I'm going flying!!!

I've always wanted to try flying (a plane that is). Since my childhood I'd been fascinated by planes and how they can take us to far away places... Then I got lucky (this was pure luck in my opinion - more on that in one of my future books, but the hint is it was all thanks to a friend who became as close as a brother to me after he sent me a ticket to see his country, Belgium) and got on a plane when I was 18. Since that day, every time I get on a plane I enjoy and appreciate it (yes, even the middle seat!): the fact that we can get to places miles away in a matter of hours, and that in general we are somewhat comfortable (cushion, air, drinking water in general, and sometimes even entertainment and crackers!). Personally the fact that I have been able to go from one place to another in so many planes... never ceases to amaze me. Before September 11 I even used to go to National Airport just to watch the planes land, taxi, and take off, I like them that much...

Once you know you like planes, you wonder how it feels to fly them. Especially if you are the curious and wonderous (!) type like me. And of course if you have a long list of things you want to try before you die... Anyway, once I met a pilot in Blue Lake (Idaho-Utah border) who was going to fly up to Jackson Hole for the day, but the timing was bad for me as I had only two days to go back to Denver, and by car that is... So I had to pass but still felt the pain of it. Then I met my friend Bob, and learned that he's been taking flying lessons and goes for flights to add more flying hours to his book... He's invited me before, but I always had other commitments, and had to very unwillingly turn him down. Finally today, when he e-mailed me at 4 and told me he was going at 6, I said yes, and as soon as I said yes, the questions started popping up in my head: "uh oh, is it safe?" "will I get sick?" "should I eat?" "why did I eat that salad?" "Should I eat bread?" "what if something goes wrong?" "was this really a good idea?" Fortunately, I didn't have a lot of time to think about it further, and after wrapping up couple of e-mails I found myself heading to meet him. One of the best ways of doing this kind of thing is to say "yes" last minute and get busy so you can't even think and get excited or nervous... So, in a matter of 20-25 minutes, we were at the gates of Montgomery County Air Park, and after my friend punched in his code, in the airport!!! For a while we looked for "our" plane, there were at least 50 planes around and I had no idea about what we had to look for except for a couple of numbers. He explained to me the differences between some of the planes on the ground, which I can basically recall as "small and old planes" and "small and new planes" even though he went into much more detail than that. Once we found our plane, we parked the car couple steps away, checked the plane, untied the ropes that held it in place, and within a matter of minutes, I was in a plane on the tarmack full of excitement! The display and the buttons looked very confusing, but frankly, less scary than the commercial airlines'. We approached the runway, got permission, and within seconds we were in the air - which I must say was totally smooth thanks to my friend's wonderful take-off skills. Normally I love the big energy and rush of the take-off in a commercial plane, but on this, I didn't even feel it, that's why I probably didn't feel anything at first, but then, I found that I was elated! Another thing off my list, a wonderful feeling of being very alive, and just enjoying the moment as long as I can because you know you never get that "first time" feeling again with anything. It was much quieter, smoother, and nicer than I expected. It was also comfortable and easy (I don't mean to make it sound light, it is a very complicated process, but if you're trained, you certainly can do it was my take on it, and of course my friend Bob made it look easy, too!)

Since his main goal was to practive his landing and take-off skills, we weren't up in the air too long, but overall long enough to give me a good perspective - and hold the command controls!!! Let me tell you, it is much harder than it seems, and there is so much to pay attention to! I am sure you get used to it once you've done it a number of times, but I don't think it is as easy as driving - don't even think about joking about it with a pilot!

We circled around, landed and took off a couple times - called "touch and go" in the lingo - and eventually after 55 minutes, we were on the ground again. Bob taxied back to our parking spot and guess what is next... we got off the plane and pushed it back!!! Apparently planes don't have mechanisms to move them backwards, so it has to be pushed either by manpower or engines, which is one of the reasons why you see so much activity around the commercial planes when it is pulling off the gate (note to self: watch closer next time you are at the airport). Fortunately, our plane was small enough to push it back easily (and my friend confessed that it was the main reason why he had invited me), and once we tied the ropes to hold it in place, we were back on the road. Just to think that in the same time I would probably have spent just checking in and going through security at a commercial airport, I'd taken off and landed including a 55-minute flight, was a point to be considered. I am not sure how much the whole thing costs, but there definitely are some savings in the end whether it is time or sanity, if not money. For my own sake, I still like big airplanes even though I probably will never get a chance to see how they are operated. On an even more positive note, this flight reconfirmed my love of driving. There are less unknowns and risks for one thing... And I can open my windows (or the roof) and enjoy the ride for another... And probably the best part: if I see something I like I can pull to the side, make an abrupt turn, or simply pull in front of it without getting permission - that is something to be celebrated! So, when I was back in my BMW, I opened the windows and the sunroof and smiled at the stars. I may be further away from them, but I like that I can look at them as long as I want (off the road that is) and with the wind in my hair...

P.S. This may sound weird, but before I left the house I caught a good friend of mine on Skype and told her where I was going and that if something happened to me nobody should cry after me. That I was pretty happy with my life, and I'd be doing something I liked (live life and experience new things that is) if things went wrong. I also gave her instructions to tell people who mattered to me that they did. Pretty good place to be if you move on to another dimension, isn't it?

Memorial Day Weekend in DC

When you are known as "the traveler," people expect you to be traveling all the time, especially during major holidays. However, I insist on staying at home and enjoying Washington D.C. area as much as I can during those times. To appreciate other places, first, you have to appreciate what you have! As much as I'd like to live in the West, for the time being I happen to like DC, especially in the spring and the fall (for those of you not familiar with DC climate, we have hot and humid summers, and cold, damp, and dreadful winters - especially for the past couple of years!). This year our spring seems to be holding out around even after May 21st. So, when everybody is sitting in their cars on 95, or waiting in security lines at the airports, I am out to discover DC; and since we are so concerned about both gas prices and environmental impact, I choose to head out on my bike, which in the end costs me nothing but about 1000 calories, definitely a good thing after the beer tasting experiences I've had in the last couple of days!

Since I am not a big fan of road biking, and I am very familiar with how irritated drivers get on a Friday before a long weekend, I stay away from major roads. Instead, I head down Swains Lock (in Potomac area) and pick up the trail there, heading East towards downtown. In mid afternoon, with cool and dry temperatures, the day turns out to be the perfect day for biking. An added bonus: with most people heading out of town, the trails are not as crowded as they normally are. I simply pedal along the canal, in no rush, but to observe the pretty scenery. I see families, friends, couple strolling along, couple other people biking or running, but mostly people enjoying a nice day outdoors. I also meet couple of duck families, teaching their ducklings how to swim in a row, or stay away from the path. When some of my smiles are countered with protective hisses, I find myself pedaling a little faster, and thankfully I don't encounter any attacks... Even though all I expected was a nice day by the canal, it turns out that my trip also involves encounters with squirrels, couple horses, and most importantly a big bird my know-it-all friend calls "Great Blue Heron" [I am no expert when it comes to birds, insects, and flowers, but thankfully, I carry a camera with me at all times, so I can ask my-know-it-all friend -a name I gave to him after my peculiar and interesting questions and always getting an answer with a smile-. This must be one of the disadvantages of moving to a new country after high school, you don't get anybody who'll take the time to explain you which bird is which and which flower is what... oh well, that's a totally different blog!]

In addition, my tires find their way to Georgetown, and somehow I end up on the other side of the trail than the one I usually take, and find myself right by the narrow end of the canal in Georgetown. Apparently, the canal looks prettier when you're on your bike and have been pedaling on it for more than ten miles. Stopping along the rail, I admire the facades of historic buildings, and the colorful flowers that hang happily on the window boxes. The trail is almost empty, and I think I even caught a couple of smiles and waves from the flowers because I happen to raise my eyes and notice them which makes me smile. I wave back silently, and they smile back...

Eventually, I end up at the park by the water and continue to admire the beauty of our city, as well as the pretty spring day. The sun shimmers on the river, Kennedy Center stands proudly by the water, and a plane takes off in the distance tempting me to go further, as far as the National Airport, and possibly Alexandria. But I know this is the first ride of the season for me, and if I make it any further, I'll have trouble finding my way back home before the sunset. So, I slowly head back, enjoying and admiring the scenery one more time...

Now, about eight hours later, I realize one more time how wise that decision was, since I can feel how sore my legs are even when I'm sitting on the couch. I'm sure I'll appreciate it even more when I climb the stairs to go to the bedroom, and especially tomorrow when I get out of bed. All I need now is a hot tub, which will have to wait until another trip. Yet, I can still smile thinking about the green world I've passed through, the ducklings learning to swim in line, the smiley flowers on the window boxes in Georgetown, and the beautiful city we happen to live in. Only if we appreciated it a little more...

A Pleasant Experience at BWI

Like most busy people who live close to DC, I hated going to BWI airport for years. As a matter of fact, I can't remember the last time I flew out of there. If my memory serves me right, it must have been in 2000. Since then, I fought out hard any time it showed up on my screen as an option. I found ways of ignoring it, and bypassing it (and flying out of Reagan National Airport (DCA) in most cases). However, last week, no matter how much I tried, I couldn't find a reasonable fare, even with connections, to go to Atlanta (another pet peeve of mine is Air Tran, so it was not an option, even with non-stop flights, and it was only about $50 less expensive than other Atlanta flights from DCA). Eventually, I had to admit defeat, and book a connecting flight from BWI with a :-( on my face. Frankly, I was hoping that some kind of divine intervention would happen - rain, snow, the person I'm meeting cannot make it, the planes go on strike, the car doesn't start... Unfortunately, none of those happened, so, 40 minutes after leaving my home, I was at the Express for Less Parking lot which I found on the BWI airport website (http://www.bwiairport.com/) The good news is, this lot is practically next to the airport, however, it is faster than the airport parking because you don't have to look for a parking spot for too long, and most importantly, you don't have to drag your luggage. A bus/van show up at your vehicle as soon as you park, takes your bags, and drops you at the airport in less than 5 minutes. As you board, the driver gives you a small paper with the parking space number on it - what a nice thought! Once I was at the airport, with my carry on bag and boarding pass in hand, I was in the security lane in less than 3 minutes, and went through the lane in less than another 5. I don't know about you, but in the past 5 years, I do not remember any time I went from the entrance of the airport to behind security in less than 20-30 minutes. This, at mid-day (my flight was at 11:40) was such a delight, I could vaguely remember that about an hour ago, due to an accident on the beltway, I had given up the idea that I would catch my flight. Now, I had so much time that, I could even get breakfast! (Before going through security, I also noticed that most self check-in machines were available with minimal lines - when was the last time you saw that???)

The story wasn't that different on the way back. First, our flight was early, and the gate was available (I'm not sure who shoud take credit for this, but no matter who, it was a pleasant experience to be able to walk out rather than sit on the tarmack and wait for our gate) Once I left the gate, the only thing that stopped me was a lady from Air Tran who was giving away flowers because of approaching mother's day. Even though I told her I was neither a customer nor a mother, she insisted that I take the flowers, and of course I did, can you imagine anything more pleasant than getting flowers upon arrival at the airport? Once out the gate area, 2 more minutes to get out of security, straight out the door in 30 more seconds, and was waving at the Express Lane bus in less than a minute. I was so pleasantly surprised at the experience that I didn't even notice that I had walked out the Departure doors instead of the Arrival area (lower level). Yet, the Express Parking driver was friendly enough to pick me up and remind me to use the lower level next time. This is the time when that little paper they give you while they pick you up becomes handy. Instead of telling the driver the number, you give him the little paper, and you are back at your car in less than 5 minutes. To me this is one of the most efficient ways of getting in and out of the airport. I could hardly believe that I was out of the parking lot at 1:20pm when I had a flight that arrived at 1:05 pm (scheduled for 1:15, another kudos for USAir, and one more reason to smile for me). As I drove back towards I-95, I looked at the flowers that lied on my passenger seat and smiled - glad that I had given a chance to this airport. As one of my life mottos says - everything happens for a reason, and this time it was for me to see BWI. If the flight times are convenient, and you are getting a better fare I suggest you also give it a shot, and you may be pleasantly surprised!

Note: Please take into consideration rush hour, events in the area, holidays etc. to make sure you are not going to sit on 495 or I-95 to get to BWI. During such times flying out of Dulles or Reagan might make more sense thanks to the metro, or Dulles Access Road. Of course, if you are close to MARC train or Greenbelt metro station, you may also consider other transportation options to BWI.