Denver Adventure...

So, I went to Denver, Colorado last week, my 1st encounter with the state (which I have been dying to see for forever) and I'm not quite sure how I feel about it now. It wasn't so much the state or the mile-high sickness I experienced the whole time I was there, but the travel that really got me. Let me tell the little ditty with my pics along the way...
So we arrived to Eugene, OR at 9:10am on Wednesday, April 25th just on time to hear from Timothy the United Agent, who you'll see below, that "no, you are not allowed to get on your 9:40am flight, you are just too late, it would be absolutely restricted for me to allow you and your check-in luggage on the flight."

Here's Kia and Corrie trying to convince Timothy that we really aren't too late, but the sad truth was that the lame United people had already given our seats away. So didn't they make double the cash on that trip?

Okay so we made it on the next stand-by flight to San Fran at 10:16, thanks to Kia's connection to Keelan the luggage boy (an old student from Sutherlin HS). But really an answer to some serious prayers for stand-by favor with the United folks.

Little did I know as I stepped through the security check line that my Nalgene water bottle was about to be confiscated if it did not have less than 3 oz of water in it. So the chugging began, by Kia mostly and me included...

Shortly upon our arrival to San Francisco, Mr. United pilot got on the PA system to let all of us comfortably secure passengers know that our plane was about to run out of fuel and if we had to continue circling San Fran for a lot longer (since only 1 runway was open b/c of foggy conditions) then we would have to drop down to San Jose for a re-fuel before we could make it to San Fran. Comforting thought. So thankfully the pilot (interrupting our very calm thoughts) got back on the PA about 15 minutes later to let us know that we were finally going to be landing with our fuel levels in tact. He had supposedly told the San Fran land people that it was unacceptable for us to fly any longer with the state of our fuel. Number 2 "thank you Jesus" moments on the trip.

But oops, after running, literally home-alone-style running, through the airport we peer out the window of our gate 67C only to see...NOTHING, our connecting plane to Denver had already departed, right on the dot of time it was supposed to depart. What in tarnation?! When does that EVER happen? Well it was the only time it happened on this trip for us. I guess we had lost some minutes with our hovering in the air over San Fran in our poorly fueled plan. So panting back over to the customer service desk we go...

Finally leaving San Fran at 2:15pm (mind you, we were supposed to be arriving in Denver at 2:27pm) we made it on the next flight and safely arrived in Denver a few short hours later. Only to find out as we were watching the spinning luggage rack that our luggage must have forgotten to get on the plane with us, on to the next customer service desk we went (BTW-for future notice, I wouldn't recommend working with the United customer service agents out of anything but desperation, not the friendliest of mates for frantic & tired travelers)...

An hour or so late, the luggage arrives. Finally the blessed conference has arrived. Just a few pics of the fun times had (minus the altitude sickness I experienced the WHOLE time I was there, puky-feeling syndrome overtook me, and no, if any of you are asking, I'm not pregnant, just a little sensitive to sense of being 5280 feet (63360 inches in Will's terms) high in the air.) Spent a lot of relax time in the bathtub, actually. But here's a few pics of the moments I came out to take a few deep breaths of the thin air.

The ladies were all ready for a relaxing dinner w/drinks (me and my virgin-style drinks:)) on the night we arrived. Here's my workmates and hotelmates, L-R: Susan, Corrie & Kia.

We went on college tours to University of Colorado at Colorado Springs, Colorado College & University of Colorado Downtown Denver, fun sights and tours to be had!Dinner out a Rio Grande Mexican Restaurante...

A beautiful view of Pike's Peak, part of the rockies! A random visit from an old bible college roomate, Heidi...
Great free conference food, wasn't quite sure how to eat this half a head of lettuce, but just dug right in with one of our 7 knives at each place setting. Wasn't quite sure I had the Miss Manners education and etiquette to eat at some of those meals! :)
Birthday dinner at Lucky Strike bowling for Kia!
And then the trip home on Saturday begins. A full circus (and 2nd 12 hour travel trip) all the way! Fully loaded with another canceled flight (which we weren't told about a month ago), my encounter with the new creepy "air-puffing" machine in the security screening line, an unprepared for 3 hour layover in San Fran, a broken tire that furthered our layover on the 2nd plane from San Fran to Eugene, Kia's quick adventure on the bart underground subway to see her brother's girlfriend who just happened to be visiting San Fran, lost luggage when we returned to Eugene and a partridge in a pear tree.

Kia off on her adventure on the subway during the San Fran layover...Some really tired travelers...


And the partridge in the pear tree (the lost baggage claim which promised our baggage to be delivered the next day by 10am). By 5pm the next day it arrived safe and sound, to finish the trip off with a big bang!

Thanks for reading folks. I obviously lack for much excitement in my life lately, so I guess God was in need of a good hearty laugh!! He knows my little planning, organizing, frantic heart a little too well. I guess you could say that He shook a little bit of that stuff out of me on this trip! I can't tell you how many times I just thanked Him I was alive and well when I finally arrived home.