See Spot Run… or better yet, see Paul & Beth fly!  We have had our Spot Satellite Messenger in the plane since our first flight almost two years ago.  While we rarely use the tracking feature, it is nice to have the peace of mind that we could get a message through to the authorities from a remote location if needed.  This handy little device keeps up with where you are and has the ability to transmit your location automatically for tracking purposes or in the case of an emergency, we can push the red help button and the unit will contact search and rescue, giving them your exact coordinates for a speedy rescue.  Spot’s website boasts almost 2,000 rescues initiated by the device with 314 rescues in 2012 alone.  I hope we don’t need it, but like insurance, it is a good thing to have, especially since our trip will take us over “The Badlands” – not a place I want to spend much time in.

New “TRACK US” Link… If you’ll notice at the top of the page, I have put a “TRACK US” tab.  This will take you directly to our Spot Messenger publicly shared page.  I will “try” to remember to turn the unit on when we take off (yes, it is on the checklist) so that those interested can see where we are and where we have been.  Just a note… if you see it just stop tracking in mid-air, don’t be alarmed, it runs on 3 little AAA lithium batteries that will die without warning and I do have a handful of replacements.  I had hoped to embed the linked page into our site, but apparently WordPress does not allow embedded links due to web security concerns, so for now you will just have to hit the “TRACK US” link and be routed to Spot’s shared site.

The plane is packed… the GPS databases are updated, the oil has been changed and we are ready to go!  Plans now are to leave after work on Thursday, weather permitting and fly to Flippin, AR and stay in the camper Thursday night.  Friday morning, we will head to Rapid City, SD with probably one stop around Grand Island, NE for fuel and a potty break.  After a few days tent camping in the Black Hills near Mt. Rushmore, we will head on over to Oshkosh to enjoy the rest of the week at AIRVENTURE! – can’t wait…

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