 |
 |
 |
 |
 |
 |
 |
 |
| In flight, the craft swayed from side to side and bumped up and down, as if adjusting to the airflow over and under its double wings.
Beneath us, the mighty Lena River twisted this way and that, cutting a swath through the landscape.
The famous "pillars" came into view: a piece of the Utah desert lifted up and dropped down onto the Siberian landscape. Over eons, small streams of water have cut through the multi-colored rock on the riverbank, carving niches in the cliff which resemble flying buttresses on a medieval cathedral. In our companion plane, I could see Shane sitting in the co-pilot's seat, smiling and giving a thumb's up. The bright sun bore down on the tall spires as Shane's plane flew [video] right in front of them -- a tiny speck against a spectacular backdrop.   
|
