United We Fail...

Okay. It's been a few days. I think I can relate this story without sputtering incoherently. Much.

So, a week ago I flew out to the west coast to visit with some industry folks (keep an eye over at the work website for more information on who I saw and what I did). It was a straightforward itinerary, at least I thought: fly out Monday, visit Tuesday and Wednesday, fly home Thursday. I had an ambitious flight out, but an easier flight home.

Now, I'll stop right now and admit that, yes, under an hour between flights is cutting things extremely close. I'm very reluctant to book any series of flights that doesn't have at least an hour in between stops. A lot can happen, and a lot can go wrong, and if there's not enough time you really wind up scrambling. However, when someone else is booking your trip, you have to roll with what you're dealt.

I should have known things were going to go badly when we were 20 minutes late leaving Dulles. I hoped we'd make it up in the air, but given that we were flying out ahead of a storm and into Denver, where there had recently been a storm, that didn't happen. We arrived at Denver airport late, and I missed my connecting flight literally by minutes. They had just closed the door when I got off the plane from Dulles. This would be the ONLY flight that left on time this entire trip...

Okay, this sucks. Trudge over to the customer service booth for United, and I was greeted with this sight:

An hour and a half later, they had me on standby for a 7 PM flight to Portland (my destination). That was literally the best they could do, and there was no talk of other airlines, or early morning flights, or anything. Just "here's a standby ticket for the next flight to PDX".

Well, the 7 PM flight was delayed until 8:30.

Then 9.

Then 9:30.

At ten minutes 'til 10PM, the gate attendants loaded everyone onto the plane - including two people who had been bumped from the flight but were now able to make it - and informed me that the flight was full. I waited from 4:30 PM until 10:00 PM to find out that there was no way I was making it to Portland Monday night. Bear in mind, I missed a planned dinner already.

Back to the customer service line:

After an hour and 45 minutes, I talk to customer service. I explain that I'm traveling on business, that their delay has already cost me a dinner, and that I have a meeting at 9AM in Portland; is there any way they can help me out? As it turns out, there's two morning flights: an 8:05 AM that is full, and an 11:15 AM flight that has seats available.

I ask if they can book me on the 11:15 AM flight but also give me a standby ticket for the 8:05 flight; they respond in the affirmative. Great. I have two tickets now (this will be important later). They did give me a voucher for a hotel room for the night and cab fare to/from. Get to what can only charitably be considered a motel at 1 AM MST, pass out for 4 hours, then back to the airport by 6 to re-check in for (hopefully) the 8:05 AM flight.

The 8:05 AM flight did, in fact, have two available seats, and I was able to get to Portland only a couple hours later for my meeting. Since the folks that I was meeting were the ones that booked the flights, I wasn't too concerned, and the rest of the time was productive. Right up until my contact tells me that United contacted the travel agent with the news that they had canceled my seat on the return flight.

At some point, I was flagged as a "no-show". I don't know if it was for the original connecting flight to Portland or the second flight the next day, but I got flagged and my return seat was canceled. The travel agent contacted United Wednesday morning, and while I didn't get my requested aisle seat (that was already confirmed), they confirmed a window seat for me.

Of course you know what this means: When I went to check-in for my flight, I had a middle seat...

When I got to the airport Thursday morning, I went to the ticket counter. I explained the whole chain of events, even showing the agent not one but two "confirmed" seats. There were no aisle seats left, so they did upgrade me to one of the "extra room" seats for no additional charge. Okay, great. The story's done, right?

Wrong. Now, on my itinerary, here's what it said:

	United Airlines	Flight Number: 1528	Class: T-Coach/Economy
	From: Portland OR, USA	Depart: 11:20 AM
	To: Washington Dulles DC, USA	Arrive: 09:01 PM
	Stops: 1	Duration: 5 hour(s) 45 minute(s)
	Chicago O'Hare IL, USA
	Seats: 38C	Status: CONFIRMED	Miles: 2334 / 3734 KM
	Equipment: A739/AIR	MEAL: FOOD FOR PURCHASE
	DEPARTS PDX TERMINAL 1 - ARRIVES IAD TERMINAL 1

That, to me, indicates that the plane lands, discharges passengers, takes on new passengers, and I stay on the plane. I've done this before. If I need to change planes, I'll get a second ticket for the second leg of the flight. This is how it has happened every other time. I had one boarding pass from PDX to IAD, one flight number, etc. No indication whatsoever that I needed to change planes.

You know that voice in the back of your head? The one I've said you need to listen to? Well, I listened to it. I approached one of the flight attendants and asked if I needed to get off the plane (I was the only person left), as I was staying on through to Dulles. She looked at me like I had three heads and informed me the plane was going to Tampa. I grab my stuff and hit the ground running, and make my way over to the departure board to find out where my return flight is located.

Of course, it's at the other end of the terminal. And it's currently boarding. I do my best OJ Simpson routine and literally run through the airport, arriving at the gate as they're boarding the last group. I think if I had missed that connector, I would have rented a car and driven home at that point. I had never heard of a flight that required you to switch planes where there wasn't SOME indication on the boarding pass - and every other time, I've gotten two boarding passes.

So, beware if you're flying United. At no point was there anything even remotely resembling customer service. When the first plane - the one that was late leaving Dulles - landed, I asked one of the flight attendants about my connecting flight. I was told that someone would be waiting at the terminal to help - the terminal, mind you, was empty. I ran to the terminal where my flight to Portland was, and they had closed the door - the plane was still at the gate.

• Over three hours waiting in line for customer service.
• Two hours and 50 minutes delayed on the connecting flight that I was waiting standby.
• 18 hours late arrival.
• Seat on the return flight canceled with no notice (I never got an e-mail or a text from United, despite leaving both methods of reaching me when I checked in).
• Despite a single boarding pass and flight number, had to change planes with no indication.

As I stated several times over the course of this trip: United Airlines has done the impossible - they've made me long for the competence and customer service of JetBlue...

That is all.

Roughin' It...

So, there's been a raging debate over what is or isn't "camping".




This is taken from the queen bed in our camper, a 25' travel trailer. Compared to a tent or pop-up camper it's pretty lavish; compared to some of the fifth wheels and Class A's it's barely a step above sleeping on a rock. It's enough for us, though - you can see the bunk beds to the right where TheBoy and Baby Girl G. sleep and the facilities. Sure beats unzipping a tent at 3 AM when nature calls.

Life is all about compromises. The Mrs. isn't into tent camping, she just isn't. She tried - she came on several tenting trips before the kids came along, but it's just not her thing. We started out with a popup, and while that's a decent step above a tent, it's really the worst of both worlds - you still have to worry about the weather, but you can't just throw everything in the back of your car and go when you feel like it.

We found that the hassle of using a popup camper - there's very little actual storage inside the camper itself that's not take up with camper stuff - meant we didn't take it very often, so we tool the step up to the travel trailer. The Dodge Earthf**ker is more than enough to tow it even fully loaded, and it's small enough that I didn't need to go back to school for my CDL to learn how to tow it (although it wouldn't hurt...).

For weekend trips the trailer is a little overkill - it's somewhat of a procedure to get it ready to travel - but for a week or longer it's great. There's enough space inside so that if we have bad weather we can survive without having to search for a mall nearby, and the kids are old enough that their electronic devices mean they're not automatically at each other's throats.

It also doesn't hurt that we have a *great* site this year and weather to match!

That is all.

- Posted using BlogPress from my iPad

Out of Pocket...

I'm heading home today, which involves driving five hours to get to Denver Airport and then sitting on a plane for another four and a half hours. Posting will be light-to-nonexistent for the day, so enjoy your Evil Dead White European Male Oppressor Day festivities and oppress some wogs in honor of Columbus.

As much fun as I've had this weekend, I've got a major case of the "Wanna Get Home"s. Four days away is about my limit; I miss my family, my bed, and the familiarity of my area. It's really a different world out here; for the first time I've seen, as aepilotjim says, "miles and miles of miles and miles". It's a strange sight for this East Coast boy to see nothing but land on the horizon - hell, it's weird to see a horizon at all rather than pine trees...

Sometimes I think that the biggest reason we take vacations is so that we can get back home.

That is all.

- Posted using BlogPress from my iPad

Outdoors... To The Extreme!

Huh. It's interesting that I stumble across this at the same time as my outdoor experience post. Here's a look at some of the first attempts to explore Antartica:

Captain Scott and Captain Shackleton: A 100 Year Old Expedition

If there is a land above the seas that remains a last frontier for mankind, it’s Antarctica. A recent GPS mapping conducted by the British Antarctic Survey provided a reminder of how uncharted and unknown the vast white continent still is. When Antarctica’s hulking glacial landmass—icy and inhospitable—was spotted by 18th century British Captain James Cook, he remarked: “I make bold to declare that the world will derive no benefit from it.”

The slideshow alone is worth the read, like this shot:

(image from article)

If I could pick one place on this planet to visit for a week or two, Antartica would be very high on the list indeed. Something about the sweeping panorama; the austere, beautiful landscape; the extremes at which man needs to push himself simply to survive in that environment just stir the explorer wanderlust hidden deep down beneath the meek suburban dad exterior.

Of course, it could also be that there are very few people there, meaning a lot less stupidity to put up with...

That is all.

More Scenes from DC

We did the full-blown tourist bit yesterday, with a tour of DC via tourbus. Yeah, it's schlocky. Yeah, it's expensive. But I do like the results:

We saw the Washington monument:



(No idea who the guy was, I think he followed me around getting in my shots)

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And the Capitol:



(Yes, I intentionally got the "Stop" light in for not-so-subtle hints...)

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Saw a full-blown DC freakshow:



(See? I pick on the right-leaning wackjobs too!)

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And Arlington National Cemetery:



(Yes, I made the kids watch the changing of the guard. They liked it.)

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The view from Arlington is spectacular:



(From the front of the Custis-Lee mansion).

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And, lastly, no trip would be complete without visiting Honest Abe:



(Even on a weekday, the Lincoln Memorial is packed...)

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Today we are going to attempt to hit three Smithsonian museums (American and Natural History and Air & Space) and the Mint...

That is all.

Final DC Bleg...

Okay. We've got our hotels narrowed down to a choice of two:

1. Sleep Inn & Suites, Laurel MD. Advantages are that it's the less expensive of the two hotels, is brand new as of 2010, and is slightly closer (roughly 15 miles from DC). Disadvantages are that it's next to a race track and that it seems more geared towards Baltimore than DC.

2. Country Inn & Suites, Manassas VA. Advantages of this hotel are that it's pretty close to the Steven F. Udvar-Hazy Center, it's a suite rather than a standard hotel room, and it's in VA. Disadvantages are that it's further from DC (35 miles) and more expensive.

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The price difference is really the least of the issues; we're primarily concerned with the area around the hotel and the difficulty of getting into DC. We're arriving Sunday evening and leaving Saturday morning, and planning on at least three, possibly four days out of the week in DC. Getting into (and out of) DC is another significant concern - if the traffic pattern is such that the 15 miles into Laurel MD takes an hour and a half, whereas the 35 miles from Manassas only takes 45 minutes, then the difference in distance isn't an issue.

Another question, of course, is how does this affect a NoVA/SoMD blog meet one night? I know I've got friends in MD as well as VA, some I've met and some I am hoping to meet. Getting out for a dinner/evening of adult beverages is a possibility; an entire day at the range not so much. The two locations don't appear to be much more than an hour apart, so that shouldn't make too much difference in any meeting up with folks.

Basically, I want to make sure we're not looking at a questionable area and/or one that's going to be difficult to get to DC from every day. The bulk of our time is going to be spent in DC in the museums and monuments and such, so the hotel is really a secondary consideration; however as always, safety and convenience are important. I'd hate to have to spend evenings in the hotel room with the couch up against the door in the wrong area; I'd also hate to spend two hours in traffic in and out of DC each day. If both hotels are in a good locations that don't take forever to get into DC, then it comes down to personal preference (and we all like the suite I think...)

To my MD/VA peeps: Which of these two hotels would be your choice?

That is all.

The Day After...

There's been quite a bit said about the Northcoast bloggershoot, and with good reason - it was awesome! But there was more fun to be had the day after the shoot as well. I had decided to stay through Sunday and leave first thing Monday morning, which turned out to be a smart decision... Seeing as how I was poured into my hotel room at 2 in the morning on Sunday, leaving the next morning would have been a colossally bad idea...

We decided to meet for brunch at Burgers, Beer, and Breakfast, a local eatery fancied by Breda and Mike, at 10. T-bolt and MBtGE (who has a blog! Note to self: add on Friday!) picked me up (did I mention that we stayed at the same hotel???) and we met at the restaurant right around 10 - with Newbius arriving only a few minutes later, even though he was staying with Heath roughly an hour away! After digesting a truly decadent breakfast (and about 78 cups of coffee), we wandered around the sleepy little town for a little bit, taking in the sights.

Like the cannon pointed down Main Street:

Be sure of your target and what's beyond it

T-Bolt and MBtGE left first, as they had a pretty significant jaunt home. Breda, Mike, Newbius and I went to a coffee shop to seek out wifi and get some tea to calm Breda's grumbly tumbly, where I promptly stumbled upon this piece of noteworthy bulletin board pinup:

ZOMBIES

Newbius was the next to leave, and Mike (being the wonderful son-in-law that he is) was tasked with mowing MomFallacy's lawn before she returned from her vacation, so Breda was left as my tour guide. She had a dastardly plan: Bring JayG to Hippieville... She took me to Cleveland Heights, which apparently aspires to be Haight-Ashbury or a close replica thereof. They have peace sign benches:

Peace, man!

And a little hipster bookstore with a signed flyer from Cindy Sheehan:

Moonbats R Us

But it wasn't all bad. We stopped into a little shop filled with kitschy stuff and nostalgic toys, which had the most amazing array of bacon-related products. Naturally, I had to have Breda pose:

Bacon Girl!

After we left Hippietown, we went to see the tomb of President James Garfield, our 20th president who hailed from OH and was the second US President to be assassinated. The Garfield Memorial is quite impressive:

RIP, Mr. President

Breda marveled at the tile mosaic floors while I geeked out at the intricate stained glass windows. If you're ever in Cleveland, check it out, if for no reason other than this magnificent view:

Pretty skyline

After that, she took me to see Lake Erie, because it just seemed wrong that I could come out all that way, be so close, and not see one of the Great Lakes. She insisted on taking my picture - just to prove I was there:

Jay G, Tourista

We then caught up with Mike and went out to dinner at Aladdin's, a local middle eastern restaurant with the most delicious hummus I've ever had. We had a surreal moment before entering, though - apparently Aladdin's serves alcohol, meaning that CCW is not allowed, so Breda and Mike had to disarm before entering. It struck me that, as odd as it seemed, this was something I'd never had to do - even though I'm in MA. Anyways, we had a nice, relaxing dinner, then they dropped me off at my hotel on the early side so I could pack up for the ride home.

Thanks a million for showing me the sights, Breda!

That is all.

Headin' Out To The Highway...

Well, by the time this posts I should be on the road to the NorthCoast bloggershoot. I'm getting an early start on things, hoping to arrive in the general vicinity shortly after dinner time, which will give plenty of time to get checked into the hotel, find something to eat, and hopefully meet some friends for some frosty malt beverages before I turn into a pumpkin.

Something dawned on me as I prepared for this trip: This is the first long distance road trip I've taken by myself. I've taken plenty of road trips in my 39 years: Out to MN with my parents when I was five (I rode the entire way out in the bed over the cab of my parents' RV, utterly fascinated by the highway stretching before us); down to NC when I was a teen helping a friend move into his college dorm; out to WI to meet my wife's family after we got engaged; down to FL for a scientific conference with three other graduate students; up to Canada for our honeymoon; taking the kids to Disney... There have been a lot of road trips over the years.

But this is the first one of any significant distance that I have taken alone.

I think the furthest I've gone so far solo is my buddy's cabin northwest of Augusta, ME, one of the longest trips I've taken on a motorcycle (close to three hours). After that, probably nothing further than western MA on business. 2 hours is about the maximum driving distance I've done solo compared to more than 24 hour trips with others. Road trips are meant to be shared; the journey itself being part of the vacation. Crossing state lines, stopping into rest areas just in the nick of time, discovering something unique/silly/historic when you stop for gas; all of this is part of what differentiates a "drive in the car" from a road trip.

This will be a very long drive in the car - I'm getting on I-90 in central MA and getting off at my hotel's exit in OH. In this case, the destination is far greater than the journey, and only other logistics prevent me from simply hopping on a plane (well, that and planes scare me to death...). I'm excited about meeting new people, about adding new folks to the "people I've met" section of the blogroll; I'm looking forward to visiting with old friends again; heck, I'm excited about participating in a bloggershoot that I didn't organize!

And I've been promised me some yummy homemade goodies - what could possibly top that?

That is all.

Headin' Out...

Okay folks. Bags are packed. Car is loaded up. We're about half an hour away from heading out to the highway, and I'll be out of pocket for most of that time. I'm going to try to document the trip as best I can, as I'm genuinely curious how the kids are going to handle their first (and potentially last) long distance road trip. I'll be checking in whenever I get a wifi signal, but can't guarantee anything until I hit the land of the Mouse.

Don't worry about the G. homestead - she's locked up tight, and there's a retired cop with an itchy trigger finger (who's an expert marksman - obviously it skips a generation) right next door. We live in the kind of town where a car that doesn't belong will have the cops called on it (it has happened to friends of mine, no lie). Mail will be collected, TheBoy's gecko will be fed and watered (and boy, Mom G. is none-too-pleased with the concept of feeding crickets to the lizard...) :)

Next stop: Florida!

That is all.