A trip in the clouds

We took off at 6:35 PM 9/12/09 on a cloudy rainy day from Manchester, New Hampshire. Clouds low in the sky, maybe only 500 feet off the ground. We were at probably a 45 degree angle and climbing surprisingly smoothly and swiftly through the cream soup fog seeing nothing.

I could barely see the end of the airplane wing. I wondered if we'd break through and see the sun after such a rainy day in New Hampshire. But it was a long ride before it started to get light. The cloud cover was really thick.

I have never flown through clouds this thick and broken through to landlike topography in the clouds., This is white and blue with popcorn clusters spread as far as the eye can see. Care Bear Land. You could easily walk over this rippled surface of hills and valleys.

The clouds are all at different levels, maybe a mile apart looking down. The ones closest to the window go by faster than the ones farther down. All the levels are passing by at different speeds. A few holes allow a look all the way down to the dark ground..

There is a special effect with the setting sun and angle of the cloud's shadows. There are stratus and cumulus clouds miles high, wavy ones that look like the rippled bottom of the ocean. Some are smooth and a little swirly like wheat being blown in the mid west farms.

Blues and white light change at certain levels, look almost pinky golden skin color..

I can't stop looking because as we travel west the thick clouds extend forever. Far in the distance is a giant anvil, one sticking up far above the stratus fields like a slightly slanted butte. Miles high.

It's getting grayer down below but with different shades of gray that show the contours in the folds and bumps. The many layers give an unusual depth perception.

Right now as we head a little bit south the whole sky all the way to the horizon is popcorn looking clouds in undulating mass. Still the higher wispier clouds, sort of sheer are closer to the window and go by faster giving a constant reminder that this isn't a flat picture. Above us is a circle rainbow. I've never seen one. The very thin cirrus clouds way, way up veil the setting sun. The bright round right-in-the-eyes sunshine dances over the tops of the clouds showing a blue shadow or pink gold as it puts on another blanket of slanted light..

Hills tare ouched by the sun, and valleys are bathed in blue or gray shadow, and there in the middle is a baby cloud just hanging by itself going by faster because it's closer than the ones below giving the whole scene it's 3-D image.

Sunset is at about 7 PM on the ground but up here at 26,000 feet we have a few more minutes.

It's an ocean now as we start the descent and are eye to eye level with the tops of the cloud sea. The sun directly in my eyes now as it sets with the cloud horizon. We sink into the gray and whi

Now a gold path from me to the sunset.at 7:10 as the sun sinks below the cloud line. .

At eye level or a little below the spikes or tips of the clouds are defined with the sun just nicking them off the top. Wow. Thick seas above and black evening below. I want to draw it. I want to walk on it or swim in it. I take a picture but I know it won't do it justice. Well, dreams are made of this.