wrote in message

I really have to fly somewhere 250nm away and back again,

What do you guys do to make sure every flight is a learning experience?

sigh
reminds me of a young professional couple I took to the airport not long ago
embarking on a 1 week vacation. Says wife to husband "I've got at least one
block of relaxation time scheduled in each day........." Sheesh.

turn off the gps. fly low and look at the scenery. look at the clouds and
try to imagine them as structures. what are they? when I ferried cessnas,
i used to toss the chart on the ack seat and just fly in the (sorta) right
general direction for about 2.5 to 3 hours looking at everything and
nothing, sometimes heading over here or there if it looked interesting, then
pick up the chart, figure out where I am and where I might find some gas.
where you find gas out in the boonies, you'll also find interesting folks
and as often as not some dyn-o-mite food. life unstructured will often teach
you things missed by the official syllabus.