The wind was battering my ultralight – it threw me around the sky, pitching up, down  and sideways. I was maneuvering the control stick so violently I was afraid it would break off. “This is NO FUN!” I thought. “I’ve got to land!”

But landing wouldn’t be easy. I was flying over a particularly nasty stretch of west Texas – lots of prickly pear cactus and thorny manzanita bush. Deep crevasses and jagged rocks. Then…just ahead…a strip of red dirt, plowed into the tangle of bushes and cactus. As I pushed the stick forward to put the nose down, I was tense. Would the turbulence push me off the narrow track as I tried to land?

Careful…careful. Tail dragger aircraft are notorious for skewing off the runway in rough wind landings. My tires kicked up little puffs of red smoke as I touched down. I hadn’t been aware that I was holding my breath – until I let it out in a whoosh of relief as I braked sharply to a stop.

I was on a flight that most people thought was absolutely crazy – flying my Maxair Drifter ultralight from northwest Oregon to Florida and back. Ultralights are tiny aircraft: mine is often referred to as a flying telephone pole with wings and a chainsaw engine. They were never intended for flying long distances. Yet here I was, on the adventure of a lifetime!

Three weeks and 3600 miles after I took off from my home airport in Sandy, Oregon, I landed at Lakeland, Florida. What an astounding, exhilarating feeling! What began as a dream over ten years ago had become a reality. And then there was the anticipation of the flight home, which would take another three weeks and another 3600 miles.

How did I do it? By focusing on my dream instead of focusing on the obstacles. By planning, planning, planning, yet taking each day at a time. By connecting with other ultralighters throughout the country, who welcomed me with open arms wherever I landed. By constantly telling myself, when the flight was really rough, “You can do it!”