NM/AZ 2009 Vacation: Getting There

On our most recent trip, we discovered two awesome new restaurants, a national park we’ll definitely return to, a lovely B&B in Taos, a couple of splendid museums, and an amazing tour of an Indian pueblo.

But first, we had to get from the Washington DC area to Albuquerque through Denver via Frontier Airlines. That proved a bit difficult.

Despite the fact that this is the second trip in a row where we had problems, and the second trip in a row where we took Frontier, I remain fond of the airline. Last June, they took a plane out of operation due to safety issues, and I’d rather be inconvenienced than endangered, even if it screws up my arrival time, which it did. This time, it was weather at the Denver airport that caused our connecting flight to be cancelled. Frontier booked us on the next flight out. No complaints there, either.

But instead of a tight connection of just under an hour, we had lots of time to kill at the Denver airport. For dinner, we returned to the Chop House, which we first visited in June. Stuckattheairport.com mentions it, and here’s the website for the place. We each had a beer and the filet mignon (to make up for not having dinner in Albuquerque), and we shared the chocolate cake. The Chop House chain should keep an eye on Craig, the maitre ‘d, who was a friendly presence, well in charge of the hungry masses of frazzled fliers. If I were running a restaurant, I’d consider him promotable.

We then discovered a quiet space for reading, well away from the normal airport chaos. I have difficulty describing how to maneuver in the interior of large spaces, so I’ll just say that if you’re ever at DIA and want to chill out, investigate what’s at the end of the various escalators, where you might be pleasantly suprised by a sort of reading deck.

Finally, we were off to Albuquerque, although it was later than scheduled and there was a problem with the ticket-taking that required a head count. Our concern was that we’d arrive too late to pick up our rental car. Instead, we got to the Hertz counter about 15 minutes before their scheduled closing time. There, we were greeted by a large African American man with a warm, calming presence, just what tired and cranky travelers need. In fact, I nominate this man to play God in the next Hollywood movie that has such a role. This guy also seemed highly promotable, and I hope Hertz appreciates him. We sure did. He took care of us quickly, and we headed off to the B&B, arriving a minute after 1 a.m.

Next up: Albuquerque, the world’s best B&B, Zinc, and the Day of the Dead.

“Air Travel Is So Glamorous” — Vacation Prelude and Part One

Prelude

Some of you have heard my explanation about the genesis of this vacation, and you probably want to skip this paragraph because it’s the same thing I’ve always said. And that is: After my dad died last year, my mother — a burnt-out caretaker 13 years his junior — was talking to her priest, who said to ”Pat, I want you to travel.” She replied, “I’m going to.” He then asked “Where are you going?” And she said “Wyoming — Yellowstone!” This is that trip.

We could not have done this trip without Dave, and we were fortunate that he wanted to join us. After much consultation, we agreed on a 3-part trip: short visit with relatives in Utah/Idaho, 2 days in Jackson WY and Grand Teton National Park, and Yellowstone National Park.

I carefully aligned our flights so that Dave and I were scheduled to arrive in Salt Lake City about 20 minutes before Mom, allowing us to meet her there. However, the morning we were to leave, as I was taking Eddie to the vet for boarding, I got an uneasy feeling that we had not made sufficient contingency plans. So I did something I rarely do — I called Mom while I was driving.

My car is manual transmission, aka stick shift. I need two hands to drive. There is no third hand available for the cell phone. So I called while sitting at what is normally a lengthy stop light.

“If something goes wrong, we’ll use Aunt Joyce as the switchboard,” I said.

“Why can’t I call you?” Mom asked.

“Because the voice mail on my cell phone doesn’t always work,” I said.

“Why?” Mom asked.

“Just trust me and don’t leave a message,” I said as the light turned and I had to make a left turn with a cellphone wedged between my ear and shoulder.

“But that’s not right,” Mom said.

HONK!!!! went the car behind me as I failed to put on my turn signal for the next sharp left I had to make.

“FUCK YOU!!” I yelled into the phone, meaning the driver, not Mom, which I had to explain once I was parked at the vet’s.

So we’re off to a good start already. I left my dubious Mom with instructions to call Aunt Joyce if there were a problem, and I said I would do the same.

Part One

Those carefully scheduled arrival times I mentioned above? They didn’t happen.

Dave and I were flying on Frontier, which is currently at the top of my list of Airlines I Don’t Hate Right Now. The day before, I did online check-in for the two of us because that’s the kind of thing I do.

Here is why online check-in is important: Say, hypothetically, you’ve booked a flight from Washington to Salt Lake City with a transfer to a connecting flight in Denver first. And say, hypothetically, that your flight to Denver is delayed 3 1/2 hours due to a mechanical problem. Under this hypothetical scenario, if you have checked in online, the airline may automatically rebook you on another connecting flight, maybe even on another airline, so that you do not have to stand in line with the teeming masses and figure this out at the airport. Which is what happened — we didn’t have to stand in line, because Frontier rebooked our second flight before we even arrived at the airport.

So thanks, Frontier Airlines and whoever came up with online check-in! Also, thanks for the two $50 vouchers, which are around here somewhere because I haven’t thrown out a single piece of paper since we left, although I will confess that I don’t actually know where the vouchers are. But I have them. Somewhere.

This begins a round of trying to contact Mom. As it will turn out, when we are on the ground, Mom will be in the air, and vice versa. All. Day. Long. So I call Aunt Joyce and tell her what’s happening. She wants to leave messages on my cell phone, however. I tell her no. Why is it that the 70-somethings don’t accept the notion of failed voice mail? Later that day, I spend the better part of an hour talking to my unhelpful carrier, and I still don’t have voice mail on my cell phone. This will be solved, but it wasn’t going to be solved while we were traveling.

Having nothing better to do, Dave and I go to the United counter, which is the airline that now has our second flight, from Denver to Salt Lake, and which is incredibly busy. The man who stands there directing people to his colleagues asks us what we want. Seat assignments, we tell him. He says his colleagues won’t be able to help. I look at them. They are under siege. But we decide to stick around and take our chances. Sure enough, when we do get to an agent, she gives us great seats in Economy Plus, for an extra charge. What do you get in Economy Plus? Nicer seats with extra leg room. I am 5′ 10″ and expecting to put in a 20+ hour day by time we land. Of course we’re going to pay the extra charge, which is only $39 each.

I then call Aunt Joyce, who volunteers to meet Mom at the airport since we won’t be there. It’s a 90-minute drive for her, but she and her husband will do that because otherwise my 76-year-old mother will be stranded.

Hours later, Mom calls my cell phone (and I have several voice messages from her and Joyce on my phone — too bad I can’t get at them) and actually reaches me.

“I’m in baggage claim, where are you?”

“Denver.”

“What?”

“Did you call Joyce?”

“No. Oh, wait, here she is.”

So that part works reasonably well. Dave and I then make reservations for a Hampton Inn near the Salt Lake City airport. Because our flight out of Denver is weathered in for a while, we arrive there just before 2 a.m. With the time change, this comes to a 22-hour day. We are not in the best shape at that point. The Hampton Inn is not all that easy to find, although the guy at the Hertz counter got us fairly close. But it is worth it. The clerk puts us in the quietest room he has open and, mercifully, we sleep. Sort of. If you don’t count Dave’s leg cramp in the middle of the night and my general inability to sleep from having been wired all day long. But eventually, we are something approximating rested, and get up in time for the free breakfast.

Hampton Inn gave us a great room, a better-than-decent free breakfast, and a few hours of sanity when we were desperate, all at a very reasonable price. Thanks, Hampton Inn!

Next up: Aunt Joyce, Sam, and the Idaho Cousins.

Hiking in the Grand Canyon

Twice now, Dave and I have hiked from the South Rim of the Grand Canyon down to the Colorado River, stayed 2-3 nights at Phantom Ranch, and hiked back out. It is the hardest thing I’ve ever done, and it takes me way, way, way outside my comfort zone.

This weekend, we decided to do it again in 2009.

Also this weekend, da1baldguy posted a bunch of clips on YouTube showing parts of his hike down and up — in the snow! I’ve been at the Grand Canyon when there were 8 inches of snow, and the views are astonishing. Anyway, here are clips from da1baldguy’s collection:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5DH5WFhKGWY&feature=related

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rfbtRoJxZ08&feature=related

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=iCNXwuUrwI0&feature=related

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rfbtRoJxZ08&feature=related

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jYoXBNXruZI&feature=related

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=kxyzc9MVwYQ&feature=related

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=z5-80dM6znA&feature=related

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7DwV-weedFY&feature=related

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=F94VNfSrzOg&feature=related

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=iw5zrRVdVlY&feature=related

Hugs to da1baldguy, wherever you are!

Weathered in

All my mother wanted for her 75th birthday was to have the whole family together.

It didn’t happen.

My parents live in rural southern Illinois, about 2 to 2 1/2 hours from St. Louis, MO. And if you saw any national weather reports over the last couple of days, you probably noticed that St. Louis had two entire days of freezing rain. Supposedly, the airport was operating pretty well. In fact, American Airlines — the major airline servicing that airport — cancelled the flight Dave and I were to have taken on Thursday, then cancelled our second flight, scheduled for Friday. We could have flown in late in the evening today (Saturday), but assuming the flight arrived on time, we would have gotten in around midnight. And everyone was scheduled to leave early on Sunday. It made the entire trip rather pointless.

 At least my brother, sister-in-law, and niece made it there.

We knew we were in trouble when we flipped on the Weather Channel and saw Jim Cantore standing at 10th and Market Streets in St. Louis. Dave and I looked at each other and said “we’re doomed.” Then I called Mom. We talked about the horrible weather a bit, then I told her that Jim Cantore was stationed at 10th and Market. “We’re doomed,” she said. “It’s not going to happen.”

Jim Cantore = Angel of Death for Travel Plans

There’s more on this little episode below in the first comment.