AIR TRAVEL FROM HELL

Can anyone answer this question - "When did air travel go from a civilized way to reach a destination to a fucking nightmare?" People used to dress up to travel. It was exciting to board an aircraft, enjoy the service & jet off to places unknown. You actually had room to stretch out a little. Often times the planes weren't full so you had a whole row to yourself. They fed you a basic meal & you usually arrived at your destination relaxed & ready to enjoy your vacation.

Well - not anymore!  Eleven days ago we flew to Boston for a road trip that ended in Philadelphia. The flights to Boston were uneventful but not terribly comfortable. They were packed & every year it seems they take away another inch of legroom. That's okay if you're 5'4" like me but not if you  are 6'3" like Lou. Every plane is completely full. The only time you are fed something that could possibly be construed as a meal is on an international flight. Domestic flights you are on your own for food. And at airport prices, it is as bad as ballparks but without the ball game to watch!

But we know all that & do our best to take it in stride since air travel is still the quickest way to reach the other side of our country. Even with delays & issues & being packed in like sardines, you can travel 3000 miles in less that a day. I try to keep that in mind.

Occasionally, you have the travel day from hell. Today (or yesterday actually) was one of those days. We left Philadelphia at 1:15 PM Eastern time - at least that was the scheduled time with a one hour layover in Dallas before arriving in Sacramento just before 6 PM Pacific time. The entire country has been in a heat wave which translates to thunderstorms & turbulent weather back east.

Our first flight was delayed about 30 minutes, however, the captain assured us they could make up the time for a close to on time arrival in Dallas. But we sat & we sat & we sat on the tarmac. What the hell is tarmac anyway? Isn't it just asphalt? We had to reroute because of "weather" & finally took off almost two hours late. I figured the chances of making our connection were slim to none. Our only hope was that the connecting flight was also delayed. Didn't happen.

We immediately checked with an agent in Dallas & yes, as I expected, our flight to Sacramento was long gone. There were two other flights to Sacramento that we could standby on but the odds were not good since they were sold out. She booked us on a morning flight out but we could either sleep in the airport or try to find a room at our expense. Tons of flights were delayed or cancelled due to the inclement weather.

At the gate for the first standby flight, we noticed a flight to Las Vegas that was now boarding that had been delayed, also. I asked the agent if we could get on that flight & a later flight to Sacramento but she was one step ahead of me already checking that. Three other people were in the same predicament as us. Two agents went above & beyond getting us on that flight with a 10 PM connection from Vegas to Sacramento. We would get in at 11:35 PM. A hell of a lot better than tomorrow sometime. As we ran to the gate, they announced a cancellation of a flight to Atlanta. The agents literally groaned.

The flight to Las Vegas sat on the tarmac for another hour since flights were backed up but it didn't matter since we had hours to kill in Vegas. That also meant we could eat a real dinner since I was resigned to my evening meal consisting of wine & peanuts.

We were literally the last ones on the flights from Dallas to Las Vegas and from Las Vegas to Sacramento so Lou & I had center seats a few rows apart. On the final leg leaving at 10:05 PM after a really, really long day, our boarding passes weren't recognized. What the fuck? The gate agent told us to see the woman at the counter. She was helping another man but I interrupted & apologized that we needed help NOW. The customer was gracious & understood. I can totally understand how ordinary people go ballistic. I was close to there!

Fortunately we got on the damn airplane & made it back to Sacramento at 11:30 PM - but our luggage didn't. I expected that to be the case since we had no clue what flights we would be on. We filed a report along with a ton of other passengers & are optimistic that they will deliver our suitcases tomorrow morning.

Now, I am home late at night typing away since we left the air conditioning off during our trip & the nationwide heat wave hit us, too. We returned to a house that was 88 degrees & miserable. Lou went upstairs to bed immediately but there is no way I can sleep in this heat. It is 1:45 AM & 83 degrees now. Maybe I'll actually get to sleep sometime before morning.

A SPORTS MOMENT

Even though I have lived in Sacramento for almost 15 years, I have been & always will be a San Francisco Bay Area sports fan at heart. I lived the first 51 years of my life in the East Bay. As Bay Area sports fanatics we have been blessed with numerous championships over the years.

Back in the 70s, the Oakland A’s won three World Series in a row. The San Francisco Forty-Niners won five Super Bowls during the 1980s earning them the title “Team of the Decade”. Also in the mid-seventies the Golden State Warriors won their first championship. Even the Oakland Raiders, who our family has traditionally always hated, won three Super Bowls during the 70s & 80s. 

We did sustain an almost 20 year drought of Bay Area championships until our San Francisco Giants won the first of three World Series in 2010. They have won the World Series every other year which means this is definitely our year for the fourth Major League Baseball title. Go Giants!

The Golden State Warriors finally won it all again last year, 40 years after their first NBA title. This year they posted the most wins in a regular season of any team EVER in the NBA. We had followed them religiously as they moved through the playoffs & into The Finals. I think most of us just assumed they were so good they would breeze through it all & win their second straight championship in Cinderella fashion. 

But, alas, it was not to be. The Cleveland Cavaliers led by LeBron James played just a little bit better winning it in seven games. I meant to post this a couple weeks ago but life intervened & my time was taken up with my granddaughter, friend visits & vacation planning.

As much as I love sports, in the end it really is just a game, not life or death. It comes down to who played better on a given day. This year, sad as it was a couple weeks ago, the Cavaliers did what they had to do & we didn’t. Life goes on & there is always next year. The Warriors are already planning ahead having just signed superstar Kevin Durant!

Sports has been the primary connection between my dad & me since I was a small child. Over the years we have shared all these championships together along with countless other sporting events.  

I am now 66 & he is 87. In years past he could switch between three sporting events on TV like a real pro never missing a big play. Now, he can barely change channels. Often times he doesn’t know the score & I have to bite my tongue when he just can’t discuss sports like we used to do daily. His interest will wander & he often prefers watching Jeopardy or old movies to a sporting event. He hasn’t been the father I grew up with or my fellow sports fanatic in many years. Our roles have reversed, basically I am the parent & he is the child.  

The Warriors game seven happened to fall on Father’s Day, where they played & lost to the Cavaliers. I was staying with my dad for a week while his caregiver was on vacation. Lou came over to watch the game with us. After the game Lou headed home & my dad says to me, “Let’s have a consolation glass of wine.” 

We love our wine but rarely have any after dinner except for special occasions. So, I said “Sure”, & poured us each a glass of wine. What came next as we watched all the post game press conferences & reporting was almost like it used to be. We talked about many of the above mentioned Bay Area sports championships over the years. He brought up lots of memories that we had shared back in the day. 

For a short time, it almost felt like my dad was back. We were interacting & discussing events almost like we used to do. The irony of it being Father’s Day was not lost on me. We had a definite “sports moment” over a glass of wine or two. Yes, the Warriors lost but for a few minutes I was reminded that the connection between father & daughter was still there.