Day Trip.
Year Two. Month Eleven. #BLI.
This phrase has been echoing around in my brain for a few weeks. As many of you know, I am hunkering down this winter and spring, riding out the storm called being an adult and being on a budget.
With all this going on, I've decided to forgo my usual international adventures for a while. Staying still is hard, especially for me, but I'm determined to stay put, rest and take care of myself for the next few months.
I usually have a few days off in the middle of the week in which I roam around my tiny little island home: hiking, cooking and reading a few good books. This week, I decided to mix up my day off routine and try an adventure. Just a little one.
My mom was going to be passing through Portland, Oregon, so I decided to go meet her. Flights out of nearby Bellingham were wide open and so I woke up before the sun and headed out on a little day trip.
I arrived at Bellingham Airport just forty minutes before my flight. I got through security and found my gate in the amount of time that it usually takes for me to stand in line at the coffee shop at Sea-Tac. I hopped on a quick flight to Seattle, and in twenty-three minutes we were up in the air and back down on the ground, taxiing to our gate.
The next flight was almost as short, just a quick puddle jump on down to Portland. I stared out the window as we flew through the fog and drank a quick coffee handed to me during the brief beverage service. The mountains were just barely visible outside the window of the mighty Bombardier Q400 and I felt a surge of happiness. I was on my way to an adventure.
Once in Portland my mom and I grabbed breakfast and a rental car. After heading into the city we met up with my mom's cousin, and soon enough we were all out on the road.
Heading northeast of the city, we followed the Columbia River towards our destination: Multnomah Falls. One of the tallest waterfalls in the United States, Multnomah Falls was more breathtaking than I could have imagined. The air was crisp, the landscape green. The Pacific Northwest at it's most impressive.
After exploring the park and the falls (and grabbing plenty of photos), we enjoyed lunch at the historic Multnomah Falls Lodge. Soon enough, the afternoon was almost over and it was time to head back towards the city -- and the airport, for me.
I got to the Portland Airport in plenty of time. I grabbed a beer at the Rogue Public House and walked up to my gate just as they cleared my name. Once onboard the flight, I realized that the crew was made up of some of my favorite people, co-workers who I had worked with multiple times.
The quick flight back to Seattle included a sunset tour over downtown Seattle and the nearby islands. As I chatted with the flight attendants, I realized how lucky I was: a day trip full of friends and family, the ability to hop on an airplane just for thirty minutes and the joy of a window seat for my leisurely ride.
Once in Seattle I said my goodbyes to the crew and stopped by my company's airport crew lounge to check my mailbox. In it I found several goodies, including a little "good job" certificate from my company, a handwritten note of encouragement from a co-worker and a customer compliment letter from one of our Million Milers. I grinned. Sometimes, it's the little things that make you truly proud of what you do and who you work for.
I had one more flight. I walked towards my gate and waited to be called. The customer service agent was helping an older woman who had questions about the flight. The woman was gripping a shiny looking U.S. passport, and appeared to have had a long travel day. The customer service agent was kind and reassuring, and I felt happy to work for a company that treated their customers so well.
Once onboard the tiny plane we all settled in. Right before door closure, the customer service agent came onboard to make a special announcement.
"Ladies, and gentlemen, I just wanted to congratulate our passenger in row 8A... she just became a U.S. Citizen today!" the customer service agent gestured towards the older woman who had been at the counter earlier.
We all cheered and clapped and several passengers shook the older woman's hand. The woman murmured with surprise and her eyes welled up.
"I will never forget this day. What kind people. What a wonderful country. What a wonderful place to be." the new citizen said over and over, wiping her crinkly eyes.
We took off and I closed my eyes and thought about my day.
What a wonderful day. What a wonderful place to be.
Happy adventuring!
Even if you don't go far, go on an adventure.
This phrase has been echoing around in my brain for a few weeks. As many of you know, I am hunkering down this winter and spring, riding out the storm called being an adult and being on a budget.
 |
| Photo by @theFAlife. Always on the lookout for an adventure. |
I usually have a few days off in the middle of the week in which I roam around my tiny little island home: hiking, cooking and reading a few good books. This week, I decided to mix up my day off routine and try an adventure. Just a little one.
My mom was going to be passing through Portland, Oregon, so I decided to go meet her. Flights out of nearby Bellingham were wide open and so I woke up before the sun and headed out on a little day trip.
I arrived at Bellingham Airport just forty minutes before my flight. I got through security and found my gate in the amount of time that it usually takes for me to stand in line at the coffee shop at Sea-Tac. I hopped on a quick flight to Seattle, and in twenty-three minutes we were up in the air and back down on the ground, taxiing to our gate.
 |
| The view from up here. <3 |
The next flight was almost as short, just a quick puddle jump on down to Portland. I stared out the window as we flew through the fog and drank a quick coffee handed to me during the brief beverage service. The mountains were just barely visible outside the window of the mighty Bombardier Q400 and I felt a surge of happiness. I was on my way to an adventure.
Once in Portland my mom and I grabbed breakfast and a rental car. After heading into the city we met up with my mom's cousin, and soon enough we were all out on the road.
Heading northeast of the city, we followed the Columbia River towards our destination: Multnomah Falls. One of the tallest waterfalls in the United States, Multnomah Falls was more breathtaking than I could have imagined. The air was crisp, the landscape green. The Pacific Northwest at it's most impressive.
After exploring the park and the falls (and grabbing plenty of photos), we enjoyed lunch at the historic Multnomah Falls Lodge. Soon enough, the afternoon was almost over and it was time to head back towards the city -- and the airport, for me.
 |
| Multnomah Falls, Oregon. Wow. |
I got to the Portland Airport in plenty of time. I grabbed a beer at the Rogue Public House and walked up to my gate just as they cleared my name. Once onboard the flight, I realized that the crew was made up of some of my favorite people, co-workers who I had worked with multiple times.
The quick flight back to Seattle included a sunset tour over downtown Seattle and the nearby islands. As I chatted with the flight attendants, I realized how lucky I was: a day trip full of friends and family, the ability to hop on an airplane just for thirty minutes and the joy of a window seat for my leisurely ride.
Once in Seattle I said my goodbyes to the crew and stopped by my company's airport crew lounge to check my mailbox. In it I found several goodies, including a little "good job" certificate from my company, a handwritten note of encouragement from a co-worker and a customer compliment letter from one of our Million Milers. I grinned. Sometimes, it's the little things that make you truly proud of what you do and who you work for.
I had one more flight. I walked towards my gate and waited to be called. The customer service agent was helping an older woman who had questions about the flight. The woman was gripping a shiny looking U.S. passport, and appeared to have had a long travel day. The customer service agent was kind and reassuring, and I felt happy to work for a company that treated their customers so well.
 |
| Going that extra mile for our fuzziest passengers! |
"Ladies, and gentlemen, I just wanted to congratulate our passenger in row 8A... she just became a U.S. Citizen today!" the customer service agent gestured towards the older woman who had been at the counter earlier.
We all cheered and clapped and several passengers shook the older woman's hand. The woman murmured with surprise and her eyes welled up.
"I will never forget this day. What kind people. What a wonderful country. What a wonderful place to be." the new citizen said over and over, wiping her crinkly eyes.
We took off and I closed my eyes and thought about my day.
What a wonderful day. What a wonderful place to be.
Happy adventuring!
The blog mentioned is called "The Everyday Jumpseater," and features the author, who is a traveler and self-proclaimed adventurer discussing their experiences in traveling. One page involves the author retelling adventures over the course of the past year, complete with dates and various locations. There are also many pictures and captions that help fill out all of the details.
ReplyDeleteJoey @ Amerika Link