It's Winter

It's been a cold time for travel. This time last year, my travel responsibilities took me to Arizona for two weeks. This year I am in Northern Iowa, Nebraska and Ohio. The miserable cold does take some of the fun out of the process. I am more inclined to go straight to the hotel, rather than explore. It's hard to even make myself shop!!

After so many winters when I never even took my heavy coat out of the closet, this is an awakening. Windshield scraping was rare. Last week I ended up in Cedar Falls, Iowa with nothing but a jacket and the temperature was a nice ZERO when I awoke. That evening I drove from Cedar Falls to Omaha which is about 4 1/2 hours and realized that if I had car trouble I was in a fix, with no coat or blanket in the car and no 'serviceable shoes'. I think that a cell phone makes me invincible, but there are those spots in the world which do not support cell phone use.

My lodging in Omaha was a guest room in the facility. As I watched the news that evening, I discovered a snow storm was expected to move in the next morning and last throughout the day. Sometimes things just work out. I usually provide only one day at a time at a facility, however, this time I was staying two days. I was already safely ensconced in the building and didn't have to leave until 24 hours after the snow was supposed to stop. When I started home two days later, the sun was out and the highway was clear.

I'm in Ohio this week and it is a deep freeze, too. It snowed yesterday, but today is bright and sunny. My week-end was very hectic and I packed in a rush, forgetting black socks and a black belt. I stopped at the mall here last night and bought the socks (you can never have too many pair of black socks), but I just couldn't force myself to buy another black belt. I already have three. So today, I have the shoe string from my athletic shoes threaded through my belt loops to keep my pants up. I think it's great that the pants are so big that I actually had to have something to keep them up!!

New Traveler

Last week was the Garden City gig. That flight is nearly always interesting. On the flight out, there were only three passengers. The pilot had us all sit in the very back to balance the plane. I was in the next to the back, with a fellow in the back seat who was into technology. He spent the first part of the flight working on his lap top. Then he put it away and got out some type of handheld thing that he kept messing with and looking out the window. Now I am low technology on airplanes and am embroidering a dish towel and watching him out of the corner of my eye, trying to figure out what he is doing. WELL, I finally got it. He had a hand held GPS and was watching our location as we flew over Kansas. I think that qualifies as electronic device that is NOT allowed as it uses radio frequency airwaves. That annoyed me. I really wanted to instruct him on his illegal activities, but tamed my tongue and hoped he would get off in Dodge City, which he did.

The flight home was more fun. We had a 'first time' flyer. I pegged him at security. He just didn't understand the whole 'liquid and gel in the zip lock bag' thing. After all, he only had a small tube of toothpaste. I saved the day by giving him the zip lock bag I keep my phone charger in. Then he was all worried about where his suitcase was. He had checked it, but when he got on the plane and saw the pilots luggage in the front closet, thought his should have been there, too. He travel companion told him his suitcase was in the back of the plane, but he was still skeptical and asked the pilot when he boarded the plane. He chose a seat over the wing and shortly after take off realized that was a mistake, he couldn't see out the window. Remember this is the Garden City flight and we have lots of open seats. He quickly started checking out the view from other seats and found one to his satisfaction. He watched everything intently. When we landed he thanked the pilot for a great flight and then started worrying about where the suitcase was. He started to the back of the plane where they were unloading, but they stopped him and told him it would be at the luggage carousel. It was fun to see someone so excited. Generally people are just going through the motions.

Now Carolyn would have visited with him and found out where he was from and where he was going and what for.... and probably how many children he had and his net worth. I wish I had, but I just haven't mastered the art of small talk with strangers. I'll keep working on it.

A 'Distressed Traveler'

When I made these reservations a couple of weeks ago, I knew it wouldn't work. The last flight out of Chicago on a Thursday night in January, especially with only a 55 minute time frame in which to make the connection, is just not a good idea. I hate it when I'm right.

I was scheduled to leave Kalamazoo at 8 PM. There was a lot of snow in Kalamazoo, but Thursday had been bright and sunny and according to most reports, there was no weather problem in Chicago, so I though I might actually luck out.

I left the nursing home about 6 and stopped at a great little restaurant called 'Fat Tony's'. It's right by the entrance to the airport and has good sandwiches and good wine. I always tell them what time the plane is leaving and they always get me fed and on my way in plenty of time. I figure I need to eat there, because I never have time to eat in Chicago between flights on the way home. Since I am usually on American flights, I leave at 7. This leaving at 8 on United was new and I hope never to do it again. The reason I took this flight is because I am supposed to manage my travel money and keep airfare below $500. I waited too late to make the reservation and the American flight exceeded the limit. United was about $100 less.

When I checked in the reservation clerk looked unhappy. My flight was to be at least 45 minutes late leaving Kalamazoo, which in the best case scenario would put me into Chicago with 10 minutes to make the connection. Remember, I would have to travel from Concourse F to Concourse C, which is a 10-15 minute trip whether you walk or take the shuttle. I decided to be stranded in a hotel in Kalamazoo rather than at Chicago O'Hare, sleeping on three seats with my belly possibly exposed and chilly. The reservation clerk called the Clarion Hotel for me and I heard her ask if they had any rooms available at a 'distressed traveler' rate. Seems they didn't have to be responsible for my bill because they didn't actually cancel the flight. It was just delayed. If I had gone on to Chicago and missed the flight, Chicago might have paid for a room, if one was available. Been there, done that, and it's too far to drive to Marc and Susan's from O'Hare.

So instead of coming home, I watched Obama beat Hillary in Iowa from the Clarion Hotel in Kalamazoo and came home on Friday morning. The hotel bill was $79, so in the end, I didn't really save anything by taking a different flight.

It's A New Year

It's a New Year and I'm headed to Kalamazoo. The plane left on time from Kansas City to O'Hare, but is delayed from here on to Kalamazoo. Apparently it is snowing in Kalamazoo. I have previously flown American to Kalamazoo and have those concourses and gates all figured out. United is a bit different and more spread out. I arrived on Concourse C and will leave from Concourse F. The flight attendant said there would be a shuttle available, which scared me a little. I imagined Kansas City and having to take the Red Bus and go back through security. When I headed out following the signs from C to F, I found you can actually walk, down escalators, along moving sidewalks, and up escalators and arrive at the F Concourse. I never did see a shuttle. Since I had two hours between flights (actually 3, since the flight is delayed) I had plenty of time to figure it out. I had a nice salad at Chili's and on the way back to the gate, saw a sign that said, "Shuttle to Concourse C". Since my return flight tomorrow only allows 55 minutes to get from on place to the next, I decided to check this system out. The shuttle bus runs every 10 minutes or so. I think I walked it in about that much time, and if I was standing waiting, I would be a nervous wreck. I think I'll just walk.

I found a quiet place to sit and read. There is one distracting thing about it. Across from me laying asleep on three seats is a gentleman with a stocking cap on and his belly exposed. I would think it might be a chilly belly. Another fellow has his computer plugged into the only outlet and is sound asleep with his head nodding over the machine. I wonder if he would notice if I unplugged him.