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Tuesday, September 18, 2012

My blog for 9/18/2012 Travel by RV or Plane

My own personal 2200 mile travel experience was a good one, since I flew a US Airways flight with a layover at the Phoenix airport for only one hour.  San Diego's airport is a little daunting when it's full, especially since there is absolutely no parking anywhere at the airport.  Somebody has to let you out at the curb and kiss you good bye because the new parking buildings they're constructing are still not finished and they've blocked every other access to cars.  Then you're on your own to find your way.  Fortunately it's not difficult if you've ever flown before.  Meanwhile the Phoenix Airport is a lot of fun and not hard to find your way through to whatever gate you need.  But an hour is a good layover because it's quite a distance between gates.

Atlanta's Hartsfield Airport is daunting, even for a seasoned traveler, especially if you've never been there.  I advise studying a map of the place before trying your hand at finding your way around.  The only way from the plane to the terminal is underground tram (unless you want to walk four miles).
And when you understand how it works it makes a lot of sense.

OR, like the Darrel and Abby, you could drive 2300 miles, spend the first day going across the desert in blowing sand storms that threaten to tear off your skin and sandblast your vehicle.  The second day, as you cross from New Mexico into Texas the monsoon fall rains begin to pelt you for the two days it takes to get across Texas.  The Mississippi roads are so bad they can flip a bowl out of the sink in a trailer onto the floor.  Then, from Birmingham, Alabama to Atlanta the freeway is  under permanent construction and is cut to one 9-ft. lane which includes all the 18-wheelers, cars, RVs and motor bikes snailing along in the wind, rain and pitch dark.  It takes more courage than I have.  Of course, if one knew it was going to stay like that for 20 years, maybe it would not have been attempted.  It just stands to reason it won't happen absolutely every time you try the drive over 20 years.  But I'm here to tell you it does.

I got to do that a few times with Darrel and a trailer and stressed out so badly that I can't face it again. Highway 10 to Highway 20 across this great nation is caustic and scary.  We had occasion to run into the same thing on Highway 40 coming from the west to home twice too.  Equally awful--and it always seems to happen in the dark and wind and rain.  No wonder I have gray hair.

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