Chapter 47

Just before she nodded off she said ... cryptically, “262 is better.”

I nudged a trifle south. We were immediately flying over forest sprinkled with clear square spots ... most clear spots had a house or two.

This part of Michigan is rolly ... not particularly hilly ... ripples. Leftovers from the retreating Wisconsin Episode ... terminal moraines ... accumulated waste ... the more moraines the more halting the glacial was subjected to. Evidently, Michigan suffered from a slow ice shield retreat. Calving ice created ice bergs that became Michigan’s inland lakes.

Lots of rolling wavy hills with many lakes. The closer to the Michigan westcoast the Goose flew the more visible ancient beaches. Lake Michigan was lots bigger during the glacier retreat. We flew over a small lake that matched the lake that David had me look up on Google.

“Junior ... wake up.”

“Wassit?” She groaned.

“I think we’re here.”

“Okay.” But not really.

“I can’t land ... wait ... water ... not land?”

“Alighting ... but seaplane pilots call it landing ... or water landing ... alighting is the correct term ... but...”

“Saves confusion?” I said.

“Yup ... no longer flying ... but not crashed.”

“Ah ... the important distinction ... not crashed.”

“The big lake is littered with failed carrier landings.”

“They had carriers on the great lakes?”

“Converted passenger steamers ... two of ‘em. Official historians claim that every carrier pilot trained in Lake Michigan.”

“Why not use regular carriers?”

“Every available carrier was in use ... and can you imagine the grin on a U-Boat’s captains face on sighting a fleet carrier running carrier qualifications ... the carrier was in a known location so new pilots could find it? And they had to stay there. Instant target.

“WW2 saw 313 major combat vessels built and untold numbers of small navy boats built on the Lakes ... in three years.

“Okay ... I’m awake. My airplane.”

“Your airplane.”

“You did well ... I didn’t want to wake up. Questioning me made me think ... and that woke me up.”

I just grinned.

“You have siblings ... this is not your first go-round.”

“Triplets ... I am the youngest ... and the ‘Responsible’ one ... until a month ago.”

“What happened?”

“I managed to get drunk, dance naked on a bar and got myself knocked up.”

“That’s not all she did,” a male voice behind us.

Junior wasn’t the least bit surprised, “Hi, Six ... where’s the rest of you?”

“Out.”

“What are they doing?”

“Nothing.” He said, “Okay, okay, okay ... they’re vacationing with Surprise’s brother.