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Author
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Topic: The Twilight Zone/air travel fun
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Leonard
HMFIC
Member # 2
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posted May 30, 2008 10:22 AM
I left town last week.... planned well in advance.
Now, the first thing that happened, was partially my fault. I missread the departure time as 11:43, when it actually took off, (without me) at 11:23. As I approached the freeway offramp, it was blocked by cones and a CalTrans dumptruck. Traffic was bumper-to-bumper as I inched along to the next offramp, and down a service street that took me to the long term parking lot. Usually, I can park anywhere I want, and I want to park in the corner of the lot so that my microwave security alarm doesn't go off every time the shuttle bus drives by. Not this time, it was full, and the attendant directed me to space #268. No big deal.
Then, he dropped me off at the TED Terminal. Wow, nobody waiting in line! Informed that I had missed my plane, and the next flight to Denver was three hours away, I had to decide whether to fly standby or pay $75 for a seat on that flight. I opted to pay.
Now, (apparently) there was a huge tornado north of Denver while I was waiting and my flight was delayed a little more. Now, the prospect of making my connecting flight to Rapid City was looking doubtful, but exactly how doubtful, I had no clue.
Well, I did get on a flight for Rapid City, wheels up somewhere around 7:00 PM? Then, we went to our destination and attempted a landing, TWICE. I always thought they could land those things on autopilot without even seeing the ground, but guess what? They can't...at least not this CRJ700? Pilot gets on intercom; "Returning to Denver".
In Denver, there is a hundred people in line looking for new connections. For me, and understand, this was Thursday evening, no United seat avaiable until Saturday! A helpful agent was patient while I made a phone call, asking if there was another airport where I could be picked up?
Well, yeah, there was Pierre, which was actually a shorter drive. So, I was booked on Great Lakes Airlines, an 18 seat Beechcraft. Only one problem, it was after midnight and that flight was scheduled to take off at 10:50 A.M. Well, all I could thing of was that movie about some guy stuck in a terminal, as I was on the floor, trying to sleep in an empty terminal with the lady pushing the vacuum cleaner as big as a Volkswagon, followed by some woman banging her wisk broom into a dustpan between the seats for what seemed like another hour? If I slept, I am unaware of it?
Next morning, I was very concerned about my checked baggage containing a firearm. Great Lakes said I didn't have any checked baggage transfered from United Express? So, I walked from the very end of Concourse A to United Customer Service in Concourse B.
At first, they said my baggage was loaded on a flight to Rapid City earlier that morning! Within fifteen minutes or so, there was a correction, it was still in Denver. Now, I went back, (what seems like a two mile trip) to Concourse A. Every hour, I went to the Great Lakes counter and asked if they had received my baggage.
New problem. MY flight crew was right next to me watching while mechanics were working on "de plane". An hour later? maybe? Who knows? I was heading for Pierre and arrived around 6:00 PM.
Yes, by some miracle of technology, my baggage was waiting for me! There were actually two pieces of luggage, I grabbed mine and Scott picked up the other one. As dull as my senses were at the time, it didn't occur to me to ask about his suitcase until we were outside the terminal. You should have seen the look on his face as he said; "This isn't yours?" Then he snuck back into the terminal, (which is about the size of the restrooms at Denver) hoping he wouldn't be noticed.
Part II
We had plenty of time to get me to Rapid City, I had about an hour and a half to kill in the terminal. Security doesn't have an XRay machine, so they opened my guncase and used some type of pad to see if I had explosive residue; I wondered if loaded ammunition would be detected, but I guess it wasn't? Now, this plane was that same type of Regional Jet that I was on before, that turned around and went back to Denver, last week. So TSA selected me for advanced screening. <sigh> Thirteen people on this flight and they patted me down like they do on TV, when they arrest a criminal. Remove my belt and shoes, all that silly crap: I expected a prostrate exam, but no.
Next drama, the turbulence was so severe at one place, I spilled my half filled coke can and the entire contents of the glass all over my pants and shirt and my hands were sticky and I had only a cocktail napkin while cola and icecubes were swirling around on that plastic tray. I was in the second to last seat, but eventually an attendant noticed my distress from up front and helped me a little, since the seatbelt sign was on and I couldn't get up to wash up in the lavatory, right next to me.
After some dogfighting wingovers to avoid clouds and turbulence, the Captain announced that we were diverting to Colorado Springs because of thunderstorms over Denver. More anxiety. I was worried about my connecting flight and flashbacks of sleeping on the carpet with that lady banging her broomstick in my ear all night long.
We spent about 30-40 minutes on the ground, didn't even taxi to a gate, when they cleared us to take off for Denver. This hop was strange because they stayed at low altitude the whole way, like in a landing pattern?
I knew that were were arriving at 8:45 and my flight to Ontario was boarding @8:40, so I wondered what gate we would be assigned? Naturally, it was Gate#82 and my flight#1443 was loading out of Gate 25, which was still quite a distance, lots of people were running, where for what, I don't know, but I didn't have much worry, because everything was delayed. I made the plane as group four was boarding, not an empty seat. So, thinking about my return from Canada last year, when Denver lost my baggage for 8 days in that big fiasco just before Christmas, I thought I was cursed, or something? Will my luggage make the flight, just something to think about,for the next couple of hours........
I arrived at Ontario a few minutes before midnight and was home before 1:00AM. My cat was a little pissed off. I slept until 9:30 then took a two hour nap between 2 and 4, and basically managed to accomplish absolutely nothing, I have not unloaded the truck, but my gun made the flight; another miracle of modern aviation.
You really have to think about it, these days.
Drive, or fly? LB
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EL BEE Knows It All and Done It All.
Don't piss me off!
Posts: 32368 | From: Upland, CA | Registered: Jan 2003
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skoal
Knows what it's all about
Member # 1492
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posted May 30, 2008 10:50 AM
Leonard
Sounds like a blast,glad it wasnt me I tend to get unreasonable. I probably would have ended up in the slammer. I can drive to California faster than I can fly ,with early arrival times and all that its actually about even for a trip to la la land. All this just makes me wannt to drive or stay home.
Hope you had a good trip anyway,not counting the stress at the hands of the airlines and weather.
p.s. is the cat still pissed.
Posts: 251 | From: desert s.w. | Registered: Jul 2007
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Leonard
HMFIC
Member # 2
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posted May 30, 2008 11:06 AM
Scott sent me an email. I forgot my binoculars under the seat of his pick up. He promised to mail them......I just hope I get those Leupold 9X35s back, (they don't make them any more) and he doesn't send me those Swarovski's instead?
edit: Pierre is pronounced; "PEER", for some reason, by the locals in South Dakota? Total mystery?
[ May 30, 2008, 11:09 AM: Message edited by: Leonard ]
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EL BEE Knows It All and Done It All.
Don't piss me off!
Posts: 32368 | From: Upland, CA | Registered: Jan 2003
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skoal
Knows what it's all about
Member # 1492
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posted May 30, 2008 11:32 AM
edit: Pierre is pronounced; "PEER", for some reason, by the locals in South Dakota? Total mystery?
Probably dont want to be mistaken for French.
Posts: 251 | From: desert s.w. | Registered: Jul 2007
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Kokopelli
SENIOR DISCOUNT & Dispenser of Sage Advice
Member # 633
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posted May 30, 2008 10:33 PM
Leonard, if you think that coming home to a pissed off cat is bad; try traveling with one!!! About a year ago my wife (She who must be obeyed) decided that she wanted her cat, so the next time I flew down I took it along. Cat's are now considered 'carry on' ($75 extra) and placed in a carry on sized pet carrier ($35) & stored under the seat. The thrill of traveling with a vomiting, defacating rodent loudly 'Meowing" is truely hard to describe.
So......... When I flew down in April I had a plan. I shipped everything that I needed UPS & figured on buying cloths ect. at Wally World when I got there. No checked baggage to hassle with. Just a day planner & a book to read. (God's Dog - Hope Ryden). So there I was...... a bearded male, traveling alone, without luggage, carrying a "God" book. Can anybody say 'profile'??
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And lo, the Light of the Trump shown upon the Darkness and the Darkness could not comprehend it.
Posts: 8236 | From: Under a wandering star | Registered: Apr 2005
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bucksnort
Miss Chris from AZ
Member # 202
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posted May 31, 2008 08:53 AM
LB,
I can easily understand why you were chosen for the "pat down" after all you were the only passenger checking a weapon and, you do look like a terrorist or, at least,a crazy gun fanatic! ![[Smile]](smile.gif) Your expeirence with airline travel should be a warning to everyone not to travel with you. ![[Razz]](tongue.gif)
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"There are lion chasers, lion catchers, and lying SOB's."
"Warriors of El Gato - The Lion"
Posts: 368 | From: Tucson, AZ | Registered: Jun 2003
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Leonard
HMFIC
Member # 2
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posted June 01, 2008 10:37 AM
Some local attraction, forget what it's about?
No, really. Quite impressive. I had always wanted to see it.
Good hunting. LB
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EL BEE Knows It All and Done It All.
Don't piss me off!
Posts: 32368 | From: Upland, CA | Registered: Jan 2003
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