Palm Springs, CA 2011 - Day 2 - California Love

Day 2 started right where day 1 left off, in Logan Airport. Things started off quite interesting. Not only did we have to sleep in the airport out side of the security checkpoint, but we had to sleep on the floor! Yes, I said the floor. All the chairs were hard as heck and not that there was a chair to be found anywhere. So we dropped our bags on the floor and tried to do our best to get some sleep.

Now I had set the alarm for 4:00am to make sure we get up nice and early to try and get on the flight plane out of Boston. Little did I know, we would not need an alarm. All 3 of us would have our issues trying to sleep. Between the guy who had to clean the floor with his big loud cleaning machine, and the people who were arriving at the airport from other places, that was enough to make for a long night. There was one point were I woke up needed to use the bathroom. I found out it was all the way down towards the end of a long hallway, way down there! Not far from where the children and I was camped out was an older couple. I bothered the gentlemen for a second asking if he wouldn't mind watching the children for a moment while I head off to the bathroom. e said that would not be a problem. Except it was! When I turned to show Michaela and Bailey were sleeping, Bailey was no where to be found. He was not sleeping where I last saw him or around the pillar where Michaela and I were sleeping! Where did he go? I looked up and Bailey was heading my way with a Logan Airport employee, face full of tears. It sounded as though he had wandered off in his sleep. When he came to he realized he had no idea where he was and freaked out. Luckily, someone saw him and they started walking the length of the hall, eventually finding me. The guy stated he called the State Police and someone will be by to check on Bailey and I in a minute or so. He did show up and all was well.

We did manage to get about and hour more of sleep until we gave up and started watching old episodes of The Simpsons on Hulu, about and hours worth. Then, we saw that Lindsy and Valina were heading to the security checkpoint to ensure they got good spots in line. We would soon join them. At 4:00am, the checkpoint opened and we started filing through, until a small set back! "Bag check on 3!" Yes that was my bag! Now, I had not put anything extra into may bag since first arriving at Logan Airport the morning prior. What could possibly be in my bag that set the alarm off? It was the laptop. Now let me go back for a second to yesterday when we first arrived. I had my laptop in my backpack and sent it through the scanner as everyone else did, no problems. So why this time. The guy told me that I had to take the laptop out of the bag when it goes through the scanner as you can not see through the laptop. It's a security thing. I told him about how I didn't do it last time and nobody said anything to me and he did not look happy! I know better next time!

So we finally get through the checkpoint and we head back to terminal 33B where the first flight heads out at 6:00am. When the flight showed up on the terminal screen, it showed we were people 5,6,7, on the standby list. We had lost a few spots on the list. So getting out on the first flight did not look good at all for us, or what it would seem for anyone else for that matter. This was going to be a long day. First slight came and went, with only a couple of standby folk getting on the plane. Second flight was scheduled for 7:00am, and again a couple standby made it on the plane. 8:00am flight showed some signs, but when our name was called, we were informed they only had 1 seat. I had to turn it down. Now, something very strange happened when the 11:00 flight to Dallas popped on the screen. We were no longer on the standby list. Oh no, this would not do. I headed to the counter to find out what the issue was and the teller had no idea why I was taking off the list, but assured me that things would be fine. Of course, I had no idea what that meant, but I hoped she knew what she was talking about. Now, something I failed to mention earlier in this post, we were guaranteed to leave Logan at 6:45pm tonight, a direct flight to LAX, told to us last night just after the last flight left for Dallas. When I approached the counter, I asked if that was the reason we were taken off the list. I explained that half of my family is already in California and I am growing ever increasingly frustrated that the reason we slip up was to make it easier to get to Cali, not make it just as hard. she again told me everything would be fine. We would see.

So the 11:00am flight to Dallas started boarding and in the end, again only 1 seat was available. No such luck. Once the flight had gone, Valina and Lindsy came over and started to hang out with us. They were by themselves on the other end of terminal 32B now and figured we can all pass the time together. I got to know them a little better and the children had someone else to help pass the time. We would find out shortly that we were going to be leaving our company for the friendly location of Dallas Forth-Worth.

The 12:45pm flight for Dallas was boarding and I could here the teller calling a party of 3 several times before they gave up and called us to the counter. I raised 3 fingers to check if indeed it was for 3 seats and she shook her head yes! YES! We were out of here! 30 hours at Logan and no more! We boarded the plane after saying or goodbyes to Lindsy and Valina, wishing them luck. I never thought I would say this, but the flight was the worst ever! Now, don't get me wrong, I was certainly glad to get the heck out of Boston, but try sitting down for 30 hours in crappy seats and then fit yourself into an airplane seat for 3 more hours! They were not to forgiving either. It wasn't until we reached Dallas that our rear quarters got some relief.

I can't ever say I have actually spent anytime at the Dallas Forth-Worth Airport. I have been there several times but never had a layover of any sort. It was always get off the plane and hurry your tush up to the next terminal, all the way on the other side of the airport. We had an hour to eat lunch and relax a little before heading off to Santa Ana for our final destination. The children got to charge there portable DVD players and I the laptop. Surprisingly, my cell phone was doing rather well, still half charged, being as the charger was in my luggage, in California. I did do a lot of Facebooking on my phone in Boston before I figured out how the free Wi-Fi worked there. Anyhow, at 5:00pm, the flight for Santa Ana started boarding and we were one of the first on the plane. Found our seats and we were well on our way to California now!

In the plane looking out, you could see some of the wild fires still burning in Texas, the dried up lake beds and rivers that were to have fed them if they could. You could see huge canyons where water once flowed and mountains waving at us was we flew by. And then there was California, the Golden State greeting us on the runway. It never felt sweeter.

Sarah and Levi were to meet us at the airport. How to find her would be the tricky part as she does not do cell phones. I don't want to get into it right now, so don't get me started. We stood out by the curb once we exited the airport and waited for her. Probably about 10 minutes worth of waiting which felt twice as long as everyone else outside was being picked up. And then my phone rang! Pretty weird since I am waiting for someone whom doesn't carry a cell phone, and she is calling me. Come to find out, she was waiting for us inside the airport. I told her where I was and she met us outside. It was a happy moment seeing her again. I thought we would never get to California and have our vacation as a whole. We headed to the car and the drive began to Palm Springs. That was the best hour and a half drive I ever made! When we arrived, we ate real quick and we were all out cold.