And then the alarm went off when the chickens were still asleep. Hastily dressing, I finished getting ready for my trip. Somewhat bright-eyed and bushytailed, my friend arrived to return the favor [a trip to the airport].
This was my first time flying “stand-by” and I was not sure what to expect.
When you begin your journey before 6:00am, stand-by must not be much of an issue. There were at least eight empty seats on one of those 2x1 seating arrangement planes…just a tad bigger than a Cessna.
My first stop was Dallas/Ft Worth and it all seemed smooth sailing…in fact they decided to put me in First Class for the next leg to Omaha. Did I mention it was First Class? There’s a first for everything. I think I could get used to the extra pampering, if only I could get used to being rich…oh yeah, I have to get rich first.
We boarded the plane, they shut the door, and…delay. There was a mechanical problem with the luggage compartment. We sat and waited [I snoozed] for over an hour. But hey, at least I was being delayed in First Class.
I arrived in Omaha, and without backtracking too much, let’s just say that I did not have reservation for a rental car to take me to Lincoln. The only thing available in the entire airport was either a minivan, or an SUV…for the shallow, cheap price of $110 per day, with only a 30 minute late return window. Fortunately a kind car rental lady informed me that a car rental company across town had something more in my price range…the hang-up was getting across town. I had to take a taxi [what a necessary evil in the world…taxi cabs]. Once I got across town, I was hooked up with a nifty little Kia sedan.
Because I had time to kill before I could check into my nightly abode, I decide to take in a couple of sites in Omaha. I went to the Mormon, Winter Quarters Church History Site. It was a wonderful place to be in the middle of an unfamiliar land. The Temple across the street was a beauty to behold as well.
With time passing, so did my stay in Omaha as I headed west, southwest, to Lincoln just an hour away. As I drove, I was amazed at the landscape. It was like God’s solidified version of the ocean. The rolling hills went on and on, of all shapes and sizes.
I checked into my room, rested up a bit, and went to see if I could navigate the town well enough to find the company I would be paying a visit to tomorrow. Lincoln must have been planned by the town drunk or by a pack of tornados…either would have appeared just as haphazard. But don’t get me wrong, Lincoln is a pretty town. I’m sure the locals know all the ins and outs and turns of the town. My persistence paid off and I found my destination and figured out how to snake my way there in fifteen minutes versus half an hour.
More updates to come…