THERE AND BACK IN ONE DAY...

Here's a chance to fly to the East's newest shopping destination and it's less than 2 hours (C 172) from ISP. Depart from MIAS and fly to Reading (RDG), Pennsylvania. Once in Reading rent a car (or call a cab) and take highway 61 north to the town of Hamburg. Once in this pleasant little burg hard by the banks of the Schuylkill River, you'll find yourself staring at a brand new Cabela's —"The World's Foremost Outfitter" mega store.

For those of you unfamiliar with Cabela's, it is an outdoor company that Midwesterners have enjoyed for years. Its stores are huge destinations within their own rights and come replete with waterfalls, casting ponds, freshwater aquariums, restaurants where you can enjoy elk, buffalo, venison, and wild turkey sandwiches, gun libraries, and tackle shops where you can get a fly made from your own hair. The store in Hamburg is bigger than the L.L.Bean shop in Freeport, Maine and generally sells similar merchandise at substantially cheaper prices. Admittedly they're a bit heavy into camo underwear, pillow cases, sheets, tuxedos (OK, we're exaggerating on the last one), but if you're the outdoors sort this is your Mecca.

This is the first Cabela's to test the waters in the economic and cultural orbit of New York City. Until the Hamburg shop opened a few months ago, you would have had to fly to their outlet in Dundee, Michigan to enjoy the day. So take a look online. If you like what you see, take a compass course of about 240 degrees and you'll make out just fine. Just don't forget that Class Bravo clearance.

For the outdoor lover this is easily an all day event. You'll want plenty of time to browse — and plenty of space on your credit card.

ARMCHAIR AVIATOR...

ABSOLUTE ALTITUDE; A Hitch-hiker's Guide to the Sky, by Martin Buckley (London: Hutchinson, 2003)

Currently only available in the UK, you can obtain copy of ABSOLUTE ALTITUDE either via the Borders or Amazon UK websites, or by fitting your C 172 with long-range tanks and flying over to London Heathrow (LHR) to purchase a copy an effort we think is entirely worth the time and expense. The English always seem to have a knack for the travel adventure genre and Martin Buckley is no exception.

Buckley had always wanted to be a pilot, but living in England with the high cost of avgas, aircraft rentals, and flight instruction not to mention permanently fickle weather made the achievement of his life long dream elusive. Happily he one day learns that Canada has a recreational pilot's license and that in a minimum of 24 hours he could become a pilot (a matter that he finds both exciting and alarming.) Thanks to a supportive wife and a holiday from work, he's off to Ontario where he eventually gets his ticket and treats the reader to both thoughtful and uncanny perspectives on the nature of flight.

The book is essentially two stories; how Buckley learns to fly and a meditation on the history of aviation, as well as a treatise on how Buckley now able to call himself a pilot actually mooches flights, or more politely hitches, his way around the planet. The guy actually circumnavigates the globe, heading east from Los Angeles via England, Africa, Australia, New Zealand, and Polynesia all the way around with a final landing back in Toronto! This certainly gives a new perspective to low cost flying.

This is a grand read for those snow bound days that are now upon us —so spend the extra bucks on postage and get a copy. Just be prepared to run if you ever meet Buckley and he asks if he could join you on a flight and "share expenses."