later, that my rental car should be struck by lightning. But don’t misunderstand me. I had a lovely day on a beautiful mountain in the Sonoran Desert.

I attribute my unlikely circumstances — as I see things now – to a day of science. That’s for sure.

The day began with astronomy at the Kitt Peak National Observatory near Tucson and ended with an in-your-face display of first inertia, exhibited by the slamming of my brakes and second electrostatic discharge, exhibited by, crazy enough, an Arizona monsoon thunderstorm, apparently common in the late summer.

I should not feel so special. As I was told, the telescopes on Kitt Peak, elevation 6,875 feet, are frequently struck. Perhaps, I fantasized, I will experience some freaky Friday moment where I switch bodies with a famous astronomer. At the end of my scenario, I would have to present some new findings on the future of astronomy and he would have to fly my airplane back to California.

Alas, I retained my body after the hit. But, after my experience on the mountain, I could safely say I am one step closer to being that famous astronomer. Well, sorta. You see, I spent hours climbing through the bowels of the major telescopes at Kitt Peak with Robert Wilson, resident program coordinator for public outreach and an avid amateur astronomer.

“We have a close working relationship with the amateur (astronomy) community,” Wilson noted.

In fact, it seems the National Optical Astronomy Observatory, the umbrella group that operates Kitt Peak, maintains a three-fold purpose with just that in mind.

First purpose: To promote public understanding and support of science.

“The folks who come up here to visit Kitt Peak are by and large the ones who pay for its existence,” Wilson said. “We are funded by the National Science Foundation. That means tax revenue, so the people who are paying the taxes have every right to come up here and see what their dollars are being spent on. Funding through the National Science Foundation kind of carries with it a mandate to help educate the public.”

This purpose alone is why Wilson works so hard for Kitt Peak. He is continually creating new programs so the public can get involved in the activities on the mountain. He has designed two new programs this year, Stars and Music and Junior Astronomers.

Stars and Music combines live music with amateur star-gazing and picnicking on the mountain. Junior Astronomers was developed as a day on the mountain dedicated to children between the ages of six and eight who have an interest in astronomy.

Second purpose: To advance all aspects of U.S. astronomy.

Coming up on its 50th anniversary in 2008, Kitt Peak boasts many discoveries in its long history.

“At the McMath-Pierce Solar Telescope, research discovered water vapor above sun spots,” Wilson told me excitedly. “The 2.1 meter telescope was used to observe for the first time an instance of gravitation lensing, which is something Einstein predicted that said gravity can bend light.”

Wilson described to me these milestones as if I would understand the significance. But I did understand the significance of a national observatory designed to let any astronomer, regardless of institutional affiliation, apply for time on incredible telescopes such as the ones at KItt Peak.

Third purpose: To provide the best ground-based astronomical telescopes to the nation’s astronomers.

“This is the largest collection of telescopes on one mountain anywhere in the world,” Wilson pointed out. “We have 24 optical and two radio telescopes up here.”

It is true. The mountain is littered with telescopes, some for NAOA scientist research, some for a consortium of universities (Indiana University among them), and some for the public.

“It is possible for members of the public to come up here as visiting astronomers,” Wilson said. “They pay a fee for the telescope time and they pay their room and board fee like any astronomer would, and then they’ve got a dorm room and they eat in the cafeteria with the other staff and researchers. Of course, any data that the visitors gather, we will put on CDs for them. So they have some pretty nice souvenirs from their visit to Kitt Peak.”

For those who would like to avoid the treacherous trek out to Kitt Peak, you might be interested to know that remote observation is in the works.

Perhaps that bolt of lightning skewed my sense of reality, but I must say the whole experience was thrilling — from spending the day atop Kitt Peak, right down to flooring it along Ajo Way back to Tucson, attempting to outrun another bolt, a flash flood and a “mad cow.”

Pilot Report: Wink

admin — Wed, 12 Sep 2007 15:19:46 +0000

Texas is, in fact, a very large state.

I could not get from Dallas to El Paso in one hop! And while Texas boasts a large land mass, its population is well concentrated, meaning there ain’t much in between big cities. This while piloting a 1978 flying tin tube is a bit disconcerting.

In all the hours over the dry, peopleless land I had time to envision what it would be like to lose an engine above such desolate terrain. This is exactly why I figured that stopping for fuel was imperative. The question was, Which airport?

In choosing between Wink County or Midland International, it was easy.

You see, not only is Midland more expensive and congested, but I hold a special disdain for Midland because of a traumatic International flight I once experienced in which we were waylaid. In place of food or water, we had screaming babies and diabetics. Stuck on the plane for hours, I had time to swear I would never lay foot or tire in Midland again.

So, Wink it was!

And it turned out to be a wise choice. Upon landing, I was whisked into a small building that served two purposes, an aviation services business and home to the Coopers. They insisted I stay for dinner.

Over beans, corn bread and potatoes, they pointed out that Wink, population 900, was home to Roy Orbison. And so I concluded that Orbison’s Wink is better than Bush’s Midland any day.

Pilot Report: A Fortnight

admin — Mon, 10 Sep 2007 15:03:52 +0000

Two weeks from today, I will be home! From Oregon, I will make a pitstop in Northern California for fuel and land Monday afternoon at SJC, San Jose International. If you are interested in the arrival, please look for more information on the timing.

San Antonio, TX

admin — Tue, 04 Sep 2007 21:30:33 +0000

When you hear “Remember the Alamo!,” what do you think you are supposed to remember?

I believe that while people remember the Alamo, they are not sure why. And when you visit the Alamo, the reason why you forgot in the first place comes flooding back. There is not much to it.

So, just what is the Alamo?

A fort? Yes.

The site of a very unsuccessful battle? Yes.

Spain’s first Catholic mission along the San Antonio River? Yes.

But this is something that a lot of tourists never seem to learn. Instead, the Alamo is simply remembered for the “sellable” story of a famous siege — not its mission history.

This is due to three factors: a promoting, profit-making organization; a lot of press, and supporting funds – aspects that other historical sites don’t have.

“From the historical perspective,” says Barbara Mason, a National Park Service ranger, “where I grew up we heard about the Alamo as the Alamo battle versus a historical mission. It has been quite eye-opening to learn more about the history, because they didn’t talk about it at the school I went to. My concept of how the United States was established has been changed now, understanding that the Spanish were here in this area first.”

This is a common problem with the history-tourism industry — a lot of fluff and very little fact. So many people come to see the Alamo, but just miles down the road are four very similar historical missions with a very dissimilar number of tourists.

The difference? The four missions are run by the National Park Service, not a private, profit-making organization.

Home to the Visitors Center, Mission San Jose, often referred to as the Queen of the Missions, is known for its magnificent Spanish colonial Baroque architecture.

Mission Concepcion, the second closest to downtown San Antonio, is perhaps the most special of the four, having original frescoes on the wall.

“At this mission,” notes Case Griffing, a National Park Service ranger, “almost all of the stonework that you see is original; very, very few exceptions. Here we believe the foundations of the church go all the way down to bedrock, and for that reason the church has been very stable. The church has never fallen in in 250 years of history.”

At Mission Espada, an acequia system for irrigation is still working to this day.

And Mission San Juan still has ancestors from the original native inhabitants living on the mission’s farmland.

Rosalind Rock, the San Antonio Mission Park historian, points out: “The fascinating thing about that mission community is that even some of the people who have moved away still consider themselves from (the) Bergs Mill community, which is the community that grew up around the mission after the mission was secularized. Many of these people are descendants of the Indians that were in the missions to begin with.”

Hearing this authentic history proves that what is popular is not always what is the most interesting. And what is interesting is not always what is most visible.

“We have the National treasures of the United States, not just the missions,” park ranger Griffing notes. “From the Statue of Liberty to the Gateway arch in St. Louis. If you go down the Everglades or Yosemite or Yellowstone, these are the places that we want to save so that we can enjoy them today. We can be educated. We can come and find inspiration at them.”

From my four months of travel, what Grifffing said has rung true a number of times.

So the most important travel tip I can give after all this time in the air and on the road is this: Dig deep. Sure, see the Alamo and drink a 60-ounce margarita on the River Walk, but take a day (preferably not the day after the margarita) to see something that will make you think of who came before you and why San Antonio, or any other city, for that matter, was created in the first place.

Digging deep is simple. Merely visit the National Park Service website at www.nps.gov.

Pilot Report: South West

admin — Thu, 30 Aug 2007 16:10:28 +0000

I’ve officially reached the last month of my adventure. I feel like if I could fly high enough, California would present itself in the distance. And flying high is exactly what I will be doing as I enter one of the more dangerous portions of the trip, the South West. The combination of heat and height will prove to be a challenge. Unfortunately, Kilo will underperform in those conditions resulting in an inability to easily climb over obstacles.

But, every region has its own challenges. I’ve battled the thunderstorms of the Midwest, the fire smoke of the South East, and the fog of the North East. The terrain of the South West is just another step home.

While I am nervous, I am also looking forward to flying some clear skies and getting some photo opportunities. I am often asked my favorite thing about flying. It’s the view, which like I’ve described has been hard to see these past four months.

I find myself clamoring to get skyline shots as I ascend into the inevitable clouds over the city I am departing. In the chaos of takeoff, I have my required maps, my kneeboard, my airport diagram and of course my Nikon set to take the perfect shot.

Soon, I will be departing out of Love Field in Dallas (Nikon on the passenger seat), on my way to El Paso, finally heading the right direction, West.