Travel – Page 9 – Geeky Girl Engineer

Virginia State Capitol

Posted on October 13, 2019 by geek

I came to Richmond to tour the Virginia state capitol. I took the tour today, and the tour was so bad that as a resident of Virginia, I was actually embarrassed by it. First, the tour lasted a little over an hour, and well beyond half of it was history of the state, not of the actual capitol (with an “o” meaning the building itself). I find it hard to believe that I am the only person who when going for a tour of a capitol or some other building wants a tour of the building and the history of the building, not of the state or people who used to live there. Second, the tour was completely whitewashed. My tour guide did not say the word “slave” once. In her entire hour long recitation of the history of the colony and state of Virginia, she did not think it important to mention slavery once. If she had barely talked about the history of Virginia, I might be more forgiving of that huge gap. Also, I am going to make an educated guess that slaves were involved in building the capitol.

Third, probably because she spent so much time talking about the history of Virginia, she barely had time to talk about the details of the building. She evidently doesn’t show either of the House or Senate chambers, unless the group wants to see one. We all wanted to see one, so she took us to the House chambers. After that I asked if we could see the Senate, she seemed surprise that someone would want to see both. Is it really that surprising that someone who goes on a tour of a state capitol would want to see both chambers, which generally are the most important rooms in the entire building? She said the two chambers look the same, but possibly because others wanted to see it also, she took us to the Senate chamber also. They are not the same. They are very similar, but there are specific differences. The House has green seats and curtains. The Senate has red seats and curtains. I have visited enough state capitols to make an educated guess that that is based on the British Parliament lower and upper house. [See the California State Capitol and Colorado State Capitol among others.] However I have to guess because the tour guide didn’t bother to point it out. Considering she said they are exactly the same, perhaps she did not even realize it. Further, when we were in the Senate chamber, I asked her about some symbol on the ceiling [see below photo] that I had also noticed in the House. She did at least partially explain what it was, but considering how capitols are generally full of symbolism, I found it bizarre that she didn’t talk about it to initially. Also, she never mentioned that there is place near the stair landing a floor above where we were, where they have clear plastic covering a portion of the interior of the building [see photo below]. Even if she was not going to take us there, she could have mentioned it as something we might want to go see. I discovered it by accident while wandering around after the official tour.

Fourth, perhaps this is a dumb complaint, but one of the reasons I take guided tours of the capitols is because generally the tour guides are fantastic, knowledgable, and can tell you all these details you can’t get by just wandering around. In the rotunda, to the side of the dome, the state seal is painted on the ceiling. Only it is not the official seal. The state seal of Virginia, which among other places is on the flag not to mention numerous places in the capitol, features the goddess Virtue, and one of her breasts, including the nipple is showing. The seal on ceiling has both of Virtue’s breasts covered. I noticed this immediately that it looked wrong. I asked the guide during the tour if that painted version was because of the former Attorney General Cuccinelli who made national news when he changed the seal to cover up Virtue’s breast on things in his office. She said no that is the official seal. After the tour, I showed her an up close photo to point out the difference, and I am not sure she even realized that the painted version differs from the version on the flag and on the floor next to the tour guide desk. She had no explanation for the difference and didn’t seem to be interested in a visitor pointing out to her there is a difference. She said that painting has been there for years. So maybe that version has nothing to do with a recent politician, but why is it different? I am very curious. Also of note, when I told to her after, there was a security guard right there, and he was really interested and wanted to look at my photo. Thus at least one other person finds it interesting that the painted seal is different. I am curious about how old the rotunda painting is and the history of the version of the seal. Internet searches are only giving me the version on the flag.

My complaints are not just about this particular guide. I am quite frankly dumbfounded that a normal tour does not allow a visitor to see both chambers. You can’t get into the chambers at all without a guide. In most of the state capitols I have been to so far, you can just wander in to at least the viewing gallery. In Virginia, that is not possible. As a resident of Virginia this strikes me as wrong. It is supposed to be the people’s house, so let the people see it.

The exterior of the Virginia state capitol. The middle portion is the original version dating back to 1788 and designed by Thomas Jefferson. The two side wings date back to 1906 and hold the two chambers.

The 2007 extension created an underground approach to the capitol. In the photo above is the underground walkway as it approaches the original building. The wall on the right with the windows is the original building.

The original model of the capitol. They painted the model when they painted the building.

The rotunda features a statue of George Washington.

The dome which is not visible from the exterior.

The Virginia state seal as painted on the ceiling in the rotunda to the side of the dome. Notice Virtue’s breasts are both covered, unlike the version on the flag and seemingly everywhere else.

The Senate chambers. The House chambers has a similar ceiling.

Painting on the Senate ceiling. The tour guide said the center is a VA for Virginia. I think she said the circle are tobacco leaves.

Near the stairwell on the floor to the chambers’ viewing galleries (it is on both sides), they have part of the wooden frame from the original east and west entrance to the rotunda viewable. The sign says they were uncovered during the 2004-2007 restoration.

Richmond Canal Walk

Posted on October 12, 2019 by geek

I am continuing my quest to see all the state capitols. I am in Richmond this weekend to see the Virginia state capitol. However, today, I just wandered around. I spent most of the day walking along and near the Richmond canal walk. Richmond has a couple of disjointed canal that were originally part of a large system so that ships could avoid the James River rapids. The canal walk is lovely. The original building of the canal and the restoration of it are impressive engineering projects. They have restored much of the system, and you can even take a boat ride along part of it. [I did, and some of those photos are included.] Railroads and then highways were built alongside and on top of parts of the canal system. My tour guide on the boat ride noted that there is one part where you can see 18th century (the canal), 19th century (the railroad), and 20th century (the highway) transportation systems all in a single frame. I thought that was an interesting and insightful observation. The canal also is both inside and outside the Richmond flood wall, which is another impressive piece of engineering. A canal was built to bypass the James River rapids, and a wall was built to protect against James River floods.

Entrance to the first (most downstream) lock in the canal system.

The first (most downstream) lock in the system. The lock is full and beyond is the James River. The area is now a park.

A pool just beyond the first lock, now part of a park

“The Lowline” is hike and bike trail along an elevated railroad next to the canal.

Part of the canal is inside the Richmond flood wall, which has a gate seen here for boats to pass in and out of the flood wall.

The canal is below railroads and highways in parts.

The turning basin where you can catch a boat ride, see to the left.

Pedestrian walks along the canal. Much of the canal is only a couple of feet deep.

Abandoned buildings are alongside the canal. This one has numerous original murals.

Harrisburg

Posted on July 29, 2019 by geek

I came to Harrisburg to see the Pennsylvania State Capitol, but while I am here, I spent some time exploring. Harrisburg is one of those old cities where downtown is a mix of historic and modern buildings. Some of the historic buildings have been preserved; some need some preservation. It is a mostly walkable city though. There is a nice riverwalk, at least part of it is close to the water level next to the levee, and another parallel part of it is on top the levee.

One place that I really enjoyed walking to is City Island, which can be accessed on foot by the Walnut Street Bridge, a pedestrian and bicycle only bridge, that connects downtown to the island in the Susquehanna River. From City Island, I took a ride on the Pride of the Susquehanna riverboat that takes a short cruise up the river. By the time the river gets to Harrisburg, it is about a mile wide, but it averages only about 3.5 feet deep. On the cruise, I saw some people standing in the middle of the river, which only went to their waist, next to their pontoon boat.

View of the state capitol and downtown from City Island

Market Street Bridge with more southern bridges in the background

McCormick Riverfront Library, Founded in 1889 as The Harrisburg Public Library, now part of the Dauphin County Library System

Storm approaching the Susquehanna River from the west

Churches line State Street, a block from the Capitol

Susquehanna River with numerous bridges to the left, the first one is the Walnut Street Bridge

Pennsylvania State Capitol

Posted on July 29, 2019 by geek

I am continuing on my quest to see all the state capitols, and today was the Pennsylvania State Capitol in Harrisburg. It is gorgeous. Harrisburg is the third city to serve as the capital, and the current capitol is the third building in Harrisburg to serve that purpose. So I guess they had several chances to get it right. When the current building was dedicated, President Theodore Roosevelt said it was”the handsomest building” he ever saw. This capitol has everything: stained glass, paintings every where, tile, columns, and gold leaf galore. The rotunda was inspired by St. Peter’s Basilica in Vatican City, and the steps and balconies with the rotunda were inspired by the Paris Opera House, so that says a lot about the design.

View of the capitol from the east or rear entrance. The east wing is relatively new.

The sides of the rotunda are filled with paintings. The quote below the paintings is a mosaic.

The floor of the rotunda and halls off of it are tile with many mosaics. My favorite is this happy bat.

Top of walls with stained glass in the Senate chamber.

Painting in the Supreme Court chamber. It says “Love, Law, and Wisdom”.

Stained glass ceiling of the Supreme Court chamber

Hallway from the rotunda to the Senate chamber

Hallway from the House of Representatives to the rotunda

Bay Lower Subway Station

Posted on May 25, 2019 by geek

Another site I visited with Doors Open Toronto was an abandoned subway station. When the Bay Subway Station was built, there was an upper and lower level. According to the Doors Open Toronto website “When Line 2 officially opened in 1966, Bay Lower was in full use. Alternate trains used the Wye connection, which allowed customers to travel from Line 1 to Line 2 without changing trains. The TTC tested this system for six months and also tested the two separate subway lines for six months. Following testing, the TTC decided that two trains worked best and Bay Lower was closed.” If like me, you do not live in Toronto, that means very little or nothing. Having studied the Toronto subway map for a little bit of time, I think I now understands what it means, but to be perfectly honest, it sounds like it was a dumb idea from the start. Yes, yes, hindsight is 20/20, but it just seems overly complicated, and I know how long it took me just to understand New York City’s local versus express lines, so this seems like it might have made things easier for some but confused the heck out of others. It also sounds like something that carried not insignificant risks for train operation and train traffic control.

The lower level was not used for very long, but it has been used ever since by TTC for testing and training. It has also been used by the television and movie industry quite a bit for shooting scenes. The signs they had displayed seem to indicate that it has been a stand in for many U.S. city subway lines. Ever since I visited the lower level, I have been trying to think how many U.S. cities actually have a subway, as in trains that run underground. There are not that many, and furthermore, not many look like this station. Then again, the movie industry may not always care about things like that. But I digress.

In any event, it was kind of neat to walk around the platform. They had a train on either track with all doors open, so you could walk around the trains. They also let people visit the conductor’s seat/booth/area/I don’t what it is called. Today I learned, when given the opportunity to visit this area, people both young and old, really, really, really like to honk the horn. How the employees watching everything were not developing headaches from the horns constantly going off in the confined station where the noise really bounces around, I have no idea.

One final observation. I am rather fascinated by Toronto’s subway trains because the individual cars are all connected into one true train where you can walk very easily between all the cars. I don’t how many other systems have cars like this, but I was fascinated by it. I am most familiar with the Washington, D.C. and New York City subway systems where walking between cars requires going outside and is rather frowned upon or difficult. It would seem likely this would make it rather difficult for trains to be taken apart should only one or two cars need service, but I am not sure how often cars are taken apart and reconfigured on other systems where visually at least, it would appear to be easier.

One of the trains at the Bay Lower Subway Station. You can easily walk the entire length of the train.

One of the trains at the Bay Lower Subway Station. In the foreground is where two cars are joined, and you can walk in between.

View from the end of the Bay Lower Subway Station platform into the tunnel.

Eglinton Maintenance and Storage Facility

Posted on May 25, 2019 by geek

I am in Toronto for Doors Open Toronto. When any city allows people to visit a rail yard or water or wastewater treatment plant, I will be there. One of the places that was on the top of my list to visit is the Eglinton Maintenance and Storage Facility. It houses the Crosstown Light Rail Vehicles where they are inspected, cleaned and maintained. It only opened in January 2019, which was evident because it is still very clean and looks barely used. It is a well designed facility that appears to have been designed with the human worker in mind.

The facility has a train wash, paint booth, and numerous bay for maintenance. The maintenance areas have pit to work underneath the trains besides the platforms to work on the side or inside the trains, but it also has balconies so that the workers can get to the top of the trains.

In one area, there are several sand pumps. The trains carry sand, and if the tracks are really wet or if there is snow or ice, then the driver sprays sand to increase traction on the tracks.

The paint booth where two workers can work, each on their own lift.

The large maintenance bay with balconies

One of the trains in the maintenance bay

More of the maintenance bay. I did not find out what the green carriage is for.

Nicely labeled and color coded pipes and conduits

Sea of Cortez Cetaceans

Posted on January 2, 2019 by geek

First off, the reason why I am titling this post cetaceans, is that I can’t remember if they naturalists on the ship decided these were whales or dolphins. While on my ill-fated trip to Baja California, the ship passed cetaceans several times, and several times the cetaceans came to ride our bow wave. It was so fun to see them. I decided to post some of the better photos that I took. If anyone can identify which specific cetaceans these are, I will happily update my post. Also, in some of the up-close photos of them riding the ship’s bow wave, remora fish stuck onto the cetaceans are visible.

Pod of cetaceans

Cetaceans riding the bow wave

Cetaceans riding the bow wave with visible remora fish

Cetaceans riding the bow wave

Baja California

Posted on December 30, 2018 by geek

During the short amount of time I was able to enjoy my cruise in the Sea of Cortez, I was able to do a little hiking as well as view some beautiful scenery from the boat. The geology reminds me of Arizona. There are some beautiful red rocks and layered sedimentary rocks. There is also scary but interesting plants including cactuses.

Baja California

Red rocks

Desert landscape

Cactus

Red rocks

Snorkeling with Sea Lions

Posted on December 29, 2018 by geek

One of the things I was able to do while on my short cruise in the Sea of Cortez was to go snorkeling with sea lions. There is a small island, which is more of a large rock outcropping, were birds and sea lions live. The water beneath is filled with fish, otherwise why would the birds and sea lions be there. People are allowed to snorkel in the area, but they are not allowed to dive there. We were even required to wear a slightly inflated flotation vest to prevent us from diving. We were also warned that the sea lions are quite playful. They are known to like to gnaw on people, like a puppy might when playing. I got gnawed on at my wrist. Then either the same sea lion of another gnawed on my ankle and kept going right up to my thigh.

The sea lions are amazing to watch. They are so swift and fast. They are extremely hydrodynamic. They are cute and playful. Although the gnawing didn’t break the surface of my skin and didn’t hurt too much, I could have done without the gnawing.

These are not the best photos I have ever taken, but GoPros are only point and shoot. Still I though I would present some of the better ones.

Sea lion gnawing on someone’s elbow

Sea lion

Sea lion swims right in front of my face

Sea lion

Sea lions

Sea lion

Sea lion cuddling (?) with someone

Sea lion gnawing on someone’s fin

Sea lions

Sea lion

Sea lions

Sea lion

How I Spent My Christmas Vacation

Posted on December 28, 2018 by geek

I remember in school when I would come back from Christmas break or it was the start of a new school year, and my English teacher would have us write a paper on what we did over our break. I have always assumed the entire point was just to get us to write. Here was a topic that surely everyone would have some material to use to write something. Generally a good assumption I suppose. I haven’t written a paper like that in a long time. Then again, it has been a very long time since I was in some sort of English class. However, this Christmas break necessitates me writing one, so here goes.

Normally for Christmas, I go to Houston. It is where I grew up. It is where my mom and sister live. It is where much of my larger family lives. However this year, we weren’t sure how much of the larger family was going to be there for Christmas, so my sister and I decided we should somewhere fun, with my mom of course. We ultimately decided to go to Baja California. We would spend a few days in San Jose del Cabo, then join a tour group that would take us to La Paz for a four-night cruise in the area. The cruise would be a tour company that we have traveled with before and we like. The cruise ships are small. This one had maybe 60 passengers or so. There tour company is on the higher end of price, but they do a first rate job with lots of naturalists and fun activities.

We made the decision somewhat last minute, so there were lots of things to get done quickly. The main problem was my mom’s passport had expired, so we all had stress that she could get it renewed in time. [They gave her an appointment a little to close to our departure date for comfort, but then she went in a Friday and had the new passport on Monday. They never said they could do it that fast.] Her passport renewed, we just needed to get there. I was so excited to get away. I was loaded with work that had to be done for my job, I was working overtime to get it done, then frantically packing, then finally the day came to leave.

Looking back, the passport was a sign of things to come. I got up at 4 a.m. to catch my flight. I had to change planes in Dallas-Ft.Worth (DFW), so I had picked an early flight to make sure I would make the connection and have time to eat. I caught my first flight that was supposed to leave at 7 a.m. We left the gate on time. Then we sat on the tarmac for 1.5 hours. The pilot came on a couple of times to say there was a maintenance issue, and they could not figure out is some maintenance had been done. They were on the phone with Dallas (presumably where the maintenance was supposed to be done), but couldn’t get it resolved. We returned to the gate. It wasn’t clear if we were disembarking, but a third of us got up to use the restroom. Very shortly after returning to the gate, maintenance had come on board and done whatever needed to be done, but then the pilots needed the log books back. Then we got the log books back, and finally we left over two hours late. Finally we are on our way.

Luckily I had packed a couple of protein bars in my purse. We arrived at DFW, and I went as fast as possible to my connecting flight. No time to stop for the restroom or buy some food. I got there on last call. I sit back and relax. I made it. I am on my way to Baja. I arrive in Cabo and meet my mom and sister, who arrived on an earlier flight. Amazingly my luggage made the connecting flight also. Also amazingly, my sister’s luggage did not make her direct flight. She and our mom arrived plenty early for their direct flight to Cabo. Our mom’s luggage made it, but hers did not. We all made it safely to Cabo though. The airline says it will deliver her luggage to the hotel the next morning, so at least she will get it before we leave for the cruise.

Before we even left, my mom was really worried about us getting sick from the water in Mexico. My sister and I are not really worried. We just won’t drink the water, and we are careful about the food we eat. We buy bottled water. We stay at this adorable, authentic hotel in center of San Jose del Cabo, which also supplies bottle water, and we all enjoy ourselves thoroughly. My sister’s luggage finally arrives the morning after we arrive. We enjoy some wonderful food. We all buy more stuff than we need. We all love the wonderful handmade goods we find, much of which we are told is from Oaxaca. We don’t get sick.

The second morning of our trip arrives, and it is time to pack, do last minute shopping, and get a taxi to the airport where we will join the cruise group. The cruise representatives meet us, take our luggage, show us to the nice buses, and give us more bottled water. Now we relax for the three hour drive to La Paz. Not very long after we leave the airport, an older woman on the bus goes to the restroom at the back and starts vomiting. We are near the back and can hear clearly. She vomits numerous times during the ride. I feel bad for her, but I try to relax, read, and enjoy the countryside.

We arrive in La Paz and board our U.S. owned, registered, and crewed cruise boat. The boat is on her maiden trip in Baja. It is just lovely. That night at dinner, we see the woman who was vomiting on the bus in the dining room. She appears to be better, so that is good. The next day we cruise in the area, and then we anchor near shore, where there is kayaking, paddle boarding, snorkeling, and hiking. I do some hiking. The scenery is beautiful. I am eager for the next day, when there will more shore time. I have brought a bunch of camera equipment including my tripod, and I hoping to have some fun playing with my camera. That night I talk to one of the photography experts on board, who is there to help guests with photography if they want it, and he says he can show me a couple of filters and such. Vacation is good.

That night the real trouble begins. My sister and I share and cabin, and my mom is in a cabin next door. My sister is up all night sick. I am fine though. The next morning, I find the ship’s doctor, who in his real job is an emergency room physician in the U.S., and he gives my sister some pills for vomiting and advice.

The next morning, we are snorkeling with sea lions. There is a small island (giant rock really), where there is a sea lion colony as well as birds and fish of course. There are a lot of rules, but you can snorkel (not allowed to dive) alongside the rock. The sea lions like to swim around the humans, and as we have been warned, like to naw on them also, like a puppy might. My sister is sick, but I go and have a blast. [Photos and more on that to come.]

After my snorkeling trip, I find out the reason I didn’t see my mom at breakfast was that she is sick also. The ship’s doctor has seen my mom already. I play nursemaid for my mom and sister getting them drinks and asking for some food to be delivered to their cabins. Later the physician starts on IV on my mom because she is so dehydrated. She is not in immediate danger, but he just wants to get fluids in her. I think he is worried more about her simply because she is older. My sister has stopped vomiting. However both my mom and sister are losing a lot of fluid to diarrhea.

Later, the ship arrives at another island, and I go ashore to do some hiking. I am not there for very long, when nausea starts. I fight it, but then I start really salivating, and I find the next Zodiac back to the ship. I know I am probably going to start vomiting soon. I get back to the ship and sit down to read. The nausea subsides, and then it comes back with a vengeance. Now I am vomiting. My sister by now is well enough to at least walk around the ship just a little, so she plays nursemaid to me. I vomit once again that night, but then my stomach calms. That night both of us (and my mom next door) are up with diarrhea. The next morning the physician sees me. I say to him, both of us knew I was going to get sick also. Yes, he agrees. He confirms what I have suspected that this is most likely norovirus. I learn a few other passengers and crew are also sick. He tells me what he had already told my sister, which is mainly to stay out of the dining room.

I spend the entire day in the cabin. Luckily we had a cabin with a little balcony, so I spend some of the day sitting on the balcony reading and watching the lovely landscape. My sister who has been walking around a bit and trying not to touch anything sees the hotel staff wiping all the railings on the ship. That night the hotel staff arranges for mom, sister, and I to eat in the lounge away from everyone else. None of us eat much, but we are well enough to eat a little bit of food. We talk with the hotel manager, and she says two crew members and one other guest are also sick. This seems to exclude what I am quite sure was Patient Zero, the woman on the bus vomiting. She says when we all disembark the next day, there will be extra cleaners brought on board to help the crew disinfect the entire ship.

The next morning we leave for the three-hour bus trip to the San Jose del Cabo airport. My mom, sister, and I are not completely well, but none of us are vomiting and the diarrhea has subsided for the most part. At the airport, my mom and sister hug me goodbye, and I board my plane to DFW looking forward to getting home.

The plane ride is uneventful until we start getting near Texas when we start flying near and through storm clouds. The ride is rather bumpy, and the pilot informs us we have to circle for a bit as there is a back up because of the weather. Finally we are cleared to land. We start our approach, the landing gear is down, and I am looking at Christmas lights on the house below and also getting worried about the lightening I am see in the clouds we are in. All of the sudden we start accelerating fast and gaining altitude. After a bit we are clear well above the storm clouds and not in them. The pilot informs us we are going to San Antonio. I never learned if the pilot or the control tower called off the landing, nor what the precise problem was (obviously the weather, but I mean the specific issue since we had lending gear down). We land in San Antonio about 30 minutes later. We join about 12 other diverted flights. We sit. We were originally supposed to land at DFW a bit after 5 p.m. It is after 7 p.m. now. We get refueled. We sit. The pilot gives us updates, but he doesn’t know what is going to happen either. I text my sister and find out they were diverted to Austin. They sat on the tarmac for 45 minutes before being refueled. [She later texts me they finally left Austin and landed safely in Houston.] Also while sitting on the tarmac, I call and email the petting company I use to get someone out to feed Ferdinand. Luckily they are fantastic and could and did even though by the time I called it was well after office hours.

Finally the pilot tells us the crew has reached the end of their duty tour and are not allowed legally to fly anymore. We are going to a gate and have to go through customs. We taxi to a gate and sit. They have to find a jetway operator. We disembark and go to customs. We wait for our luggage because I am quite sure there was no one over there to get it to us. We go through customs, and I wonder exactly how fast and how they got the customs officers there because San Antonio is not a bustling international airport, and I have my doubts that any international flight was expected. We are officially in the country around 10 p.m., and now we go stand in line for over two hours at the ticket desk while they patiently help us individually to get us to our final destination.

When I finally get to speak to a ticket agent, it is midnight. My connecting flight from DFW to DCA has already been cancelled, and the airline app helpfully informs me I have been rebooked on a flight, but it can’t seem to recognize that I am in San Antonio not DFW. I tell the ticket agent to just get me to the Washington DC area. We start with DCA and Dulles, but the earliest she can get me there is midnight of the next day (i.e. 24 hours later). She finds me a flight to Baltimore that gets in around 6 p.m. More inconvenient, but I take it because everything is booked with all the cancelled and diverted flights. She gives me a voucher for a nearby hotel as well as all my boarding passes.

I get to the hotel sometime before 1 a.m., and I am on a 8:45 flight to DFW. The airport promises to be a madhouse with all the diverted passengers as well as normal holiday travel, so I know I need to get up early. I think I got 3.5 hours sleep, but at least I got a shower and a little bit of sleep.

The airport is a madhouse the next day. My flight as well as a few others are considered to be the continuation of the flights from yesterday. They are not planned flights, so are not showing up on boards, and I have to ask to find my gate. I am fairly sure it is the same plane and crew. I arrive safely in DFW to a madhouse that made San Antonio look calm. DFW is packed. Everyone’s gates keep changing. Flights keep being delayed. Flight crews are just as confused as everyone else. I overheard a pilot say he was called to come fly this morning on overtime pay because he wasn’t scheduled to work, but he doesn’t have a plane or crew. Flights have crews but no plane. Planes don’t have crews or gates. Gate agents are amazingly calm even when it is clear they are just as much in the dark as everyone else. Electrical outlets are hot property. Restaurants are selling lots of alcohol.

I have three or four hours between flights. My gate changed at least two times. My flight was delayed by at least a half hour. I get lunch. I get to my gate, and blessedly finally, I get to board, and we are on our way to Baltimore. We are warned that we will hit turbulence over Tennessee over the same storm cell that reeked havoc yesterday. We do hit a little rough air, but nothing compared to yesterday. Finally, finally, I land at BWI at 6 or 6:30.

Just as wonderfully, my luggage arrives also. I find out how to get to the MARC trains (commuter train between Baltimore and DC) and make a mad dash to the train. I make it with about 10 minutes to spare. If I hadn’t made that one, I would have had to wait another two hours. I could have tried to catch an Amtrak train at that same station, but Amtrak is more expensive, and it could be sold out with the holiday travel. It is a over 30-minute ride to DC. Finally I arrive at Union Station. I get a Lyft. I get home. I have never been so happy to be home from vacation. Ever.

So how was your Christmas vacation?