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San Francisco Trip, day 4 of 4
Oct. 17th, 2022 06:00 amSUNDAY
I woke up just after three with a nasty case of the trots. I went back to bed, rolled over on the four AM alarm, and got up only when it became necessary to run for the bathroom again. While I was in there I took my morning meds and glucose test, and a shower after I was done; meanwhile Gary was up folding our dirty laundry for packing. He went to get his shower and I packed the dirty laundry, leather gear, and boots in my large bag, and got my CPAP bag situated.
We decided to take a Lyft to the airport instead of the bus so we had time to relax, checking out of the hotel around 6:30 AM. Our driver, Henry, played Herbie Hancock in the car, and knew all the little tricks to get around the massive traffic jams that build up around the departure doors. We tagged our bags and dropped them off at the First Class check-in desk, where the lady informed us about the Alaska Lounge to the left just past security. The checkpoint was rather of a zoo with lots of diverging lanes first for ID check and again for bag check and personal scan. I needed a table to get recombobulated but there wasn't one in the checkpoint area so I used a nearby bench where apparently others had the same idea, as there were several bins already there. As I was finishing up, Gary returned all the bins to the checkpoint and got a thank you.
We checked in to the Alaska Lounge and settled in at a counter along the windows, giving a nice view of the aircraft parked at gate D16 as well as the E concourse across the way. There was a light breakfast buffet and a coffee and soda bar, from which I selected yogurt, fresh fruit, cold cuts, a blueberry muffin, and a glass of Coke.
About ten to nine we left the lounge and proceeded to the nearby gate, D3. We didn't have to wait long to board. The chief flight attendant, Bryan, was a cute bearish dude (though clean shaven) with a stubbly haircut and a bubbly personality. He had to bounce back and forth between first class and main cabin during the safety briefing while the other flight attendant (a petite lady named Toni) worked the intercom. To do this he needed to borrow my headrest to store the seat belt demonstrator temporarily. Just after takeoff I nodded off while the flight attendants were strapped in. Shortly afterwards Bryan served us ginger ale, offering two cans at once (I accepted and Gary declined), confirmed our breakfast order of cinnamon apple yogurt, and apologized for the catering service omitting the granola. We got some nice pictures of Crater Lake, Mt. Adams, Mt. St. Helens, and Mt. Rainier; as Gary had his phone turned off, I handed mine to him.
When we arrived at Paine Field, we parked in the outdoor gate again, and the moment we got outside the smoke and ash in the air was oppressive. We grabbed our bags and I requested a Lyft home. We put on masks to try to filter out the smoke while we waited outside. Our driver was a nice-looking white-haired gentleman named John.
When we got home I ditched my flying clothes and texted Colleen, and we watched football until about three PM, when Gary went upstairs to bed and I fell asleep in his chair (mine was in direct sunlight and too hot to sit in) and decided to join him.
MONDAY
I woke up about twenty after midnight to find Gary was out playing. I texted him an hour later, had breakfast in lieu of dinner, finished journaling and went back to sleep, however briefly, before starting the work day.
I woke up just after three with a nasty case of the trots. I went back to bed, rolled over on the four AM alarm, and got up only when it became necessary to run for the bathroom again. While I was in there I took my morning meds and glucose test, and a shower after I was done; meanwhile Gary was up folding our dirty laundry for packing. He went to get his shower and I packed the dirty laundry, leather gear, and boots in my large bag, and got my CPAP bag situated.
We decided to take a Lyft to the airport instead of the bus so we had time to relax, checking out of the hotel around 6:30 AM. Our driver, Henry, played Herbie Hancock in the car, and knew all the little tricks to get around the massive traffic jams that build up around the departure doors. We tagged our bags and dropped them off at the First Class check-in desk, where the lady informed us about the Alaska Lounge to the left just past security. The checkpoint was rather of a zoo with lots of diverging lanes first for ID check and again for bag check and personal scan. I needed a table to get recombobulated but there wasn't one in the checkpoint area so I used a nearby bench where apparently others had the same idea, as there were several bins already there. As I was finishing up, Gary returned all the bins to the checkpoint and got a thank you.
We checked in to the Alaska Lounge and settled in at a counter along the windows, giving a nice view of the aircraft parked at gate D16 as well as the E concourse across the way. There was a light breakfast buffet and a coffee and soda bar, from which I selected yogurt, fresh fruit, cold cuts, a blueberry muffin, and a glass of Coke.
About ten to nine we left the lounge and proceeded to the nearby gate, D3. We didn't have to wait long to board. The chief flight attendant, Bryan, was a cute bearish dude (though clean shaven) with a stubbly haircut and a bubbly personality. He had to bounce back and forth between first class and main cabin during the safety briefing while the other flight attendant (a petite lady named Toni) worked the intercom. To do this he needed to borrow my headrest to store the seat belt demonstrator temporarily. Just after takeoff I nodded off while the flight attendants were strapped in. Shortly afterwards Bryan served us ginger ale, offering two cans at once (I accepted and Gary declined), confirmed our breakfast order of cinnamon apple yogurt, and apologized for the catering service omitting the granola. We got some nice pictures of Crater Lake, Mt. Adams, Mt. St. Helens, and Mt. Rainier; as Gary had his phone turned off, I handed mine to him.
When we arrived at Paine Field, we parked in the outdoor gate again, and the moment we got outside the smoke and ash in the air was oppressive. We grabbed our bags and I requested a Lyft home. We put on masks to try to filter out the smoke while we waited outside. Our driver was a nice-looking white-haired gentleman named John.
When we got home I ditched my flying clothes and texted Colleen, and we watched football until about three PM, when Gary went upstairs to bed and I fell asleep in his chair (mine was in direct sunlight and too hot to sit in) and decided to join him.
MONDAY
I woke up about twenty after midnight to find Gary was out playing. I texted him an hour later, had breakfast in lieu of dinner, finished journaling and went back to sleep, however briefly, before starting the work day.