My part of the National Federation of Press Women conference in Idaho Falls, Idaho, doesn't start until 1 p.m. today. But Wednesday, Sept. 10, turned into a full day of travel.
Random thoughts as I jumped from airport to airport to shuttle bus:
• Wichita Rocks!
Growing up in Osage County and then living in Emporia, I've done 99 percent of my air travel out of Kansas City, Mo. I've flown out of Wichita once, back in 1981 as part of a high school state delegation (anyone remember FHA?) to a national conference in San Francisco. I remember getting there early in the morning and that's about it.
This trip, flying out of Wichita made more sense (although it cost a bit more) because it meant a two-hour difference in when I arrive home on Sunday: on the ground at 7:30 p.m. in Wichita or 9:30 p.m. in KC with the drive back to Emporia after that. So, Wichita won.
And the Wichita airport is wonderful. So easy to get to. I waited five minutes for a shuttle from long-term parking, had one person ahead of me to check in (granted, it was 5:45 a.m.) A friendly TSA worker at the start of security who could answer my questions about whether I could take a drink with breakfast through the checkpoint.
Once through the checkpoint, there were work stations so I could charge my cell phone, hook up my laptop and send a few e-mails and do some minor editing to The Emporia Gazette's Web site (no, we can't leave our jobs behind).
I've already told my husband, Greg, that we're going to price Wichita vs. KC every time from now on.
• I love having wireless available in airports.
During my hour layover in Denver, I could jump on Facebook and catch up with folks, e-mail my family and even play a game of Word Twist.
• I'm a sucker for window seats.
With my short legs, they're no problem. And I never have to fight my husband for the privilege when we travel together. I had the same seat on both legs of my flight: Wichita to Denver and Denver to Salt Lake City. I was in 17F, the right side of the plane far enough behind the wing to have a good view.
It was cloudy when we left Wichita, but once we flew above the clouds headed north (before turning west toward Denver), the sunrise was beautiful. We were above fluffy cottonball clouds with streaks of orange off to our right. We lost the cloud cover about the Kansas line, so I could see the Rocky Mountains in all their glory. For awhile, homesteads are few and far between, just little dots in the mountains with long, solitary ribbons of road connecting them.
Coming into Salt Lake, the plane came in from the south, then loops over a piece of the Great Salt Lake. A quick check of Google Maps this morning showed me that what I was seeing was Farmington Bay, which is adjacent to the airport. It looks like lots of little lakes separated by marshes. When I fly out, I'm going to be looking to see how much of the Great Salt Lake I can really see to the northwest.
The hardest part of going to these conferences is just not knowing what to expect in terms of amenities, transportation, etc. I debated long and hard whether to take the recommended shuttle bus or rent a car for the drive from Salt Lake City airport. The cost would be about the same: $90 for round trip shuttle or $15/day for five days. I decided to take the shuttle for three reasons:
1. I really didn't want to make a 3 1/2-hour drive solo, and wondered whether I'd be able to stay away, considering I woke at 3 a.m. to leave for Wichita.
2. It seemed a waste to pay for a car that would sit in a hotel parking lot for three of the five days.
3. The only time I would save would be the two-hour wait at the airport for the next shuttle to leave.
So, I picked the shuttle bus, which turned out to be a tour bus two-thirds filled with women coming to NFPW in Idaho Falls. We had Arizona, Indiana and, of course, Kansas represented on the ride.
Our drive up Interstate 15 was bounded my mountain ranges on both the east and west. Around Salt Lake City, plateaus have been carved into the mountains for gorgeous estates. They're crammed together, though, so I'm not sure what you get for the price, except less grass to mow.
The downtown SLC skyline is beautifully framed by the mountains behind it. And the Salt Lake Tribune newspaper building was prominent from the interstate.
As we headed north, trees gave way to more desert scrub grass. At least that's how this native Kansan describes it.
Our driver was kind enough to make a stop at a rest area for about five minutes. Stretching the legs was great. And those who know me understand how necessary the diet Coke from the vending machine was!
We dropped two passengers at a gas station in Pocatello. As we pulled back onto the road, I saw my first tumbleweed blowing across the road.
We finally pulled into Idaho Falls just before 4 p.m. Mountain time. We had enough NFPWers that our driver brought us straight to the Shilo Inn, our conference hotel. The hotel backs onto the Snake River. I have a room with a view on the fourth and top floor of the hotel. There's a little private balcony. Across the river is lots of trees and houses because the hotel angles to the northwest. From the dining room downstairs, which faces more directly west, the mountains are visible.
I did snap a photo this morning from the balcony. By looking back southeast, I caught the Idaho Falls Temple of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saintsat sunrise. (Even when I can sleep in, that internal clock goes off. It was 7 a.m. back home.)
In the photo, there's a snippet of water in the foreground. This is part of a small canal (the name escapes me now, and I can't find the book I saw it in!) You can see two people walking on the canal path. Behind it is the Snake River and the temple.
Well, that's all for now. I'm running to the lobby to meet delegates from Colorado, Nebraska and Missouri. I thought it would be fun to meet our NFPW neighbors. None came from Oklahoma, however, but there's always e-mail for that.
I'll write more tonight.
Gwen
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