Back East

Above are a few pictures from the transit we just finished back east to New York. We'll be spending the next week doing some baseball games in New York and Boston. The first couple of images are of Fermilab, a particle accelerator laboratory used for molecular experiments. Also there is a picture of Cedar Point Amusement Park in Sandusky, Ohio that I took as we passed by and a unique heart shaped pond out in rural Northwestern Ohio. Luckily we had a tailwind most of the way on the three day transit, but it still ended up being a couple of long flying days to get here.

Prelude to the Dream

As we arrived near New Weston, Ohio on Monday, the crews were already busy getting the dirt track ready for the big event tonight at Eldora Speedway. For those who aren't familiar with the yearly charity race, Nascar star Tony Stewart puts on this race each year to benefit multiple children's hopsitals. Tony and other Nascar greats such as Jeff Gordon and Kyle Busch will go back to their roots and race on the dirt track for their favorite charities. Weather permitting, we'll be providing the aerial view of the track on the pay per view telecast tonight. A great event to get to be apart of. No matter who comes in first for the race, the kids are the true winners.

St Louis Fireworks Over Busch Stadium

Here is a little video montage of the fireworks display over Busch Stadium last night after the Cardinals game. It was really a cool site from the air with the Gateway Arch in the background as you can see.

Gateway to the West

I took a few pictures and some video of the arch and Busch Stadium while flying over the St Louis Cardinals game last night. The Cards ended up beating the Milwaukee Brewers 8-0. There were some thunderstorms to the north that I thought might be a factor in sending us home early, but fortunately they never made their way down. We were able to fly the entire game and even stuck around after the game for the fireworks display. There is nothing quite like watching fireworks from the blimp and having the Gateway Arch in the background made it even more picturesque. It was another great night to be flying the DirecTV Blimp!

From Philly to the Midwest

Here's a little update on what I've been up to the past week. We spent a couple of days in Philadelphia last weekend to cover the USA Soccer Team's final exhibition match before they left for South Africa. They begin playing in the World Cup Tournament there later this month. Then we began our first trip of the season to the Midwest, destination St Louis. Unfortunately we hit some weather en route and ended up having some unscheduled days off in Ohio. While in Ohio, we happened to overfly my old office in Canton that I worked in for a few years after college on our leg to Cincinnati. I also got a few hazy pictures of downtown Cincinnati as we waited for the crew to put up the mast that are pictured below.
We had some weather set backs on the way but we made it to St Louis, MO in time to fly over some Cardinals baseball games tonight and tomorrow afternoon.

Subway Series

I flew over the Yankees vs. Mets game on Saturday night as we provided the aerial coverage for Fox. It was my first time flying over the Mets' stadium, Citi Field. Overall a nice night for flying. Luckily we were able to beat the low clouds and rain that came it shortly after we landed for the night. We have one more game this week in New York and then its off to Chicago for the weekend!

Yankees Win!

I finally was able to fly my first baseball game above Yankee Stadium last night as I watched the Yanks beat the Red Sox in a come from behind win in the 9th. A really great game to be apart of and we had the best seats in the house. While I was up there, I took a few pictures of the stadium before and during the game. The bare concrete area next to Yankee Stadium is all that is left of the old Yankee Stadium. Also I took a few shots of the New York skyline and Central Park from our location above the Bronx. It was a fun night to be up in the blimp and the Yankee win was the icing on the cake.

Darlington Race

I flew my second Nascar Nationwide Race last night, the Royal Purple 200, in Darlington, South Carolina. A great night for racing under the lights at the track they say is, "The Track Too Tough to Tame." Its been really hot down here with highs during the day into the 90's, and it stayed warm up in the gondola all night. With a lack of air conditioning, we had the windows all open trying to get as much air flow as we could up there. Over all though it was a good show despite the heat.
I was able to take a few pictures and shoot some short videos while I was up there. You may notice the egg like shape of the track which makes it one of the more unique tracks on the Nascar schedule.
Tonight is our last Nascar race for a while as we begin covering baseball. Next stop on the tour, New York City.