Flying... no walking today

I really wish I could just snap my fingers and be transported across the country in an instant. Have you figured out how to make that happen? Oh, I didn't think so, but I thought it might be worth asking in case someone has a wonderful secret they want to share.

Yesterday's warm and wet weather cleared out overnight, leaving me with a morning adorned by a clear blue sky, cool air, and whipping wind. There was no question that a pre-flight ride was in order. In fact, if it wasn't a travel day it would have been a perfect day for a long ride. I was a bit time-constrained though, so a short morning wander on my bicycle had to suffice. That helped the morning hours to fly by, and then it was time to really fly.

Funny, I usually start my vacation travels either directly after work, or first thing the next morning. The timing of this trip gave me a (weekend) day and a half at home before heading out. On the one hand it seems like a waste of time that could be part of my trip, but it was really nice to have a real rest day before heading out. If it had been nice weather instead of our all day soaker, yesterday would have been a riding rather than a rest day - and that would have been good. This time - rest was good too.

Flying early in the day is a habit too, but that habit was easily broken on this trip. Southwest has a number of flights each day between Manchester and Las Vegas, but only one flight in each direction is a nonstop, and that was my preference. My 1:45 PM flight out of Manchester is scheduled to land in Las Vegas at 4:45. My initial thought was to drive partway to Death Valley tonight. My actual plan? I'm staying in Las Vegas at a hotel along my route to California. My initial thoughts about staying in Las Vegas were a very big yuck! That changed when I started looking for a place to stay at a mid-way point, and when I realized how early the sun is setting. I'd much rather drive into the park in daylight. And no, I'm not staying at a casino. A Hampton Inn fits the bill for tonight.

Did you know that flying on Southwest can be entertaining? Yes, it was one of those flights. It started right after they closed the doors. Music filled the plane for the first time. It took a minute before we could make out the words to the song - "hey baby, let's go to Vegas". That was followed by the normal safety talk, and then as our big bird headed toward the runway, we were serenaded with "I'm leaving on a jet plane". An airplane full of smiles...

That continued when one of my seatmates asked the flight attendent for the name of a lake that we were passing over. Her response? "I'm not sure - it might be Lake Way Below Us."

Rover popped out of his hiding place for a minute. He prefers to nap during flights, but the woman sitting next to me pulled a small witch out of her bag, and he decided it would be fun to meet the witch.

For someone who is addicted to maps, I can't believe that I made it this far without any maps. Yes, I admit it, that's a third addiction; to add to my addiction to bicycles and to cameras. Trouble... Uh oh! Well, getting out of Las Vegas isn't an issue since I'm sure that the little rental car map will point me in the right direction. Do I really need a map of California? Maybe not, but I think I want one. I know I want a map of Death Valley, and I'm sure I can buy one of those in the park. Maps... a problem that's not a problem.

When Rover bounced out of his hiding spot he pulled out the information I'd printed about hiking in the park. That was good dreaming material for a chunk of my long flight. Today's dream, tomorrow's reality...