Planes, trains, and automobiles

I head back home tonight. There’s a movie titled, Planes, Trains, and Automobiles with Steve Martin as a man wanting to spend Thanksgiving with his family. Though I hope my trip does not emulate his, I can easily borrow the title for mine:

I catch the train from Sandpoint, Idaho to Spokane tonight at 11:49pm. According to the train tracker:

As of the last report at 10:41 am between Stanley, ND (STN) and Williston, ND (WTN), it was running 14 minutes late.

I get into Spokane at 1:50am if all is well. I then grab a taxi to the airport, in a city notorious for cabs with duct taped doors.

I get to the airport hopefully by 3:00am, check in, go through security with two laptops, and a camera with lenses–each of which, along with my shoes, will have to be investigated for bombs or other WMD.

*My flight leaves for Salt Lake City at 6:45 am, on board Delta, just one of the many American airline companies in Chapter 11 bankruptcy. I wish I could remember where I read about one person’s experience flying, where the captain’s end of flight announcement was, “Thank you for choosing our bankrupt airline over others.”

I get to Salt Lake City at 9:45 MST, and spend three hours exploring the airport, including its art collection. I contemplate taking photographs of the airport. I then remember the general American paranoia associated with our airports, and most likely refrain.

I depart SLC at 1:00MST on a flight run by a Delta subsidiary, which was just sold to another airline.

I arrive in St. Louis at around 5 in the afternoon, when roommate picks me up.

At 6, I hug Zoë.