11,000 Miles and Nine Time Zones

I wrote this post on Saturday, October 25 as I was traveling home from Botswana:

I arrived at the airport in Gaborone yesterday (Friday) at about 12:30 p.m., so that was my official start on my trip home. After a several hour stopover and change of planes in Johannesburg, a 1-hour plane-refueling/seatmate change-out in Dakar, a 1:30-hour plane change and layover in New York, and blasting off in yet another jet, it is now 6:41 p.m. in Botswana. On Saturday. We should land in another 3:00 hours, and then it’s just a bit more than an hour or so to home. So, doing the math, that means my commute home will be 34 hours long. If I was just driving to and fro’ the office each day, that would last me for about two months.

I’m not complaining. Just doing the math. The silver lining is, er, the silver. As in, it pays the bills. Oh yeah, and I get about 30,000 FF miles (including some bonuses) that I have little interest in using. Yes, these are the thoughts one has when they are chained to a seat for 26 hours of air time. I can’t imagine what it would have been like back in coach (with no scampi).

Since this trip was all about work, I didn’t even have time to do anything interesting. I might as well have gone to Memphis. Of course you can’t get Sesswa in Memphis. And people look at you funny if you say “Cheerio!” Ha ha! Ya’ll know I will get my chance to go back to Memphis soon enough!

Truth be told, I am really happy to be going home.

I brought my Amazon Kindle along on the trip (as I did last time). I read a couple of books (plus bits of other) and downloaded and read the NY Times a couple of times. What a great travel companion! Unfortunately, the “2-week” battery (if you don’t have the wireless receiver/transmitter on) was too weak to get me through these seven days. The battery just died on this final JFK-SFO leg and I didn’t bring the charger along. Oh well, I still think it’s a great way to bring reading material on the road.

We just flew over Denver, and then Golden, CO. I remember when I was living there as a kid (my first year or so of life), it sure didn’t look like that! What, you can’t remember your first year? Sorry to hear that, I think age might be catching up with you.

BTW, the “M” in Golden looked nicely maintained, and there is snow on Pikes Peak and Mt. Democrat.

After arriving at home, spending some time with Lori and Cookie, I managed to get out for a run on the mountain. It was a perfect, 75 degree afternoon run. It is so nice to be home!