There and Back

Posted on December 30, 2017 by vanbraman

This morning I got up early and headed to the airport to take a quick flight that was just there and back.

I needed to have just one more flight to fulfill the requirements for the next level of frequent flier status.

I had told myself a long time ago that I would probably never do this, but the benefits outweighed the costs of the flight that I took this morning. The six global upgrades will be worth it in the long run.

Early morning flight, Cold Weather, To the airportI had to be up early this morning and on the road so that I could get to the airport for a 6:30 flight. I also had to have time to park my car and get to the terminal. It was much cheaper to park at my normal lot and pay for a days parking than park at the terminal.

Lights, Terminal, Airport, SFO, Waiting for flightHere I am waiting for my flight. They have some interesting lights in the recently renovated section of the United terminal at SFO.

Upgrade, First Class, United Airlines, Full FlightOf course flying so soon after Christmas meant that the flights were still full. I was hoping for a complimentary upgrade and had been first on the upgrade list since I had checked in. I kept watching my app and just as they started boarding I got the upgrade. It was nice to relax a bit on the short flight.

Los Angeles, LAX, International Airport, Iconic StructuresYou should be able to tell from this picture where I flew to this morning. Here is the “Theme Building” at LAX. At one time it was to be the centerpiece of a futuristic airport, but the project was scaled down. Today it is just an observation deck, but at one time it was a restaurant. With the airport security today it is difficult to access quickly, so does not get visited much.

United Jets, Planes, LAX, Boarding AreaI did not have a lot of time before my return flight, but did get a walk in as I wandered the concourses and took some pictures.

I was also watching my app to see if I would get an upgrade on the return flight. I was number three on the list after the last upgrade went through. I guess it was better to miss it by a few than to be the first to not get an upgrade. However, I was able to get moved to a better seat as the upgrades went through.

I napped for a good part of the hour long flight.

SFO Concourses, Planes, Conveyor Belts, SFO MuseumI was soon heading toward the exit at SFO. I even walked across the sky bridge area instead of taking the moving walkways. This allowed me to stop and look at a few of the SFO Museum exhibits and also take a picture of the planes at the International terminal.

We got in about 20 minutes early and I was out of the airport and on the shuttle to pick up my car before we were even scheduled to land.

Then I had a nice drive home as traffic was a bit less with it being a Saturday.

When I got home I took a long nap 🙂

Now to finish my study for my lesson tomorrow. It has been a long day, but it will be worth it when I get those upgrades on 12 hour+ flights.

Steven

 

Posted in California, transportation, Travel | Tagged , , , , , , | 3 Comments

Cold Outside

Posted on December 29, 2017 by vanbraman

On Facebook tonight I have seen a lot of posts about how cold it will be over the next few days.

Here in California it is a bit cold, but nowhere near as cold as it will be for my friends back in Nebraska, Iowa, Kansas and Missouri.

Iowa Winter, Frank Miller, Editorial Cartoon, Iowa, Farm in SnowIowa will definitely get some snow as is usual during Iowa in Winter, but they will get much colder temperatures than normal this weekend.

Coldest Temps, Norfolk Nebraska, 20 below, cold, burrTonight I am thinking of the coldest temperatures that I have ever experienced. Back in the early 90’s when I lived in Nebraska I was in Norfolk doing some work at the hospital when the weather forecast showed that a big blizzard was to come through. I decided to stay in Norfolk instead of attempting to drive home to Lincoln, but couldn’t find a hotel room. Fortunately a friend at Nebraska Christian College helped me arrange for a place to stay.

The temperatures made it down to less than -20 degrees that night. Luckily I was inside and warm but my car was out in the cold. The next day we had to pull the car into the garage to let it warm up enough so that I could get it started and head for home.

Cold Temps, Norfolk, Under Zero, Zero degreesI looked to see what the temperatures were going to be in Norfolk this weekend. It will only get down to -6 degrees but it will feel much colder than that. I am glad that I am not there.

Cold Temps, Linn, Missouri, Parents, Cold SnapI checked to see how cold it would be getting where my parents live. They will only get down to 11 degrees there. Still, would rather be here, especially as I am going out for a walk as soon as I get this post written. It is only 46 degrees here, but I will bundle up a bit.

I am actually going to fly south in the morning to where it is a bit warmer, but will not be going outside as I will be flying back right away. More on that later 🙂

Jena, Germany, Winter, Cold Weather, Snow, Ice, RainI will however be getting nasty weather next week as I will be flying to Germany to teach a course. I will arrive on Thursday night so will get a bit of cold rain and maybe even see some snow on the weekend. Luckily I will be inside most of the time.

Keep warm and bundle up if you do need to go outside.

I know what I would be doing. I would be curled up with a good book.

Steven

 

Posted in California, Culture, Nature, Seasons | Tagged , , , , , , , | Leave a comment