For starters, I did not take this picture, I do not know what it is, nor have I seen it in person. I googled Guadalajara and this came up. You see, I did actually fly last week . . . once. It was a quick turn to Guadalajara, Mexico. I didn't have time to do anything, so there are no pictures and no unique stories to tell other than the randomness of it all. I got a phone call that morning, went to the airport, flew to Mexico and back, and was back at my sister's before she got out of work. While this sounds very exotic and exciting, I experienced nothing in Guadalajara other than a struggle to understand English in Mexican accents while using the radio.
My previous posts about flying out of Minneapolis may have already shed some luster from being a professional airline pilot, but even when the destinations aren't Grand Forks or Iron Mountain, there are about four ways I can fly somewhere and never really "see" it.1) A quick turn (We land, deplane, board immediately, and jet out to some other destination)
2) A long sit (We are limited to waiting in an airport terminal while we await our next flight)
3) An overnight by the airport (Though in this scenario we leave the airport, we don't get far due to transportation limitations when the airport is very far from the city it serves *cough* Denver.
4) A short overnight (Arrive late at night, leave early morning)
This week I received a three-day assignment that will experience all four of these obstacles. I have just completed the first leg and am now in the middle of a long 3.5 hour sit in the Austin Bergstrom airport. I have been to Austin before, fortunately, so I have at least experienced what the city has to offer. I tried to make good use of my time and had some Texas bbq at a place called Salt Lick, located in the middle of the terminal. It is a well-known bbq place in Austin, but the ambience of an airport food court is not quite the same. Now, I have just one more flight and will be spending the night in "Denver," or more accurately within about 15 minutes of Denver International Airport and an hour from Denver itself.
