Lancaster, PA
September 20, 2008
The flight plan from Taylorville to Lancaster was a short one, approximately two hours. Originally Ruth thought we could leave Taylorville early, arrive in Lancaster before noon, pick up our rental car and tour the beautiful Amish country side. So much for plans. Unfortunately the weather in Illinois was overcast, and less than idea conditions to take off, so our departure was delayed.
The airport in Lancaster is charming. They are busy with a lot of upgrades to entice the private pilot to fly in for fine dining along with attractive fuel discounts!
Our stay was at the Quality Inn, or better yet, lack of Quality Inn. Once a plush resort, this little hide-a-way should stay hidden. Amenities were sorely lacking, including an open dining facilities. Faced with starvation or eating at the bar we chose the latter. And that's where we met Lenny. Lenny was the bartender, local historian and quite the character. We soon learned Lenny had worked at the White House under four different Presidents, which made for interesting conversation. We caught up on all of the White House insider news, dignitaries, celebrities and simply a lot of gossip. Then to our suprise, the food at the bar was more than affordable and tasty. $7.00 steaks with all the trimmings.
Another friendly soul was our cab driver. Having lived in Lancaster his entire life, he didn't hesitate to share some of the colorful history of this charming country side.
Back at the airport, Ellie had attracted her usual crowd of admirers. Each with their own TWA story, experiences and passion for flying. 
One couple stated they saw us land the evening before and raced out early in the morning in hopes of getting a closer look at this silver bird, maybe even meet the crew. They were shocked upon discovering the owner of the airplane was actually the daughter of one of the founders of TWA and that Ruth had flown in this very plane as a little girl.
Next stop New York, JFK International Airport and JetBlue.