Even though my scheduled departure was close to 11:00, I left home before
7:00. Of the several airports I consider in range, Indianapolis had by far
the best fares for this flight so that's where I booked. I also booked a
"park & fly" at a nearby motel. Hitting the road at 7:00
allowed for the drive to Indianapolis and a shuttle ride to the airport.
It also allowed for lengthy security procedures which turned out not to be
lengthy at all. I was cleared and at the gate well over an hour before the
scheduled departure. Notice I keep saying "scheduled departure"
so as to distinguish if from actual departure which was even farther in
the future.
Weather at Indianapolis and points west was clear but there was heavy
snow in the east. When I arrived at the airport, the plane I was to ride
was still on the ground in Baltimore. It took flight shortly thereafter
but it would be reaching Indianapolis more than an hour late. The schedule
called for forty minutes to change planes in Kansas City and the delay
made that impossible. In short order, Southwest Airlines had the thirteen
passengers heading to San Diego reassigned to a flight leaving just
fifteen minutes later than the delayed Kansas City flight with plenty of
time to make a connection in Denver. "There's been happening a lot
this year", said the gal at the counter. "We're starting to get
pretty good at this."
The first picture is of the bar (It's five o'clock somewhere.) where I
spent part of my time in the Indianapolis airport. The second is of the
plane I connected with in Denver after a two hour layover.
|
The good news is that the flight shifting put me on the west coast just in
time to see the sun set behind the HMS Surprise at the Maritime
Museum of San Diego. The bad news is that sunset more or less coincides
with rush hour and San Diego traffic is at least as impressive as the
sunset but in a very different way.
I eventually reached the motel and then my son's home for dinner. Good
food, good conversation, and a good (though not well retained) education
on Japanese cartoon characters but no pictures. There will be pictures. On
Friday I'll be boarding the USS Boxer with big and little (What a
joke that is!) Fletcher. Age discrimination is keeping Noah on shore and
Mom Kayla will be hanging out with him. On Sunday we're all hitting Balboa
Park and the boys and I may head out to Desert Tower on Saturday while Dad
(a.k.a. Big Fletcher) is on duty.
|
