Well, yesterday ( Thursday morning, March 4th) I was up at 2 am, ready to leave by about 3 am. I picked up my oldest daughter and her husband so they could take me to the airport. Somewhere around 4:30 am I arrived at the fort wayne international airport...and said good by. they left and I Checked in my baggage, Which is at first done by computer ---for checked baggage. Then your allowed to get into line. This is AFTER you have first waited in line only to get to the counter and be told to go to the automatic machine to check your luggage. Humm...couldn't a sign up say something like you HAVE to start her first??? No, I think they have bets of how many people they can frustrate first!
I do not fly often (this is only the 3rd time in my whole life!) No one at the air port tells you anything-no signs up to explain anything. So now it is onto checking my carry on luggage. But do I know what I am doing? No. So I just watched everyone else, and copied them. I was not sure if they would give me any hassle over my medications, but they did not. Good. I did not want to go into anything there-to frustrating.
Well, after waiting for about an hour and a half, we could board the plane. It was a smaller plane, only 2 seats on one side of the isle and one seat on the other, but the plane was completely full...and we did take off on time. I personally like that part, I like going fast.. (smile face here!!) ....so the 'taxi down the runway and take off is fun...to me.
The flight was pretty good. No turbulence really to speak of, only occasionally. It was dark when we left, so you could see the lights way below of towns...I watched the sun come up, and then the view seemed more interesting. I was tired but could not sleep, so just watched out the window. The guy next to me was an older gentleman, a business trip for him, and he flys a lot he said...He thought the arm rest was his alone, and did not share the limited space very well, so I found that my legs were sort of hurting from both not being able to stretch much or move around. The flight was not that long, but still sitting still for a few hours is and can be uncomfortable.
We flew into the Dallas airport, which is a good size airport. This air port has a 'train' thing to take you from one terminal to another. You can walk it, but it is a long distance. I do not mind the walk, but if your flight is late coming in, or if you do not have much time between flights, it is a bit rushed to walk this distance. So onto the train thing I went. First, there are really only 4 seat per 'car'. All the rest is equipped with poles to hold onto as you stand. Must be a lot of younger people who can hold on better who travel!
There was a young couple with their older grandmother who was in a wheel chair, assisted by one of the employee's at the air port. The employee was holding the wheel chair (why not lock the wheels to prevent a possible accident???). This employee had the wheel chair blocking the other two seats so you could not sit down, and the young couple was in the other two seats. Now I always taught my kids to respect your elders, and would expect them to get up for us any older folks, but no,not these 'younger' people-they were obviously never taught that-they just sat there. You would think that the airport worker would move over since he choose not to sit down, but no, continue to block the only two empty seats on this fast -jerky-moving train thing. So me with my lap top, large camera (and it really is a large camera bag) and purse, was holding a pole to prevent myself from falling down as the train jerked to a start, jerked and moved fast down the tracks and jerked to stops...knee starting to hurt more now...
Then over the intercom an apology to the people came. Now,I had gotten on at point 'B", and I needed to get off at point 'D'. But wait, What? There is a Security problem at point 'D'?! The train thing is not stopping at point 'D'? They are sorry for the inconvenience, but they say, you can walk to point D. (about a mile walk!) So After a ride around the WHOLE airport, and all for nothing, which wasted my time that now needed to be used up in walking (walking fast with a bad knee) I then exited at where? Point 'B'. Got on at point B and off at point B. Wasted time! Well wasnt that just fun? A train ride.
So away I went, back down the escalator, and heading towards terminal D. At the bottom of the escalator was an older woman, air port worker, (looked about in her 70's) and I asked her how far of a walk to the terminal D. "oh not far at all, just down that way" she said as she pointed. Well if an older woman thinks not far, it must be not far and ok I thought. I would find out in a little bit how wrong my thoughts were at this point.
I needed to walk sort of fast. I was carrying heavy luggage stuff, (a lap top and cameras do not seem heavy until your walking with it for a mile). Now, I do not mind walking, really, I will walk for a mile or more...but due to knee injury and then surgery, I can not 'run' or walk fast on it for a long time. Short sprints are fine, but long runs are not. So here I was walking from terminal B to terminal D and feeling terminal.
Finally at the half way point, there was a air port worker again. An older gentleman, maybe since the older woman lied, maybe I could trust a man? He said yes, he cold give me a ride in the little golf cart like thing. oh boy. I thought yes, I will get in here and it will just be around the next bend. Then I will feel bad thinking 'see if you would have just kept going...' I was surprised, it was not just around the next bend. Wow! It would have been a much longer way still!
So he dropped me of, and I sat there and waited. Now I am limping, but at least at the correct terminal. I went up to the guy at the counter to ask about pre-boarding due to the knee, and he acted like I was interrupting his vacation or something. So later when a woman showed up, I asked her. She said yes.
Once the plane was there, they pre-boarded very early someone, and I wondered if they were important or famous or something, because they placed them on the plane about 1/2 hour or more early from the pre-boarding normal early time...
So finally they are now to the regular pre boarding people, which they did, and then like vultures people ran up and stood in the line for boarding. There were to be two lines by the sign, one for 'more important people with a special boarding ticket' which all of these people stood in line for and another line, for the regular ones. It seemed like the Dr. Seuss book about the different little creatures with stars on their bellies and the other ones with out the stars! Then the lady checking everyone in looked around and I could see her 'mouth' where is that lady and realized she was looking for me. Bless her for remembering me. So I got to go to the front of the line, me little old me, dressed in normal clothes, (no high heels and business suits like those in line) and pre board.
After settling in, everyone else started to board. This trip out, the guy who sat beside me at the window seat, was also on the plane from Ft Wayne are. He was an older gentleman, great grampa age, and if you have ever seen the show Dr Quin Medicine woman, he reminded me in looks and how he acted, as the guy who owned the general store. This guy, He would get frustrated with people and shake his head. He would say, look there, they won't listen...he did not like it if you broke the rules! So there I was on the plane with someone who did not like it if you broke the rules. I needed to behave I guess.
This plane ride was to be about 3 hours. I wish I would have had my camera out to get some shots of the areas we flew over. Amazing! and once we were into the California area, the mountains rose to meet us -
As we descended, it was such a view! Maybe on the ride back I can get some photos!
Well Lori picked me up and first we went to a prenatal, then out to get some lunch. It tasted really good, I was hungry!
We did shopping for the CMI board meeting, so I was able to get some photos which I will add here soon!
Have a great day!
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