Relatives in Reno

American Airlines

Last week we flew to Reno to see Jim's aunt, uncle (M & L) and cousins. Jim's dad was one of 11 children, and only two are still alive. It has been many years since we have seen them, and I had never visited Reno. I had a conference at Lake Tahoe over 40 years ago, but I did not have time to really see the area, so this trip was an opportunity to see not only family, but also do some sight-seeing.

Jim's cousin and his wife (J & C), whom we had visited in Phoenix in March, also flew in. The four of us stayed at the Peppermill Resort Hotel, which is also a big casino. None of us are gamblers, but the hotel was recommended by the local cousins. It was beautiful, and the location was good for what we wanted to do and see.

We saw Jim's aunt and uncle along with one of their daughters the first night we arrived, and had a lovely meal with them. It is always great when you get together with people you haven't seen in years, but can pick up right where you left off.

The next morning we picked up donuts and went to M & L's house for a bit before heading out to tour the area. Jim's cousin had prepared a great map for us, and we visited Truckee (a charming town) before driving around Lake Tahoe. We picked up sandwiches and ate them along the lake as it was such a pretty day. What a gorgeous area! Back at M & L's we were treated to another delicious dinner.

Truckee and Lake Tahoe

We began Friday morning with pickleball at a wonderful indoor facility called 3rd Shot Pickleball. We are so fortunate that J & C love to play as well! Surprisingly, we were the only ones playing. It's hard to pay the rent with that kind of revenue (or lack thereof). After stopping to have coffee with M & L, we drove to Virginia City and had lunch in an old saloon. We went back to M & L's for dinner and met up with some more of the cousins. On the way back to the hotel, we drove to see some of Reno's iconic sights lit up at night.

Reno signs at night

Saturday morning we hit the pickleball courts again, only to find that we were once again the only people in the building. After a half hour or so, a lady came in and met with a coach. It was so surprising to see a lack of players on a Saturday, especially as the weather wasn't great. Following play we went back to the hotel to clean up, and then did a driving tour of Reno. I always research ahead of time to see what oddities exist in or on the way to our destination, and I found no lack of choices in Reno. The cousins got a kick out of trying to find them. We went out to dinner with a few of the cousins.

Reno oddities

J & C were flying out on Sunday afternoon, so we all met for a lovely brunch at M & L's house. Many of the local relatives were able to come, so it was great to be able to catch up and meet the newest members of the family. We were loaned a car in the afternoon, and went to Donner's Pass to the museum. We learned of the sad tale of a settlers group who had tried to take a wagon train to California, only to get trapped by a freak blizzard. The weather Sunday was cool and rainy, with the wind chill making it feel like 35 degrees. We opted not to do any hiking or walk along the lake. We grabbed lunch a a cute barbecue restaurant (which seemed a little ironic considering the information we had just learned at the museum), and then headed back to our hotel.

We returned the car to L the next morning, and had a last good-bye with M & L before going to the airport. Our flight left Reno pretty much on time, and we had a layover in Dallas. The flight out of Dallas was delayed, and instead of getting home at 9:50 at night we didn't get in until 11:20. But despite all the hassles, it was so good to be able to see all the relatives, especially since family reunions are probably a thing of the past.

Pickleball in Paradise

Sandals South Coast

As mentioned in the last post, we went to Jamaica on November 7th for a week-long stay at the Sandals South Coast. There were over 30 of us from the greater Charlotte area on the trip for this pickleball adventure. Sandals is an all-inclusive, adults only resort. The only negative is the hour and a half bus trip on precarious roads to get to the resort. 

The grounds of the hotel are fantastic, resembling a botanical garden oasis. There are numerous restaurants and swimming pools, and of course multiple pickleball courts. Though the courts are striped on tennis courts, they functioned well for our purposes.

Due to the heat and humidity, we limited our play to several hours in the morning. This left the afternoons and evenings free to swim in the ocean or pools, rest on the many loungers, or take advantage of the water sport options. We did drills and had coached play, and the week culminated with a round robin tournament on Saturday, followed by a banquet that evening. All the people in our group were super-nice and we made some new friends that we will continue to see in Charlotte. I feel like I learned some new game strategy, and hope to put those into play.

On Friday (two days prior to departure), Sandals provided Covid tests to anyone in our group who had been fully vaccinated. Those who had not been vaccinated had to wait until Saturday for their tests per new United States entry requirements. Our appointments were at 11:15, and we were able to walk right in to the testing room. This test was very different than the one we completed prior to travel. It involved the long testing stick, which felt as though they were literally picking your brain. It definitely brought tears to my eyes. Later that evening we got our negative test results back, thankfully.

flying home

On Sunday the same bus and driver repeated the harrowing drive back to Sangster International Airport. The checkin line at the airport was pretty long, but moved quickly. Our plane boarded on time, and again we had a very civil group of passengers on the flight. With all the horror stories of passengers yelling and even striking flight attendants over the mask mandate, you never know what might happen. But while this trip went fairly smoothly, I am not in a hurry to leave the country again anytime soon. It's just a lot of hassle right now.

First International Travel Since Covid-19 Arrived

Sangster International Airport

For the first time since Covid began and the country went into lockdown more than 19 months ago, we boarded a plane and traveled outside the United States. In January of this year we booked a pickleball adventure to Sandals Southcoast in Whitehouse, Jamaica with the Lake Norman Pickleball Club. Of course at the time we had no idea if the trip would be cancelled or not due to the pandemic. I'm not going to lie, part of me wished it would be rescheduled to next year as we agonized over whether it was smart to travel yet.

In the end, there were many things that aided our decision to go. We both are fully vaccinated and have the booster shot. A negative Covid test is required before entering Jamaica as well as upon departure. The three hour flight was direct, so there was no additional exposure at another airport. We would be staying in an all-inclusive resort the whole week, and the staff there is all vaccinated and required to be masked at all times. There is lots of outdoor dining and our pickleball play would be outside as well. We decided to take the calculated risk and go on the trip.

Within seven days of travel we were required to complete online paperwork and submit it to the Jamaican government so they could authorize our travel to their country. We also had to give them proof of insurance that would cover us in the event we tested positive for Covid while in Jamaica. That policy was included by Sandals as part of our reservation, and they had sent us a copy of the policy.

Three days before departure we went to the local CVS to take the antigen test. This was the first time either of us has needed to be tested during Covid, so we were a little apprehensive. We made our appointments online, then parked in the designated testing spots in their lot. We texted that we had arrived, and were directed to the back door of the pharmacy. There we were met by a nurse, who led us to a back office. The three of us were the only ones in the room. She opened up kits and handed us each a nasal swab, and directed us to swirl the swab several times in each nostril. We then placed our swabs in their respective vials, and that was that. About an hour later we received our negative test results.

Sunday morning we arrived at Charlotte International Airport 2 1/2 hours before our flight. We both have TSA pre-check with our Global Entry Card, so we felt that was a sufficient amount of time. The check in process with American Airlines was completed quickly, and the TSA line was short. I, however, was selected for additional screening. A female agent swabbed my hands with a wipe and then looked for traces of explosives. At the gate both of us, along with a dozen or so other passengers on our flight, were called to the counter to have our passports screened again. It seemed really strange since the passports had already been reviewed by the check in personnel and security agents.

The plane was boarded in an efficient manner, and I'm happy to say that all the passengers were well-behaved. No one had to be reminded to leave their masks on during the flight, and there was no screaming - by adults or kids! I spied a rainbow out the window, and chose to believe it was an omen that we would have a wonderful vacation. I wasn't wrong...more in the next post.

Epic Vacation Wrap Up

Our return to St. Louis from Auckland went quite smoothly. The flying time from Auckland to Los Angeles was only 12 hours and 25 minutes, which seemed short compared to the 15 and a half hours we flew to get from Los Angeles to Sydney. It was a more difficult flight for me in that we left Auckland at 1:00 in the afternoon, so I wasn't a bit sleepy. The time was passed by watching movies. I will say that flying Business Class on those two long flights was the bees knees, though. It will be hard to fly in coach on overseas trips in the future. Here we are leaving Auckland, still smiling after 30 days of 24/7 togetherness.

American Airlines Business Class

Many people have asked me which country I liked better - Australia or New Zealand? It's a hard call, because the people were so very nice in both countries. But I would say Australia for the wildlife - it's hard to beat seeing kangaroos, parrots and cockatoos out of the windows of your house. New Zealand takes the win for scenery, however. I can't remember a drive where every single turn brought exclamations of, "Wow, look at that!"

Over 3,500 photographs have been downloaded onto my computer, and it is taking a while to sort through them, throwing out the ones that are bad and doing a little correction on the ones that need it. But what a fun way to relive the trip. I can't believe how much we saw, all the things that we did, and the wonderful people we met on this journey. I summarize the adventure by saying that I had really high expectations for this vacation, and they were all exceeded. You can't beat that.

two thumbs up!

Trip of a Lifetime

We have talked off and on for years about traveling to Australia and New Zealand. First of all, the countries look amazing, and second Jim had a landscape architecture professor at Iowa State who relocated his family to Melbourne 30 or more years ago. He has always invited us over for a visit. We decided it was time to finally go as none of us are getting any younger.

The planning began in 2015, but between scheduling issues, health issues on the other end, and dealing with American Airlines, it took until July of 2016 for the trip to get booked. We wanted to use frequent flyer miles to upgrade our seats, because I told Jim that the only way I was getting on a 15+ hour flight was if my seat was in business class. The airlines really do not want you to be able to use those miles you collect, so it took quite a while and a lot of flexibility to make the tickets happen.

Because there was no business class on the plane from St. Louis to Los Angeles, we were given first class seats. We didn't complain! We had over 4 hours to kill at LAX, but the Admirals Club made that bearable. We boarded the next flight at 10:20 p.m.for an 11:00 departure. Neither of us had been in business class, so this was a real treat. The single cubicles, for lack of a better word, had wide, comfortable seats that could fully recline for sleeping. We were given slippers, pajamas, and a toiletry kit to keep, and a large pillow, comforters and Bose noice cancelling headphones for use during the trip. There was a remote control for the large personal LCD screen in each seat. Plenty of storage space was provided in each cubicle. The food was good as was the service.

Neither one of us slept much on the flight, despite the comfortable arrangements. We arrived in Sydney a little ahead of schedule, enjoyed the streamlined epassport services at the airport, and quickly collected our bags. The longest wait was in the que to get a cab.

We are staying at the Sir Stamford Hotel, which is located in Circular Quay. Fortunately, despite the early hour (8:00 a.m.), they had our room ready. We enjoyed a cup of hot coffee (tea for me) on our terrace, freshened up a bit, and then headed out to explore. This location is excellent, and we quickly found ourselves at the Sydney Opera House - the most iconic symbol of the city. Having seen it so often through the years in films or videos, it was surreal to be standing in front of it. For today, we just enjoyed walking around the outside, but we will definitely go back for a tour.

We found a lovely place along the water to have lunch, and then did more walking before making our way back to the hotel room. Two days of no sleep are catching up with us, so we will just chill tonight before taking the city by storm tomorrow.

For some reason I am not able to post photos to the blog. As I am too tired to figure that out right now, I will look into this tomorrow. Hopefully I can figure it out!

Celebrating Sixty in New York City

New York City

On my 60th birthday we traveled to the Big Apple. We have been before, but there is always something new and different going on in New York. My friend from high school, who happened to marry one of Jim's fraternity brothers, was turning 60 three days after me, so they joined us for a long weekend. We have gone on vacation with them several times before, so we knew that we would have a good time.

Air travel is always an adventure these days. We arrived at the airport in a timely fashion only to find out when checking the bags that our American Airlines flight was delayed. They kindly called me with news of the delay when I was standing in the security line. Thanks for nothing! Of course the line was short since time was of not of the essence. Not wanting to start the trip on a negative note, we headed to a restaurant at the airport for lunch and beverages. Happy birthday to me!

Cheers!

The airline, of course, blamed the delay on LaGuardia Airport traffic. Really? You didn't know about the air traffic there when you selected the flight time for your plane? Any way, we finally boarded the sardine can - my name for the planes with one seat on one side, two seats on the other. After another small delay, we pulled out onto the Tarmac. Things were looking up! Nope - false alarm. There we sat. But it was all good because the flight attendant brought us each a mint. Then we all got a cup of water. But I knew we were in trouble when she announced that due to the "length of the flight" (2.5 hours), she was offering us each a snack. You know, the ones where you pay $2 for five potato chips? I knew we were not going anywhere soon.

We finally took off and ran into some pretty bad weather for the last part of the trip. There was a lot of turbulence, and the view outside my window was that of the proverbial pea soup. When the pilot announced that we were sixteen minutes away from landing, we both sighed in relief. But then sixteen became thirty, which became forty-five, all with no further updates from the cockpit. That is when I became nervous, which frayed Jim's nerves because I never get nervous on planes. Just as we were beginning to wonder if the 10:00 news was going to be carrying our story, I saw lights down below. Whew! Once on the ground, things moved quickly and we were in a cab on our way to midtown. After a harrowing cab ride, we arrived at our hotel several hours later than planned.

The Court Hotel

We were delighted to find that we had been assigned a corner room on the 9th floor, which gave us a nice view of the Chrysler Building. It was playing peek-a-boo through the fog the first night. The down side of this room was that it faces a busy street that was teeming with traffic 20 hours of each day. And the horn honking! Oh my! All hours of the day and night. What in the world bothered drivers so much that they had to lay on the horn at 4:00 in the morning? They were awake, so we should be awake? New Yorkers are very impatient. Waiting in your car for fifty pedestrians to cross the street when they have the Walk sign? The cars behind you won't like that. Honk, honk, honk! Cars standing still on the road because there is nowhere to go? Hooooonk! There - that will get them to move! Unbelievable...

Our friends had arrived early in the day, and shared their stories of schlepping around New York in the rain. The hairdryer in their room got a workout as they attempted to dry clothes and shoes for later use. They had waited for us to eat, so we grabbed a nice dinner at the Italian restaurant across the street from the hotel. It was a good time to catch up and make our plans for Thursday. More on that in the next post...

That's a Wrap!

I am back home from my adventures in Los Angeles. I spent the final few days with Katie picking out a couch and bar stools, setting up a bank account, lining up insurance, and shopping for the necessary items she will need to get by until her stuff can be shipped to her. She was also busy making contacts and lining up interviews. In a lot of ways it does not seem real that she is staying out there permanently. She has traveled so much during the past year that it felt to me like a temporary stop on the road we call life. The song "Wide Open Spaces" came on my iPod while I was with her, and I thought the lyrics were so poignant of my feelings.

Who doesn't know what I'm talking about
Who's never left home, who's never struck out
To find a dream and a life of their own
A place in the clouds, a foundation of stone

Many precede and many will follow
A young girl's dream no longer hollow
It takes the shape of a place out west
But what it holds for her, she hasn't yet guessed
She needs wide open spaces
Room to make her big mistakes
She needs new faces
She knows the high stakes 

I decided to book a flight to head home on Sunday. I went back and forth as I had heard the weather forecast in St. Louis. But I had only reserved my hotel room through Saturday night. I probably could have added another day, but quite frankly after 11 days I was ready to head home to Jim and my own bed. My flight was scheduled to leave at 12:25, so Katie dropped me off at the airport about 10:20. I checked my bag and printed out my boarding pass. My first clue to potential problems should have been that I wasn't charged for the bag. I attributed that to the fact that I booked my flight so late and paid an obscene price for it. The second clue was my boarding time, but I didn't even notice that. I just looked at the boarding pass long enough to ensure that it was Flight 818 to St. Louis. My bad!

About an hour went by before I checked my boarding pass again, and then I freaked out when it said that boarding was to begin at 3:40, with the flight departing at 4:10. Holy crap! I ran to check one of the boards, and sure enough the flight was delayed. After speaking with an American representative I found that due to bad weather in St. Louis on Saturday, many flights had been cancelled and it was balling everything up on Sunday. Bad weather on Sunday added to the problems, especially since the Midwest, Dallas and Chicago were all experiencing delays. Darn it! I should have gone with my gut and booked for Monday.

So I hung out at the airport all day, and mid-afternoon my flight disappeared from the board altogether. The American rep assured me it was because they had no room on the board and bumped our flight to add a different one on. Liar, liar, pants on fire. When I asked later, I was told that the gate had changed. When I went to the new gate, there was no mention of Flight 818 on the screen at the gate. I had to check with other passengers to make sure I was in the right place. Finally they 'fessed up that there was a mechanical problem with our plane, but they thought it could be fixed. The woman next to me said they were told the exact same story on Saturday. She was supposed to fly to St. Louis at 8:15 Saturday morning. They fed the passengers b.s. about delays, then a maintenance problem, then the fact that they thought they had a different plane to put them on, until finally at 9:00 Saturday night they told them they weren't going anywhere and put them on the Sunday 12:25 flight. So when the gate attendant said our plane could not be repaired but they thought they could get another plane for us, we did not hold out a lot of hope.

We finally began our taxi down the runway at around 7:00. We got a free snack on the plane, but only if you were smart enough to ask for it. They weren't offering, that's for sure. We arrived in St. Louis at 12:40 a.m. Poor Jim had to stay up to come and get me, and he had been on a challenging motorcycle trip all weekend. Next time I will listen to my gut.