Although we had set the alarm for 5:00 a.m., I was awake at
4:30. I rose, took my shower, and began
to run through my list of last-minute “to do” items -- check email one last
time, unplug computers, unplug phone so that all calls would automatically be
routed into voice mail, adjust thermostat, water indoor plants one last time. Close and lock luggage. I had arranged for the taxi to arrive at
6:00.
The trip to the airport was uneventful, with no delays, and
airport security was quick with no long lines.
As usual, my camera bag required hand checking by security, but that
process was not long. The woman who hand
screened my bag never once made eye contact with me. Boarding was strange, as is often the case;
the attendant called for rows 20-34, but after a few moments, I realized that
everyone on the plane had formed a line and was being boarded; so we got in
line, too. No questions were asked, and we
boarded with no problem. The flight to
Los Angeles was uneventful, and I tried to take a brief nap; however, as usual,
I was not able to sleep on the plane.
During the flight, Rae read from her Kindle, and I worked crossword puzzles -- five New York Times
Sunday puzzles with sports themes from a book I had. It’s always interesting to pass over the
Great Plains, with vast areas of neat farms, and the desolation of Death Valley
was striking. The arid landscape and
brown air of the great basin of Los Angeles were also striking, leading me to
wonder again about the vast population that continues to pour into this
area. People clearly come for the
opportunity and not the geography.
During the three hour layover, we got lunch and read a bit,
and then boarded the small plane to Vancouver.
Again the flight was uneventful, and I leafed through the airline
magazine. Just before landing in Vancouver,
the plane made a sharp turn to the East, and out the window we got a fabulous
view of Vancouver with the snow-covered mountains to the North. I wished for my camera, which was stowed;
however, I realized that I would not have been able to take a photo because of
the water and age stains on the airplane window. Still, I enjoyed the view very much. I was struck by the farmland so near and even
within the city of Vancouver, much of which was standing in water. Later we learned that the previous week had
brought heavy rains to the area.
The passport control process at the Vancouver airport was
odd. Passengers entered the airport at
the far eastern end and then proceeded to walk through a very long hallway all
the way to the far western end of the airport, where passport control was
located. The hallway was glass enclosed
and on the second floor, giving passengers a view of the entire airport, which
was very beautiful; later I was told that this airport had won awards as being
the most beautiful city airport in North America. The airport predated the 2010 Olympics,
having been constructed in 2001. After
we got our luggage and went through passport control, the Princess Cruise Line
representative, George, was waiting for us by name, and escorted us to a
waiting Lincoln SUV to take us to the hotel, the Fairmont Waterfront. When the young man brought our baggage to the
room, he informed me that if I were a member of the Fairmont Presidential Club,
Internet use would be free of charge. I
immediately went to the front desk and inquired about joining, and I was told
that I could enroll online. After
enrolling, I was given a FPC number, which I phoned to the front desk, who
deleted the charge for Internet use.
When we first got to our room, I noticed that the time was
7:20 p.m. Pacific time, or 10:20 p.m. Eastern time; my total trip had been 13
hours 20 minutes. We were
exhausted. After freshening up a bit, we
went out to eat; the concierge recommended a restaurant nearby, so we went
there – Rogue, a steak and seafood place.
We sat outside in the beautiful evening weather and had macadamia
crusted halibut, while Rae had fish tacos; it was not great, but it was
okay. Afterwards, we fell asleep
immediately.
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