Let me just say that a ~13-14 hr combined flight/drive journey from Oregon to Florida via ATLANTA is not for the faint of heart. A bit over 4 hours in flight, 6 hours driving PLUS over 3 hours of airport time (before take off & after landing).
Everything at the airport took a long time & either the airport or airline needed more manpower to make it work at all efficiently.
I will concede that the TSA woman who checked our crates for explosives & shit was very nice. She offered us water & made sure our cushions were fluffed before we got back into the crates. This was the highlight of my trip.
I don't know what J's highlight was, from her description of her cramped seat & no leg room, I was probably more comfortable in cargo.
Once arriving in Atlanta, J was flummoxed on how to get the rental car. She had found a nice porter (Lester) to help her with all her stuff & our crates, but the car rental kiosks are not in the terminal - you take a train to them. He could not even accompany her to the train platform an adjacent building -- which didn't matter in the big picture, because she could not have gotten her luggage, Opa!, & I (in crates) off the train before the doors would have shut leaving half of her shit behind. Lester patiently waited for her with us while she went to get the minivan. He thought this would take 30 minutes, but this was closer to an hour. Seriously.
Finally, J got back with the minivan, loaded us up, tipped Lester well, and zoomed south from ATL. The driving part of the trip was pretty uneventful. J did make lots of caffeine stops, but this gave us opportunities to stretch our legs.
Tonight there was a meet & greet in the hotel. A few of my fans recognized me & were thrilled to meet me in real life. It is nice to feel appreciated. J picked up her 'welcome' bag & 'welcome' bandanas for Opa! & I. She managed to find one for me that is floral without being "girlie", but I don't think I need a bandana. Opa! is happy that her 'girlie' bandana matches her new 'girlie' lure coursing slip that Kati sent from Finland. Whatever.
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