On Travel

I don't like to travel, but I like to get there.

I mean, I'm not one of those folks who thinks that the vacation begins once we roll the suitcases out the door and the journey is half the fun. To me, the journey is a means. I don't care, if we're driving, what is on either side of the interstate between where I started or where I'm headed unless it benefits me in some way. You know, like if I have to eat. Or if me and the fam need to stretch our legs or whatever and there happens to be a lake or dormant volcano at about that time. Fine. We'll stop. And even enjoy it. But, as it stands, the vacation starts when we "get there."

And, with air travel, let's just say that I'm used to traveling with large groups of teenagers. You know, like making sure I've got 74 signed release forms and 74 passports and 15 adult leaders all in charge of their group to get from the arrival gate on the train to baggage claim without losing any of the little dogies or passports or signed release forms. I get butterflies in my stomach just thinking about it.

But yesterday, it was just Kelsey and I. So, there was time to chat and read and all that. There was even an open seat on the plane from Portland to here. But, airports are airports no matter how many shops or restaurants or if there's a guy playing the pan flute & hawking his CD's. And, what do you do in airports? Kill time, mostly.

As Kid1 noted, our airplanes kept getting smaller until the barnstorming brother-in-law Shane and higher-order life-liver sister Jilly transported us to his parent's lake house on Lake Pend Orielle in Idaho. A grocery store run (you do that when it's 20 minutes "to town" so anyone out & about gets that chore, and the lists are large) and touching base with an apprehensive Margaux (she's age one now, so she's got a little more apprehension about Uncle Brent this time around...but she's already let me hold her some. We ate watermelon together. No worries.)...we finished off the day with a nice dinner with this view from the table where we sat...



...and took a sunset bout ride on this..



I still didn't like travel, but it was stress-free (no snafu's on luggage or delays or bad turbulence), the time-killing was nice as Kid1 and I get along and I got to read some...

...but it was still, to me, about getting there.

And, as you can see, this particular there doesn't suck.



P.S. I'm typing from this view and it's in the low 60's, suckas. And, sorry about the photo quality...I took it with Photo Booth. The smokin' hot trophy wife arrives today so expect greatness from photo ops in later entries. I don't mind raising the expectation bar knowing her ability.