July 1, 2007

Up early to get ready, packed and have breakfast before 7:30AM when Chris & Maryann will pick me up.  This morning we are going down into the bay to make the new dog selection.

After a short stop for a coffee it turns out the 9AM appointment is now a 10AM appointment so we use the time to stop at Restoration Hardware to make the big curtain rod selection.  Accomplishing this mission it is off to the dog place.  Unhappily the nice lady was tied up in traffic as a result of picking up a dog.  After waiting 45 minutes we set off to get me to the airport on time for my 1:50PM flight back to the Big Apple.  American Airlines waits for no man.

Unhappily, my ride back was not as enjoyable as the ride out since I was in coach.  The 767 is a 2-3-2 seating aircraft.  Robyn did a great job of getting me an aisle seat in the exit aisle in the left side twosome.  That was the good news, lots of leg room for a long flight.  The bad news was the Asian fellow on the window that I am pretty sure never stopped moving and fidgeting.  I dozed off for a few minutes but I am reasonable certain that it did not stop him from constantly changing his sitting position and bending over to get things from under the seat in front of him.  My hat is off to him, it takes real effort to stay in motion for 5 hours.

So now that the trip is over what did I take away from the experience?  First and foremost exactly how blessed I am to have two kids that keep the old man in adventures.  Between Chris and Courtney we have had a long list of great adventures, From F1 races to this flying trip not to mention all the stuff as they were growing up.   I am reasonable sure each could be made into a book by a talented writer.  This trip combined a bunch of experiences ranging from my complete lack of understanding of how to relate a map to my current location while flying to visiting some of the more challenging air strips in America.  My hat is off to Chris's ability as a pilot.  His skill certainly belies his 250 hours of total flying experience.  We covered a large chuck of the western United States ( California, Nevada, Arizona and Utah) that only having an airplane can offer.  As an example, we considered driving from Palm Springs to Bullhead City Arizona to see Robyn and Marilyn while the door was being repaired until we realized that it would be five hours by car each way.  The flight was closer to 2 hours.  We visited not only the back drop for virtually every western movie made in this country but also some of the most beautiful scenery in America.  Culturally we had an opportunity to experience the Navajo Indians.  It is interesting that Chris thought that Dennis (Indian guy who picked us up at the airplane in Gouldings) was not at all interested in talking with us and would have been happy if we turned around and flew right out of the Gouldings airport.  It did not help that he had a copy of Guns Magazine on the floor of the van he used to pick us up.  If you are not aware of their stoic personality it can give you the wrong impression when you first meet.  Even our waitress just looks at you with complete lack of expression and you are expected to know that she would like to take your order.  We also learned all of the features and benefits of the Hogan.  This is a free standing, eight sided, today largely ceremonial place, build of wood having an inside diameter of19-23 ft.  It is covered with what looks like a combination red clay and mud but does not seem to wash away in the rain.  There is a three foot in diameter hole in the roof which the nice tour guide said created enough escaping air pressure to keep rain from falling in. Until all of the tour people came in to heat it up it was actually livable in the heat of the day. 

 Would I do this again?  In a New York minute !!