Need I say more?
(Note: I'm adding a picture from our hike yesterday showing snow in the mountains, but we have had snow all over the ground on and off again ever since I 1st published this post. How do I feel about the snow? It's not rain.)
Thursday, April 29, 2010
Tuesday, April 27, 2010
Rangel Wild Animal Kingdom
We are in Yellowstone!
For the past 2 days, we've heard smatterings of conversations about bear sightings. Alex got the whole story yesterday. Apparently, about 5 miles south of Mammoth Springs, in Swan Lake Flat, a grizzly bear has been coming out of the hills to feed on a carcass. According to a grizzly bear postcard I'm sending to my dad, "Despite its awesome size, up to 1000 lbs. and 8 feet tall, and fierce reputation, it is primarily a vegetarian. Much of the year its diet is made up of grasses, dandelions, clover, and whitebark pine nuts. In spring it will occasionally prey on elk calves as well as winter-killed carrion and it seems to enjoy feasting on cutthroat trout during their spawning season."
Last night, after our dinner of turkey, turnips, and mashed potatoes, we decided to go look for the bear.
We drove from our 6000' elevation location at Mammoth Hot Springs uphill past The Hoodoos, then down to Swan Lake Flat. The cars pulled over on the side of the road with its occupants out next to them holding cameras with giant zoom lenses and binoculars were the first indication that we had arrived at the right spot. I got the truck turned around and parked completely off the road, and sure enough, there was a gray-brown grizzly, differentiated by the black and brown bears by the hump above their shoulder blades, feeding on a carcass, surrounded by crows. From our distance (about 300 yards), "he" didn't seem too large. (As I don't know how to differentiate between males and females of the animal species, unless it's really obvious, I will randomly designate animals "he" or "she". It has no bearing on the sex they actually are.) Through the binoculars, he looked much larger - definitely something I didn't want to meet up close and personal. The park rules state to stay at least 100 yards away (football field length, or 100 yard dash), but, even though some ambitious photographers walked into the field away from their cars, I wasn't willing to leave the safety of the side of our truck, especially since the bear was feeding.
We watched the bear feeding for a while. He dragged a bit of the carcass away, closer to a stream running through the field, gnawed on that for a while, pulling the meat off of the bones while sitting or lying alongside, and sometimes on top, of them. When he returned to the main carcass, the crows graciously gave up their section of the feast to move to safer meat scraps the bear had spread out on the ground while tearing the carcass apart over the past few days.
But wait! What was that young couple pointing at? A black spot moving down the hill from the south, out of the woods, walking, then advancing at a loping gate. Through the binoculars, it was a huge, giant, enormous black bear - another grizzly, judging from the hump on its back. Once it was within sprinting distance, the smaller gray bear took off, recognizing a beast twice its size. He didn't go far, though, keeping an eye on his opportunity to return to finish his dinner. The black bear took charge of the site, scattering crows and deciding what piece to chew on. He seemed to always be keeping an eye on the cars, waiting to see if anyone would challenge him on his meal. He ate for a while, then left as abruptly as he arrived, dragging a portion of ribs with him, stumbling over the awkward section of carcass he'd chosen to bring along, then eventually abandoning it at the base of the slope. This time heading north, he loped up the hill to the snow line, disappearing into the trees, giving the gray bear another chance at the feast.
While we were watching this display of wilderness dining, 4 bison crossed the road 400 yards to the north of us, then started heading south along the row of cars lined up along the road, reminding us that, while we were focused on the bear spectacle, a land of wilderness loomed behind our backs. Turning around, we spotted a herd of bison with calves in the hills. Since bison don't seem to mind roaming between cars, I was reminded that perhaps it would be a good idea to check our backs every once in a while before we end up in the midst of a herd of bison and outside the safety of the truck, just like the photographers in the field who suddenly realized that the 4 bison were nearly upon them and perhaps it would be a good idea to get out of the way. As the bison moved along the line of cars, heading south, we were careful to make sure we were on the opposite side of the truck, preparing to hop in the driver's seat should they decide they would rather stroll down the road.
With the bison gone and the black bear back in the woods, we watched the gray bear finish eating, then he also headed to the north, staying closer to the road. We'd heard rumors that 2 wolves had also come in evenings previous to take their share of the corpse, but we finally gave up as darkness fell and the cold evening set in and drove back to our cosy room in Aspen dorm (did I mention that we have our own bathroom?).
Sorry, no pictures. Our digital camera with no zoom lens would have just shown the field. Perhaps there would have been a speck of a slightly different color. Google "grizzly pictures" if you want to see what they look like!
For the past 2 days, we've heard smatterings of conversations about bear sightings. Alex got the whole story yesterday. Apparently, about 5 miles south of Mammoth Springs, in Swan Lake Flat, a grizzly bear has been coming out of the hills to feed on a carcass. According to a grizzly bear postcard I'm sending to my dad, "Despite its awesome size, up to 1000 lbs. and 8 feet tall, and fierce reputation, it is primarily a vegetarian. Much of the year its diet is made up of grasses, dandelions, clover, and whitebark pine nuts. In spring it will occasionally prey on elk calves as well as winter-killed carrion and it seems to enjoy feasting on cutthroat trout during their spawning season."
Last night, after our dinner of turkey, turnips, and mashed potatoes, we decided to go look for the bear.
We drove from our 6000' elevation location at Mammoth Hot Springs uphill past The Hoodoos, then down to Swan Lake Flat. The cars pulled over on the side of the road with its occupants out next to them holding cameras with giant zoom lenses and binoculars were the first indication that we had arrived at the right spot. I got the truck turned around and parked completely off the road, and sure enough, there was a gray-brown grizzly, differentiated by the black and brown bears by the hump above their shoulder blades, feeding on a carcass, surrounded by crows. From our distance (about 300 yards), "he" didn't seem too large. (As I don't know how to differentiate between males and females of the animal species, unless it's really obvious, I will randomly designate animals "he" or "she". It has no bearing on the sex they actually are.) Through the binoculars, he looked much larger - definitely something I didn't want to meet up close and personal. The park rules state to stay at least 100 yards away (football field length, or 100 yard dash), but, even though some ambitious photographers walked into the field away from their cars, I wasn't willing to leave the safety of the side of our truck, especially since the bear was feeding.
We watched the bear feeding for a while. He dragged a bit of the carcass away, closer to a stream running through the field, gnawed on that for a while, pulling the meat off of the bones while sitting or lying alongside, and sometimes on top, of them. When he returned to the main carcass, the crows graciously gave up their section of the feast to move to safer meat scraps the bear had spread out on the ground while tearing the carcass apart over the past few days.
But wait! What was that young couple pointing at? A black spot moving down the hill from the south, out of the woods, walking, then advancing at a loping gate. Through the binoculars, it was a huge, giant, enormous black bear - another grizzly, judging from the hump on its back. Once it was within sprinting distance, the smaller gray bear took off, recognizing a beast twice its size. He didn't go far, though, keeping an eye on his opportunity to return to finish his dinner. The black bear took charge of the site, scattering crows and deciding what piece to chew on. He seemed to always be keeping an eye on the cars, waiting to see if anyone would challenge him on his meal. He ate for a while, then left as abruptly as he arrived, dragging a portion of ribs with him, stumbling over the awkward section of carcass he'd chosen to bring along, then eventually abandoning it at the base of the slope. This time heading north, he loped up the hill to the snow line, disappearing into the trees, giving the gray bear another chance at the feast.
While we were watching this display of wilderness dining, 4 bison crossed the road 400 yards to the north of us, then started heading south along the row of cars lined up along the road, reminding us that, while we were focused on the bear spectacle, a land of wilderness loomed behind our backs. Turning around, we spotted a herd of bison with calves in the hills. Since bison don't seem to mind roaming between cars, I was reminded that perhaps it would be a good idea to check our backs every once in a while before we end up in the midst of a herd of bison and outside the safety of the truck, just like the photographers in the field who suddenly realized that the 4 bison were nearly upon them and perhaps it would be a good idea to get out of the way. As the bison moved along the line of cars, heading south, we were careful to make sure we were on the opposite side of the truck, preparing to hop in the driver's seat should they decide they would rather stroll down the road.
With the bison gone and the black bear back in the woods, we watched the gray bear finish eating, then he also headed to the north, staying closer to the road. We'd heard rumors that 2 wolves had also come in evenings previous to take their share of the corpse, but we finally gave up as darkness fell and the cold evening set in and drove back to our cosy room in Aspen dorm (did I mention that we have our own bathroom?).
Sorry, no pictures. Our digital camera with no zoom lens would have just shown the field. Perhaps there would have been a speck of a slightly different color. Google "grizzly pictures" if you want to see what they look like!
Monday, April 26, 2010
housekeeping items
Due to the difficulty in posting multiple photos here, you will find mass photos on my Facebook account. I'll post one or 2 photos with the blog. Don't have a Facebook account - oh well, this is the best I can do. I don't want to spend all of our time in Yellowstone on the computer posting pictures! (An interesting note: Alex & I were eating dinner in one of the local bars in Gardiner. Another woman eating there is doing the same thing - writing a blog & posting pictures on FB. I didn't feel so original.)
Since Alex started training already and I don't start training until the 30th, I'll be posting the comments from our Europe trip over the next few days and getting started on our life in Yellowstone. Watch for a picture of us in our uniforms!
Wednesday, April 21, 2010
On the road again...
We're on day 3 of driving, but here are some comments from the 1st 2 days:
On the 1st night, we drove through Madras (Eastern OR) looking for the ideal camping spot. We passed through Culver looking for a state park on the river, ideally with some hiking trails. It actually overlooks the river, midway between a butte and a low river valley. For $23, we decided to go check out the $5 Haystack Reservoir in the Crooked River National Grasslands.
(Note to AAA members out there, we are finding out that some of the information and directions in their 2009 camping book is inaccurate - it's actually 1.3 miles, not 3.3 miles, to the turn to Haystack Reservoir, then 2 miles up the road to the turn for the campground.) The campground promised hiking trails, but alas, it was closed. But, do not despair! We passed the Haystack Reservoir State Park where it looked like people were camping, so we turned around to find our own parking place equipped with lake, picnic table, grass, fire ring, and large hardwood tree. Based on the signs indicating that camping fees will be $10 starting May 1, we determined that the camping fee was $0! A fabulous deal that even included a vault toilet. We ate dinner by the lake, went for a stroll, then sat at the picnic table while the sun set, listening to the birds and the cows in nearby fields settling in for the night. The frogs started up with a chorus that lasted throughout the night. The fish were jumping, but I in my cap felt protected from the bugs they were after. The fish brought out the fly fisherman from the tent next to us and the steady and constant advice from his wife.
But wait - are we surrounded by coyotes? Or are they birds? Was that a coyote just across the bend in the lake, or a man pretending to be a coyote? This last coyote had to reveal himself to Alex at the edge of the lake, as if to say, "I am no man, you fool. I am Coyote, calling to my brothers."
At last, we crawled into bed in the back of the truck, which always makes me laugh. We put 2x6s and plywood across the bed of the pickup to provide storage underneath and sleeping on top. With 2' from bed to canopy, it's very cozy...very very cozy.
As we snuggled in, the rain moved in. I drifted off to the rumblings of the sky, rumblings next to me, and dreams of birds and falling feathers.
Night 2, we weren't so lucky. Rain drove us to a motel in Ontario (still in Oregon - we're moving slowly), apparently the only motel in town. clean, convenient, but not free with sounds of cars, vacuums, and the in-room refrigerator replacing the birds, frogs, and coyotes. But, we got breakfast, a shower, and a little bit of the much coveted TV time, which is something we always look forward to when we stay in a motel since we don't have cable at home.
Today, we are sizing up Idaho State Parks and keeping an eye on the clouds. Are they coming from the east or the west? Are they portending thunder, rain, or a peak of blue sky?
Many thanks to the Hagerman (Idaho) Public Library for the use of their public computer and to The Bil and Melinda Gates Foundation for providing HPL with their 2 computers.
On the 1st night, we drove through Madras (Eastern OR) looking for the ideal camping spot. We passed through Culver looking for a state park on the river, ideally with some hiking trails. It actually overlooks the river, midway between a butte and a low river valley. For $23, we decided to go check out the $5 Haystack Reservoir in the Crooked River National Grasslands.
(Note to AAA members out there, we are finding out that some of the information and directions in their 2009 camping book is inaccurate - it's actually 1.3 miles, not 3.3 miles, to the turn to Haystack Reservoir, then 2 miles up the road to the turn for the campground.) The campground promised hiking trails, but alas, it was closed. But, do not despair! We passed the Haystack Reservoir State Park where it looked like people were camping, so we turned around to find our own parking place equipped with lake, picnic table, grass, fire ring, and large hardwood tree. Based on the signs indicating that camping fees will be $10 starting May 1, we determined that the camping fee was $0! A fabulous deal that even included a vault toilet. We ate dinner by the lake, went for a stroll, then sat at the picnic table while the sun set, listening to the birds and the cows in nearby fields settling in for the night. The frogs started up with a chorus that lasted throughout the night. The fish were jumping, but I in my cap felt protected from the bugs they were after. The fish brought out the fly fisherman from the tent next to us and the steady and constant advice from his wife.But wait - are we surrounded by coyotes? Or are they birds? Was that a coyote just across the bend in the lake, or a man pretending to be a coyote? This last coyote had to reveal himself to Alex at the edge of the lake, as if to say, "I am no man, you fool. I am Coyote, calling to my brothers."
At last, we crawled into bed in the back of the truck, which always makes me laugh. We put 2x6s and plywood across the bed of the pickup to provide storage underneath and sleeping on top. With 2' from bed to canopy, it's very cozy...very very cozy.
As we snuggled in, the rain moved in. I drifted off to the rumblings of the sky, rumblings next to me, and dreams of birds and falling feathers.
Night 2, we weren't so lucky. Rain drove us to a motel in Ontario (still in Oregon - we're moving slowly), apparently the only motel in town. clean, convenient, but not free with sounds of cars, vacuums, and the in-room refrigerator replacing the birds, frogs, and coyotes. But, we got breakfast, a shower, and a little bit of the much coveted TV time, which is something we always look forward to when we stay in a motel since we don't have cable at home.
Today, we are sizing up Idaho State Parks and keeping an eye on the clouds. Are they coming from the east or the west? Are they portending thunder, rain, or a peak of blue sky?
Many thanks to the Hagerman (Idaho) Public Library for the use of their public computer and to The Bil and Melinda Gates Foundation for providing HPL with their 2 computers.
Friday, April 16, 2010
A rose by any other name...
Would it really smell so sweet? I've been wondering.
One of the language things I don't understand is why names of people and places change from one language to another. The biggest example of this on our trip was our departure from Florence, however, to find it on a map, or to even get there, you would have to know that its real name is "Firenze". So, where did the name "Florence" come from? What great English explorer decided that all of the city names in Italy were not understandable in the English language and changed them, to forever confuse future tourists and travelers. Isn't a name a name? I can see a rose being called "rosa", but how did the entire map of the world get rewritten?
Speaking of names, Christopher, 4, translates "Papa" in German to "Bryan" in English. Similarly, "Papa" in Italian translates to "Lucio" as translated by 10 year old Fabio. Hmmm....
Some lost in translation items:
Lucio and his family are going to be coming to the US this summer. We met the lady who, while they're gone, is going to come over and, "Eat the cat."
Somehow, while practicing our limited Italian, Alex ended up talking about pubic hair. We're not quite sure what he was talking about.
There are some others, but I don't have my notes with me....more later.
One of the language things I don't understand is why names of people and places change from one language to another. The biggest example of this on our trip was our departure from Florence, however, to find it on a map, or to even get there, you would have to know that its real name is "Firenze". So, where did the name "Florence" come from? What great English explorer decided that all of the city names in Italy were not understandable in the English language and changed them, to forever confuse future tourists and travelers. Isn't a name a name? I can see a rose being called "rosa", but how did the entire map of the world get rewritten?
Speaking of names, Christopher, 4, translates "Papa" in German to "Bryan" in English. Similarly, "Papa" in Italian translates to "Lucio" as translated by 10 year old Fabio. Hmmm....
Some lost in translation items:
Lucio and his family are going to be coming to the US this summer. We met the lady who, while they're gone, is going to come over and, "Eat the cat."
Somehow, while practicing our limited Italian, Alex ended up talking about pubic hair. We're not quite sure what he was talking about.
There are some others, but I don't have my notes with me....more later.
Wednesday, April 14, 2010
What happened in Europe....
I really hoped to have pictures and more blogs up about Europe by now. Between jet lag this week and taxes this week (still not finished...), I'm not there yet. Don't worry, I have notes in my travel notebook and lots to write about. We're leaving for Yellowstone on Saturday, so I'm hoping to have some Europe posts up in the next 2 days, at least some more pictures - but, alas, we're also packing, so don't count on it. Unless we stop at a public library along the way, we may be out of touch for the next week while we're travelling.
I'll tempt you with a few tantalizing pictures from Europe...
Monday, April 5, 2010
The flight home
Back on the English keyboard - it's nice to automatically know where all of the keys are.
We made it back to the US in one piece, but are now recovering from jet lag. If you see us and we look like we don't know you, it's because we are operating under a blue haze left over from another time zone. Or it could be a gray haze from the incredibly bad weather we came back to. I don't understand it, but I never seem to have trouble with jet lag going away from home, but I always seem to have a terrible time when I come back. Alex has solved the problem by sleeping the bulk of the time between our return to Netarts on Friday and this morning, when we were both, by neccessity, awake for the entire day for the first time since our return.
Our return trip was, well, a little eventful. Is our life always filled with a little bit of drama or do we always create a little bit of drama? This sequence of flights, however, was in no way as eventful as our trip to Romania, in which we missed every single connection we tried to make (which would be a total of 5), lost 2 bags for a week, and arrived at the Habitat for Humanity site a day late, which wouldn't have mattered so much, except we were the house and team leaders. At any rate, L, B & F dropped us off at the Firenze (aka Florence) airport and said their warm ciaos. We, being used to US security, were extremely early, so we had about an hour to wait before the desk opened for check in. Firenze has a very small airport, so there wasn't much to do, but sit on our luggage and wait, although I did manage to make 1/2 a scarf (finished last evening while Alex was sleeping). When we finally got to check in, we were told that there were high winds, so our plane may not be landing there. "We'll tag your luggage," we were told, "but you need to hold onto it because if the plane doesn't land here, it will land in Bologne and we will bus you there." Well, as it turns out, the plane did land, but it wasn't planning on taking off again. Our worries about our 15 hour overnight layover in Amsterdam vanished when we found out we were being put up in a hotel in Firenze. And what a hotel! (You'll get pictures as soon as our computer is out of the shop and I can download them.) The maximum price listed on the closet door is 520 Euros, but I think the airline was charged somewhere between 100 - 150. We had a lovely dinner and nice evening and morning strolls in Fireze, but we would soon find out that there would be a price to pay.
The next day:
11 AM shuttle back to the airport (Most of the rest of the 35 members of the group stranded the evening before had a 5:30 AM shuttle)
1 PM on the plane to Paris
2 1/2 hours later (Alex had a distant view of the Eiffel Tower), landed in Paris with 1 1/2 hours to change terminals, pass through a security point, and board the plane. At least we had time to visit the toilette.
8+ hours later - landed in New York - JFK Airport, with 50 minutes to go through Immigration, pick up our bags, go through customs, walk to an adjacent building, recheck our bags, pass through security, and board the already full plane. We debated intentionally walking slowly and missing the plane due to the very tight time schedule, but then we weren't sure if Delta would put us up in a hotel. I can't imagine hotel prices at a NYC airport hotel.
Finally, on the plane, we stroll back to our seats, and back, and back...to the last seats on the airplane. Despite my requests to be seated as close to the front of the plane as possible, here we were by the bathrooms for the final 5 1/2 hour flight of what could possibly be the longest day ever (24 hours plus the 9 hour time change extended our daylight hours quite a bit). Shortly after we boarded, they closed the doors and taxied out, and taxied and taxied, then while we were still driving around, one of the flight attendants came back to our area and pulled a personal-sized oxygen tank and mask out from behind our neighbor's seat. We soon realized that had driven out to the runway and were now driving back to the terminal due to a medical emergency of one of the passengers. I thought I had seen it all, but this was a 1st in flying adventures for me. We called our friend Dan with whom we were spending the night to let him know of this additional delay. He, gratefully, agreed to pick us up at the airport since we would now be arriving after midnight and after the Max trains stopped running.
Phew - did I finally sleep? Well, sort of. The big reason I like to sit near the front of the plane is because, as I like to say, the tail wags. Plus, about 1/2 of the people who visit the rear of the plane to use the toilets have trouble keeping their balance or have to pass someone waiting near the toilets. Alex is so kind as to give me the aisle seat so I have a little more leg room, but, on this flight, this meant that I got bumped every 15 - 30 minutes. It left me with the opinion that since the airlines are now charging extra for more premium seating (reserving seats early, exit rows), they should charge less for the less than premium seats for us passengers desperate for sleep, but instead smelling the bathrooms, listening to the flight attendents preparing snacks & drinks, and getting bumped into by the rest of the coach class visiting the back of the plane. (Do I sound cranky? I was definitely cranky by the time Dan met us at good ole Pdx.)
At any rate, we made it home and this is definitely a long enough blog. Next post, I will download our pictures off of the camera. For now, we're cleaning house and packing.
We made it back to the US in one piece, but are now recovering from jet lag. If you see us and we look like we don't know you, it's because we are operating under a blue haze left over from another time zone. Or it could be a gray haze from the incredibly bad weather we came back to. I don't understand it, but I never seem to have trouble with jet lag going away from home, but I always seem to have a terrible time when I come back. Alex has solved the problem by sleeping the bulk of the time between our return to Netarts on Friday and this morning, when we were both, by neccessity, awake for the entire day for the first time since our return.
Our return trip was, well, a little eventful. Is our life always filled with a little bit of drama or do we always create a little bit of drama? This sequence of flights, however, was in no way as eventful as our trip to Romania, in which we missed every single connection we tried to make (which would be a total of 5), lost 2 bags for a week, and arrived at the Habitat for Humanity site a day late, which wouldn't have mattered so much, except we were the house and team leaders. At any rate, L, B & F dropped us off at the Firenze (aka Florence) airport and said their warm ciaos. We, being used to US security, were extremely early, so we had about an hour to wait before the desk opened for check in. Firenze has a very small airport, so there wasn't much to do, but sit on our luggage and wait, although I did manage to make 1/2 a scarf (finished last evening while Alex was sleeping). When we finally got to check in, we were told that there were high winds, so our plane may not be landing there. "We'll tag your luggage," we were told, "but you need to hold onto it because if the plane doesn't land here, it will land in Bologne and we will bus you there." Well, as it turns out, the plane did land, but it wasn't planning on taking off again. Our worries about our 15 hour overnight layover in Amsterdam vanished when we found out we were being put up in a hotel in Firenze. And what a hotel! (You'll get pictures as soon as our computer is out of the shop and I can download them.) The maximum price listed on the closet door is 520 Euros, but I think the airline was charged somewhere between 100 - 150. We had a lovely dinner and nice evening and morning strolls in Fireze, but we would soon find out that there would be a price to pay.
The next day:
11 AM shuttle back to the airport (Most of the rest of the 35 members of the group stranded the evening before had a 5:30 AM shuttle)
1 PM on the plane to Paris
2 1/2 hours later (Alex had a distant view of the Eiffel Tower), landed in Paris with 1 1/2 hours to change terminals, pass through a security point, and board the plane. At least we had time to visit the toilette.
8+ hours later - landed in New York - JFK Airport, with 50 minutes to go through Immigration, pick up our bags, go through customs, walk to an adjacent building, recheck our bags, pass through security, and board the already full plane. We debated intentionally walking slowly and missing the plane due to the very tight time schedule, but then we weren't sure if Delta would put us up in a hotel. I can't imagine hotel prices at a NYC airport hotel.
Finally, on the plane, we stroll back to our seats, and back, and back...to the last seats on the airplane. Despite my requests to be seated as close to the front of the plane as possible, here we were by the bathrooms for the final 5 1/2 hour flight of what could possibly be the longest day ever (24 hours plus the 9 hour time change extended our daylight hours quite a bit). Shortly after we boarded, they closed the doors and taxied out, and taxied and taxied, then while we were still driving around, one of the flight attendants came back to our area and pulled a personal-sized oxygen tank and mask out from behind our neighbor's seat. We soon realized that had driven out to the runway and were now driving back to the terminal due to a medical emergency of one of the passengers. I thought I had seen it all, but this was a 1st in flying adventures for me. We called our friend Dan with whom we were spending the night to let him know of this additional delay. He, gratefully, agreed to pick us up at the airport since we would now be arriving after midnight and after the Max trains stopped running.
Phew - did I finally sleep? Well, sort of. The big reason I like to sit near the front of the plane is because, as I like to say, the tail wags. Plus, about 1/2 of the people who visit the rear of the plane to use the toilets have trouble keeping their balance or have to pass someone waiting near the toilets. Alex is so kind as to give me the aisle seat so I have a little more leg room, but, on this flight, this meant that I got bumped every 15 - 30 minutes. It left me with the opinion that since the airlines are now charging extra for more premium seating (reserving seats early, exit rows), they should charge less for the less than premium seats for us passengers desperate for sleep, but instead smelling the bathrooms, listening to the flight attendents preparing snacks & drinks, and getting bumped into by the rest of the coach class visiting the back of the plane. (Do I sound cranky? I was definitely cranky by the time Dan met us at good ole Pdx.)
At any rate, we made it home and this is definitely a long enough blog. Next post, I will download our pictures off of the camera. For now, we're cleaning house and packing.
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