As we near opening for our next show at the theatre I usually find myself with more free time, though I think that this time around my time will be taken up by getting ready for my honeymoon.  This mainly will involve cleaning the apartment and packing.  I am really looking forward to this trip.  It is the first real vacation that Ruth and I will be taking alone together.  It Should be really fun and I am sure it will feel like it was too short.

We also basically just got back from our trip to Disneyland with Ruth’s family.  That was a lot of fun, and it has been quite a while since I have been to Disney.  Ruth and I flew out and met the family there to spend outs first day at Knott’s Berry Farm.  Smaller than Disney with big rides, but also way bigger lines.  We stood in some pretty long lines to ride the rides.  We actually took to calculating how many people the rides could move in the amount of time we waited in line.  We actually waited around 3 hours for one roller coaster that was about a 20-second ride.

After Knott’s, we headed to Co Co Ichibanya (aka Co Co’s), a curry house that is starting to make a US presence, coming from Japan.  Co Co’s was the Jones’ favorite curry house in Okinawa, so they will go out of their way to go there when they can.  I don’t have anything to compare to, but it is darn good food!

Then it was on to Disneyland where we had two days in the parks including staying till about 1:45AM on New Years.  Disney is a lot of fun even when it is wall to wall people. It is the place where everyone has fun, and if you take a moment to plan your day, you don’t have to spend forever waiting in lines.  We managed to break the Pinocchio ride, as soon as we got in the car, bells started ringing and lights started flashing and they had to evacuate the ride.  Then the fog rolled in so thick you could barely see 100 feet in front of you.  We couldn’t see the New Years fireworks, but we did managed to get stuck in the crowd.  We got to fight against the press and then this great little old lady helped us jump the ropes when the cast members weren’t looking so we could get out of the crowd.  Good times were had by all.

Sunset lights up Balanced Rock at Arches National Park

Of course the other big thing is my photo gallery opening that was last week.  For the month of January I have a display of Utah Landscape photography up at the JCC here in Salt Lake.  It was very exciting to lay out all the prints and see them big and up on the wall.  I don’t have the space to really look at more than one at a time at home.  The opening reception seemed to go very well, there was a good turn out and I have since received a few emails asking about the images.  If you are in the SLC area you should stop by and see the prints, otherwise you can see the images on my website.

My summer that is.  Yesterday I officially said my goodbye’s at the theatre (just for the summer that is), packed up my junk and this morning I made my trek over to the east coast.  Pretty normal travel day all things considered, 6AM wake-up, have Sunreon pound on my door at 6:20, load up my junk into her car and head over to The Red Moose for a cup of coffee and a breakfast burrito.  I can’t remember if I ever mentioned this little coffee shop before, they haven’t been around that long (I believe since December) but they have great coffee and great food.  They are also practically right across the street from my house which could be a dangerous thing.

The traveling today was pretty painless.  I still think that it is a pain in the ass to get from the door of the airport to the door of the plane, but when you fly early enough in the day getting through security is pretty efficient.  In general, flying on Southwest is pretty efficient.  They seem to really be able to get you from one place to the next without much hoopla.  They also have pretty good fares.  I do love sitting in the terminal and on the plane during boarding listening to the agents and flight attendants try to explain to people about the open seating.  There are some people who really just don’t get it.  It isn’t that hard to understand is it?

As we loaded up the first plane (SLC to MDW) I ended up sitting next to a very interesting gentleman who works for the VA hospital right across the street from the theatre.  We shall call him D for the sake of privacy.  It turned out that he was also flying from SLC to MHT, though his reasons for the trip were not quite as upbeat as mine.  He was a very nice man and we had a great conversation for most of the flight.  In fact, by the time that we stopped chatting I only was able to make it about halfway through the new “Alice in Wonderland” movie.  In the end I suppose that isn’t terrible because now I can watch it on a screen larger than my iPhone.  I never did see it in theaters, and I was totally OK with that.

We arrived at MDW a couple minutes early which is a good thing because the layover was only 35 minutes.  I probably should and cold have grabbed some food, but since people were already lining up to board, I figured that I would hit the head and then get in line.  I ended up sitting with the D again and another interesting person who I believe was around my age.  This flight, which was only around 1:30-sin in length, the tree of us chatted the entire time.  I don’t think that I have ever had that much interaction with the people that I have been sitting with (who are not friends or family) on an airplane before.  In the end, D and I exchanged cards, and will probably connect again when I get back to Utah.  He has kids who he would love to see get involved in the arts, and he knows some people at one of the youth theatre organizations that he wanted to put me in touch with.

With an on-time arrival in Manchester I met my parents and I finally got to meet the new puppies.  They are sooo cute!  They are crazy hyper, like all huskies, but they are a lot of fun.  However they did manage to pinch my old Red Sox cap from my bag and chew it up.  It is a little sad, but I am sure that I will get over it (and get a new cap).  So, since it is Friday, I think that I will leave you with one of my father’s photos of the puppies.  The white one is Ava, and the black/silver one is Zoe.

Zoe and Ava on the back porch

I suppose that I should also mention that for the rest of the summer (until mid August) I will be on the east coast, primarily in Maine and New Hampshire working at Indian and Forest Acres camps.  My blogging may be a little more erratic over the summer, but I will keep you all up to date!

Yesterday I rambled about the complete ridiculousness of airline ticketing and pricing.  Today I wanted to continue to talk about airline travel in regards to what you can and can’t do with your luggage and issues with security.

I know that I mentioned it in my previous post that most airlines have started charging you to take checked baggage on your flight.  With the exorbitant price of tickets to start with, I would think that baggage could still be included in that cost.  At $15 for your first bag and $25 (or more) for your second, what exactly are we paying for?  Seeing as every bag doesn’t get handled by it’s own handler, odds are the cost is not directly related to paying the handlers.  With the number of bags each handler moves in an hour, that would be quite a salary!

I understand the weight restrictions on bags, at least to a point.  I would imagine these are in place to protect the baggage handlers.  Slinging 50lb bags of funky shapes and sizes all day can’t be easy, so having a heavy bag could be an issue.  I don’t know if the baggage handlers have a union or anything, but I could see this being a point for hazard pay.

Now let’s look at airline security.  Is it really more than a joke and an inconvenience?  Every “advance” that we make in security protocols in airports is completely reactionary.  Someone tries to put a bomb in their shoe, so we all have to take off our shoes.  Someone decides to try binary liquid explosives so now we can’t take any real quantities of liquids and pastes.  Ironically, the only thing that I think has regressed is the screening of laptop computers in that you used to have to power them up so that the screeners could see that it was actually a working computer.

Sure, we have added a few things in security that are less reactive, but are they really making us safer or just making us spend more time in line in the airport?  Are they more efficient?  Do they invade our privacy?  Many airports are installing/testing full body X-ray devices.  I don’t have anything to hide, and I am sure that most people don’t, but still, does a full body X-ray of myself really need to end up somewhere in cyberspace.  Does airline security take precedence over personal security and privacy?  All that is not to mention the fact that it takes a lot longer to use the full body scan since TSA has to wait for the images to render.

My real thought that comes from all this is that anyone that is determined enough to make some kind of terror act on an airline will find a way to do it.  When you consider how many people and goods come in and out of every airport every day it almost makes all the the security measures that most people see seem moot.  I mean, does every box of donuts for Dunkin’ Donuts and every bag of coffee beans for Starbucks get screened?  Have you ever gone into the FBO section of an airport?  If you are meeting a private jet you can drive your car right out on the tarmac.

So, what’s the point?  Does it really work?  Does all the “security” make you feel more secure?  Have you ever not felt safe flying?

This is part one of probably a two part series of posts about summer travel, specifically relating to airline travel.

As we head into the summer and people are getting out of school many are starting to think about their summer travel plans.  Some people will travel for summer jobs, some just for fun, and some for visiting friends and family.  Most people who are traveling more than across a state or two will probably make their journey by air.  However, this is getting harder and harder every day.  Sure, it is still cheaper and generally more convenient than driving long distance, but the airline industry is out of control.

What made me start to think about this?  It all started when I was talking to my dad about flying home the night before he left this weekend.  There are two direct flights from SLC to BOS every day on Delta.  My dad had originally booked his tickets on the evening flight but wanted to change to the morning.  For this, the airline wanted to charge not only a change fee but an additional $400.  Now, obviously they had seats available, one would think that it is more important to fill the seats.  What accounts for the $400 difference?  This just further illustrates the fact that when you get on a plane you could be sitting next to a person who paid double what you did and the person on your other side may have paid half of what you paid.

The major airlines are already changing ridiculous fees on tickets.  I want to know what the actual cost per passenger is on a full commercial flight.  If an airline like Delta has standard routes that they fly at the same time every day like the SLC to BOS route, why isn’t there a standard price?  The planes fly whether or not all the seats are sold and there is no way to know in advance if a flight will be full.  So why are ticket prices so variable?  The cost per person doesn’t really change on a day-to-day basis.

Then of course consider the fact that on the major airlines there is nothing that you are not charged for.  It is a wonder that you still get a free beverage!  Why are travelers penalized for bringing their luggage on the plane?  Why should we have to pay for every bag we take.  Some airlines have even started to charge for carry-on bags.  Why shouldn’t I be allowed to take my clothes on my trip with me?  Maybe the airlines just want everyone to fly naked?  I am sure that would make TSA’s job easier!

I just read that now the major airlines want to start charging a “Summer Flights” surcharge.  From the articles I have seen this charge could range from $10-$50 per ticket.  Like every other aspect of ticketing, this fee will be variable depending on your travel date, when you book your flight, what airline, where you are going, and how your ex-roommate’s second-cousin’s sister-in-law is feeling.  It doesn’t actually cost more to fly in the summer, in fact one would think that since more people travel in the summer the planes are more likely to be full so it should get cheaper to fly!

This is obviously the time when some of the “smaller/budget” airlines may get the chance to shine.  I will be flying this summer and I am booked on Southwest Airlines who still has pretty standard pricing, they let you take two checked bags for free, and they do a good job.  As far as I know they also won’t be adding on a summer surcharge.  Of course one of the best things about Southwest is the fact that they don’t have penalties for changing your flight beyond the difference in ticket price (if there is one).

It is really right that someone’s greed for money drives the airline industry?  Did anyone stop to think that people might be more inclined to fly more often if prices were more standard and not designed to screw over the travelers?  What about giving the traveler the freedoms and benefits that we used to get insted of charing us for every little thing on the flight?  Why does it have to be so damn difficult?

So, I missed posting a photo last week, I was pretty busy that I totally forgot what day of the week was.  I won’t forget this week though.  So, here is my photo for the week:

Sunset at Arches

Every year since I moved to Utah I have managed to get in a trip to visit at least one of the national parks here in Utah and the surrounding region.  The year before last I was invited on a trip with my cousins to tour a bunch of parks.  We started in Moab, UT at Arches and Canyonlands National Parks.  We pulled into Moab late in the day and after we checked into the hotel the light was beautiful so we raced out to Arches to shoot some photos.  This is probably the best of the lot from that night.

I totally forget what the name of this feature is, but it is right off the park road and not too far into the park.  I am looking forward to going back this summer for a photo workshop.  I find these places to be so beautiful and amazing and I love visiting them.

As always, comments and critiques are encouraged and welcome!