Paul and Stacy Jensen Family

Thanksgiving Weekend

A multi-post travelogue of our adventures in Utah.
Part I

Our humble Thanksgiving plans of staying home and spending the weekend doing chores was interrupted by an opportunity to travel to Utah. Stacy's grandmother, Verda Boyle passed away that week and the funeral was planned for the Saturday after Thanksgiving. So quick plans were made and instead of waking up early to cook a turkey, we were on a plane bound for Salt Lake City.

Needless to say, the idea of traveling 2700 miles with 2 young children was not on the top of my list of ways to spend a relaxing day away from work. The logistical challenge of getting all of the bags required for a weekend in Utah, (where did those coats get stored anyway?) appealed to my hiking and preparedness ethos, so with a little fear of forgetting something important and a big fear of a six hour flight holding a crying infant, we headed for the airport at 5:30 in the morning.

The first leg was easy. We used curb side check in to avoid the lines to check baggage but we were soon confronted with the challenge of 2 car seats, 2 children, and 4 carry on bags. I have spent a lot of time and money to lighten my backpacking load. I feel confident that I can go hiking for a week with a 14 lb backpack. But I don't hike with a wife and two children. Suddenly, the distance through the security check and the terminal seemed much further than the hike to the spring I took my intrepid father-in-law to. I guess I can understand why a baggage cart is not allowed through the security checkpoint, but I really think they should be available, even at twice the price on the other side of the checkpoint.

Once on the plane we had a pretty good experience. Alayna and Cavell performed better than expected. They both enjoyed the plane and Cavell had lots of people to look and smile at. As the plane was taxiing down the runway Alayna won over the hearts and minds of our neighboring passengers by saying, "Goodbye Florida! I'm going to Utah!" Suddenly, we weren't the family with the children that would potentially ruin an otherwise quiet flight, we were the family with the cutest kids on the plane.

We had a minor moment of panic. Before the plane backed away, the pilot informed us that a back up system tested faulty and would need to be replaced. The repair would take and hour and we would miss our connecting flights. Since we didn't really have anywhere to be on Thursday and we came packed with enough diapers, extra clothes, and gluten free food to camp out in the airport for three days if needed, we were not the most upset persons on the plane. Luckily, ten minutes later the pilot informed us that the repair had been completed and we would be underway as soon as the paperwork was signed. We arrived at Bush International airport for our short layover 15 minutes late. No problems.

Ever been to Bush International airport? The complex is huge. We had to change planes, but we were still flying with the same airline. I thought we would just have to walk down the terminal to get to our gate. Oh no. We started at the end of one terminal walked past three other terminals, walked up and over the street to another building, got on a shuttle, and walked to the end of that terminal to find our gate. Still no baggage carts available.

We made it just in time. If we had been even a minute late, I don't think we would have made it. We were not going to get on a plane that takes half an hour to load and unload because of the large number of passengers. No, we got on a plane with 3 passenger seats across the width and a total of 19 rows. I guess they don't let the big planes and the little planes play together, because all around us were similar sized hot dog planes. We were in the back. By the engine. Luckily we had jet engines rather than the propellers all the other planes around us had. We settled in for our 3 hours flight to Salt Lake with our new role as restroom gatekeepers.

With a hearty, "Goodbye Texas, we're going to Utah!" from Alayna, we were off on the final leg of our trip. We only had one flight attendant to take care of our flight, but she ended up spending most of the time talking to Alayna and Cavell. Alayna earned her wings and continued to make friends with the passengers, undoubtedly making theirs a trip to remember.

Flying over Utah and Salt Lake Valleys on the way into the airport was a treat. We pointed out the mountains and other landmarks to Alayna who really didn't care, but was happy that her Mom and Dad were excited.

One last trip from the terminal gate to the baggage claim, and I was finally able to use a baggage cart to carry everything the 25 yards our to Minda's waiting van. It may not have been a great distance, but it was worth all 3 dollars.

We finished up the day with a Thanksgiving dinner at Black Angus with Minda and Chad followed by a birthday party for Kellen with Dayna and Brandon and the rest of the Cahoon family. As fatigued as I was from the travel and 3 hours of sleep the previous night, I only remember eating Mrs. Robertson's hot fudge (not available anywhere in Florida), and giggling at the potted plants in the Cahoon house that I recently sprayed 15 dollars worth of RoundUp on in my backyard the week before.