Second Solo X-C to Salisbury

The weather cooperated on November 21st and I managed to have the time for my second cross country flight. I set off again to Salisbury instead of my original plan to head over to West Virginia. I expect my third and final "long" cross country to be Tipton to Salisbury to Ridgely to Tipton. Once I was sure that the weather was going to be okay I completed my preflight and organized the cockpit. After I got into the air I could see that there was a layer of haze that cut down the visibility along the route. The trade off was that the air was smooth throughout most of the flight. The en route portion of the flight was uneventful. The only thing that cropped up was the ADIZ controller frequency had changed. Once out of the ADIZ and over the Eastern Shore it was calm at 3000ft. I was able to relax as I glanced at the various gauges and found that I was on course, straight and level, and all the engine, vacuum, and electrical gauges were in the green. I had such an indescribable feeling as I cruised along at about 110 knots. I experienced one of the few places on earth where I was truly alone. Yet I was not upon the earth. I had transcended the earth and was a little over half a mile above its surface. It is true that I had been over 10 times as high as that when I have flown commercial, which someone described as an "aluminum mailing tube." The experience of flight in this small craft is so much more immediate and satisfying. If you can imagine the difference between a person in their sea-kayak and a passenger on a cruise ship then I think you can understand the difference between what I have do when I fly and what the majority if people do when they fly. "It's an entirely different type of flying, altogether."
Eventually it became time to enter Salisbury's airspace and set up for the landing. I have not had very good luck with Salisbury Tower and feel like I'm always bothering them when I enter the airspace. I make it a habit to announce, "Student Pilot" on the initial call up so they know what it is they are dealing with. Even though I'm hoping that they will show me a little patience, I always seem to be met with the same rapid fire instructions. Today I was told to make right traffic for runway 23 and report a two mile right base. I seemed to be on the downwind leg to 23 and the instructions made sense. Instead of repeating the instructions back to the tower like I should have, I simply gave them a "Wilco" and proceeded on. As I got closer I had wanted to make sure I had heard the tower correctly and understood their instructions. Besides, there was a runway 32 at the airport and landing at the wrong runway would be BAD. So I called the tower again. They replied," Cessna Three One Seven Mike Echo, cleared to land." I called them back and asked them to clarify that it was a two mile right base for runway 23 and that I wasn't there yet. Their reply, "Seven Mike Echo, you look like your one a two mile base? Do you see the airport off of your right side?" I don't know whether or not the controller was being "smart" with me or not. I wasn't about to argue or assume that he was. "Affirmative," was my reply. "Seven Mike Echo, cleared to land, runway 23." As I got onto final approach I could hear the tower asking another aircraft to go around, probably on account of me and my 70 to 60 knot approach speed.

Nevertheless I got down, conducted a "stop and go" and climbed as quickly as I could to get out of their airspace and head home.

The flight back was just as peaceful and other than telling the ADIZ controller, "Roger, Wilco", redundant, amateurish, and akin to saying, "over and out," everything went smoothly. If that's the worst thing I do then I'll take it. As I got over to Tipton I entered the pattern and turned from base to final too high. I went around and made a lousy crosswind landing after being told by the last pilot that landed that the final was, "a little squirrelly." Still and all the landing failed to spoil the tremendous amout of fun that I had.