Oregon and Northern California Hybrid Road Trip; Day 17, Home at Last!





Last night was the Planes part of this Planes, Trains and Automobiles Hybrid Road Trip.  And the planes part could not have ended soon enough.

If you have been following along, we took a 3200 miles cross-country trip on Amtrak passenger trains, then drove over 2300 miles in a rental car visiting the Oregon and Northern California coasts.  The last leg is coming back home by airplane, traveling another 1950 miles.  Our total trip was about 7450 miles.

After several hours waiting in the Sacramento, California International Airport, we boarded our small Bombardier 700 jet for an unremarkable flight to Los Angeles International Airport (LAX).  After arrival, we taxied a full 14 minutes in a circuitous route around the terminals until we reached our gate.  I thought the pilot was "driving" to San Diego we taxied for so long!

My wife and I ate "dinner" at the airport, but there isn't much airport food that I would call a proper dinner.  Afterwards, we busied ourselves for the 4 hour layover before we left late in the evening for Atlanta.  An observation:  There are a lot of strange looking people in the Los Angeles airport...

We rocked and rolled much of the way to Atlanta until the pilot asked for and received permission to change altitudes.  Only after that did it calm down.  We both tried to sleep but it was largely fruitless.  The seats on this Boeing 767-300 were really hard as the padding in the seat cushions was either made hard or had been crushed by thousands of prior fliers compacting it.  We both put the blankets, that were made available to the passengers for the overnight flight, under us to try to make the seat softer.  It seemed a bit softer but we both were a bit sore when we arrived in Atlanta.  No real sleep.

Another three hour layover in Atlanta.  By this time, we were both dragging.  We flew in the little fifty passenger commuter jet to our local airport and caught a taxi home.  Finally!

If I would have had my druthers, I would still be on the train enjoying my way across country.  But it is nice to be back home after 17 days on the road.  I will be posting some interesting images in the upcoming days.  First, I need to edit them and register them with the U.S. Copyright Office.

Thanks for coming along on my wandering photographic hybrid road trip.  In a couple of weeks, I will be wandering over to Virginia's Eastern Shore to photograph migrating birds and other interesting "found" subjects that one only finds in those places that haven't culturally changed in many, many years.

Funny thing.  After a long trip, it doesn't take long for me to be anxious to get on the road again.  I love it!

Thanks for looking.   Enjoy!

Dennis Mook


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