« Okay...I'm back. | Main | The World Cup »
The Flight
June 09, 2006Let it be known that I'm not a big fan of flying.
Probably because I don't do it very often...and two of the last three times I've flown...
it was for the newspaper.
Not this time, it was a flight from DFW to San Luis Obispo, California.......
The flight was to leave at 8:30 a.m. last Wednesday from DFW. I was already home in Fort Worth, but you know how the security is...had to be there about 7 a.m. just in case.
Well, a good friend from church was going to take me out there, and just to make sure we beat the traffic, we were going to leave at 5:30 a.m.
(It's 1:30 a.m. right now, and I'm writing this blog, so you know I'm not an early-morning type)
Sure enough, we zip through traffic and I'm there at the baggage check by 5:50 a.m. The bag guy (who didn't help me lug my 2 suitcases from the trunk or on the curb or to the check-in) makes it a point to tell me that "We work for tips." It was early, and I smarted off back "What have you done for me so far?"
That's when I knew that I wouldn't see my luggage again. Whoops.
So I whisk through the security gate (I wore sandals) and I'm hanging out at DFW for 2 hours before my flight. I'm a people watcher...I'm a photographer, that makes sense. It was kinda fun.
Finally, my flight boards, and it's off to Phoenix......and a 4 hour layover. Eeeesh. It was either that, or a 40-minute changeover that could have turned into a disaster. So we take off...I had forgotten how powerful the engines throw you into the seat at takeoff, it was pretty sweet.
Into the so-so Sky Harbor Airport in Phoenix. I'm already bored and have walked around the airport about 2 times just for the heck of it. They have those people-moving escalator sidewalks, those were fun.
Had to read the Arizona Republic...not a bad paper actually. Then after a $5 burrito and Coke (they don't have Dr. Pepper...grrr.) It was off to San Luis Obispo. I was worried that it'd be a little prop-job plane that would spudder across Death Valley. Luckily, it wasn't.
Even got to look out the window...sorta. It was about a full foot below my head, so I was hunched over the entire flight gazing across an American wasteland. The great Sonoran Desert. Not much to look at, but it wasn't Texas so I was intrested.
Finally...I looked across the plane to the other windows, and saw the Pacific Ocean. Truely an awesome feeling. I might have even let out a "Whoa!!!!" like a 9-year old. Actually, I'm sure of it.
Day 1 of the trip....completed. Got off the plane onto the tarmac at San Luis, got my luggage, hugged my dad (he interupted his second round of golf to get me). And off to see the rest of the family....which is another story all to itself.
Posted by Jason Palmer at 01:28 AM | Permalink | Comments (0)
