Nevada. September 19, 2012

Erika picked me up at 5 AM to take me to the airport. It was one of the more uneventful flights I've experienced. I changed planes in Chicago and Denver, with the plan of meeting Dianne in Denver (so we could play Scrabble en route to Reno). When I got to Denver and turned on my phone there was a message from her--she was still on the tarmac at Tampa Airport with mechanical issues.... so much for our carefully created plan!

I landed at Reno--it always surprises me when I see slot machines at the airport!  I picked up my bag and walked to the shuttle--they were ready to leave and had room for one more. How lucky is that! It was about an hour and a half to the hotel at South Lake Tahoe. All the way there the driver gave a narrative of the area and the sights we were seeing.

Dianne finally was airborne about 1 PM, 5 hours late. When she got to Denver she had to wait another 4 hours for a flight to Reno... At Reno she had to wait 3 hours for the hotel shuttle, arriving at the hotel at 1 AM! All in all it took her longer to get to Reno than it did to get to Hawaii in January!

I met Bill shortly after arriving at my hotel. We went to dinner in the hotel (not very good) and walked around South Lake Tahoe, getting an ice cream and seeing the sights. It's good to see him--he's been on a motorcycle trip since Labor Day!  He and his bud have been to several national parks in Canada and the US, crossed the Rocky Mountains in Canada, spent time in Vancouver and Victoria, and after this are going to Yellowstone and the Grand Tetons before heading home next week. Retirement is not for sissies!