Category: Travel

Airline Travel

The terminal was packed, security was slow. The noise was fatiguing. I was glad that I had eaten breakfast before leaving the condo.

Relaxing? Not!

Remember when airline travel was both exciting and relaxing? You could actually run up to the gate and enter the plane as the doors closed. Attendants were cheerful. Drinks and MEALS were served. On real dishes. The restroom allowed space to turn around.

9-11 took airline travel to a low. COVID took it subterranean. During one trip last year, Mike and I  tracked over 2800 steps to get from SD’s condo in Chicago to the gate at O’Hare International Airport. The majority of steps were exercised in the airport itself, from the train through security and to the gate which was of course, at the end of the terminal.

Normally I pick up Nuts on Clark popcorn for the boys, but this was the wrong wing. They would have to wait for the next trip.

I had also planned to pick up coffee to enjoy in the long wait for the flight. Lines of customers at my usual haunt extended down the hall. I decided to visit the Starbucks at the food court closest to our gate. Surprisingly, at 11 am, the only vendor open was the bar. That says something about American travelers. Or American entrepreneurship.

To assure that my iPad would keep me semi-unconscious throughout the journey, I looked for a charger. O’Hare American terminal as chargers under the seats in the waiting area. Wherever I found an empty seat, the charger wasn’t working. That says something about American Airlines.

The terminal was packed, security was slow. The noise was fatiguing. I was glad that I had eaten breakfast before leaving the condo.

Boarding the plane used to relieve me. This flight overbooked, seats narrowed, leg room nonexistent, and no refreshments, I looked farther ahead to getting into ED’s car which was parked at Sky Harbor in Phoenix. After several days, it would be hot. But it would be home. 

I should have lied.

Sometimes being good is annoying.

Being good has its disadvantages.

I lied, once. Twice in one week seemed a little much.

My son once complained about getting caught for some minor infraction. I explained to him that we are people who get caught. Maybe we aren’t devious enough. Maybe as obedient children we didn’t get much practice in covering our tracks because there are rarely tracks to cover. The signs of disobedience are obvious.

Perhaps my first lie led to the need for a second. But Life had taught me a lesson, so I informed my surgeon when I learned that I was positive for COVID.

A few weeks ago, my A-team of travelers had left the Midwest winter to seek sunshine here in the Southwest. Mike and I led them on a tour of Puerto Peñasco, Mexico, followed by three days in Phoenix. Before they left to burrow their way home, I had started a pre-colonoscopy white diet, which seems to be prescribed for high-risk patients.

“White diet” is not a medical term. I coined it to describe a diet with no vegetables, a few canned fruits, no grains or legumes, and otherwise white foods to reduce fiber in the colon. After three days, I crave salad! The day before the procedure is limited to clear liquids, no red. The night prior is sleepless as the patient drinks an abhorrent concoction designed to clear the digestive system. Often from both ends.

I always schedule my colonoscopy first in the morning, so I can roll out of the recliner into the car in minimal consciousness. One of the COVID screening questions was, “Have you traveled in the past two weeks?” Considering Rocky Point (Puerto Peñasco) a suburb of Phoenix, I replied in the negative. That was on Monday.

On Tuesday I awoke with a mild runny nose and sore throat. The home test affirmed COVID. Crap! (I have permission from a friend to use that word or worse.) Did the stress of the colonoscopy impair my immune system? No one else on the trip was afflicted.

Feeling slightly guilty about my first “lie”, I called the surgeon who was to perform a hernia repair on me next week, to report the diagnosis. Yep, I must postpone for at least two weeks.

I spent most of the day in bed on Wednesday, exhausted with a mild headache. By Thursday, I felt like my normal lazy self, and by the third day, Friday, totally back to normal. I’ve been more debilitated by mouth sores.

Should I have not informed the surgeon? I blame my Midwest upbringing, good old Lincoln returning a penny in change. Knowing that many people have ignored the safety of others by refusing vaccinations, discarding masks, and yes, entering the hospital without revealing their exposure to the virus, I decided to do the right thing. The virus had little impact on me other than to increase my immunity, but for people like my friend Larry who could not be vaccinated, it could be deadly. Sometimes being good is annoying. Crap.

Help! I Can’t See

I no longer want to fight my way through museums, theaters, airports, restaurants, and other venues. Time with the family to watch movies, play games, and enjoy good food is enough.

Chicago with mountains.

Baby, it’s cold outside. Mike and I are in Chicago to celebrate the holidays with all the kids. After I retired from church music in 2019, we committed to spending Christmas 2020 in Chicago until Covid shut down society. This year, feeling safe as the vaccine came out and venues reopened with precautions, we left the sun of Arizona along with ED and the boys. Nevertheless, plans have been altered. The tickets for A Christmas Carol were refunded because of production cast exposure to Covid. Plans with friends were discarded after a covid exposure in one case and cold symptoms in another.

We are traipsing through the icy wind of the Midwest pretending to have a good time. The difficulty isn’t just the cold for which we don many layers. My knitted cap presses against the flexible titanium eyeglass frames contorting them on my nose. The elastic of the face mask pulls the frames further askew, increasing the distortion and covering the lenses in steam. I stumble, alert for curbs, trying to adjust my depth perception. Thankfully, there is no snow or ice.

Most public places are crowded and noisy. Lipreading is impossible when the faces are obscured by masks garbling articulation. Few people speak loudly enough to overcome the ambient noise and the tinnitus that plagues me constantly. Just getting to a table in a restaurant is fatiguing. Casual conversation is impossible. Reservations are required for every activity.

We had planned to come for no more than 10 days but extended to 14 to accommodate airline travel. Under current conditions, 10 days would have been enough. I no longer want to fight my way through museums, theaters, airports, restaurants, and other venues. Time with the family to watch movies, play games, and enjoy good food is enough. Maybe next year.

I like technology

I have lived most of my life without the marvels of the internet. I have camped in a tent and stayed in many two-star hotels. But now, I want a minimum of three-star accommodations and Wi-Fi.

I can handle no Wi-Fi in the forest; but not in the cabin.

The cool air is divine!

I am holed up at Mormon Lake Lodge south of Flagstaff, enjoying the cool air and towering pines. Mike will finish a leg of the Arizona Trail, reserving the planned coda for another time.

The cabin, not so much.

Mormon Lake Lodge boasts cabins. Neither luxury cabins nor homes in the woods. I sit at the formica-top table indoors escaping the bright the sun on the front deck where I will enjoy relaxing there later this afternoon after I assemble my lawn chair and portable table. No outdoor furniture is provided.

The television sits atop a well-used 1970s Spanish style dresser. I enjoyed a movie on TV yesterday afternoon for a few minutes. Since then, I cannot connect with satellite TV.

The room holds a small refrigerator, microwave, and coffeemaker. The cord from the coffeemaker does not reach the outlet, which is fully occupied by the aforementioned appliances. I hauled it into the bathroom to make coffee this morning, taking care to leave the lights on. Flipping the switch off turns off the outlet.

Charging devices is awkward with only one other outlet in the room. I am trying to power everything before Mike returns, trying not to trip over the device cable when I adjust the windows.

Everyone expects Wi-Fi

The staff reports they are “working on getting Wi-Fi” in the cabins. It is available in the saloon. Did I mention that this is a western themed facility? Today is Monday, and I just learned that the saloon and restaurant are open only on Friday, Saturday, and Sunday.

As I write, I realize how often I search the internet for information. The two remaining nights, prepaid, taunt me. Accessing the internet with my iPhone is cumbersome as I try to search different sites on a small screen. Considering that one of my primary goals while here was to write, I adapt but am frustrated.

I like my comforts

Lest you think I am uncomfortable here, I assure you that the cabin is clean and comfortable. It appears that remodeling has taken place with new floors and bath fixtures. The staff is friendly and helpful. The unexpected inconvenience threw me.

I have lived most of my life without the marvels of the internet. I have camped in a tent and stayed in many two-star hotels. But now, I want a minimum of three-star accommodations and Wi-Fi.

Making plans

We look forward to planning our next big excursion when we meet in Michigan. The dream is Portugal. It may only be a dream. But dreaming together can be as rewarding as the actual journey.

Toilet Paper was an integral part of our business. We learned that the cheaper product functioned well.

Ready to hit the road!

The plans were in place, reservations being made. We were flying from Phoenix to Chicago to join the two parties in our Midwest group (SOAR*) on a road trip to Louisville and then on to Nashville. A brief stay in Louisville would allow us to sample the spirits of the distilleries nearby. Nashville’s music scene was the major draw for these music lovers. 

Oops!

Then the Delta Covid surge hit. Hanging out in crowded Nashville bars to listen to great music appeared foolish.

Having visited New Orleans during the humidity of October, we had chosen dates to assure cooler weather. Those dates were inappropriate for an alternate trip to the north of Michigan.

Let’s try another tack

How difficult can it be for five retired adults, isolated and generally inactive during Covid, to coordinate dates for a brief trip?

Very difficult, as it turns out. Medical appointments, family get-togethers, museum tickets, theater tickets, and hiking plans filled our calendars. After much trial, error, Zoom, and Facetime, we settled upon the original dates and modified our expectations for our SOAR get-away.

Oh, well

I would like to rant and preach, bemoaning the ignorance of our nation in handling the virus which limits our opportunities and threatens our health. But I know that I am preaching to the choir, which I did for 20 years, literally. I stand back, though, and read this situation like a story, and marvel at the privilege.

My friends and I are all vaccinated and, at this time, healthy. Having lost one of our members to Covid earlier this year makes our friendship and love more precious. That we have the means to travel to the Midwest to spend time with this group marks our privilege. That we can afford a comfortable Airbnb in which to drive each other nuts is another mark of privilege. That we share a long history of family interaction and love each other to death is a blessing.

We look forward to planning our next big excursion when we meet in Michigan. The dream is Portugal. It may only be a dream. But dreaming together can be as rewarding as the actual journey.

Here’s to you, SOAR!

*SOAR is an acronym for Still On A Roll, commemorating the company that draped toilet paper over its members’ houses for various occasions back in the 80s and 90s. The history is complex, beginning with the unidentified viper surreptitiously delivering dark poetry to another member who responded as the mongoose. I think this requires a separate post to explain.

Living the Dream

Mike has always supported me in my endeavors while asking little in return. I can do no less than greet him with an energy bar and a hot shower so that he can live his dream.

On the trail.

Mike’s turn

My writing shed is ordered, scheduled to be installed early November. That gives us time to work on Mike’s dream.

For close to two years, he has been spread-sheeting his plans to hike the Arizona Trail, in increments, of course. In September, he will start in Flagstaff to conquer about 140 of the 800-mile passage connecting Mexico with Utah. He is collecting camping gear, watching alerts for water availability, and hiking several times a week to condition.

I am reserving hotel rooms. For me.

Should I be worried?

Concerned loved ones have asked if I am comfortable with Mike’s plans to go alone. Maybe I am ignorant, but I have no qualms. The guy has been researching this experience endlessly for months. The path itself is never far from civilization. And we will use a satellite-dependent app to stay in touch.

Occasionally we will meet for a meal, to replenish supplies, or to allow him a shower and a night in a bed.

Mike has hiked the Grand Canyon from the south rim several times. A few years ago, he joined SD and our friend Bob to hike rim to rim to rim, south to north to south. They realized too late that they should have begun from the north rim in the heat of June, discarding their plans for the third leg.

Mike, Bob, and Larry spent three days on the Appalachian Trail in 2019. He knows what he is doing.

Do it while you can

Death and disability are claiming friends and family with increasing rates. Life does not guarantee endless time to pursue our dreams. Mike has always supported me in my endeavors while asking little in return. I can do no less than greet him with an energy bar and a hot shower so that he can live his dream.

On the road

The 2019 pandemic has altered our daily lives. We ask ourselves what we want the post pandemic life to look like. I know that hectic travel will not be on my agenda. Meandering is much more suitable.

The world is a book, and those who do not travel read only a page.

St. Augustine
Worth a visit.

Let’s go!

Chained in place thanks to the pandemic, our souls have grown restless, stirring to go. . .anywhere.

Mike and I are two weeks post COVID vaccine number two and have meandered to Chicago to await the birth of our third grandchild. We are wandering around the Midwest until we get word of the stork drop at which time we will isolate in SD’s basement until it is safe to see the newcomer.

Like readers who can’t live without books, travelers can’t survive without a journey. Unable to take to the road this past year, I have filled my time with reading, both escape and nourishment for my mind and soul.

Adaptation

Our journey has been circumscribed by pandemic restrictions closing many sites and limiting dining options. Having lived in central Arizona for over 20 years, we now hunker down inside when faced with Midwest winter weather. Plans for hiking and exploring parks and neighborhoods were rejected to be replaced with quiet afternoons in the hotel, sorting through old photos.

A new paradigm

There was a time when we crammed five or six experiences into a day on the road. Now, one or two keeps me happy. The leisurely travel pace covering 1800 miles in 10 days relieved us from stress of inevitable delays.

Listening together to podcasts and music during the drive, Mike and I relaxed into each other’s company. Moments like those are rare at home.

Meeting family and friends in small groups is allowing us to visit without distractions. A conversation with a cousin was the first 1:1 encounter I had ever had with her. Our rare visits usually take place in large gatherings marked by meal preparation and clean up and catching up with the extended family. On this particular day, we picked up lunch from a carryout and enjoyed it in the kitchen of the family farm.

Thanks to isolation precautions, museums and gardens are uncrowded, allowing us to enjoy the exhibits slowly, reflecting how people from other places and other times are impacting our lives today.

The 2019 pandemic has altered our daily lives. We ask ourselves what we want the post pandemic life to look like. I know that hectic travel will not be on my agenda. Meandering is much more suitable.