August 5, 2016
When I am going on a vacation to visit an urban area, I pack the night before. When I am going on a vacation that involves camping, I start 4-7 days ahead of time. I carry my list with me and add items as I remember them so I won’t forget necessary items. How to be prepared for whatever weather may occur, prepare for accidents, animals stealing my food, running out of matches; you get the idea. In camping, I can’t run to the store.
Once the backpack and stove are out of storage and in the corner of the bedroom, I am like a puppy at the door. I am vibrating with an excitement that will only be quenched by leaving.
Betsy dropped me at Tampa for my Frontier Airlines flight. I am a little grumpy because when I went on line it looked like I have to pay extra just to have a seat. (Really?! What if I don’t ? Will you have me sit in the aisle for the 3 ½ hour flight?). I remember getting on a train in Italy around Christmas when I was 21 headed to Rome and the Italian Army was all on Leave and I did sit in the aisle. And I eventually asked Bud, my boyfriend, to trade places with me because I was getting sort of ‘felt up’ by the soldier crammed next to me. After a half hour, Bud asked if we could trade back because he, too was getting ‘felt up’. It was not the time or place to pick a fight. The incident was minor enough that it is an amusing memory and not, thankfully, traumatic.
Back to Colorado. I go to the counter and am pleasantly surprised that the seat costs extra ONLY if I choose it myself. It is included in the airfare if the computer chooses it for me. “Yes, please, let fate decide this for me.” I end up scoring a window seat in row 8. I do pay my $40.00 to check my bag (way too big for the overhead compartment) and I am grateful for the grace of such a good seat.
The plane arrives on time (10:38pm). My bags come onto the carousel at Midnight and I head out to find a shuttle to my economy rental car company. I finally chase one down (pulling a heavy bag-no wheels- at 5,000 ft. elevation). I ask if he is going to the car company, ‘Payless’.
“Oh, no, no one will be going there, they closed at Midnight.” I ask about a cab. “No, they have all stopped too.” He points in the direction I’ve come from and says, “if you can get a shuttle that goes to the Gateway area, maybe they will take you to your motel.”
I start another run and a driver is putting luggage in the back of a bus. My economy motel is not on his list. He won’t put my bag on. He says the Econ o lodge is too far off his route (and he knows there are no cabs running). I am kind of a small woman of mature age and I use that for all it is worth in my pleading look. He reconsiders and loads my bag and does drop me at Econ o lodge with my effusive thanks and what I hope is a generous tip.
I fall into bed at 3;00am Florida time and don’t even wash my face.