Traveling Through the Storm!

Traveling Through the Storm!

I'm sure everyone has experienced bad weather while traveling.  Some better than others but still, traveling in bad weather can be a challenge.

Late Sunday ice storm Jupiter rolled across the country.  I had a 11:45 am MSP (Minneapolis) flight. The weather map was not comforting so I woke early to assess the damage.  I normally would have left somewhere around 8:30 am or so.  This morning I left at 7 am after letting the truck run for a bit and shaving the ice off the windows.  Our walkway was slick so I imagined the roads about the same.  As I waited for the truck to warm up, the county was doing the highway out front of our house.  Even in 4 wheel drive I had problems escaping our driveway.  The first mile of road wasn't too bad until I hit the county line where nothing was done to the highway yet.  Not many things bother me but when the road is nothing but ice, that's another story.  It was icy almost all the way to the interstate except for the last couple miles that the county has started to treat.  I always hope the interstate is better than our roads but getting on seemed a little sketchy.  I rode behind a semi doing 50 to 55 mph all the way to Des Moines.  Exit 141 is a sharp hair pin turn and I'm hit a slick spot once a couple years ago, so I take it very easy when I get to it.  US 65 seemed clear with speeds at about 60 mph.  Just shy of the legal limit, although there were one or two spots that made me slow down.

Arriving at the airport I decided to park in the usual economy lot at the $10 a day rate.  As soon as I jumped out of my truck I realized that I should probably paid the extra $3 a day for the parking deck but it was a little late now.  I struggled a bit to get my 2 bags and 1 tool box to the entrance.  I managed without falling so that's a plus.  I actually didn't do too bad in getting there.  It took about an extra 45 minutes but I'd rather be early than have to rush to catch the flight.  The flights were all on time and no deicing was necessary.  I made it to DTW (Detroit) early and pulled into the hotel parking lot at 5:45 pm.  Tonight I'm at the Fairfield Inn & Suites in Livonia, MI.  Very friendly, although they gave my room to another guest about an hour after I arrived.  Thank goodness I had the locks on or he would have walked right in.  He apologized and went back down to tell them they messed up.  I had that happen to me once where they gave me the wrong room number but luckily not the wrong key.  Sounded as though someone was taking a shower and that would have been a real surprise.

Needless to say I arrived safely and should have no further weather issues this week.  I was very glad that this little weather event happened this week and not next.  I'm driving to North Branch, MN on Sunday night and it would have been a nightmare with the ice.

Safe travels...

Michigan, here I come!

Michigan, here I come!

I most say that my Texas trip ended in a very exciting way.  As we approached the airport, the phone started ringing.  That's when the $@!t hit the fan.  A costumer was down and needed someone right away.  One of the plants we had visited developed a problem at the last minute as well.  I felt bad for my colleague since I had to get home for a personal matter on Friday.  I picked up a rental car and headed towards Houston.  In the end he flew out on Saturday morning.  Looks like it will be another year of running all over at the last minute.

On Monday I leave for Detroit.  I have 2 plants to service, one in Farmington, MI and the other in Ann Arbor, MI.  It should be a straight forward PM (Preventative Maintenance) service but with how the year is starting out nothing would surprise me.  I'll get into Detroit around dinner time and spend the night near the first plant.  I will move to a hotel near the second plant on day 2 and end up by the airport on Wednesday for my early morning flight back home.  

It has been told to me many times that if you want upgrades on your flights that you should travel on the weekend or midweek.  Also midday helps as well... That is "Bull", let me tell you, I've had more upgrades leaving early am on Monday and the last flight back of Friday than I ever could the other times.  I made one upgrade in my first flights and I had higher status than I had ever achieved.  With that being said, looking at next week, I have one upgrade and it's the first flight.  I'm hoping I make the second since I'm stuck in a middle seat right now but I'm not holding my breath for it.  Coming back will probably be the same way.  Well I'll let you know how it goes.

Safe travels...

Last Day in Texas

Last Day in Texas

We started out with breakfast at Schobel's in Columbus, TX.  I had The Maison which is like the classic Eggs Benedict and was very good.  Wasn't many people there this morning but the food was way better than what we could have had at the Holiday Inn Express.  After breakfast we traveled back to Alleyton, TX to our customer.  They were running with no issues so we said our goodbye's and header to Converse, TX.  They weren't running the system today but had run it yesterday.  They were very happy with the system.  It was nice to end the week with a friendly swing-by to a happy customer.  Our sales rep pulled in just as we were getting ready to leave.  We decided to have lunch at the 54th Street Restaurant & Drafthouse in San Antonio, TX.  I had the All-American Pretzel Burger which was very tasty.  The service was great and so was the atmosphere.  It is a chain but don't let that discourage you from trying it out.  From there we did another swing-by to a plant in Shertz, TX.  They have 2 machines, one is very old and probably due to be replaced and the other hasn't run since 2012.  We recommended some service to the old system and maybe possibly taking the newer, hardly used system to replace it.  From there we headed to the Fairfield Inn & Suites San Antonio/Shertz.  It was a little early but with Platinum status with Marriott I received early check-in.  For dinner we walked across the road to Schlotzsky's.  This is only my 3rd time eating at one but the sandwiches are excellent.

With the extra time I had from our visits, I went into our scheduling to arrange my Minnesota trip.  This will be similar to my Kansas trip but with 2 customers instead of just one.  I will have to leave my house about 2 am to drive up to North Branch, MN for the first service.  I'm usually done and heading to a hotel by noon.  The closest hotel is near the next customer in St. Cloud, MN.  On the following day I'll service my next customer in St. Joseph, MN and upon finishing that will drive directly home.  It does make for 2 long days and a lot of miles on my truck but it's better than having to fly to Seattle where the rest of the team will be.

Tomorrow we get sleep in, just a little.  Our flights aren't until 11:05 am and won't have to head over to the airport until about 9 am.  We're about 15 minutes from the rental car facility.  I'm hoping the trip home goes smoothly which it should.  I'll be getting back just in time for dinner.

Until next time, travel safe!!!

Texas Trip Continues...

Texas Trip Continues...

Our day started at 7 am with checking out of the TownePlace Suites in College Station, TX and having breakfast at the Denny's just up the road.  We've eaten here the last time we were in the area. Good service, always busy and the breakfast was pretty good as well.  That's when the emails started. Nothing like getting about 10 emails over the coarse of breakfast.  It took us a little longer to get on the road for Alleyton, TX since we had to address some of the emails.  We arrived at the plant about 10 am, just in time to meet up with our regional sales manager.  We ran into some issues but finally had the equipment up and running.  They stopped running and everyone disappeared so we figured it'd be a good time for lunch.  We went to Schobels, a family run restaurant with the best buffet. I love the salad dressings that are made from scratch.  Very friendly and never much of a wait to be seated. If you get the chance to stop there, I'd highly recommend it but prepare to overeat.  When we arrived back at the plant they still weren't running and we found that they were done for the day and would start back up tomorrow.  We called it a day and headed to Columbus, TX a few exits up I-10 to a Holiday Inn Express.  They have started to remodel the lobby since we were here last.  It is about the only chain hotel in the area.  The rooms are nice and the beds are comfortable.  The price isn't too bad either.  Our final day is tomorrow and will be spending the night near the San Antonio Airport for our Thursday flights out.

Until tomorrow fellow travelers...

A week in Texas

A week in Texas

I don't get to Texas very often but this trip is a revisit from last year.

I started my morning as usual by getting up at 2:30 am.  This gives me about an hour to get my stuff together, into the truck and down the road.  I have about a 1.25 hour drive to the airport.  Being that early in the a.m. it's usually just me and a few semi's on I-80.  Since this was my first flight of the year, I like to be a little early to the airport just in case some new TSA rules popped up in the past few weeks I've been at home.  The drive was uneventful as usual.  I save the company a couple dollars by parking in Economy.  I only use the parking deck if the weather is really foul so I'm partially sheltered getting to the airport entrance.  As I walked towards the Delta counter I could see the line was enormous.  It was now just after 4 am and they hadn't even started to set up the lines.  I used the kiosk to check in and print my boarding passes and proceeded to wait.  I could tell the frequent fliers were all irritated by the wait but by 4:30 am we were moving along.  Being able to use Sky Priority is a plus for days like this.  During most of the year the Atlanta flight is at 6 am but probably due to the necessity of deicing, it was scheduled for 5:40 am.  I checked my bags, did my usual stroll through pre-check and claimed my usual seat by the gate.  Getting that seat is partly why I get there so early. We boarded, deiced and had a pleasant flight to Atlanta.  I did score First Class so the I was able to have some hot tea and snooze a little.  With a little over an hour layover I headed for the Sky Club by T6.  Met up with my colleague and had some cappuccino with a bagel.  Boarding in Atlanta is real fun.  When they board the Premium cabin that includes all Diamonds in Atlanta, it pretty much means half the passengers.  I didn't get a seat in first but did get a window in Economy Comfort. Better than the back or middle.  The accommodations were a little tight but livable and it was a fairly short flight to Dallas.  Arriving at Dallas early at 11:30 am made it even better.  

Now comes the rental car bus.  The first one we get to is packed so we decide to wait for the next one.  When it arrives, a whole slue of people come out of the airport and start piling on cutting in front of everyone that was already waiting.  We were packed in like sardines.  The gentleman standing behind me was at the doors and you could here the wind coming through them as we made our way to the rental car facility.  Every time the bus turned a corner I almost imagined the guy flopping out as the doors popped open.  We finally made it to the facility and on the board for Avis Preferred had CTR next to my name. So out to the Preferred Center I went to find out what car we were getting.  They gave us a Mitsubishi SUV.  Roomy enough to fit all our bags and us.  I set up the blue tooth for my phone, plugged in the address for my GPS and off we went.  It would be a 2 hour drive from Dallas to Palestine, TX so we stopped for lunch at a Denny's along the way.  After all the holiday foods I wanted to cut back so I had a grilled chicken sandwich.  We arrived at the customers facility by 3:30 pm.  We replaced the suspected part and the system worked.  I rewired all the temporary wiring I had done last year so they could run and tested the system.  There was another problem but with the equipment connected to ours and helped them fix that problem as well.  Once we were finished we packed up and headed towards our next customer.  We planned on staying at a midway point as we did last time in College Station, TX.  We chose the same TownePlace Suites we had stayed at last time.  Finally ending our day at 7 pm when we checked in.  The rooms are very nice and spacious.  Many restaurant choices as well.  We opted not to go anywhere else tonight and figured we'd meet downstairs at 7 am to checkout.  We'll have breakfast at the Denny's up the street as we did on our last trip here.

Tomorrow we head to Alleyton, TX...

Next Trip is to Texas

Next Trip is to Texas

This will be a multi-stop trip to visit three customers.

This will be the second trip of the year.  I've made arrangements to fly out of DSM, Des Moines International, connecting in ATL, Hartford Jackson International, and arriving into DWF, Dallas Fort Worth International.  The reason for flying through Atlanta is that a colleague of mine will be flying out of there and we want to get into Dallas at the same time.  I'll be taking care of the rental car and have selected a Full Size through AVIS.  We've completed this exact same trip last year but have some unfinished business there so figured it needed one more trip.  We have three hotels setup along the route since each stop is about 2 to 3 hours apart.  

Our first stop will be in Palestine, TX and is about a 2.5 hour drive from Dallas.  Last time we stopped at a What-a-burger along the way.  Not much in the way of restaurants along the route.  From there we're heading south and midway we'll spend the night at a TownePlace Suites in College Station, TX.  We will then continue to our next stop in Alleyton, TX.  We will spend the night in pretty much the only hotel close by, a Holiday Inn Express in Columbus, TX.  We will then head out after breakfast to our last stop in Converse, TX and spend the final night at the Fairfield Inn and Suites San Antonio NE/Shertz in Shertz, TX.  We will fly back out of San Antonio on Thursday just before noon. 

I'll fill you in on how the trip progresses and how my first flights of the year go.

About to hit the road...

About to hit the road...

Just a quick shout out that I'm about to hit the road for my first trip of the year.  The temperature has dropped significantly and the wind is howling.  Should prove to be an interesting trip for sure.  By my calculations it'll be 279 mile drive and I'll need one refueling stop on the way there.  I look forward to filling you in when I get back tomorrow.

Safe travels everyone!

First trip of the year!

First trip of the year!

Last day of holiday and tomorrow marks the first trip of the year!

I'll be heading Southwest tomorrow evening.  Heading to Kansas so I can service some of our equipment for a customer.  It'll be a 4 hour drive for me.  I've done the preliminary things such as, pack my parts, tools and safety gear into my trusty truck.  Need to get my paperwork and backpack ready for travel.  I'll take my suitcase with me just in case but I plan on being right back by around noon on Wednesday.  It'll prove to be a long day but at least I'll get to sleep in my own bed for the most part this week.  The trip is all interstate and should be pretty much uneventful as always but you never know.  I'll see about getting something on here about the trip on Wednesday.

Last day of 2016

Last day of 2016

So where are you spending New Years Eve???

As someone who travels a bit, I sometimes wonder where everyone is spending their New Years Eve?  I always schedule my vacation around the Holidays so that I can spend time at home with my family.

Although the amount of people in the house is slowly dwindling down to just my wife and myself.  I look towards a time that I may be able to enjoy the holidays some place else.  At one time we never spent Christmas at home.  We would pick some place and drive there with the truck all loaded up with the gifts and luggage.  Traveling to some Bed & Breakfast in a remote area that just the family could enjoy.  We would then spend the rest of the vacation in search of new places to discover.  I imagine possibly traveling to another country to explore their customs of holiday celebrations.  So this year I'm at home while so many others may be traveling.  Traveling to be with loved ones or maybe someone is conducting some kind of business deal using it to get some away time over the holiday.  I'm sure there are many travelers that mix business with pleasure.  I know there is a fine line that most companies draw as to what is an expense and what is not.  I visit my daughter in PA once a year this way.  It can be hard since my schedule and hers don't always line up but it's worth it just to have lunch or dinner with her.

So where are you spending New Years Eve???

I'd love to know.  Please leave a comment on some of the places you'll be or have been over the holiday season.

Wishing all my fellow travelers a safe and Happy Holiday!!!

New Year for new travels

New Year for new travels...

Well I haven't put much on here for literally years... but a new travel year starts in a couple days.  My first day to travel will be Tuesday January, 3 2017, so let's get ready!!!

I realize that I haven't been here in forever and I don't blame anyone for not checking this out.  I have renewed vision and wish to make this the year to bring about a new change.  I have done a lot of extensive traveling over the past few years and this year won't be any different.

I have a couple days to prepare for my trip, which will be to Bonner Springs, KS.  It is roughly a 5 hour drive from my house so you guessed it, I'm driving.  My customer needs me to be there at a certain time on Tuesday night.  The actual time I can start is at Midnight to 6 am Wednesday morning.  My wife and daughter have doctors appointments on Tuesday morning so I'll go there with them and then sleep most of the day before I leave.  I figure it is all interstate and I can leave some where around 6 pm to arrive close to Midnight, allowing for some breaks.  I have been on vacation the last couple of weeks.  Recuperating from the overwhelming traveling I've been doing the past year.  I have washed and packed all that I'll need for my trip, including my parts and tools.  Nice thing about driving is that when I'm done, I can just head home.  Since I'll be working through the night, it doesn't pay for me to find a hotel so I opted for arriving in time for the job to start and will head home when completed.  Also I can stop as needed on the way back but I'll get to spend some extra time with my family next week.  The following weeks into months will require a lot of flying time.  With that in mind, I'll have much to share in the world of business travel.

I know this was short and not much to really tell you but at least I'm back and promise that this year will prove to be informative for all those that need to travel for a living.

May you and your family all have a safe and Happy Holiday!!!

Arrived in San Marcos, TX

     The trip to the airport went smooth.  I didn't get my upgrade to Atlanta but it is times like this that keep us humble plus I was just going to sleep anyway.  I had some time between flights so I stopped into the Sky Club for a bagel, cappuccino and some email.  From Atlanta to San Antonio was first class but it was a fairly old 757.  Watched a movie on my iPhone through the Delta Studio app.  The luggage arrived in a timely manner which doesn't happen too often.  After riding the rental car shuttle over to Avis I needed to check-in at the Preferred counter.  It seems they didn't have the style vehicle I had reserved and offered me a Caravan or a Mustang.  Another perk of status and being an Avis First member allowed me to get a Mustang upgrade at the same price as the reserved vehicle.  So yes, I picked the Mustang.  Although I'm not a fan of them, it is a nice change from the usual cars I end up with.  The problem with the Mustang is that it is difficult to see out the sides and you're looking over the hood to see what's in front of you.  The trunk is actually quite large but the opening can be a challenge.  I've had several upgrades over the years, Mustang, Challenger and the Camaro.  Honestly I must say that I'd pick the Challenger if I had a choice of the three.  It's a sports car but is still practical for the traveling person regarding luggage and in my case tools.

     I checked into the Hampton Inn and Suites in San Marcos.  Conveniently located right off of I-35 with several restaurants and downtown close by.  The room is spacious and the breakfast area is the typical layout that they have changed to over the last year.  The staff at check-in was very friendly and I picked out my two goodies for my status.  The location is great because it is within 3 miles of where we are working.  They have an exercise area and an outdoor pool, although it may seem warm to me coming from 2 deg F to 51 deg F, I'd say the pool is off limits for me anyway.  It is open and looks very clean and may even be heated.

     When looking for restaurants we found that many were closed on Mondays.  This was the case with The Root Cellar Cafe and the Tap Room.  We settled for a little sports bar that seemed to be out of most everything.  They served wing, which they were out of, pizza and sandwiches.  The sandwiches were good but not enough for me to remember the name of the place.  It is located in downtown San Marcos near the Texas University.  If I find the name before the end of the trip, I'll list it.  It was interesting and may be worth at least a stop in once.  The bartender was very personable and friendly.

Well that concludes day one, until tomorrow then....

Getting ready for the trip to Texas

     Now this should have been posted yesterday but I'll give you a quick overview of trip preparation.  Everybody travels a little differently and has different packing skills and necessities.  I generally have my suitcase always at the ready.  When I get home, everything gets washed and then repacked.  Of course there are the times when one might take some time off and hopefully, if you're a road warrior, you do take some well needed time off.  Times like this would have been my last two weeks of vacation over the holidays to spend time with my family.  This is the only time that the items in my luggage may find another place of residence.  I make every effort to keep everything centrally located for ease of packing but sometimes items may stray.  I started gathering my necessities two days prior to today so that I could go over what I had and find what I may have missed.

     Since I perform service repair, some of my needed items include more then just a change of clothes and toiletries.  I have separate work clothes, safety gear and tools that have to be considered as well.  Dealing with different facilities and different equipment also require several kinds of troubleshooting cables and software.  At times I must even pack some replacement parts or modules that may be needed as well.  Today my suitcase weighed in at 50.5 lbs, just over the usual airline limit.  Delta let me slide on that, so status does make a difference at times.  Hilton now lets you check-in a day in advance so I took advantage of this to select the room I wanted to stay in.  Also I checked in through the Delta app on my iPhone, which I can use it for my boarding pass or print it out at the kiosk when I drop off my luggage at the airport.  

     I also take some time to check that I'm not carrying anything that won't get through TSA.  On occasion, I will get the little bottles of water in first class and stick them in my carry-on backpack.  These are not allowed to go through TSA screening.  I have been flagged on many occasion by forgetting about them.  Since this bag goes with me even when I'm not working, I need to stay mindful that I didn't inadvertently placed a forbidden item inside.  Even a seasoned traveler can slip up from time to time.

     Now that the packing is taken care of, it's time to get some sleep because 2:30AM comes pretty quick.  With having some bad weather in the area plus a little over an hour drive to the airport, I want to be alert for my 6AM flight.  I can always snooze on the plane.

Next up is my first trip of the New Year...

Dedication of this blog...

This Blog is dedicated in the loving memory of my mother in-law Bernadette Bickert.

She had told me before her passing that with all the traveling that I do, I should write about it so others could benefit from the places I see and the things that I do.

So lets get started...

     Since this week is a holiday week, I'm evidently not traveling but plans have been set for weeks for the following week to travel.  First thing Monday morning I'll be heading to the Des Moines International Airport to catch a Delta flight to Atlanta.  From there I'll be heading to San Antonio, TX and driving to Hampton Inn and Suites in San Marcos, TX.  I'll be meeting up with a co-worker to service a costumer in the area.  It's not the first trip I've ever made to Texas but it will be my first flight into San Antonio.  My choices were Austin or San Antonio and the layover in Atlanta was a little more favorable flying to San Antonio.  Now of course I am a little bias towards flying Delta, being a Diamond Medallion and all.  For the record, I have flown the other airlines out of DSM and Delta is the best choice for getting to where I want, when I want.  My co-workers tend to fly Southwest which is fine but the flights out of DSM are limited.  They agree that I should stick with what works.  Now my boss, who lives near Atlanta, is a Delta fan since Atlanta is their main hub.  Hopefully I will still be able to contribute to some knowledge of airports, hotels and restaurants just the same.  Last year I had 151 segments of flights (sat on 151 different planes) and flew over 125,000 miles.  I've sat in the back, middle and up in first class, rode in the CRJ to the Boeing 767 and the occasional prop-job with Alaskan Airlines when flying around Washington and Oregon.  I'll keep you informed with what looks to be another busy year for me.

Cheers and Happy New Year!