flight patterns

i was only supposed to be in oregon for a moment...metaphorically i mean.

24 hours after leaving the blazing utah desert for the greener pastures of the pacific northwest i was loading my wheelie suitcase onto a quasi air conditioned shuttle van aimed at the eugene airport. my mission was accomplished - i'd spent the morning discussing conflict resolution and student development theories in a series of job interviews - and i was heading back to utah with the patient resolve of a handcart trekker.

i'd heard an NPR program arguing that flying in this tight economy is a total joy. if by 'joy' you mean an invasive, expensive enterprise in which one is herded like a steer through rows of webbing, scanned, frisked, surveyed, and then packed into tiny spaces to await transport. i was prepared to hold my nose for a cold plunge.

now i really did not log a lot of flight time before 9/11. i lived less than a four hour drive from home until 2003 when curiosity, boredom, a sense of adventure, and a job offer took me over the rockies never to look back. i only dimly recall a time when people could walk in to meet you at the gate with their flowers or hugs or handwritten signs bearing your name. i know that i have to go through a series of measures to ensure that i or the woman with the eight children has not planted explosives in the underwire of our bras. however this was my first experience with the whole star-trek style scanner-space pod-tube thing. i stood on the carefully stenciled footprints with my hands in the air wondering if i should have put some of those x-ray proof pasties with 'top secret' emblazoned on my nipples. i will say it was nice not to have to strip off all of my jewelry.

i will also say that though i know that there were a lot of issues when all of these safety measures came into effect, but the TSA has got its shit together. the one thing i do remember from flying when i was younger was waiting, waiting, waiting to do even the most modest of security. in the past year or so i've hardly stood still while going through security. often i feel rushed.

but you just can't plan for everything.

in no way do i want an airline to send me hurtling through the air unless my plane is completely, totally, absolutely, seriously, perfectly, clearly, blatantly (i think you get the point) safe. so i will say that when i heard they were going to have a mechanic come check the tire on the plane i felt nervous (who wants to think there is something wrong with the plane) and comforted (hey, at least they are not being unsafe to make some bucks). however, as time dragged on i began to worry about my connecting flight. the line at the gate desk was impossibly long and moving so slowly that watching grass grow, dough rise, and paint dry all at the same might have been better endeavors than standing in it. i opted for an less arduous approach - i got the phone number online and called up customer service on my cell. waiting in line is so last century.

within a few minutes i had a backup plan...and more information about my plane, flight, and situation than the folks at the gate standing 25 feet from me had relayed. i called my boss to let him know i might not make it in time for work in the morning, called my boyfriend to tell him that i would not be back in time to see him off for the field, and settled in for the long haul. thanks to the people who gave me assistance in getting on track. no thanks to the people at the gate who seemed lost but were obviously linked in enough to communicate with cyberspace even if they could not be bothered even to make an announcement when we finally started boarding.

i got off the plane nine minutes before my connection was set to take off, so fat chance of making it. i opted to take on the middle leg of the air traveler's triathlon anyhow, sprinting along through the terminal in the amused and empathetic gaze of my fellow travelers (if you can call them that for simply noticing me as i slowly flashed by). knowing i was not going to make the flight i decided my plan was to get there quickly in case i could catch the people at the desk and get them to help me out. my plan worked out well - for me at least. i did notice a certain hint of dismay in the eyes of the man who was about to leave his post when i came panting to a sweaty stop asking for a new flight, hotel, and meal vouchers.

in the end i did not do too badly. the airline set me up with a morning flight to salt lake, a stay in a comfort suites (which i will say IS quite comfortable), shuttle service to and from the airport, and a meal voucher. i arrived at my home-for-the-night (home is where you hang your food bag to anyone who has backpacked for a living) exhausted and ready for free wi-fi, a hot tub, and a meal.

'meal voucher' is a relative term. after spending the better part of an hour on the phone trying to find a restaurant that would take it, i realized that the voucher was only for $8. considering the menu at the only restaurant i noted that this was not so much a meal voucher but a food subsidy. you'd think they would spring $15 at least and actually feed me. i did end up losing an eight hour day at my low-paying hourly wage job for their mechanical issues. don't get me wrong - i used my subsidy for a nice burger...i just wish it had paid for more than the bun.

the rest of the trip is not that noteworthy (she says before it's over...i hope i don't end up kicking myself for that). i will say i am kind of sad i was not grounded in eugene. it would have been nice to explore a bit and learn more about the town to which i might be moving. now i am cruising at some-number-of-thousand feet up and i can see the tops of volcanoes coming up for air in a sea of clouds. i've been served my diet coke and baggie of courtesy pretzels and have had an interesting conversation with my single-serving friend (he manages the columbia river - can't say i imagined that a river needed managing - i smell my next blog topic on the horizon). i've even managed to get through the takeoff without my usual dramamine and white wine cocktail that ensures lack of vomiting and heavy sleep until landing (i have to drive 4 hours after this - my mom will be proud of me for being responsible).

anyhow - happy travels to you all. am hoping the same for me.