Since earning my private pilot license,  I have longed for unusual (and convenient) destinations to fly into.  Sure the act of piloting a small plane and looking out the window is enjoyable, but what really gets me excited is the mission to make a destination and the journey that it entails.  Put-in-Bay is the perfect destination for short day trip  in search of food and fun.  Although a bit more pricey than the term “hundred dollar hamburger”, the Lake Erie island  is a relatively affordable  destination.  In less than an hour after takeoff, you land on a small piece off paradise that completely takes you out of the ordinary.

Yesterday, was nearly a perfect day for an early fall flight with my good friend, Heather.  Although bit breezy, the sun provided enough warmth to make the illusion  that summertime was still here.

A short golf cart ride to The Keys, Put-in-Bay for some tropical fare that transports you to almost any island destination that you want to imagine.

Grouper Rueben, Chicken Oscar, piña colada, and ginger beer were the choices of the day.

Having gotten the priorities out of the way, it was time to do a little exploring on the way back to the airport.  I heard that Heather was a fan of geodes…

A visit to the Crystal Cave at Heienman’s Winery was our next stop.  Here you can go down INTO and explore what they call “the world’s largest” geode.

Following a quick pre-flight inspection of the plane, we were off and heading north over Lake Erie.  Sunsets at 6,500 feet are almost always more spectacular than what can be caught in a photograph.

Because of the rapidly fading daylight, we extended our return leg past Marine City to capture some of the beauty from the lights of Port Huron and the St. Clair River.