In the last six months I set a personal record for plane travel. I flew to Omaha, Las Vegas and most recently to Silicon Valley for corporate training. Perhaps it is the security of paid-up life insurance policy, or the growing familiarity with planes, but I am getting more comfortable with the idea of hurling through the air at 200 mph, 42,000 feet above the ground.
My next destination for work was Silicon Valley. I love California. Friends from my years in Oregon would shutter if they knew my dirty little secret. Of course, I have only seen the wonderful and clean parts of California including Mt.Shasta, The Redwoods, rice patties along I-5, flowers in the highway medians, downtown San Francisco, Orange County and Newport Beach.
The San Jose airport was underwhelming. After spending two hours at DIA waiting for my flight, landing in San Jose was like taking a step back into the early 1980's. I flew out of Denver on a fully loaded Boeing 757 airplane. Having chatted nearly the whole way with a 61-year-old lady named Jane, the 2 ½ hours went by quickly. Somehow she compelled me to tell her my life story, at least, the two-hour version. I told Jane I had a dog named Jane. She was really surprised. I also met someone named Babs while I was in Las Vegas. I think people might get the wrong idea when I tell them I have a dog with their same name.
We deplaned onto the tarmac which gave me the opportunity to stand right next to the plane. A person does not get the same size perspective from being inside the plane, it was enormous.
I had the opportunity to choose my own rental car within the mid-size class. Strolling down the row of cars, I observed the available selection of sedans like Goldilocks testing the porridge. Not the Toyota... too red. Not the Nissan..too boxy. OOO! Chevy Impala...but not the V-8. And then a new Chevy Malibu - just right!
Of course, the Malibu is known for being a boxy land boat or a boring sedan, but the new style, in my opinion, is pretty slick and peppy. I normally drive a Suburban - anything with acceleration is "peppy". I did burn rubber here and there, though I am sure the guy who pulled up next to me in a Mustang Cobra at the stoplight was likely rolling his eyes.
My first California destination was the In-N-Out Burger and I did not have to look very hard to find one. I get a kick out of In-Out Burger. Vowing to eat a healthier and more sophisticated meal the following night, I emailed a letter to a friend who formerly lived in the area for a restaurant recommendation.
The hotel was another underwhelming institution. The elevator was retro. You had to open the door manually and it was very, very slow. Some of the other tenants would wish each other "good luck" when going up and down. The building did not seem old enough for a primitive elevator. It left me with the creepy feeling the elevator might be a transplant from an older, demolished building.
The first morning in California, I got up early, peeled back the curtains and took in the beautiful sunny morning. Next, I checked my e-mail. The seminar instructor had a flight delay in Phoenix and I was on my own reconnaissance until noon. I hopped in the Malibu and went in search of a Starbucks. I found something even better - a Starbucks and a Jamba Juice right next to each other. I was wondering, at that point, if there would ever be a need for me back in Colorado. After all, I could just have a juice IV in one arm, a coffee IV in the other arm and live for eternity in the California sunshine.
No, it's not about to happen. Sigh.
After training dispersed the first night, I found my way into downtown Mountain View for the "recommended" dinner destination, an Indian/Chinese fusion restaurant called "Temptations". While the name was rather ominous, the food was excellent and on a Tuesday night I had the place to myself.
The next night, for shame, I was back at In-N-Out.
The trip home was a little more colorful than the trip out. The plane, which was scheduled to leave at 6:30 a.m., did not leave until 7:30. Still, we managed to make it into Colorado Springs nearly on time. It was a bumpy ride. We went through a storm front due into Colorado Springs the next day. The most difficult part was going from 65 degrees and Pacific sunshine to 35 degrees, dirty snow and dead grass.