US Trip 2026 — Itinerary

Tap a day to open it. On every stop: 🧭 = directions from your current location · 📍 = map.

build 25AUG·1 · checking…

Pinch/scroll to zoom · tap a pin for directions. TN start Kentucky Missouri

~2,750km driven

6states by road

2distilleries

3BBQ regions

11days on the road

100yrs of Route 66

42ftrocking chair

1town named Uranus

~18.4knautical miles flown

61.0°peak magnetic lat

AUG 27–28 (Thu–Fri) — ✈️ OUTBOUND: SIN → HKG → LAX

CX71401:45 SGT
10:45 LAHKG05:50
14:50CX88412:45
21:45meal 113:20
22:20sleep14:45
23:45meal 200:45
09:45LAX02:15
11:15

elapsed—

remaining—

SGT—

LA—

—

awakeloungemealsleepcue

🛫 OUTBOUND — minute by minute

Departure zone | elapsed from CX714 | destination zone. The whole outbound is ONE LA day: Thursday. LA's Thursday (07:00–22:00 LA) runs Thu 22:00 → Fri 13:00 SGT — awake for all of it; you sleep once, on CX884.

Online check-in opened Tue 25 Aug— 48 h before CX714. Seats for both LAX sectors.

SGT / HKT	Elapsed	LA	Do this
Thu 13:00–20:00	−12h45	Wed 22:00–Thu 05:00	😴 SLEEP AT HOME, Thursday afternoon. This is the move that makes everything else work. Blackout the room, 5–6 hrs. LA is in the small hours. Without this you can't hold the awake block below.
Thu 22:00	−3h45	Thu 07:00	☀️ LA's morning begins. You're on LA time from here and stay up until CX884. Big meal, bright light, coffee.
Thu 23:45	−2h00	Thu 08:45	Changi T4 — bag drop, then the lounge. Eat properly here.
Fri 01:45	+0	Thu 10:45	✈️ CX714 departs (4h05). STAY AWAKE — it's mid-morning in LA. Take the meal, read, watch something. Dozing here steals pressure from the CX884 sleep, which is the one that has to work.
Fri 05:50	+4h05	Thu 14:50	Land HKG → 🛋️ The Pier, Business (Concourse C, nr gate 65).
06:15–12:15	+4h30 → +10h30	15:15–21:15	🛋️ 6 hrs in the lounge — awake for all of it. LA is afternoon → evening. Shower first, then a real meal, then the long stretch: walk, daylight by the windows, trip notes, coffee. Skip the Day Suites — a nap here is a nap at LA teatime and it wrecks the flight sleep.
Fri 12:45	+11h00	Thu 21:45	✈️ CX884 departs (13h30). You've been up ~15 hrs on LA's clock — genuinely ready to sleep. That's the plan working.
13:20–14:40	+11h35 → +12h55	22:20–23:40	🍽 Meal 1 — take it, promptly. Ask for service straight after takeoff. Late dinner on LA time. Every 20 min saved is 20 min of sleep.
14:45 → 00:45	+13h00 → +23h00	23:45 → 09:45	😴 SLEEP — ~10 hrs. The only sleep of the outbound. Eye mask, seat flat, no alarm before the meal service.
Sat 00:45	+23h00	Fri 09:45	🍽 Meal 2 as served. Breakfast at destination. Shade up, light on your face.
Sat 02:15	+24h30	Fri 11:15	🛬 Land LAX — slept 10 hrs, had breakfast, and it's late morning where you are.

⚠️ If you can't sleep Thursday afternoon at home: doze on CX714 only (max ~2 hrs) and still stay awake the entire HKG layover. Losing the layover to a nap is the one thing that breaks the plan — the lounge hours are LA's evening, and you need sleep pressure at 12:45.

AUG 28 (Fri) — LAX → Anaheim → 🛍️ Citadel Outlets

🍖 Eats today: food hall at Citadel, or an early dinner near the hotel — Denny's and IHOP are next door.

Time	What	Notes
11:15	Land LAX · CX884	Immigration + bags → kerbside ~12:30.
~12:30	Uber → Anaheim	~72 min on the 405/5, ~$110–140.
~13:40	🛏️ Anaheim Desert Inn — drop bags · 1600 S Harbor Blvd 🧭 📍	Conf 62945SG089982 · itin 6063B6494001 · 2 nights $456.30 · 714-772-5050. Check-in is ~15:00 — ask them to hold the bags so you can go straight out. ~5 min walk to the Disneyland gate, closer than the official Disney hotels. Rooftop fireworks deck. Pool under renovation. Breakfast basic.
~14:00	🛍️ Citadel Outlets · 100 Citadel Dr, Commerce 🧭 📍	Open 10:00–21:00 daily. 47 min each way — it's back toward LA, not en route. Round-trip Uber ~$100–120. In ~14:50, out by 17:00, hotel ~17:50. Has 7 For All Mankind — confirmed; the Outlets at Orange do not. Eat here rather than hunting for dinner in Anaheim afterwards.
evening	Check in properly, then sleep early	Gates open 08:00 tomorrow — you leave the hotel 07:15. ✅ Ticket and park reservation are bought — nothing to do tonight.

🚙 No rental car this leg. LAX→Anaheim ~$110–140 · Citadel round trip ~$100–120 · CanJam transport arranged · Monday airport ~$25.

AUG 29 (Sat) — 🎢 DISNEYLAND · gates 08:00

🍖 Eats today: in-park. Blue Bayou (Pirates) for the one sit-down — Carthay Circle is in DCA and off the table on a 1-park ticket. Otherwise graze.

Published hours: Disneyland Park 08:00–24:00 · California Adventure 08:00–22:00 · Downtown Disney 07:00–01:00. Not an Oogie Boogie Bash night, so DCA runs its full day.

🎢 Running order — 14 stops

Time	Stop	Notes
07:15	Anaheim Desert Inn	Start. ~5 min walk to the esplanade, then security.
08:15	1. Rise of the Resistance	Standby, and this is the only moment it's cheap. Single Pass only otherwise — not in Multi Pass, no single rider. Book the Haunted Mansion Multi Pass at the turnstile before you start walking.
08:55	2. Millennium Falcon: Smugglers Run	Standby while Batuu is empty. Has single rider, so it's optional — but riding now saves a walk back across the park.
09:25	3. Big Thunder Mountain	No single rider. The morning is your only free window.
10:00	4. Pirates of the Caribbean	No bypass at any price — high capacity, so it moves. Rebook your Multi Pass while you queue.
10:45	5. Haunted Mansion Holiday	Lightning Lane. This single ride is what the $34 buys.
11:15	6. Indiana Jones Adventure	Single rider — free. Closes 8 Sep with no reopening date, so this is one of its last runs.
12:00	7. Blue Bayou	Ask the podium for the walk-up list — a party of one is the easiest thing they have to seat. Lunch service ends 15:55; the Monte Cristo is lunch-only. Fallback: Royal Street Veranda.
13:00	8. Disneyland Railroad — New Orleans Sq	Full loop for the Grand Canyon and Primeval World dioramas. This station stops running at 15:00.
14:00	9. Mark Twain Riverboat	The last working Rivers of America in the US. Last Saturday boat 17:40, not the weekday 20:40.
14:45	10. Opera House — Walt Disney: A Magical Life	Opens 14:00, shuts 20:00. Air-conditioned theatre, Disneyland Story exhibit in the lobby. Sit down properly here.
15:15	11. Matterhorn Bobsleds	Single rider. 1959 — the first tubular steel coaster ever built, and it exists nowhere else. Left track is rougher.
15:45	12. Mr. Toad's Wild Ride	Closes 20:30 Saturdays — moved out of the evening, where the slot doesn't exist. 1955 opening-day ride; Florida's was demolished in 1998.
16:15	13. Space Mountain	Single rider. Different track from Florida with synchronised onboard audio. Standby climbs through the afternoon; single rider stays flat.
17:30	14. Galaxy's Edge — dinner, then the shows	Ronto Roasters, Docking Bay 7, Dok-Ondar's. Stand under the Falcon. Shadows of Memory and Fire of the Rising Moons project onto the spires ~20:30, both Disneyland-only. Schedule shifts nightly — check the app that morning. Stand at the back rather than camping.
~21:30	Out after the fireworks	Halloween Screams and the Coco Cavalcade run tonight. Park is open to midnight — don't be. Booth at 09:30 tomorrow, wheels up 07:15 Monday. 🎥 Pocket 4 yes, tripod no.

💡 Passes, and what has no shortcut

Park Hopper — an upgrade decision (~$65–70) — Not included. Your ticket is 1 park. Addable in the Disneyland app or at a ticket booth — better before you go through the gate. No hopping before 11:00 either way, so the shape is Disneyland 08:00–11:00 → DCA → back. Worth it only if Cars Land is the point; Disneyland Park alone runs 08:00–24:00 and you can't use the back end of it anyway. A Saturday-morning call, not a tonight call.
Single-rider lines — the solo edge — Five rides, free, all day: Indiana Jones · Matterhorn · Millennium Falcon: Smugglers Run · Space Mountain · Tiana's Bayou Adventure. Every single-rider attraction is also a Lightning Lane attraction, so each one you ride this way is a Multi Pass slot you didn't spend. Check the app that morning — single rider is a daily ops call, not a guarantee. If Space or Indy has it switched off, they move onto the spend list.
Lightning Lane Multi Pass (~$34) — The two-hour rule is the whole product. One selection at a time; you can rebook when you redeem it or two hours after booking, whichever comes first. So book the ride with the furthest-out return window first, then rebook every two hours on the dot while you queue for other things. Realistic ceiling is 4–6 rides in a full day — it's a metronome, not a skip-everything pass.
Point it only at these eight (Multi Pass, no single rider): Autopia · Big Thunder · Buzz Lightyear · Haunted Mansion · "it's a small world" · Runaway Railway · Roger Rabbit · Star Tours. Haunted Mansion Holiday is the one that justifies the $34 — Halloween overlay, no free door, heavy demand.
Rise of the Resistance — the trap — Single Pass only. Explicitly excluded from Multi Pass, and no single rider. There is no third door: rope-drop it at 08:00 or pay separately in the app. This is the single strongest argument for being at the turnstiles early.
No shortcut exists at all — Pirates of the Caribbean · Jungle Cruise · Peter Pan's Flight · Alice in Wonderland · Finding Nemo Submarine Voyage. Neither Lightning Lane nor single rider. Peter Pan routinely posts an absurd wait for a ninety-second ride. Rope-drop them or accept the queue — there is no clever move.
Premier Pass ($399) — don't — One park, one day, and single rider already covers five of your headliners. Money set on fire.
Halloween Time is on — From 21 Aug: Coco / Día de los Muertos at Paradise Gardens (DCA), Halloween overlays on Haunted Mansion and Space Mountain. The 70th Anniversary ended 9 Aug — Wondrous Journeys and Paint the Night are finished, so don't plan around them.

AUG 30 (Sun) — 🎧 CANJAM SOCAL: exhibiting, then move to Santa Ana

🍖 Eats today: whatever the show floor and the team provide. Dinner in Santa Ana after teardown if you have the energy.

Time	What	Notes
before you go	Check out of the Desert Inn	Bags with you, or ask the desk to hold them. Book tomorrow's 05:30 airport Uber now — you won't want to be arranging it at 19:00 after teardown.
09:30	🎧 CanJam SoCal — Irvine Marriott · 18000 Von Karman Ave 🧭 📍	Exhibiting. Floor 10:00–17:00, teardown after — realistically 09:30–18:30. No ticket, transport arranged, nothing to carry; the booth is already built from Saturday. Venue is 3 min from SNA and 12 min from tonight's hotel.
~19:00	🛏️ Courtyard Santa Ana Orange County · 8 MacArthur Place 🧭 📍	Conf 6VHK6EJZFZ · company booking (Fri–Mon), you use tonight only · 12 min from the venue, 12 min from SNA.

AUG 31 (Mon) — ✈️ SNA 07:15 → Charlotte → Asheville → Johnson City

✈️ AA 2177 · SNA 07:15 → CLT 15:09 · conf NTYPAJ · seat 11C, Economy (S). Hardest turnaround of the trip — CanJam teardown ends ~18:30, alarm ~04:45, leave the Courtyard 05:30 (12 min to SNA). Book that Uber the night before. Food for purchase only, so eat airside. Lands 15:09; Hertz at 16:30 leaves 1 h 20 for bags and the counter.

🍖 Eats today: Luella's Bar-B-Que, Asheville — region #2, Western NC whole-hog, vinegar sauce · 4.5★, Mon till 9. Backup: Bear's Smokehouse. Snack airside at SNA — no meal on the flight.

~265 km / ~2h50m of driving, split by a barbecue stop that costs no detour.

Time	Stop	Notes
16:30	Hertz — Charlotte Douglas (CLT) 🧭	✅ conf L6380886797 · Jeep Wrangler 4x4. Allow ~30 min at the counter.
~19:00	🍖 Luella's Bar-B-Que — dinner 🧭 📍	501 Merrimon Ave · (828) 505-7427 · 4.5★ (4,600+) · Mon 11–9. BBQ region — Western NC whole-hog, vinegar sauce. Hush puppies, collards, Brunswick stew. Merrimon Ave is the road north out of town — no detour.
~21:00	🛏️ Holiday Inn Johnson City — CHECK IN · conf 85065183 🧭	✅ conf 85065183. ~1 hr up I-26 from Asheville.

Backup if Luella's is slammed: Bear's Smokehouse (135 Coxe Ave, 4.4★, Mon till 9). Phil's in Black Mountain is closed Mondays.
No meal on the SNA leg — you land hungry ~4 PM. Grab something small airside before the Hertz counter and hold the appetite for Luella's; it's a 3-hr gap otherwise, on top of the trough.
Hungry earlier? Hugh's Q, Hickory (4.5★, Mon till 9) sits an hour in on I-40 — same arrival time, lesser barbecue.

SEP 1–2 (Tue–Wed) — VNE training days, Johnson City base

🍖 Eats today: Ridgewood Barbecue, Bluff City (closed Sun–Mon) · Yee-Haw Brewing + White Duck Taco, Johnson City. VNE lunch options in the table below.

Base: Holiday Inn Johnson City · 101 W Springbrook Dr, Johnson City, TN 37604 · (423) 282-4611 · ✅ Booked conf 85065183 🧭 📍
Nights: Mon Aug 31, Tue Sep 1, Wed Sep 2 (3 nights) — check out Thu, drive to Franklin.

Training: VNE Aero · 100 Cargo Center Dr, Blountville (Tri-Cities Airport/TRI) 🧭 📍 · Tue–Thu, Sep 1–3, ~20 min from hotel.

Evening travel times below are measured from VNE / the airport.

🛠 VNE Aero — the schedule

VNE HQ · 100 Cargo Center Dr, Blountville · 0900 starts, so away from the hotel by 08:25. All three lunches are hosted and venued — nothing to plan.

Time	Tue 1 Sep	Wed 2 Sep	Thu 3 Sep
0900–1100	Welcome brief, introductions, facility tour — incl. sound testing + impact test demo	RATH fitting training — sizing templates, helmet adjustments	RATH accessories / marketing / export training
1100–1200	Helicopter Helmet Test Standards	RATH disassembly / reassembly review	RATH configuration changes + HMA 2
1200–1330	Lakeview Marina (Marker 2 Grille, Boone Lake, ~8 min)	Pizza Plus	Lakeview Marina
1330–1500	RATH disassembly / reassembly — to 1600	Headset disassembly / reassembly — to 1600	RATH helmet and headset assembly test
1500–1530	RATH disassembly / reassembly — to 1600	Headset disassembly / reassembly — to 1600	AAR + certificate issue don't slip out early
finish	16:00 — free	16:00, then distributor dinner 18:30	15:30 → depart 15:45

Their sheet reads "1830-UTC" for Wednesday's dinner — a template artefact, not a timezone. No end time given, so treat Wednesday night as fully committed.

After-work areas of interest

Evening plan — Sep 1 & 2

Tue Sep 1: your only free evening. Off at 16:00 — clears the 4:10 leave-by, so Birthplace of Country Music Museum 16:30–18:00, then Ridgewood 18:30 (closes 19:30), back ~20:15. The museum moves here because Wednesday is now spoken for.
Wed Sep 2: gone — distributor dinner from 18:30, venue TBD, no stated end time. Ask VNE on Tuesday where it is; if it's Kingsport or Blountville there's no point driving 25 min back to the hotel and 25 min out again.

⚠️ Bristol Dragway Footbrake is out — the Thu-night opener falls on the Franklin repositioning drive. Jeff wins. If Jeff cancels, Bristol is back on — fallback under Sep 4.

🍽 Lunch near VNE (Tue–Thu, Sep 1–3)

✅ Lunch is hosted all three days — Lakeview Marina (Tue, Thu), Pizza Plus (Wed), 1200–1330. The table below is a fallback only now.

From VNE	Place	Open	Notes
~5 min	Shore's Country Store · 447 TN-75 🧭 📍	Tue/Wed 10–5 · Thu 10–4	5.0★ · the default. Old-time country store; slaw dogs with homemade chili built the reputation. Cheap, fast.
~10 min	Bond-o To Burgers · 3500 TN-126 🧭 📍	Weekdays 5 AM–7 PM	4.5★ (258) · converted auto garage — antique signs, Pac-Man + TMNT cabinets. Opens 5 AM, so it covers an early brief too.
~12 min	Big Boy's BBQ & Grill · 4571 US-11E, Bluff City 🧭 📍	⚠️ hours unpublished — call	4.8★ (246) · best-rated BBQ near VNE. Pitmaster greets you; brisket, cowboy beans, collards. Worth the call.
~15 min	Janie's Place · 725 Bluff City Hwy, Bristol 🧭 📍	Weekdays 11–7	4.8★ (906) · proper meat-and-three — chicken livers, turnip greens, pintos, cornbread. 🪖 Military drink free with a meal. Worth the drive once.
~8 min	Boonies · 641 Buffalo Rd 🧭	Tue–Sat 11–8	4.6★ (405) · lakeside, dock seating. For a real break in good weather.
~10 min	Finish Line Diner · TN-394, Bluff City 🧭	Weekdays 5 AM–3 PM	4.5★ · pre-race stop near the speedway.

Evening options — leave-work-by (earliest→latest)

Leave by	Place	From VNE	Closes	Notes
3:35	Bays Mountain — wolves/planetarium (Kingsport) 🧭 📍	~25 min	~5 PM	Daytime only.
4:10 / 4:40 max	Birthplace of Country Music Museum (Bristol) 🧭 📍	~20 min	6 PM	Needs 1.5–2 hrs. The strict one. Closed Mon. Past 4:40 → out.
~6:35	Bays Mountain — trails/lake only	~25 min	8 PM	Daylight walk.
6:45	Ridgewood Barbecue (Bluff City) 🧭 📍	~15 min	7:30 PM	1948 pit — sliced pork + blue-cheese dip. Closed Sun–Mon.
~7:45	Yee-Haw Brewing (Johnson City) 🧭 📍	~25 min	Kitchen ~8:30	Depot beer hall + White Duck tacos.

Quick read by finish time

~3:35 → anything (museum, Bays wolves, all dinners)
~4:10 → museum + any dinner
~4:40 → museum (quick) or BBQ/beer
~6:35 → Bays trails, Ridgewood, Yee-Haw
~7:45 → Yee-Haw
Late → hotel food

Museum is the only option that punishes a late finish. Ridgewood closed Sun & Mon — Tuesday's your shot.

SEP 3 (Thu) — Last training day → reposition to Franklin, NC

🍖 Eats today: Lunch near VNE (table in the Tri-Cities section) · dinner in Franklin — thin pickings, eat before you drive or grab something on US-64.

Check out of Johnson City in the morning. Bags in the car; drive south straight from VNE.

Time	Stop	Notes
~7:30 AM	🧳 CHECK OUT — Holiday Inn Johnson City (doors: in 4 PM / out 11 AM)	Everything in the car — you're not coming back. Bags loaded before training, not after.
day	VNE Aero — final training day 🧭	Finishes 15:30 — 1500–1530 is AAR + certificate issue, so don't slip out early. Depart 15:45, Franklin ~18:30.
15:45	Drive south to Franklin, NC	~2h45 / 240 km via I-26 to Asheville then US-74. Arrive ~18:30 — earlier than the 20:00 this day was built around, because the finish time is now known.
~6:30 PM	🛏️ Microtel Franklin — CHECK IN · Agoda 2030725065 (typ. in 3 PM / out 11 AM — confirm) 🧭 📍	✅ Booked · Agoda 2030725065 · 81 Allman Dr, Franklin, NC 28734 · (828) 349-9000 · 3.6★. ~8 min from Jeff's farm. Free cancellation until 2 Sep.

Sleeping here turns tomorrow's monster into a lazy morning at Jeff's.
Mountain roads after dark — take it easy on US-441 South.
If Jeff cancels: skip this drive entirely — extend Johnson City a night, take the Footbrake opener, run the fallback under Sep 4. Past 2 Sep the Microtel is a ~US$60 write-off (no-show = one night = the whole booking). Accepted.

SEP 4 (Fri) — Jeff's farm, then north to London, KY

🍖 Eats today: Lunch at Jeff's farm · dinner at the original KFC — Harland Sanders Café, Corbin. Working restaurant + free museum, open till 10.

The reunion is the day. London breaks the drive — nothing to chase, no fixed time.

Time	Stop	Notes
~8:45 AM	🧳 CHECK OUT — Microtel, then 🚁 Jeff's farm — 344 Middle Skeenah Rd, Franklin, NC 🧭 📍	~8 min from the Microtel. Morning + lunch with an old rotary-wing colleague. No stopwatch on this.
~1:30 PM	Roll north toward Kentucky	~4 hrs / ~310 km. Mountain roads for the first hour, then I-40 → I-75 N.
~5:15 PM	Cumberland Falls — leg-stretch 🧭 📍	I-75 exit 15 (Williamsburg), then 19 mi west on KY-90. 125-ft-wide curtain. 45 min does it · free · good light till ~7:55 sunset.
~6:30 PM	Harland Sanders Café (original KFC), Corbin — dinner 🧭 📍	Back at exit 25 — 15 min short of London. Working restaurant + free museum, open till 10.
~7:45 PM	🛏️ HIX London — CHECK IN · conf 66799651 (in 3 PM / out 11 AM) 🧭 📍	✅ Booked conf 66799651 · 506 Minton Dr · (606) 862-0077 · 4.0★. Leaves an easy 1h45 to the train tomorrow.

Leaving Jeff by ~1:30 lands the falls in good light. Slip past ~3 PM and the falls drop — go straight to dinner; nothing is booked tonight.
The 2:30 Buffalo Trace tour is still held as a fallback (below). It cannot be used on this plan.

⚠️ BRANCH B — if Jeff's flight (Sep 3) delays

You're already in Franklin, so this is not the Johnson City fallback — it's a different day. Losing the farm morning hands you ~5 hours, which is exactly enough to make the held 2:30 Buffalo Trace reachable with Cumberland Falls on the way. Decide the morning of Sep 4.

Time	Stop	Notes
~7:00 AM	Depart Franklin, NC	US-441 → I-40 W → I-75 N. ~3¾ hr to exit 15. Earlier is better — 7:00 buys ~45 min of margin, 7:30 leaves ~15.
~10:45	Cumberland Falls 🧭 📍	Exit 15 → KY-90 west 19 mi. 45 min · free. Behind schedule → overlooks only, 15 min.
~11:45	North on I-75	Through Lexington to Frankfort · ~2 hr.
2:30 PM	🥃 Buffalo Trace — guided tour 🧭 📍	The held slot, finally used. Free tour — that's why holding it costs nothing.
evening	Frankfort — overnight	HIX Frankfort, add Fri Sep 4 (2 nights with Sat).

Switching costs: cancel London 66799651 · add Frankfort Fri Sep 4. ⚠️ Check the London cancellation deadline now — that's what sets how late you can decide. Upside: Frankfort Friday night is 20 min from Saturday's 11 AM railroad and 1:45 Woodford, versus 1h45 from London. This branch improves Saturday.

Partial delay (Jeff lands late Sep 3, farm still on Sep 4): stay on the main plan and absorb it — falls at 5:40 has cushion to sunset ~7:55, and the Sanders Café runs till 10. Release Buffalo Trace once you're rolling to the farm.

⚠️ FALLBACK — if Jeff cancels

Franklin is off: Thursday becomes drag races, Friday becomes bourbon, and Cumberland Falls survives either way. Microtel: cancel free before 2 Sep; after that it's a ~US$60 write-off — let it burn.

Thu Sep 3 — don't check out. Extend Holiday Inn Johnson City one more night (conf 85065183).

Time	Stop	Notes
day	VNE Aero — final training day	Same as the main plan, minus the packed car.
evening	🏁 Bristol Dragway — BTE Labor Day Footbrake Challenge, opening night 🧭 📍	Runs Sep 3–6 · three $15K-to-win bracket races · ~25 min from the hotel · tickets at the gate. Racing runs into the night — leave when you've had enough; tomorrow starts at 7:30.

Fri Sep 4 — Johnson City → Frankfort, and the held 2:30 tour finally earns its keep.

Time	Stop	Notes
7:30 AM	Depart Johnson City	I-26 → I-81 → I-40 → I-75 N · ~2¾ hr to exit 15. Scenic alternate: US-25E through the Cumberland Gap tunnel — same time within minutes.
~10:20	Cumberland Falls 🧭 📍	KY-90, 19 mi west of I-75 exit 15. 125-ft-wide curtain. 45 min does it · free.
~11:45	Harland Sanders Café, Corbin — lunch 🧭 📍	KY-90 back to I-75, one exit up. The museum comes free with the chicken.
~12:25	Roll north	I-75 → Lexington → Versailles Rd · ~1¾ hr.
~2:10 PM	Arrive Buffalo Trace, Frankfort	~20 min of slack, and 2:30 is the day's only hard time. Running behind → overlooks only at the falls, or chicken to go.
2:30 PM	Buffalo Trace — guided Trace Tour (held)	75–90 min, ends in the tasting room.
evening	HIX Frankfort	Book Frankfort for Sep 4 too (2 nights) · cancel London 66799651.

Knock-on: Saturday drops the 3:35 Buffalo Trace walk-up → more time at Midway and Frankfort, and the morning softens — Frankfort → the railroad is 20 min, not 1h45.

SEP 5 (Sat) — London → Versailles: TRAIN + WOODFORD + BUFFALO TRACE

🍖 Eats today: Glenn's Creek Café at Woodford (lunch) · dinner = Limewater / The Stave / Holly Hill Inn (details in the 6 PM row).

Tonight: Holiday Inn Express & Suites Frankfort · 1000 Vandalay Dr, Frankfort, KY 40601 · (502) 352-4650 · 4.2★ · conf 43342444 · booked 🧭 📍

Time (ET)	Stop	Notes
8:45 AM	Depart London, KY	~1h45 up I-75 / BG Pkwy to Versailles. Bags stay in the car — you check in at Frankfort tonight. Fallback plan: you wake in Frankfort — leave 10:10 instead.
11:00 AM	🚂 Bluegrass Scenic Railroad · 175 Beasley Rd (11 AM slot confirmed on sale) 🧭 📍	$18 · 90 min · back by 12:30, then 15 min to Woodford for 1:45 — comfortable. 11-mile round trip to Young's High Bridge (1889) over the Kentucky River; Wild Turkey visible, and you can disembark to photograph it. Museum free with the ticket, Sat 10–4. FareHarbor booking — last-minute is fine, so decide the day before. ☎️ (859) 873-2476. 💤 The rest stop. 90 min seated, no driving, no decisions — the one thing on Saturday you can take purely because you need a break. Skip it freely if you'd rather sleep in; Woodford at 1:45 is the only fixed point. 🎥 Telephoto from the bridge overlook; CPL on the coach windows.
~12:45	Woodford Reserve — lunch 🧭 📍	Glenn's Creek Café + walk the grounds. Eat before the tasting.
1:45 PM	Woodford — Innovation Inspired: Tour & Premium Tasting (80 min)	✅ Booked · conf 3EB449 · $125 · ends 3:05 PM. Meet at The Gristmill House, 7855 McCracken Pike, Versailles.
~3:35 PM	Buffalo Trace Distillery — walk-up 🧭 📍	Free tasting, no booking. 440-acre National Historic Landmark grounds + gift-shop bottle hunt. Closes 5 — don't dawdle at Woodford. 4.8★.
~5 PM	Optional: Midway stroll 🧭 📍	Historic rail town, ~12 min from Woodford — and where Holly Hill Inn is, if that's your dinner.
~6 PM	🍽 DINNER — pick one	1. Limewater · Frankfort, 900 Wilkinson Blvd 🧭 📍 — 4.8★, best food in Frankfort. Converted house, patio over the river. ⚠️ Closes 8 PM — arrive by 6:30. ☎️ (502) 234-2346. No drive after bourbon. 2. The Stave · 5711 McCracken Pike 🧭 📍 — 4.4★ (1,646). Same road as Woodford, minutes from the tasting. Huge bourbon list (½-oz pours + flights), burgoo, shrimp & grits. Till 9. ☎️ (502) 352-7155. 3. Holly Hill Inn · Midway 🧭 📍 — 4.7★. Fine dining, Sat 6–9, $$$, book ahead. Historic railroad town — walk Main St first. ☎️ (859) 846-4732. Costs a ~25 min drive back to Frankfort after wine.
~8:45 PM	🛏️ HIX Frankfort — CHECK IN · conf 43342444 (in 3 PM / out 12 PM)	Paid and held — late arrival fine. Noon checkout is the trip's latest, though you leave ~8:30.

Gift-grabs: Rebecca Ruth bourbon balls (till 6) 🧭 📍

SEP 6 (Sun) — Frankfort → Louisville: DERBY + BARN TOUR + ALI

🍖 Eats today: Hot Brown @ the Brown Hotel · Feast BBQ, NuLu — region #3 · Royals Hot Chicken · Modjeskas to take away.

Late start — the southern loop is cut. (All times ET.)

Base: Holiday Inn Express Louisville Airport Expo Center · 1921 Bishop Ln, Louisville, KY 40218 · (502) 456-4411 · 4.1★ · ✅ Booked conf 60831442 🧭 📍

Time	Stop	Notes
9:15 AM	Depart Frankfort (checkout is noon — no rush)	Straight hour east on I-64. 30 min earlier than before, to fit the shop below.
~10:15	🛒 Trader Joe's · 4600 Shelbyville Rd, St Matthews 🧭 📍	4.6★ (3,585) · 9–9 daily · just off I-64, genuinely on the way in. ~30 min, then 10 min on to Churchill Downs for the 11:00 opening. The one slot on the trip where you have the car, the shop is en route and nothing is waiting on you — five days of driving left, so perishables are fine. Seasonings and snacks travel; skip glass and weight, you fly out of STL.
10:45	Kentucky Derby Museum (Churchill Downs) 🧭 📍	Opens 11 Sun, ~$22 + $25 Barn & Backside Tour — BOOK, aim 11:30. Arrive 10:45 to collect tickets. 11:00 exhibits · 11:30–12:30 van tour · 12:30–2:00 rest of museum + film. 🎥 CPL — the tour is through van glass. 🪖 Passport on you; the backside is a secure area.
~2:15 PM	🧳 HIX Louisville — BAG DROP · conf 60831442 (in 3 PM / out 12 PM)	By Churchill Downs. Drop luggage, keep the camera, drive downtown.
~2:45 PM	🅿️ Park — street meters, FREE all day Sunday (enforced Mon–Sat 7 AM–6 PM only)	Don't pay for a garage. Best hunting grounds, all within 2–4 min walk of the Ali Center: • W Main St, 5th–8th 📍 — Whiskey Row frontage, closest to Ali. • S 6th St, Main→Muhammad Ali Blvd 📍 — one block from the door. • W Market St, 4th–8th 📍 — usually the emptiest on a Sunday. Later: Waterfront Park lot at the Big Four Bridge 📍 — free, and a 12-min walk back to Main St. ⚠️ Read the sign at the space — free meters ≠ free of tow zones, loading zones or street-sweeping rules.
3:00–5:00	Muhammad Ali Center 🧭 📍	⚠️ Closes 5 PM Sun. On foot from the garage.
~5:30 PM	NuLu dinner 📍	Feast BBQ (region #3) on E Market, ~1.5 mi east — free Sunday meters there too. Drinking? Lyft back (~$18) and collect the car in the morning — it parks free overnight and you leave at 8 AM anyway.
after	Big Four Bridge — lit-up night stroll 📍	Better after dark anyway. Flex — or do it pre-Ali if you'd rather.

SEP 7 (Mon, Labor Day) — Louisville → Eureka: Arch drive-by + 🎢 Six Flags + outlets

🍖 Eats today: Lunch in the park · gooey butter cake anywhere in STL. Ted Drewes moved to Tue — 10 min from Charlie Gitto's instead of an hour tonight.

Time	Stop	Notes
~8:00 AM ET	Depart Louisville	I-64 West, direct. ~4 hr — you gain an hour into Central.
~11:00 CT	⛰️ Cahokia Mounds (Collinsville IL) — free 🧭 📍	UNESCO site — largest pre-Columbian city north of Mexico, 15–20k people c.1100 CE. Monks Mound: 100 ft, 147 steps — the Arch is visible from the top. Grounds dawn–dusk, free parking, $7 suggested donation. ~45 min. ⚠️ Interpretive Center reopened Jun 2026 after 4 yrs — but it runs Wed–Sun and closes on a Mon/Tue holiday, so Labor Day = grounds only. Download the free Cahokia AR Tour app — it replaces the closed museum.
~12:00 CT	🏛️ Arch — drive-by · Malcolm W. Martin Memorial Park (East St. Louis, IL) 🧭 📍	Best Arch view anywhere — elevated platform, Arch + skyline across the river. 15 min, no ticket. Gateway Geyser same park. ⚠️ Rough area — daylight only, stay mobile, don't leave the tripod.
~1:15 CT	🧳 Eureka — DROP BAGS · conf 24809234 (in 4 PM / out 11 AM) 🧭 📍	~35 min SW of the Arch viewpoint. Check-in is 4 PM — ask them to hold bags, don't wait for the room. Grab lunch here or in the park.
~1:45 PM	🎢 Six Flags St. Louis — last day of the season 🧭 📍	Walk it — 9 min from the hotel, which dodges the ~$35 park parking (a shuttle also runs; confirm at the desk). 10 coasters, 323 acres. Ask the front desk for discount tickets. Tickets: mid-america.ticketspice.com — now run by Enchanted Parks, not the Six Flags site. Ride till ~6 — that's ~4¼ hrs, enough for 10 coasters at a steady pace.
~6:20 PM	🛍️ St. Louis Premium Outlets (Chesterfield) 🧭 📍	~20 min north on MO-109. Closes 8 PM sharp (Mon & Tue both 10–8). A targeted raid, not a browse — know your list. 🪖 Several stores run veteran discounts — ask. ☎️ (314) 399-8163 to confirm holiday hours.
~8:30 PM	🛏️ HI Six Flags — CHECK IN · conf 24809234	~20 min. Ted Drewes moved to Tue — it's 10 min from Charlie Gitto's on the Hill, vs a 1-hr round trip tonight.

No Arch tram, no ticket, no security line — you get the view and keep the day.
Running late? Cut the Arch drive-by first, Cahokia second — never the park.

SEP 8 (Tue) — FirstSpear training + The Range + Charlie Gitto's

🍖 Eats today: Charlie Gitto's on the Hill — toasted ravioli, Tue dinner · Ted Drewes after (10 min) · Salt+Smoke · Imo's if you want the local argument.

Second night at Eureka (conf 24809234) — bags stay put.

Training: FirstSpear · 2015 Corporate 44 Dr, Fenton 🧭 📍 · Tue Sep 8, starts 9:00 ✅ confirmed. ⚠️ End time unknown — leave Eureka 8:15 (~35 min). Everything after depends on the finish: out by 3 → range + Ted Drewes + Gitto's all fit · out by 4:30 → range then straight to dinner · later → drop the range, keep Gitto's.
🔪 If you acquire any FirstSpear gear, knives or tools: checked baggage only — never the cabin bag, on any of the four remaining sectors. Singapore controls certain knives and tactical items on import, so check what's permitted before you buy, not at Changi. Same bag-sweep discipline as the range brass.

⏰ 8:15 depart Eureka · 9:00 FirstSpear starts (confirmed) · finish TBC — the whole evening keys off it.

After training

Tue eve → The Range – St. Louis West · 14803 Manchester Rd, Ballwin · 4.5★ · Mon–Fri till 8 🧭 📍 — rent up to the .50 AE Desert Eagle; rapid fire OK. ~20 min. 🧼 Only live fire of the trip — ~72 hrs before wheels-up. GSR: keep the flight backpack/camera bag off the line · range clothes into a sealed bag · shower + scrub hands and forearms after. NO brass souvenirs — casings and ammo components are controlled in Singapore and HKG transit. Sweep every bag before packing.

Route map — Eureka → Fenton → Ballwin → the Hill

Notes & holdovers

SEP 9 (Wed) — 🛣️ ROUTE 66 ①: Eureka → Meramec → Cuba → Springfield

🍖 Eats today: Frisco's Grill & Pub, Cuba (lunch) · Uranus fudge · Elbow Inn at Devil's Elbow.

Check out of Eureka — bags in the car.

Time	Stop	Notes
~8:30	Check out of Eureka	Everything in the car — you're not coming back.
~9:00	Roll southwest on I-44 (= old Route 66)	Only ~50 min to Meramec on I-44 — take the old alignment. Route 66 State Park / Times Beach (1935 Bridgehead Inn, free 66 museum) is 10 min out.
~10:15	Meramec Caverns (Stanton) 🧭 📍	Jesse James's hideout. 2 km tour, 60°F — layer up. Daily 9–6, 4.6★. ~1.5 hr. (Trim here if you're running late.)
~12:15	Cuba — lunch + Fanning 66 Outpost rocking chair 🧭 📍	Lunch in Mural City; the 42-ft chair sits just west. ~1 hr. Eat at Frisco's Grill & Pub (4.4★, 1,243 · Frisco Railroad theme, till 10) or Rich's Famous Burgers (in an old Phillips 66 station).
~2:30	Devil's Elbow 🧭 + 🪐 Uranus Fudge Factory 🧭 📍	The curved 1920s bridge over the Big Piney, then fudge + butt jokes. ~1 hr for both. Route 66 Neon Park is right there in St. Robert too.
~5:00 PM	👑 Queen's Gate 66 + 🎵 Musical Road · St. Louis St @ Glenstone 🧭 📍	Unveiled 1 May 2026 — didn't exist last year. 20-ft illuminated crown in the middle of St. Louis St, $1 M state-funded. It stands on Birthplace Plaza — the old Colonial Hotel site, where Route 66 was NAMED in 1926. Park in the Rail Haven lot — the owner set aside space for Queen's Gate visitors. ~10 min from Rockwood; do it on the way in, before check-in. 🎵 Musical Road: drive WEST on St. Louis St at exactly 30 mph — rumble strips on the right, so your passenger-side tyres play America the Beautiful. Do it twice — second pass with the window down and a mic running. 🎥 Illuminated at night — this is a night shot.
~6:00 PM	🛏️ Rockwood Motor Court — CHECK IN · 2200 W College St ✅ booked 🧭 📍	4.9★ (255) · "King of the Road" · $96.14 paid · ID HZXX-180826. Restored 1950s motor court on the original 66 alignment — individual cottages, period fixtures, full bed. In 3 PM / out 11 AM. ☎️ (417) 827-2992. Small room by design — that's the point. Ask for a cottage facing away from College St (old 66 = road noise). Free cancellation to 24 h before. Car museum is on the same street.

Spare time → the NRA museum is open till 8 tonight if you'd rather clear it now and free Thursday morning. 🎉 2026 is the ROUTE 66 CENTENNIAL — the road was commissioned in 1926. Springfield ran its kickoff 30 Apr–3 May and new monuments have gone up all year. Expect more traffic, fuller motels (this is likely why Rail Haven is sold out) and possible September events — check visitspringfieldmo.org / Route 66 Centennial listings before you go.

SEP 10 (Thu) — 🛣️ ROUTE 66 ②: Springfield → Gay Parita → Lebanon → Cuba

🍖 Eats today: Route 66 Steak 'n Shake, Springfield (lunch) — the original location, vintage carhop neon · Missouri Hick BBQ, Cuba (dinner) — 200 m walk from the motel.

Go west to Gay Parita, then turn around and bank miles toward the airport. Sleep ~1.4 hrs from Lambert (Cuba).

Time	Stop	Notes
8:00 AM	🔫 NRA National Sporting Arms Museum — inside the Bass Pro flagship 🧭 📍	Opens 8 — do this first, before the car museum opens at 9. 5 min apart. ~1,000 pieces — Annie Oakley's, Teddy Roosevelt's, Jesse James's, Napoleon's guns; John Wayne Hollywood case. Free · 8 AM–8 PM Mon–Sat. ~75 min. History Museum on the Square (Birthplace of 66, christened here 1926) is the on-theme alternative — both won't fit before Gay Parita.
9:15	🚗 Route 66 Car Museum (Springfield) 🧭 📍	Daily 9–5, ~$15, 4.7★. 75 cars — incl. the original 1966 Batmobile. ~1.5 hr. ⚠️ CALL (417) 459-2452 — the building's been sold, closure reportedly slated. Confirm it's open.
~11:15	⛽ Gary's Gay Parita (Ash Grove) 🧭 📍	~30 min W. Restored 1930s Sinclair station, 4.9★ (336) — the most-photographed stop in Missouri. Free. ⚠️ NO SET HOURS — it's a family home, not a business. Run by Barbara (Gary's daughter) & George; open daylight hours when they're there. Reviewers do arrive to find it shut. ☎️ (843) 324-6661 the night before, or check their Facebook. 🪙 Gift shop is CASH ONLY. 📵 Limited cell service on the two-lane — download maps before leaving I-44. The cobblestone garage was built in 1926 — the same year Route 66 was commissioned. Ask for the story; that's the point of the stop.
~1:50 PM	Route 66 Steak 'n Shake (Springfield) — lunch 🧭	Original 1960s location on old 66. Burger + shake, then head east.
~3:30 PM	Route 66 Museum (Lebanon) 🧭 📍	Inside the Lebanon library — a full recreated 66 streetscape. Free. ~45 min. Munger Moss neon sign across the road for a photo.
~5:50 PM	🛏️ Wagon Wheel Motel, Cuba — CHECK IN · 901 E Washington Blvd ✅ booked 🧭 📍	4.3★ · oldest continuously operating motel on Route 66 (1936) — Ozark flagstone cabins, restored neon, fire pit. ☎️ (573) 885-3411. Buys back 45 min on Friday. Missouri Hick BBQ next door.
~7:00 PM	🍖 Missouri Hick Barbeque — dinner, 200 m walk 📍	4.4★ (3,163) · 11 AM–9 PM daily. Ribs, burnt ends, German potato salad. Rustic Route 66 room. Walk — no driving after. Go earlier rather than later: reviewers report coach parties clearing the kitchen out.

Uranus + Devil's Elbow were done Wednesday — tonight's just a bed in the right place.

SEP 11 (Fri) — 🛣️ ROUTE 66 ③ / DEPARTURE: Cuba → Kirkwood → Pappy's → STL

🍖 Eats today: Shelly's Route 66 Cafe, Cuba (breakfast, opens 6) · Pappy's Smokehouse — region #4, the last meal of the trip. At the door for the 11:00 open. Closed Tue — Friday is fine.

⚠️ CX7659 STL→DFW departs 17:11 — early roll = ribs with no queue + hours in the lounge.

Time	Stop	Notes
~6:45 AM	☕ Shelly's Route 66 Cafe — breakfast 📍	4.7★ (556) · opens 6 AM. The Wagon Wheel's own recommendation. Homemade biscuits & gravy get named in review after review. The motel has no breakfast — this is the plan.
~7:55 AM	Depart Cuba	~1.4 hr NE on I-44. Gas up before Lambert.
9:00 AM	National Museum of Transportation (Kirkwood) 🧭 📍	Right at opening (9–4). Chrysler Turbine Car + climb-in locomotives + Coral Court 66 remnant. ~1.25 hr, on the SW approach.
~10:45 AM	🍖 Pappy's Smokehouse — be at the door for the 11:00 open 🧭 📍	~25 min NE. First through the door = no queue, no sell-out. 4.7★ · BBQ region #4, the finale. Memphis ribs + burnt ends. Out by ~11:50.
12:30–2:30	✈️ Missouri History Museum · 5700 Lindell, Forest Park 🧭 📍	4.7★ (4,830) · FREE · Fri 10–5 · 20 min from Pappy's. Home of the Lindbergh collection — the trophies and artefacts from the 1927 crossing, kept in the city that funded the Spirit of St. Louis.
3:00 PM	Lambert (STL) — drop rental, check bag 🧭 📍	~25 min. Terminal 1 (American). Bag tagged through to HKG.
~3:45 PM	🛋️ Admirals Club — Concourse C, just past security	T1 Concourse C — left at the concourse entrance · open till 7 PM. ~1½ hrs — exactly what you wanted. Access via your same-day CX875 Business long-haul — confirm at check-in; day pass ~$59 if refused. Ted Drewes outlet in the airport for a final concrete.
5:11 PM	CX7659 STL→DFW → CX875 DFW→HKG 22:55	~3.5-hr DFW layover. CX875 = aurora flight — RIGHT side, K window.

⚠️ Turned away? Do NOT buy the $59 pass. The club admits premium passengers on AA and oneworld partners — show the full itinerary including the CX875 Business long-haul, not just the STL–DFW leg. If refused: Priority Pass is no help here — Wingtips is Terminal 2 with no airside link. Terminal 1's own food is fine, and DFW is where the good lounge is — you have 3½ hrs there on a oneworld Business boarding pass. Save the appetite for it.
Running late? Cut the museum, not the ribs. Pappy's at 11 is the anchor.

— then the flight home —

Departure zone | elapsed from CX7659 | destination zone.

CDT	Elapsed	SGT	Do this
Fri 15:00	−2h11	Sat 04:00	Lambert — drop the rental (garage opposite T1), check the bag through to HKG. Bag drop shuts ~16:15.
15:45–17:00	−1h26 → −0h11	04:45–06:00	🛋️ Admirals Club, T1 Concourse C — left at the concourse entrance. Show the full itinerary incl. CX875 Business. Refused? Don't buy the $59 pass — DFW is the better lounge.
Fri 17:11	+0	Sat 06:11	✈️ CX7659 STL→DFW (AA, economy, 2h02). Stay awake — maximum sleep pressure at 22:55.
Fri 19:13	+2h02	Sat 08:13	Land DFW. Cathay has no lounge here. Skylink to Terminal D if you arrive elsewhere.
19:45–22:30	+2h34 → +5h19	08:45–11:30	🛋️ AA Flagship / Admirals Club, Terminal D on the oneworld Business pass. Eat a proper dinner HERE — it's why you can skip the first service onboard. Shower if one's free. Don't doze.
Fri 22:55	+5h44	Sat 11:55	✈️ CX875 departs. At boarding tell the crew: skip service 1 · wake me at +3h15 · serve meal 1 after the aurora, ~+6h30. → everything from here is in SEP 12–13.

SEP 12–13 (Sat–Sun) — ✈️ HOMEBOUND: aurora → HKG → Singapore

🌌 The aurora sector. You boarded CX875 at 22:55 Fri Dallas time (Sep 11 section). Everything from wheels-up onward is here, on Singapore's clock. A350-1000 · dep 22:55 CDT · ticket block 17h15, but 6 tracked flights ran 15h30 — see the timing caveat below.

CX87522:55 CDT
11:55 SGTwake02:10
15:10peak04:05
17:05meal05:30
18:30meal12:55
01:55HKG14:25
03:25CX73922:15
11:15SIN02:05
15:05

elapsed—

remaining—

CDT—

SGT—

—

sleepauroramealloungeawakecue

① The whole sector, hour by hour

CDT	Elapsed	SGT	What
Fri 22:55	+0	Sat 11:55	✈️ Airborne out of DFW. Seat K, right side.
23:05	+0h10	Sat 12:05	😴 Tactical nap — sleep immediately. Yes, it's Saturday lunchtime at home. Ignore that: you've been awake since 06:45 and this is what makes you sharp for the window.
02:10	+3h15	Sat 15:10	⏰ WAKE. Cabin light off. 20 min for night vision before you judge anything. 📶 Wifi: pull live NOAA in the tracker below before you commit — if Kp has jumped to 4+, the oval has come down to you and the whole window is worth staying up for; if it's 2 and flat, look for 20 min and go back to sleep. Use the seatback moving map for position — the globe's ADS-B can't see you out here (no ground receivers over the Gulf of Alaska).
02:20	+3h25	Sat 15:20	🌌 WINDOW OPENS · S. British Columbia, ~50°N · geomagnetic 58°. Check the right window every ~20 min.
03:05–04:45	+4h10→+5h50	16:05–17:45	🌟 PEAK BAND · N. BC → Alaska Panhandle → Gulf of Alaska · geomagnetic ≥60°. Only 1h40 wide — nothing else happens in it.
04:05	+5h10	Sat 17:05	🎯 PEAK — 58.9°N, 142°W, Gulf of Alaska · geomagnetic 61.0°, the maximum. Magnetic pole abeam right (rel brg 088°).
05:20	+6h25	Sat 18:20	Window closes · approaching the Aleutians. Latitude falls away fast.
05:30	+6h30	Sat 18:30	🍽 Meal 1, deferred — the good one, and now it costs nothing.
06:40→12:55	+7h45→+14h	19:40 → 01:55	😴 Main sleep — ~6h10. This block is on Singapore time. Sector total 9h25.
12:55	+14h	Sun 01:55	🍽 Pre-arrival meal · ~1h30 to landing.
14:25	+15h30	Sun ~03:25	🛬 Land HKG T1. ~1h45 before the ticket's 05:10.
—	—	03:25 → 11:15	🛋️ Layover up to 7h50 (scheduled 6h05). The Pier opens 05:30 — until then, the Arrivals lounge (T1, landside) has beds and showers. Then: shower, breakfast, Day Suite nap is correct here — same time zone as home.
—	—	Sun 11:15	✈️ CX739 HKG→SIN · Business · 3h50.
—	—	Sun 15:05	🏠 Land Changi T4. Mid-afternoon — don't nap. Daylight, dinner, normal bedtime. You have the rest of Sunday to reset.

⚠️ Navigate by POSITION, not the clock. Block time is seasonal: Aug/Sep tracks ran 15h30 (peak +5h10), but a Nov 2025 flight ran the booked 17h15 (peak +5h45). Headwinds decide. Use the moving map — start watching when you cross ~50°N into British Columbia; the peak is abeam the Gulf of Alaska coast.
Your seat is correct — K = RIGHT side. North stays off the right wing the whole way: forward-right at +3h (rel 063°), abeam right at the peak (088°), right-and-behind by +7h (122°).

② Live tracker

Drag to spin · double-tap to re-centre on Alaska. Track rebuilt from 6 observed FR24 flights — it is NOT polar; it peaks over the Gulf of Alaska. On this projection it is one.

too far south aurora window (mag 58°+) peak (mag 60°+)

Kp: — aurora: —

not tracking

Or enter position:

Load NOAA or a position to get a live read.

Loads itself when you open this section — Kp pulled and the live NOAA aurora painted straight onto the globe; a detected aircraft is dropped on it too. ↻ re-pulls. Fallbacks if the feeds are blocked: NOAA aurora forecast (N. hemisphere) · Kp index · FlightAware CX875 · Flightradar24 CX875 (both have satellite ADS-B — they see the Pacific, this globe can't)

③ What to expect — honestly

You are 3–6° south of the quiet auroral oval. Computed peak is 58.9°N geographic = 61.0° geomagnetic; the quiet oval sits at 65–67°. Kp 2–3: a green glow low on the northern horizon, if anything. Kp 4–5: the oval expands to you — a real show. Kp 6+: overhead. This is a Kp-dependent flight, not a guaranteed one.
The usable window is ~3 hrs, and the peak band only 1h40. Don't pace yourself as though it's all night.
Darkness isn't the constraint — latitude is. Solar time at the peak is ~00:30–01:45, and new moon on Sep 10–11 leaves a 1-day crescent that sets with the sun. Sky as dark as it gets. ✅
Check before you fly: NOAA 3-day Kp + OVATION for Sep 12, 08:00–13:00 UTC. Below Kp 3, manage expectations; at Kp 4+, stay awake for the whole window.
Corrected 2 Aug 2026 from 6 observed FR24 tracks (3× Aug 2026 live, 3× Sep 2025 playback). The earlier "Fairbanks / 64.9°N" claim was wrong — that's north of the great-circle vertex (63.3°N), i.e. a longer route. Every observed track peaks over the Gulf of Alaska. The globe above was redrawn to match.

④ Doing it properly

Kill the light. Shade down until you look; overhead off; screen off or red-shifted at minimum. Night vision takes 20–30 min and one glance at a bright screen resets it.
Cup your hands against the glass to block cabin reflections — a dark jacket over your head works better.
It often looks grey to the naked eye. Colour appears on camera before it appears to you. If you see a faint grey arc, photograph it.
Phone: night mode, 5–10 s exposure, lens flat against the window, braced on the frame. Turn off image stabilisation if you can.
Pocket 4: CPL against the glass kills the cabin reflection — the one filter that makes a window shot possible. Long exposure, braced hard. Expect a glow, not a postcard.
Ask the crew to dim the cabin during the window — on Arctic runs they often will.

TO BOOK / CONFIRM

⚠️ Live decisions

✅ Jeff CONFIRMED — main plan is live. Do NOT cancel the 2:30 Buffalo Trace. The tour is free, so holding it costs nothing and it is your entire hedge if Jeff's inbound flight (Sep 3) delays. Decide the morning of Sep 4; release it as a courtesy once you're on the road to the farm.
⚠️ If Jeff's flight delays — you're already in Franklin, so this is not the Johnson City fallback. Leave Franklin ~7 AM → Cumberland Falls → Buffalo Trace 2:30 → Frankfort. Cancel London 66799651, add Frankfort Fri Sep 4 (2 nights). See the branch under Sep 4. Bonus: Frankfort Friday night puts you 20 min from Saturday's railroad + Woodford instead of 1h45.
Microtel Franklin — free cancellation until 2 Sep: a money line, not a decision gate. Jeff can cancel any time; past 2 Sep it's a ~US$60 write-off (no-show = one night = the whole booking). Accepted.
If Jeff cancels: extend Holiday Inn Johnson City +Thu Sep 3 (conf 85065183) · book HIX Frankfort for Sep 4 too (2 nights) · cancel London 66799651 · keep the 2:30 Buffalo Trace. Full fallback day under Sep 4.

Still to book

Bluegrass Scenic Railroad — Sat Sep 5, 11 AM ($18). FareHarbor, last-minute OK — book the night before, or skip if you'd rather sleep. Optional rest stop, not a commitment.
Sat Sep 5 dinner — Holly Hill Inn (Midway) if you want the special dinner; Limewater/The Stave are walk-in-ish.
Kentucky Derby Museum — Barn & Backside Tour, Sun Sep 6 — aim 11:30.
Charlie Gitto's — Tue Sep 8 dinner.

Calls to make

Route 66 Car Museum (417) 459-2452 — building sold, closure reportedly coming. Thursday's anchor.
The Range – St. Louis West — confirm foreign-visitor policy + rental rules for a non-member (bring passport). Only shooting stop of the trip.
VNE finish times (Sep 1–3) — ✅ received: 16:00 / 16:00 / 15:30. FirstSpear Sep 8 start confirmed 9:00; ask for the finish time on the day.
Big Boy's BBQ, Bluff City (423) 383-8569 — hours aren't published; best-rated BBQ near VNE.

Confirmed ✅

Anaheim Desert Inn & Suites — conf 62945SG089982 · itin 6063B6494001 · Fri 28 – Sun 30 Aug, 2 nights · $456.30 · ☎️ 714-772-5050 · ~5 min walk to the Disneyland gate
Courtyard Santa Ana Orange County — conf 6VHK6EJZFZ · company booking Fri–Mon, you use Sun 30 only · 8 MacArthur Place
AA 2177 SNA 07:15 → CLT 15:09, Mon 31 Aug — conf NTYPAJ · seat 11C
Rockwood Motor Court, Springfield — ID HZXX-180826 · Wed 9 – Thu 10 Sep, 1 night · $96.14 paid · "King of the Road" · in 3 PM / out 11 AM · free cancellation to 24 h before
Wagon Wheel Motel, Cuba MO · Thu 10 – Fri 11 Sep, 1 night · ☎️ (573) 885-3411 · oldest continuously operating motel on Route 66 (1936). Metal keys, no hairdryer in room (borrow at office). Missouri Hick BBQ next door.
HI Six Flags (Eureka) — conf 24809234 · Mon 7 – Wed 9 Sep, 2 nights · $289.91 total, breakfast incl. · Early Saver — 1st night non-refundable · in 4 PM / out 11 AM · ask desk: park discount tickets + shuttle
HIX Frankfort — conf 43342444 · Sat 5 – Sun 6 Sep, 1 night · $162.86 · Early Saver — NON-REFUNDABLE · in 3 PM / out 12 PM
Hertz Jeep Wrangler 4x4 · CLT 31 Aug 16:30 → STL 11 Sep 14:00 · conf L6380886797
Holiday Inn Johnson City · Aug 31 – Sep 3 · conf 85065183
Microtel Franklin NC · Sep 3–4 · Agoda 2030725065 · free cancel to 2 Sep · ~US$60 if burned
Holiday Inn Express London KY · Sep 4–5 · conf 66799651 · $113.11
Woodford Reserve Innovation Inspired · Sat Sep 5, 1:45–3:05 PM · conf 3EB449 · $125
Holiday Inn Express Louisville · Sep 6–7 · conf 60831442
Aurora seat · CX875 right-side K window (Business). Check NOAA Kp before departure.
Pappy's · no booking needed · Fri Sep 11, at the door for the 11:00 open.
Gateway Arch · no ticket · photo from Martin Memorial Park on the way in.
Admirals Club (STL) · confirm at check-in via the CX875 Business leg; ~$59 day pass otherwise.

⚙️ Maps — key installed ✅

Road-route maps are live. The 🧭 buttons and directions links work with or without the key.

Keep the key safe — it sits in plain text in this file:

API restrictions → restrict to Maps JavaScript API + Routes API only.
Application restrictions → None (referrer rules break on a file:// page).
Quotas → set a low daily request cap on both APIs. Traffic-coloured routes bill at Google's higher "Advanced" tier — trivial at this volume, but cap it.
Billing → Budgets & alerts → $1 budget, email alert.
Don't share this file publicly. If it leaks, regenerate the key in the Cloud Console.

⚠️ Enable the ROUTES API (not "Directions API"). Directions API went Legacy on 1 Mar 2025 and can't be enabled on new projects — this file uses Routes API instead.

If a map misbehaves: grey "development purposes only" = billing not linked · dotted straight lines instead of roads = Routes API not enabled (open the browser console for the exact error) · blank = application restriction too tight.