A travel day

OK—this one was weird in the world of travel days. I was flying United, which I do not usually fly, but they are a Star Alliance Partner with Air Canada, so that's why I was on that flight. We left the house in plenty of time, but about 5 km from the airport, the traffic slowed almost to a standstill. Hmm—this is not good. But we had time—as long as I arrived one hour before my flight to drop my baggage. 

It turns out there was an accident, and two lanes of traffic had to zip off almost into the live lane beside us to get past the accident. That delayed us by 20 minutes. DH was driving, and OMG -- he was freaking out. I do NOT want to have him drive me again. I was getting anxious because of him! He has ZERO patience when it comes to traffic. ZERO!!!!

When I arrived, I went to the kiosk to check in, and OOPS—I'd missed the 90-minute deadline to check luggage. So I had to get in the line. There was ONE person manning the desks and one customer with that person. I've no idea what they were doing, but it was taking forever, so another person arrived to help. 

I explained the situation, and she grabbed my passport, got my baggage tag, marked it urgent, and away it went. Let's hope it comes out on the other side! 

Then I got to security, and everything went smoothly there, except no one was picking up the empty trays on the other side, so that was a mess. I picked them up so that my tray could come out of the X-ray machine. 

It was a bit of a disaster when I arrived at the Nexus line. Getting the scan was no problem. However once you get scanned, you have to see an officer. It's just a formality. But the line was HUGE as there seemed to be ONE officer controlling that line, which was not well marked with the posts. So when someone tried to bypass that and go where the Nexus sign was, he (and others who followed) were yelled at to get back in this person's line. 

It did not make any sense at all. As I arrived to see this guy, he waved me to the other line, where three or four officers were available. I have no idea what happened there. It was the most bizarre situation I've ever seen. 

Then, the long walk to the US gates, but I made it just as they were boarding. Well, after I grabbed something to eat on the plane because I had not had breakfast yet, $30 for a bottle of water, a sandwich, and a yogurt parfait! At least they put it all in a nice bag so I could carry it! 

I was in 31F - a window seat, and I was OK with that. I slept a bit and read a bit and the flight passed quite quickly. The flight had been delayed by one hour, and we knew that the night before, so some people had tight connections, and they asked for them to be let off first. I bet some other people snuck off the plane at the same time. It doesn't matter - I was not in a hurry. 

Close to landing

I got off the plane and then had to find my luggage. Denver Airport is HUGE, and a train takes you to the luggage carousel. By the time I arrived, my luggage was waiting for me, which was good. United has an app to track your luggage, but it didn't tell me it was on the plane—just that it was in their system. 

Then, off to get an Uber. They have a bit more sensible Uber setup than Toronto. There are several Uber stops, and your driver tells you which one he'll meet you at. In Toronto, it's one big mess. 

Uber pick-up

 

I arrived at the hotel early, so I checked my luggage at the front desk and changed into my shorts because it was 30 degrees!!! But it was a dry heat, and it was a beautiful day. I walked down to the Rocky Mountain Quilt Museum, which is a treasure if you are ever in the neighborhood. Oh, that's in Golden, Colorado. 

There is this beautiful little garden at the entrance to the strip mall. 

Ring the bell to clear your mind

And there's the sign for the museum. 

Rocky Mountain Quilt Museum

They have a gift shop that also sells fabric. I don't need more of anything, but I did browse the used quilt books, and perhaps one or two followed me home. 

These were the two exhibits and while I don't have permission to share any photos, I can tell you that both were spectacular. I get their newsletter, so I knew what exhibits were on. 

The shows at the Rocky Mountain Quilt Museum

I spent a long time checking out both exhibits. Then I sat outside and enjoyed the scenery for a bit and then returned to check around a bit more. 

Later in the day, after checking into the hotel, I decided to walk. I found a Goodwill store within walking distance, so off I went. I used my Google Maps, and guess what? I only made one slight detour because I didn't pay attention, but the direction thing was good. 

A good bike path connects to the sidewalks, which is good because this area is surrounded by major roads and highways. It's hard to walk anywhere. 

The bike path

I spotted some small sunflowers along the way, and they were very cool. Not like the big ones I'm familiar with. 

A sunflower

The bees were going crazy with those blooms. 

The bees enjoy the sunflowers

I had the pleasure of walking beside a prison. OK, let's just keep walking. And when I was headed to the store, it was a gentle downhill! 

The scenery

The hills in the area - everything is dry. 

Except for the golf course. I think it's a huge waste of water to keep those golf courses green, but it's not my business. 

The golf course is green

Then, I returned to the hotel area, where I had dinner at a great Italian restaurant. 

It was a great day, and despite a few hiccups, everything worked out! But I must remember that United (should I fly with them again) has 90 minutes on the baggage! I was between 60 and 90 minutes when I checked in! So it wasn't like I arrived with 15 minutes to board. I cut it close, but not that close. 

Today's big question is whether I should fly home tomorrow or change my flight and fly to Vancouver. With the potential strike and the possibility for Air Canada to start canceling flights on Friday? It's a crap shoot. That's what DH said -- do we just wing it like we always do? And I'm inclined to go with that. Something will work out -- how much does it cost to rent a private jet? 

And now I'm off for another fun adventure today. Everything is as prepped as it can be, and we'll just wing it! 

Have a super day!!!

Ciao!!!