The trip... ;)
This will be fairly long, so here is a .
My flight to the US was pretty uneventful. It has been a while since I last flew AirNZ. I have found then to be more expensive in the past, but the direct flight to San Francisco is certainly worth it. I have done plenty of flights in and out of the US in the past, nearly all through LAX. I really hate LAX. Anyway, I was quite pleased with AirNZ. I managed to get some sleep, but most of the time I watched movies and read a book.
I was met at the SFO airport by roofae and skylerbunny, and we went back to findra's place. After a little rest, roofae, skylerbunny, findra, spaceroo, austin-dern, oliver-otter and myself all went to the Outback for the stag night. That was followed by videos at Spaceroo's house. We watched, amongst others, MST3K, Superfriends, Rodger Ramjet and (my favourite) Danger Mouse. By the end of the night only Spaceroo and myself were still drinking.
The next day, Roofus and me went to the local mall. Vallco Fashion Park hasn't changed too much since I was there last year. It is still in it's death throes, but they are hoping to revive it. Anyway, Legends (a comic book store) is still going and I managed to get a nice little card game. Later that night, when Skyler, and the others returned I tried to introduce them to it, with mixed results. A pizza party happened that evening, and it gave everyone a chance to meet each other. It was the first time I had the opportunity to meet Spaceroo's fiancee, Dawn. Also there was portia_lee, Dawn's maid of honour.
The following morning was the wedding. I have been to several weddings, but this was the first outdoor wedding and the first that involved a steam train ride to and from the (Redwood) chapel. It was a beautiful day, and the ceremony was certainly unique. I felt slightly embarrassed when both Spaceroo and his new wife, Dawn, expressed their gratitude that I had travelled so far to be there, as I had other motives for travelling in addition to the wedding. After the reception, there was the traditional throwing of the bouquet, and then the throwing of the bride's garter (a tradition I wasn't quite aware of). I was the lucky catcher of the garter: a sign of interesting things to come I was told. I guess we will see about that. ;)
I stayed with Skyler and Findra for a few days following the wedding. While staying there, I did a day trip to San Francisco Airport to meet my sister and her family just as they were heading back to New Zealand. It was good to see them after such a long time. The following day, I was off to Kansas City to meet Kendra (thevixen).
It was so good to see her again, and we spent as much time as possible together (between her working hours). We continued our tradition of watching anime and munching blue cheese, but we also spent much time going out for sushi, Sonic and Taco Bell (not all at once). I suspect Kendra has come to the conclusion I'm addicted to chili-cheesedogs, cherry limeade, and chicken quesedillas. Perhaps I am. I already know I'm a sushi addict.
It was hot when I arrived in KC, but a couple of days afterwards the heatwave really hit. Shortly after, the A/C in Kendra's apartment died. After much complaining, the building management finally sent someone out to refill the A/C unit with freon (but nothing else). It seemed to be a weekly cycle of the A/C failing, Kendra complaining to the office, and someone refilling the unit with freon, but not actually fixing the problem. It was reasonably stressful for Kendra, but aside from being affected by the heat (coming from winter to 110 degree F weather), I dealt with it.
After a couple of weeks in KC, we left on a road trip to Arkansas so I could meet her parents. On the way we detoured through Branson, MO. Branson struck me as a very weird place. It was very touristy, with neon signs and cheesey shows up and down the main strip. It was like a minature version of Las Vegas - only without the casinos. It also struck me that a large number of the shows has some kind of religious theme: a musical version of the Passion and The Gospel Hour dinner-show are two that spring to mind.
Kendra and I settled on a trip to the Titanic Museum and Dolly Parton's Dixie Stampede:
The Titanic Museum was interesting. To start with the exterior was built as a replica of the Titanic - well, almost - they stopped at the first quarter. Driving around the corner to the carpark, the beautiful facade suddenly ends in a corrugated iron wall. The museum itself didn't have a huge number of artifacts (for obvious reasons), but had some items from the sister ship, the Olympic. It was a nice place, but a little too crowded, and not quite what I was hoping for.
Dolly Parton's Dixie Stampede was a dinner show in a similar style to Medieval Times. Everyone was seated around an arena where there show took place. The show itself was based around the Civil War era competition between north and south, with no actual mention of the war itself or the real reasons behind it. Instead, the 'dispute' was settled by a series of horse games, piglet races, rooster racing and even ostrich races (they had ostriches in Civil War era US?). Just like Medieval times, the food was eaten with your hands (under the pretense that people did that back then). The combined singing and equestrian routines tried to be something they quite simply weren't. While I cannot fault their horsemanship, all the performers quite obviously lipsynced to a prerecorded track (even though they all wore microphone headsets). The only exception was the MC, who was (as no surprise) a Dolly Parton lookalike. There were some nice moments, like the part where a gazebo dropped from the roof with several couples on it, dancing and singing all in period costume. Well, it was nice until the lights dimmed and suddenly the costumes lit up with LEDs - pure cheese. The final number was big and patriotic. The people around us stood with their hands over their hearts, while I sat there feeling distinctly out of place and the Kendra sitting next to me quietly cringing. I normally don't mind patriotism, especially in the right place. I'm proud of my country, and I don't mind telling people that. Being in another country or part of a multinational events (like sports) are great places to show your pride in your country. However, such huge displays of patriotism domestically seem rather out of place to me. When I worked on ships, there would be performers who would deliberately end on a patriotic number just to ensure a standing ovation at the end. It only takes one person to stand with his hand over his heart (there is always one), and the rest of the room is up too. At that point it, in a way, it ceases to patriotic but more a conditioned response. Anyway, I digress, and I'll end my little rant right there. Overall, I actually enjoyed the show, but not the way they intended to entertain me. I can't exactly say that we had high hopes when we went there, not with a name like Dolly Parton's Dixie Stampede.
Our accomodation in Branson was wonderful. Kendra had second thoughts when we showed up at what appeared to be someone's house. Nevertheless we were greeted by a very friendly couple and welcomed to Gaines Landing (the name of the place). They were quite surprised to find that I was from New Zealand and asked all the usual questions. They showed us to our room: The Bear's Den. It was a huge room, but it was decorated with a lot of stained wood everywhere. It was instantly cozy. Gaine's Landing did indeed seem to be someone's house that had been converted into three downstairs units for accomodation. However, the owners didn't live there, only arriving early in the morning to prepare breakfast. We had our own private jacuzzi, and we were told we had the entire place to ourselves. If you ever happen to find yourself in Branson, Missouri, go and stay at Gaine's Landing. ;)
The next day we drove to Fayetteville, Arkansas. There we met up with jakebe. He was really nice (and a little crazy too, but in a good way), and we went out to dinner with him that night. We had a great time, and Kendra was happy to see Jakebe before he left to go to California.
After dinner, we carried on to Paris, Arkansas. My first impression was the town hall and square: it looked as if it had been pulled straight out of Back to the Future. Kendra even said that that clock in the tower didn't work. Paris is a very small town (pop. 3707, according to the sign). It was quite a nice place, although most of the stores had been decimated by the arrival of WalMart - quite sad, and apparently quite a common occurence in small town USA.
Kendra's parents were nice people. Her mom seemed friendly, and asked lots of questions about me and New Zealand. Her dad, while being quite deaf, seemed to like me and try his best to have conversations with me. I kept having to bite my tounge, because Kendra still hadn't told her parents that she visited me in NZ. A rather odd situation.
One night, we gathered up a tent and airbed and went camping in a place called Cove Lake. It was lovely camping under the trees with only netting between us and the sky (we took the fly off the tent). We were quite literally sleeping under the stars. I had never seen fireflies before, so that was a new experience as well.
The following day we drove thevixen's parents to Little Rock to visit ther sister and have a family gathering. It was her mother's birthday. It was lovely to be invited into that close family gathering, and I seemed to get on well with everyone there. After driving back to Paris and getting some sleep, we set off again for Kansas City (via Fayetteville where we found a lovely sushi bar).
Back in KC, things returned to normal (aside from further hiccups with the A/C). My last weekend there, we took the tent and the airbed and went camping again. This time to a place called Watkins Mill. The facilities there were wonderful, although the only downside was an idiot who sat there watching movies at full volume in his soft top camper until late at night (why go out into the wilderness camping if all you are going to do is sit in your camper and watch movies?). Around 3am there was a scratching noise that woke me. I grabbed my torch and peeked out. Gathered around the tent were five raccoons, snuffling about for food. I looked at them and they casually looked at me for a few moments before slowly ambling off. Seeing raccoons up that close (for the first time) was very cool. They didn't bother us for the rest of the night though, probably because they heard me get my camera (no photos - pity). The next morning, after taking down the tent, I went swimming in the lake. The water was actually quite warm, and I could have spent all day out there if it wasn't for the fact I sunburn far too easily. We tried to go swimming later at Oceans of Fun, but the place was too crowded to make it very enjoyable.
On the Monday evening, roofae and I went to Worlds of Fun. We spent the evening there riding coasters, from 6pm until the park closed at 10pm. That was a huge blast, and I don't think I have ever seen Roofus have such a good time. In all we had over 14 rides on 6 different coasters/thrill rides. Barely any queues on anything. In many cases we could walk off, walk around and get straight on again. There were even a couple of times the operator just let us sit there and ride again straight away.
From then until Thursday, I started to feel really sad. I knew I had to go, but it didn't make leaving any easier. We woke fairly early on Thursday morning (although not as early as we usually did), and after showering and getting things together, I sat down and checked my email and the news back home. It was then that I found out about the terrorist arrests in London, and the huge new restrictions in cabin baggage. I quickly repacked my cabin bag, taking out the toiletries, and we hurried to the airport (stopping past Sonic along the way for a last minute nibble).
When I arrived at the airport, nearly all the flights were delayed. There was a queue of people at the check in counter, most of whom were complaining, but considering all the sudden new restrictions the line moved quite fast. I did an automated check-in, and the terminal advised me my I would miss my connection, and put me on a later flight to Denver. However, I was still put on a standby list for my initial flight. I was still reasonably happy: I had been bumped up to Economy Plus (5 whole inches of extra leg room - woot). From here on things only got worse.
By this time the queues had grown massively, and the sense of frustration around the airport was almost tangible. News crews had turned up and were starting to do bulletins on the worsening travel situations. We waited around the airport for a while, having a quick coffee, and watching the queues grow going through the checkpoint. They were being very strict.
About ten minutes after my initial flight was originally scheduled to leave, it finally landed. It took them another half an hour to start boarding. We could see through the glass that there was a massive queue of people, each being thoroughly screened by only two TSA guards. On top of that, there was a queue of people at the counter trying to get on the flight.
Since I was already confirmed on the later flight, a further three hour wait, and because the stress of the situation was getting to me, Kendra and I left the airport and headed for the local mall. We only spent an hour there, wandering and talking about various things, but It was good to get away and spend some more time together. By the time we returned, they still had not finished boarding my original flight. It was around then I noticed my bags being prepared to be put on the flight. We raced to the baggage desk and asked about my bags. That was my first time dealing with Jaunita. She was smiling and friendly, despite the obvious stress of the day, but she was quite hopeless. Not exactly her fault, as I found out later she was fresh out of training, but to have her dealing with all of that alone was just wrong. Anyway, after some time my bags were retrieved. My bags had apparently been checked for that flight number only even though I was only on standby (and the flight was full), and I was confirmed on a later flight. My bags were rechecked and I was ready to go again.
This time, there were a few tears as Kendra and I finally said our goodbyes and I went through the security screening. Shortly after that, my original flight left - three hours late. About five minutes after that, my rescheduled flight landed and they prepared for boarding. When they finally started boarding, there was a huge queue of people trying to get on, and again two TSA guards checking everyone's cabin baggage. To say that they were being strict is a bit of an understatement: they were being ruthless. Anything vaguely liquid or gel like was gone. I watched one guard open an old lady's cosmetic bag, pulling out everything one by one and handing her back the nearly empty bag, saying "Have a nice flight". It would have been comical, if only it wasn't real.
It took nearly an hour to board the plane, although I had a seat fairly early (thanks to the upgrade). They waited until then to make an announcement: there was a little knob in the cockpit that controlled the cabin pressure, and it had broken. They were having a new part sent from their service base... in Denver. It would be a two hour wait, and because of the security we couldn't take our bags off the plane. I got off and rushed to the ticket counter to change my connecting flight, which was fairly easy, but I was told that it was the last flight out of Denver that night and if I missed it, I would be stuck there overnight. I went back to the plane and waited. Fortunately, they decided to show Over the Hedge to keep most of the passengers entertained (yay - I really like that movie).
About ten minutes from the end of the movie, there was another announcement: 'we have recieved the part from Denver (there was a collective sigh of relief), however they have sent the wrong part for this aircraft. We are having another part sent from Denver, but there will be another two hour delay'. At this there was a sudden commotion around the cabin, and people began taking their things and leaving the aircraft. I knew I would definately miss my connection, so I left too. I waited for a while at the ticketing desk and rescheduled my flight for the next day, and then I called Kendra. She was surprised I hadn't left, but I suspect that she was secretly happy to have me for another night.
I gave one of the agents my baggage claim tickets so he could unload my bags from the plane, and I waited by the carousel for my bags. Other bags came up, but mine were nowhere to be seen. When the carousel stopped, I went back to the baggage counter to see what Juanita could do. It was around then Kendra arrived to find a rather tired, hungry and stressed skwirl. There was still no luck with my bags, and then the baggage ramps were pulled away from the plane and the holds were closed. Apparently they found a part for the aircraft right there in Kansas City. Kendra hastily removed me from the airport before I had the chance to go postal.
I know Kendra was happy to have me for another night, but I don't think she was too happy about the method of my extended stay. I certainly wasn't. I was pretty grumpy, but I tried (rather unsuccessfully) to show that I was happy to spend another night with her. Not having my luggage wasn't too much of a problem, as I carry a change of clothes in my cabin bags, but the lack of toiletries was a bit of an inconvenience. By the time I woke up the next day, I felt much better, and we managed to spend some time snuggling before we had to get out of bed.
We left for the airport at the same time. Before checking in, I went to the baggage counter to check where my bags had ended up. It was Juanita again. She stared at her computer terminal for several minutes, punching the same combination of buttons over and over again, before finally announcing she couldn't find my bags... anywhere. I rushed to the ticketing counter and eventually found the supervisor. He rolled his eyes when I mentioned Juanita, and went off to see what he could do. While he did that, I checked in. After a couple of minutes, he returned with news that my bags were in San Francisco.
Kendra and I said our goodbyes again, and I went through security. This time my flights were almost on time. While the cabin bags were searched at the gate in Kansas City, there was no such search in Denver. The flights were uneventful, and I sat there most of the time, reading a book. I arrived in San Francisco a little behind schedule, and there was a further delay when the baggage people initially couldn't find my bag, but soon I was reunited with them. Shortly after, Skyler and Spaceroo arrived to pick me up.
That night Findra, Skyler and myself all went to Spaceroo's place for dinner. Spaceroo and his wife, Dawn, had prepared a lovely dinner for us. Afterwards we sat and looked through their honeymoon pictures.
The next morning Dawn, Spaceroo, Skyler and I went to breakfast at Hobees (minus Findra, who had departed in the wee small hours of the morning for Pennsic). After that we headed up to San Francisco Zoo for the day. It was a nice day, although a little cooler than I was expecting (but a nice change from the swealtering heat of Kansas City).
The zoo was lovely, although there were absences with the Ocelots and smaller cats. I was pretty happy to see the big cats (Lions, Bengal Tigers and Sumatran Tigers) being fed. The feeding house was quite busy, although I managed to eventually get through. I was really surprised how close they let the public get. I must have been barely over their swiping distance from the cage (yes, there was enough gap in the bars for the lions to reach a good distance). That was quite a buzz. The lemurs were hiding in the bushes, in lemurpiles (aside from one that had found a nice spot for sunning itself). The kangaroos were the laziest roos I
have ever seen (not that I have seen kangaroos ever do much), and the koalas were just sleeping and letting the world go by. The zoo even had squirrels, although I suspect that was unintentional. ;)
That night we all went to an Afghani restaurant. I had never had Afghani food before, and I must say that it was very tasty and the portions were huge. I'd definately go there again. ;)
The next day, Skyler and I went out shopping for electronics. More specifically we tried to find a good deal on RAM for my powerbook. Before anything, we went for lunch (in my case breakfast) at Todai. I love that place: a large Japanese Buffet. All you can eat sushi. Mmmm... heaven.
We visited a computer store first, with no luck. That wasn't really that surprising. At three and a half years old, my powerbook is considered old tech, and not many people carry the RAM type I needed (PC133 for those of you that are curious) and even less carry it in the size I need (512MB). Next was Fry's. I love Fry's. It is quite literally a supermarket for geeks: everything from basic computer parts and software to full PC and Mac systems. I had to pull myself away from their shelves of anime. Not surprisingly, Fry's did have what I wanted, but it was very expensive. Too expensive for me - twice the price of the same amount of the DDR-RAM. Skyler had an idea, and took me to a computer reseller/recycler. While I didn't find what I wanted, it was really interesting to wander around the warehouse and look at all the old systems. It was like Silicon Valley's graveyard of old technology. I marvelled at some things I had once dreamed of having (like an SGI O2), all going for the equivalent of pocket change compared to the original purchase price. Ultimately, I left the search empty handed. No RAM, but I don't think it was a huge loss. I had a good time anyway.
We returned home with enough time for me to finish the last little bits of packing and get changed for the flight. We arrived at the airport with plenty of time to spare, and I said my goodbye to Skyler. Check-in went smoothly, and I had chance to call Kendra and get a rather nice sushi meal (yes, more sushi) before I started wandering down to the gate. Once there, waiting for boarding, I called Kendra again, and we talked until my calling card ran out.
The flight home was barely over half full, and so it was very quiet. I managed to get an entire row of seats to myself. It really is great to be able to lay down on long haul flights like that. Maybe one day I'll be able to afford first class, but way down the back of the plane, a row to myself is the next best thing. :)
It was good to arrive home, even stepping out into the chilly winter morning air. I do like being in warmer climates, but given the choice between being too hot and being too cold, I'd choose being cold (you can always put on more layers of clothes). I think my parents were happy to see me, but they greeted me with a barrage of questions about Kendra and her family.
Overall, I had a wonderful trip. My travels usually end up being eventful in some way. Unfortunately they always seem to have a hiccup along the way. I try to find something good about those hiccups too. Last year I had a day in Taipei with food and accomodation being paid for by the airline. This year it was being able to spend another night with someone I love.
I would like to say thank you to Spaceroo and Dawn for inviting me to their wedding: I had a wonderful time, and I am glad you enjoyed the mead.
I would like to thank Skyler and Findra for letting me stay with them and for going out of their way to make sure I was met at the airport, and dropped off again on my way out: I wish there was something I could do to repay your kindness.
My flight to the US was pretty uneventful. It has been a while since I last flew AirNZ. I have found then to be more expensive in the past, but the direct flight to San Francisco is certainly worth it. I have done plenty of flights in and out of the US in the past, nearly all through LAX. I really hate LAX. Anyway, I was quite pleased with AirNZ. I managed to get some sleep, but most of the time I watched movies and read a book.
I was met at the SFO airport by roofae and skylerbunny, and we went back to findra's place. After a little rest, roofae, skylerbunny, findra, spaceroo, austin-dern, oliver-otter and myself all went to the Outback for the stag night. That was followed by videos at Spaceroo's house. We watched, amongst others, MST3K, Superfriends, Rodger Ramjet and (my favourite) Danger Mouse. By the end of the night only Spaceroo and myself were still drinking.
The next day, Roofus and me went to the local mall. Vallco Fashion Park hasn't changed too much since I was there last year. It is still in it's death throes, but they are hoping to revive it. Anyway, Legends (a comic book store) is still going and I managed to get a nice little card game. Later that night, when Skyler, and the others returned I tried to introduce them to it, with mixed results. A pizza party happened that evening, and it gave everyone a chance to meet each other. It was the first time I had the opportunity to meet Spaceroo's fiancee, Dawn. Also there was portia_lee, Dawn's maid of honour.
The following morning was the wedding. I have been to several weddings, but this was the first outdoor wedding and the first that involved a steam train ride to and from the (Redwood) chapel. It was a beautiful day, and the ceremony was certainly unique. I felt slightly embarrassed when both Spaceroo and his new wife, Dawn, expressed their gratitude that I had travelled so far to be there, as I had other motives for travelling in addition to the wedding. After the reception, there was the traditional throwing of the bouquet, and then the throwing of the bride's garter (a tradition I wasn't quite aware of). I was the lucky catcher of the garter: a sign of interesting things to come I was told. I guess we will see about that. ;)
I stayed with Skyler and Findra for a few days following the wedding. While staying there, I did a day trip to San Francisco Airport to meet my sister and her family just as they were heading back to New Zealand. It was good to see them after such a long time. The following day, I was off to Kansas City to meet Kendra (thevixen).
It was so good to see her again, and we spent as much time as possible together (between her working hours). We continued our tradition of watching anime and munching blue cheese, but we also spent much time going out for sushi, Sonic and Taco Bell (not all at once). I suspect Kendra has come to the conclusion I'm addicted to chili-cheesedogs, cherry limeade, and chicken quesedillas. Perhaps I am. I already know I'm a sushi addict.
It was hot when I arrived in KC, but a couple of days afterwards the heatwave really hit. Shortly after, the A/C in Kendra's apartment died. After much complaining, the building management finally sent someone out to refill the A/C unit with freon (but nothing else). It seemed to be a weekly cycle of the A/C failing, Kendra complaining to the office, and someone refilling the unit with freon, but not actually fixing the problem. It was reasonably stressful for Kendra, but aside from being affected by the heat (coming from winter to 110 degree F weather), I dealt with it.
After a couple of weeks in KC, we left on a road trip to Arkansas so I could meet her parents. On the way we detoured through Branson, MO. Branson struck me as a very weird place. It was very touristy, with neon signs and cheesey shows up and down the main strip. It was like a minature version of Las Vegas - only without the casinos. It also struck me that a large number of the shows has some kind of religious theme: a musical version of the Passion and The Gospel Hour dinner-show are two that spring to mind.
Kendra and I settled on a trip to the Titanic Museum and Dolly Parton's Dixie Stampede:
The Titanic Museum was interesting. To start with the exterior was built as a replica of the Titanic - well, almost - they stopped at the first quarter. Driving around the corner to the carpark, the beautiful facade suddenly ends in a corrugated iron wall. The museum itself didn't have a huge number of artifacts (for obvious reasons), but had some items from the sister ship, the Olympic. It was a nice place, but a little too crowded, and not quite what I was hoping for.
Dolly Parton's Dixie Stampede was a dinner show in a similar style to Medieval Times. Everyone was seated around an arena where there show took place. The show itself was based around the Civil War era competition between north and south, with no actual mention of the war itself or the real reasons behind it. Instead, the 'dispute' was settled by a series of horse games, piglet races, rooster racing and even ostrich races (they had ostriches in Civil War era US?). Just like Medieval times, the food was eaten with your hands (under the pretense that people did that back then). The combined singing and equestrian routines tried to be something they quite simply weren't. While I cannot fault their horsemanship, all the performers quite obviously lipsynced to a prerecorded track (even though they all wore microphone headsets). The only exception was the MC, who was (as no surprise) a Dolly Parton lookalike. There were some nice moments, like the part where a gazebo dropped from the roof with several couples on it, dancing and singing all in period costume. Well, it was nice until the lights dimmed and suddenly the costumes lit up with LEDs - pure cheese. The final number was big and patriotic. The people around us stood with their hands over their hearts, while I sat there feeling distinctly out of place and the Kendra sitting next to me quietly cringing. I normally don't mind patriotism, especially in the right place. I'm proud of my country, and I don't mind telling people that. Being in another country or part of a multinational events (like sports) are great places to show your pride in your country. However, such huge displays of patriotism domestically seem rather out of place to me. When I worked on ships, there would be performers who would deliberately end on a patriotic number just to ensure a standing ovation at the end. It only takes one person to stand with his hand over his heart (there is always one), and the rest of the room is up too. At that point it, in a way, it ceases to patriotic but more a conditioned response. Anyway, I digress, and I'll end my little rant right there. Overall, I actually enjoyed the show, but not the way they intended to entertain me. I can't exactly say that we had high hopes when we went there, not with a name like Dolly Parton's Dixie Stampede.
Our accomodation in Branson was wonderful. Kendra had second thoughts when we showed up at what appeared to be someone's house. Nevertheless we were greeted by a very friendly couple and welcomed to Gaines Landing (the name of the place). They were quite surprised to find that I was from New Zealand and asked all the usual questions. They showed us to our room: The Bear's Den. It was a huge room, but it was decorated with a lot of stained wood everywhere. It was instantly cozy. Gaine's Landing did indeed seem to be someone's house that had been converted into three downstairs units for accomodation. However, the owners didn't live there, only arriving early in the morning to prepare breakfast. We had our own private jacuzzi, and we were told we had the entire place to ourselves. If you ever happen to find yourself in Branson, Missouri, go and stay at Gaine's Landing. ;)
The next day we drove to Fayetteville, Arkansas. There we met up with jakebe. He was really nice (and a little crazy too, but in a good way), and we went out to dinner with him that night. We had a great time, and Kendra was happy to see Jakebe before he left to go to California.
After dinner, we carried on to Paris, Arkansas. My first impression was the town hall and square: it looked as if it had been pulled straight out of Back to the Future. Kendra even said that that clock in the tower didn't work. Paris is a very small town (pop. 3707, according to the sign). It was quite a nice place, although most of the stores had been decimated by the arrival of WalMart - quite sad, and apparently quite a common occurence in small town USA.
Kendra's parents were nice people. Her mom seemed friendly, and asked lots of questions about me and New Zealand. Her dad, while being quite deaf, seemed to like me and try his best to have conversations with me. I kept having to bite my tounge, because Kendra still hadn't told her parents that she visited me in NZ. A rather odd situation.
One night, we gathered up a tent and airbed and went camping in a place called Cove Lake. It was lovely camping under the trees with only netting between us and the sky (we took the fly off the tent). We were quite literally sleeping under the stars. I had never seen fireflies before, so that was a new experience as well.
The following day we drove thevixen's parents to Little Rock to visit ther sister and have a family gathering. It was her mother's birthday. It was lovely to be invited into that close family gathering, and I seemed to get on well with everyone there. After driving back to Paris and getting some sleep, we set off again for Kansas City (via Fayetteville where we found a lovely sushi bar).
Back in KC, things returned to normal (aside from further hiccups with the A/C). My last weekend there, we took the tent and the airbed and went camping again. This time to a place called Watkins Mill. The facilities there were wonderful, although the only downside was an idiot who sat there watching movies at full volume in his soft top camper until late at night (why go out into the wilderness camping if all you are going to do is sit in your camper and watch movies?). Around 3am there was a scratching noise that woke me. I grabbed my torch and peeked out. Gathered around the tent were five raccoons, snuffling about for food. I looked at them and they casually looked at me for a few moments before slowly ambling off. Seeing raccoons up that close (for the first time) was very cool. They didn't bother us for the rest of the night though, probably because they heard me get my camera (no photos - pity). The next morning, after taking down the tent, I went swimming in the lake. The water was actually quite warm, and I could have spent all day out there if it wasn't for the fact I sunburn far too easily. We tried to go swimming later at Oceans of Fun, but the place was too crowded to make it very enjoyable.
On the Monday evening, roofae and I went to Worlds of Fun. We spent the evening there riding coasters, from 6pm until the park closed at 10pm. That was a huge blast, and I don't think I have ever seen Roofus have such a good time. In all we had over 14 rides on 6 different coasters/thrill rides. Barely any queues on anything. In many cases we could walk off, walk around and get straight on again. There were even a couple of times the operator just let us sit there and ride again straight away.
From then until Thursday, I started to feel really sad. I knew I had to go, but it didn't make leaving any easier. We woke fairly early on Thursday morning (although not as early as we usually did), and after showering and getting things together, I sat down and checked my email and the news back home. It was then that I found out about the terrorist arrests in London, and the huge new restrictions in cabin baggage. I quickly repacked my cabin bag, taking out the toiletries, and we hurried to the airport (stopping past Sonic along the way for a last minute nibble).
When I arrived at the airport, nearly all the flights were delayed. There was a queue of people at the check in counter, most of whom were complaining, but considering all the sudden new restrictions the line moved quite fast. I did an automated check-in, and the terminal advised me my I would miss my connection, and put me on a later flight to Denver. However, I was still put on a standby list for my initial flight. I was still reasonably happy: I had been bumped up to Economy Plus (5 whole inches of extra leg room - woot). From here on things only got worse.
By this time the queues had grown massively, and the sense of frustration around the airport was almost tangible. News crews had turned up and were starting to do bulletins on the worsening travel situations. We waited around the airport for a while, having a quick coffee, and watching the queues grow going through the checkpoint. They were being very strict.
About ten minutes after my initial flight was originally scheduled to leave, it finally landed. It took them another half an hour to start boarding. We could see through the glass that there was a massive queue of people, each being thoroughly screened by only two TSA guards. On top of that, there was a queue of people at the counter trying to get on the flight.
Since I was already confirmed on the later flight, a further three hour wait, and because the stress of the situation was getting to me, Kendra and I left the airport and headed for the local mall. We only spent an hour there, wandering and talking about various things, but It was good to get away and spend some more time together. By the time we returned, they still had not finished boarding my original flight. It was around then I noticed my bags being prepared to be put on the flight. We raced to the baggage desk and asked about my bags. That was my first time dealing with Jaunita. She was smiling and friendly, despite the obvious stress of the day, but she was quite hopeless. Not exactly her fault, as I found out later she was fresh out of training, but to have her dealing with all of that alone was just wrong. Anyway, after some time my bags were retrieved. My bags had apparently been checked for that flight number only even though I was only on standby (and the flight was full), and I was confirmed on a later flight. My bags were rechecked and I was ready to go again.
This time, there were a few tears as Kendra and I finally said our goodbyes and I went through the security screening. Shortly after that, my original flight left - three hours late. About five minutes after that, my rescheduled flight landed and they prepared for boarding. When they finally started boarding, there was a huge queue of people trying to get on, and again two TSA guards checking everyone's cabin baggage. To say that they were being strict is a bit of an understatement: they were being ruthless. Anything vaguely liquid or gel like was gone. I watched one guard open an old lady's cosmetic bag, pulling out everything one by one and handing her back the nearly empty bag, saying "Have a nice flight". It would have been comical, if only it wasn't real.
It took nearly an hour to board the plane, although I had a seat fairly early (thanks to the upgrade). They waited until then to make an announcement: there was a little knob in the cockpit that controlled the cabin pressure, and it had broken. They were having a new part sent from their service base... in Denver. It would be a two hour wait, and because of the security we couldn't take our bags off the plane. I got off and rushed to the ticket counter to change my connecting flight, which was fairly easy, but I was told that it was the last flight out of Denver that night and if I missed it, I would be stuck there overnight. I went back to the plane and waited. Fortunately, they decided to show Over the Hedge to keep most of the passengers entertained (yay - I really like that movie).
About ten minutes from the end of the movie, there was another announcement: 'we have recieved the part from Denver (there was a collective sigh of relief), however they have sent the wrong part for this aircraft. We are having another part sent from Denver, but there will be another two hour delay'. At this there was a sudden commotion around the cabin, and people began taking their things and leaving the aircraft. I knew I would definately miss my connection, so I left too. I waited for a while at the ticketing desk and rescheduled my flight for the next day, and then I called Kendra. She was surprised I hadn't left, but I suspect that she was secretly happy to have me for another night.
I gave one of the agents my baggage claim tickets so he could unload my bags from the plane, and I waited by the carousel for my bags. Other bags came up, but mine were nowhere to be seen. When the carousel stopped, I went back to the baggage counter to see what Juanita could do. It was around then Kendra arrived to find a rather tired, hungry and stressed skwirl. There was still no luck with my bags, and then the baggage ramps were pulled away from the plane and the holds were closed. Apparently they found a part for the aircraft right there in Kansas City. Kendra hastily removed me from the airport before I had the chance to go postal.
I know Kendra was happy to have me for another night, but I don't think she was too happy about the method of my extended stay. I certainly wasn't. I was pretty grumpy, but I tried (rather unsuccessfully) to show that I was happy to spend another night with her. Not having my luggage wasn't too much of a problem, as I carry a change of clothes in my cabin bags, but the lack of toiletries was a bit of an inconvenience. By the time I woke up the next day, I felt much better, and we managed to spend some time snuggling before we had to get out of bed.
We left for the airport at the same time. Before checking in, I went to the baggage counter to check where my bags had ended up. It was Juanita again. She stared at her computer terminal for several minutes, punching the same combination of buttons over and over again, before finally announcing she couldn't find my bags... anywhere. I rushed to the ticketing counter and eventually found the supervisor. He rolled his eyes when I mentioned Juanita, and went off to see what he could do. While he did that, I checked in. After a couple of minutes, he returned with news that my bags were in San Francisco.
Kendra and I said our goodbyes again, and I went through security. This time my flights were almost on time. While the cabin bags were searched at the gate in Kansas City, there was no such search in Denver. The flights were uneventful, and I sat there most of the time, reading a book. I arrived in San Francisco a little behind schedule, and there was a further delay when the baggage people initially couldn't find my bag, but soon I was reunited with them. Shortly after, Skyler and Spaceroo arrived to pick me up.
That night Findra, Skyler and myself all went to Spaceroo's place for dinner. Spaceroo and his wife, Dawn, had prepared a lovely dinner for us. Afterwards we sat and looked through their honeymoon pictures.
The next morning Dawn, Spaceroo, Skyler and I went to breakfast at Hobees (minus Findra, who had departed in the wee small hours of the morning for Pennsic). After that we headed up to San Francisco Zoo for the day. It was a nice day, although a little cooler than I was expecting (but a nice change from the swealtering heat of Kansas City).
The zoo was lovely, although there were absences with the Ocelots and smaller cats. I was pretty happy to see the big cats (Lions, Bengal Tigers and Sumatran Tigers) being fed. The feeding house was quite busy, although I managed to eventually get through. I was really surprised how close they let the public get. I must have been barely over their swiping distance from the cage (yes, there was enough gap in the bars for the lions to reach a good distance). That was quite a buzz. The lemurs were hiding in the bushes, in lemurpiles (aside from one that had found a nice spot for sunning itself). The kangaroos were the laziest roos I
have ever seen (not that I have seen kangaroos ever do much), and the koalas were just sleeping and letting the world go by. The zoo even had squirrels, although I suspect that was unintentional. ;)
That night we all went to an Afghani restaurant. I had never had Afghani food before, and I must say that it was very tasty and the portions were huge. I'd definately go there again. ;)
The next day, Skyler and I went out shopping for electronics. More specifically we tried to find a good deal on RAM for my powerbook. Before anything, we went for lunch (in my case breakfast) at Todai. I love that place: a large Japanese Buffet. All you can eat sushi. Mmmm... heaven.
We visited a computer store first, with no luck. That wasn't really that surprising. At three and a half years old, my powerbook is considered old tech, and not many people carry the RAM type I needed (PC133 for those of you that are curious) and even less carry it in the size I need (512MB). Next was Fry's. I love Fry's. It is quite literally a supermarket for geeks: everything from basic computer parts and software to full PC and Mac systems. I had to pull myself away from their shelves of anime. Not surprisingly, Fry's did have what I wanted, but it was very expensive. Too expensive for me - twice the price of the same amount of the DDR-RAM. Skyler had an idea, and took me to a computer reseller/recycler. While I didn't find what I wanted, it was really interesting to wander around the warehouse and look at all the old systems. It was like Silicon Valley's graveyard of old technology. I marvelled at some things I had once dreamed of having (like an SGI O2), all going for the equivalent of pocket change compared to the original purchase price. Ultimately, I left the search empty handed. No RAM, but I don't think it was a huge loss. I had a good time anyway.
We returned home with enough time for me to finish the last little bits of packing and get changed for the flight. We arrived at the airport with plenty of time to spare, and I said my goodbye to Skyler. Check-in went smoothly, and I had chance to call Kendra and get a rather nice sushi meal (yes, more sushi) before I started wandering down to the gate. Once there, waiting for boarding, I called Kendra again, and we talked until my calling card ran out.
The flight home was barely over half full, and so it was very quiet. I managed to get an entire row of seats to myself. It really is great to be able to lay down on long haul flights like that. Maybe one day I'll be able to afford first class, but way down the back of the plane, a row to myself is the next best thing. :)
It was good to arrive home, even stepping out into the chilly winter morning air. I do like being in warmer climates, but given the choice between being too hot and being too cold, I'd choose being cold (you can always put on more layers of clothes). I think my parents were happy to see me, but they greeted me with a barrage of questions about Kendra and her family.
Overall, I had a wonderful trip. My travels usually end up being eventful in some way. Unfortunately they always seem to have a hiccup along the way. I try to find something good about those hiccups too. Last year I had a day in Taipei with food and accomodation being paid for by the airline. This year it was being able to spend another night with someone I love.
I would like to say thank you to Spaceroo and Dawn for inviting me to their wedding: I had a wonderful time, and I am glad you enjoyed the mead.
I would like to thank Skyler and Findra for letting me stay with them and for going out of their way to make sure I was met at the airport, and dropped off again on my way out: I wish there was something I could do to repay your kindness.