trip report, part 1: getting there
Feb. 4th, 2008 08:36 pm![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png){kind=small}
ljgeoffI will preface this by saying that this is probably not the time to be writing the trip report, because I am so tired my hands are shaking, but I have to stay awake, so I might as well.
My trip started Thursday night. I worked from 3p-10p. I had packed in the morning, so after work I just breezed by the house and kissed the kids (You’re going somewhere?) , stopped to gas up the little red car and zoomed off into the night. It was very cold, about four degrees Fahrenheit or - 15 Celsius, and clear.
It had taken me longer to get on the road than I had hoped, and I was late getting into Minneapolis. My plane was scheduled to lift off at 7:05am CST. I got to Minneapolis around 5:30am (Driving from Negaunee to Minneapolis saved me about $100, even counting the gas, if anyone is wondering why the hell I chose to make that drive) Pete had offered to babysit my car and get me to the airport. I had his address, and I had a map, but there was a small problem. As I was driving on 35W south, the highway stopped. Rather abruptly.
I called Pete from a gas station:
“Pete! The highway ended! It just ended! What’s up with that?”
“Well, hon, we had that bridge fall down…”
“Oh, God, the bridge! … Um, so, how do I get over to where you are?”
We figured it out and I got there, but with very little time to spare. I did have a quick cup of coffee. Then we hopped on a bus and on a train, and just made it to the airport. The lady at the ticket counter tsked at me “You are one lucky lady!” I got a quick hug from Pete, went through security uneventfully, and hustled to the gate. The flight was boarding as I came trotting up, last in line.
I love airplane takeoffs. I know that the takeoffs and the landings are the most dangerous parts, but I love them – watching the city spread and become miniature, seeing how the woods and fields lap around the edges. And when it’s overcast, I love that moment when the plane comes up through the clouds into the sunshine. I slept for about an hour mid-flight, and woke up to watch the desert unfold down below as we came into Las Vegas.
My trip started Thursday night. I worked from 3p-10p. I had packed in the morning, so after work I just breezed by the house and kissed the kids (You’re going somewhere?) , stopped to gas up the little red car and zoomed off into the night. It was very cold, about four degrees Fahrenheit or - 15 Celsius, and clear.
It had taken me longer to get on the road than I had hoped, and I was late getting into Minneapolis. My plane was scheduled to lift off at 7:05am CST. I got to Minneapolis around 5:30am (Driving from Negaunee to Minneapolis saved me about $100, even counting the gas, if anyone is wondering why the hell I chose to make that drive) Pete had offered to babysit my car and get me to the airport. I had his address, and I had a map, but there was a small problem. As I was driving on 35W south, the highway stopped. Rather abruptly.
I called Pete from a gas station:
“Pete! The highway ended! It just ended! What’s up with that?”
“Well, hon, we had that bridge fall down…”
“Oh, God, the bridge! … Um, so, how do I get over to where you are?”
We figured it out and I got there, but with very little time to spare. I did have a quick cup of coffee. Then we hopped on a bus and on a train, and just made it to the airport. The lady at the ticket counter tsked at me “You are one lucky lady!” I got a quick hug from Pete, went through security uneventfully, and hustled to the gate. The flight was boarding as I came trotting up, last in line.
I love airplane takeoffs. I know that the takeoffs and the landings are the most dangerous parts, but I love them – watching the city spread and become miniature, seeing how the woods and fields lap around the edges. And when it’s overcast, I love that moment when the plane comes up through the clouds into the sunshine. I slept for about an hour mid-flight, and woke up to watch the desert unfold down below as we came into Las Vegas.