I reserved a window seat on the left side to get a different view on my morning flight from Portland to Sacramento. Then I forgot to wear my black coat.
Oops! I got lots of glare and reflections.
17A Awaits
Looking forward to the view from 17A. I typically fly on the right side of the plane. This will give me a different view. :-)
Finding Portland: A Love Letter
Some may wonder why I love Portland so much. Finding Portland by Uncage the Soul Productions displays just some of the beauty that is Portland and its surrounding areas and is a good answer to those asking.
Come and visit. Stay awhile. I bet you’ll fall in love, too.
Hat tip: Rick Turoczy of Silicon Florist.
The View from 10B
I didn’t get a window seat flying from Sacramento to Portland this evening,1In fact, only two people got on the plane after I did on a packed-to-the-wings 737. but as the sun was setting, I had to pull out my camera.2Actually, Suzi’s camera, but I was borrowing it to see how I like it. The spring breaking3Must be nice… :-) college student sitting next to me lowered her book and leaned back so I had a clear view out the window.4Though not until looking out the window and exclaiming, “Oh, beautiful!” Absolutely.
Nice! :-)
- 1In fact, only two people got on the plane after I did on a packed-to-the-wings 737.
- 2Actually, Suzi’s camera, but I was borrowing it to see how I like it.
- 3Must be nice… :-)
- 4Though not until looking out the window and exclaiming, “Oh, beautiful!” Absolutely.
- 1
A View From 17E
I’m looking forward to when 7:30 pm is still light out.
A View From 16E
Another trip to Folsom for work. Having a window seat, I spent most of my time watching the ground fly by.
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Headed Home: Planes, Trains, and Buses
My trip home from Folsom was, shall we say, “eventful.” Leaving the Folsom site shortly after 5 pm, traffic through downtown Sacramento was light, dropping off the rental car was easy, and TSA was quick and professional. I boarded the plane and settled in to read my new book, The Cosmic Landscape. Then, somehow, something changed…
The plane’s chimes wouldn’t work. They kept ringing while we pretended to ignore them. Rather than have us wait in the chime-challenged plane, Horizon Air “de-planed” us so we could wait in the terminal. Two hours later,1And with 2,000 bonus miles in our frequent flyer accounts. we were back on the plane and headed for Portland.
Upon landing at PDX, now 11:30, I texted Ashley. Unfortunately, she was unable to pick me up as planned. The driveway was too steep and the snow too slick. “Not a problem,” thought I. I’ll just take light rail from the airport to Hillsboro.
So I bought an “all zones” ticket and boarded MAX. What luck! I was on a train that would take me all the way to Beaverton before having to transfer.
A frozen switch at the Rose Quarter delayed MAX for a few minutes until someone came to free it.
As we approached the Beaverton transit center, now nearly 1 am, the driver said the train was stopping at 170th. Not only that, this was the last train of the night. Anyone who wanted to continue to Hillsboro needed to get off now and transfer to the 57 bus.
Now I’m not an experienced TriMet rider, but I was able to find the 57 bus stop, check the schedule, and see the next bus was scheduled for 1:03 AM — less than five minutes away! Oops! I had forgotten it was snowing and the buses were using chains. The bus was going to be more than five minutes away.2At least it wasn’t the bus I saw pulling away as I crossed MAX’s tracks. That would have me waiting another hour in the falling snow for the next 57 bus.
Finally, the bus arrived, and the driver said my all zones pass was good to go. We all3It’s amazing how many people ride the bus at 1:30 in the morning. boarded and headed west to Hillsboro. I found a TriMet map on the seat across the aisle and discovered the bus was headed right by the hospital where Suzi was working the night. Hallelujah!
After what seemed like hours, cruising along TV Highway at 20-25 mph with the vibrations from the chained tires lulling me to sleep, we arrived in Hillsboro. I asked the driver if the next stop was the closest to the hospital’s ER entrance. Having exposed my public transit cluelessness, two passengers were eager to help. No, it was the stop after the next stop that I wanted. They pointed out the windows into the falling snow, prompted me when to pull the cable, and wished me a pleasant morning. I think they would have held my hand and helped me down the stairs, had I asked. I thanked them all.
Crossing the street at the intersection4Though not waiting for the walk sign. There’s not a lot of traffic at 2 am. and entering under the Emergency sign, I texted Suzi and sat down to wait. I was too tired to read.5Besides, my new book is not the easiest to read when tired. Photons, quarks, and W-bosons … oh my! ;-)
Suzi came around the corner, gave me a hug and the car keys. I again crossed the street to the parking garage and found the car.
Pulling out into the snow, I slickly discovered why the buses wore chains. I slipped and slid the whole way home and pulled into the driveway around 2:30.
I arrived home 9.5 hours after leaving Folsom.6In good weather with clear roads, I can drive from Folsom to Hillsboro in 9.5 hours.
- 1And with 2,000 bonus miles in our frequent flyer accounts.
- 2At least it wasn’t the bus I saw pulling away as I crossed MAX’s tracks. That would have me waiting another hour in the falling snow for the next 57 bus.
- 3It’s amazing how many people ride the bus at 1:30 in the morning.
- 4Though not waiting for the walk sign. There’s not a lot of traffic at 2 am.
- 5Besides, my new book is not the easiest to read when tired. Photons, quarks, and W-bosons … oh my! ;-)
- 6In good weather with clear roads, I can drive from Folsom to Hillsboro in 9.5 hours.
A View From 19A
After checking in for my flight, I was disappointed to discover two things: (1) I’m not an MVP this year so I won’t get to sit in the better seats, and (2) I was assigned an aisle seat. As I was feeling sorry for myself, I remembered I could go to the counter and see if a window seat was still available. Why, yes there was. In fact, there were three. Score!
3E and Me
The trip to Sacramento was uneventful. Well, maybe not quite. I did sit by Tim, who works sqrt(2) cubes from me, and learn what he does. And I was able to identify Mt. Thielsen, the unknown peak from last week’s post.
Success!
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Photos From November 2
Going out to my car this morning, I glanced up. Orion hung in the sky, directly south. I love this time of year!
Traffic was light. I parked in PDX’s blue lot and waited for the shuttle bus. The weather was freezing1 and the shuttle shelter was all covered in dew.1Dewed!
My point and shoot was in my shirt pocket, so I pulled it out, pointed, and shot.
An engine shot completes the triptych, the sun and camera conniving to make the engine’s black strip appear red.
- 1and the shuttle shelter was all covered in dew.1Dewed!
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