Here's an epic trip I took for work back in the day. Have patience. There's Amtrak content, if you can believe it.
Chapter 1: South By Southwest
"I can't believe it!" I said, as we drove up to the drop-off area at BWI Airport on Sunday morning, July 12, 2015. It was about 7 in the morning, and I'd never seen the place so busy. The line for the curbside check-in seemed to stretch all the way back to downtown Baltimore, and through the glass doors, it seemed like the check-in area was a mass of humanity, all in line as if it was rush hour at Disneyworld. So much for my idea of leaving on a quiet Sunday morning. It seemed that all of America was on the move in the summer of 2015.
I was heading off for a work trip. We had contracted some testing of 18-wheeler tractor trailers to determine the effect of add-ons like trailer fairings and low rolling resistance tires on the trucks' fuel economy (i.e., greenhouse gas emissions), and periodically we liked to head down and observe the testing so that we understood exactly what the contractor is doing, and, also so that we were confident that the contractor was doing what we told them to do. You can only go so far with weekly conference calls. This particular trip was going to be a little different. Our contractor, Southwest Research Institute (SwRI), usually tested for us on local roads or on a test track in Uvalde, about 70 miles west of San Antonio where SwRI is located. However, they had recently ended their relationship with that particular track and found a new test track, an abandoned BF Goodrich track located about 300 miles away in Pecos. The SwRI staff thought that the most cost-effective way to test there was to get a crew together, pack everything up, do the 6 hour drive, and then stay out there for two weeks. This wasn't just a quick 4-day trip to San Antonio. I had signed up for two weeks out in America's Big Empty.
I might have just flown out there directly by flying to DFW and then getting a puddle jumper to Odessa-Midland, and then a 3 hour drive. Because I have a (fully justified) aversion to flying in puddle jumpers, I worked quickly yo find an excuse to take the extra day and fly down to San Antonio. In fact, I needed to do an inventory of all of the government property (i.e. trailer fairings and test tires) that SwRI was storing for us. On the way back, I arranged an in-person meeting with the head of SwRI contracting to go over the progress of the contract. That convinced my boss to let me fly in and out of San Antonio instead of having to endure the puddle jumpers. I was going to be joined on this trip, for the first week, at least, by an EPA colleague, who I shall call "A". The idea was that we all get to see each other's projects, I guess so that if someone, say, retires prematurely , there are people who know enough to be able to fill in quickly. A was going to meet me in San Antonio and drive out with me, but, as he was leaving at the end of the week, he was going to have to fly home from Odessa-Midland.
My idea was to take a morning flight on Sunday from BWI and check out a barbecue joint I had found on the internet for lunch. If it wasn't too hot, maybe I'd take a short hike in one of the local parks. A, who lived in the Washington area, was flying down from National a little later, and we'd meet for dinner. Then Monday morning, we'd be up bright and early, drive over to SwRI, do our inventory, and then hit the road for the 6 hour drive to Ft. Stockton. (We had been advised that the places to stay in Pecos were much inferior to the offerings in Ft. Stockton. That's saying a lot considering what we found in Ft. Stockton.) Naturally, nothing worked as planned, except for getting up early Monday morning, doing the inventory, and taking the 6 hour drive. I guess from the point of view of our work, that made it a success.
Faced with the massive crowds at the airport, there was nothing to do but grit my teeth and get into line. I had followed the Advice given by Southwest Airlines and arrived at the airport an hour and a half before flight time. Given how slowly the lines were moving, I was beginning to think this was a mistake. I don't know why I didn't come earlier. Usually I get to the airport two hours early, breeze through security and spend lots of time twiddling my thumbs waiting.
I had actually checked in the night before. In fact, I had paid an extra $40 for what Southwest calls "Early Bird check-in," so it was done automatically for me. I needed to check a suitcase, so I actually had to endure two sets of lines. Finally, I got to the head of the baggage check line. They took my bag, and gave me a nice little piece of paper that said something to the effect that becuase I had checed my bag so close to flight time, the bag might miss the flight. I looked at my watched and thought, "I might miss the flight." Anyway, it was no big deal, as I was staying at a place near the airport that night, and they could just bring the bag to me. The next phase was the security line. Now I'm starting to sweat. Finally to the security checkpoint -- off with the shoes, empty everything and put it on the belt, and a quick pass through the X-ray machine. Then to collect everything, put on my shoes, who needs to tie them? Fortunately, my gate was pretty close to the security checkpoint. I limped down as quickly as I could with untied shoes, didn't want to trip, and walked up to the gate ...
Just in time to see my plane pushing away.
OK, so it's 8:30 AM. The agent at the podium rebooked me for the next flight at 12:30. Too bad about my Early Bird Check in, $40 flushed down the toilet. The worst thing though, is that I'm stuck at BWI Airport with a 4 hour wait. Well, first I killed time by going over to the Silver Diner and had a real breakfast. Then I walked through every concourse that was within the security perimeter. I think I even went into the Duty-Free Shop, even though I couldn't buy anything duty free. When I wandered back to Southwest Airlines country, I found there was some confusion as to which gate we were using. Apparently the plane that was coming in that was going to continue to San Antonio had to go out of service for some reason, and they needed to find a new plane for our flight. Fortunately, BWI is a Southwest hub, and fresh planes were in abundance, though the one we boarded seemed a bit long in the tooth on the inside.
After this, things seemed to go all right. The plane left on time and arrived on time. When I got to the San Antonio baggage area, I didn't even have to wait on the baggage carousel. Unlike me, my suitcase had made the original flight. There it was sitting waiting for me.
The next step was getting my car. In its infinite wisdom, our Agency had decided they could save money by using an off-site car rental agency and forcing us to rent subcompact cars. I called the rental car agency, who shall remain nameless, although, actually, the were perfectly all right, except that I had to wait almost a half hour before someone came by to pick me up. The were nice and gave me a free upgrade to a slightly larger car, which was much appreciated, as we were going to be doing some pretty long drives. Then I drove over to the hotel, right by the airport. It was about 4:30 PM. A should have been there waiting for me. He was not. I later found out that his flight was massively delayed for mechanical problems, and he didn't arrive at the hotel until midnight.
For me, it was time for dinner. I missed my barbecue lunch, but I was not going to miss having Mexican food when in San Antonio. I headed for one of my go-to places when in town, Guajillos. This is off the 410 Loop (the San Antonio Equivalent of the Beltway) at Blanco Road. They have more variety than the usual Tex-Mex place. I had the Ensalata de Nopalitos (cactus salad), and the Albondigas en Salsa Chipotle (Mexican meatballs). They were good, as usual. The crowd was local, and it was a much better value than the tourist places along the Riverwalk.
Here's the cactus salad.
And here's the meatballs in chipotle sauce.
After that I thought I'd go downtown and walk off my food. The last few times I've been down to San Antonio, I park up by the Pearl Brewery complex where the parking is free, and you can park under the freeway to keep your car out of the sun. Then I walk down the extended Riverwalk down into the downtown area. It's a good long walk, but nice and scenic. But this evening was not only hot, it was humid, so I paid the big bucks to park in a downtown garage. It started cooling off as the sun set, but not that much.
Remember the Alamo!
After a nice walk around the RiverWalk, I went back to my car, too hot and tired to do too much else and went back to the hotel.
--to be continued
Chapter 1: South By Southwest
"I can't believe it!" I said, as we drove up to the drop-off area at BWI Airport on Sunday morning, July 12, 2015. It was about 7 in the morning, and I'd never seen the place so busy. The line for the curbside check-in seemed to stretch all the way back to downtown Baltimore, and through the glass doors, it seemed like the check-in area was a mass of humanity, all in line as if it was rush hour at Disneyworld. So much for my idea of leaving on a quiet Sunday morning. It seemed that all of America was on the move in the summer of 2015.
I was heading off for a work trip. We had contracted some testing of 18-wheeler tractor trailers to determine the effect of add-ons like trailer fairings and low rolling resistance tires on the trucks' fuel economy (i.e., greenhouse gas emissions), and periodically we liked to head down and observe the testing so that we understood exactly what the contractor is doing, and, also so that we were confident that the contractor was doing what we told them to do. You can only go so far with weekly conference calls. This particular trip was going to be a little different. Our contractor, Southwest Research Institute (SwRI), usually tested for us on local roads or on a test track in Uvalde, about 70 miles west of San Antonio where SwRI is located. However, they had recently ended their relationship with that particular track and found a new test track, an abandoned BF Goodrich track located about 300 miles away in Pecos. The SwRI staff thought that the most cost-effective way to test there was to get a crew together, pack everything up, do the 6 hour drive, and then stay out there for two weeks. This wasn't just a quick 4-day trip to San Antonio. I had signed up for two weeks out in America's Big Empty.
I might have just flown out there directly by flying to DFW and then getting a puddle jumper to Odessa-Midland, and then a 3 hour drive. Because I have a (fully justified) aversion to flying in puddle jumpers, I worked quickly yo find an excuse to take the extra day and fly down to San Antonio. In fact, I needed to do an inventory of all of the government property (i.e. trailer fairings and test tires) that SwRI was storing for us. On the way back, I arranged an in-person meeting with the head of SwRI contracting to go over the progress of the contract. That convinced my boss to let me fly in and out of San Antonio instead of having to endure the puddle jumpers. I was going to be joined on this trip, for the first week, at least, by an EPA colleague, who I shall call "A". The idea was that we all get to see each other's projects, I guess so that if someone, say, retires prematurely , there are people who know enough to be able to fill in quickly. A was going to meet me in San Antonio and drive out with me, but, as he was leaving at the end of the week, he was going to have to fly home from Odessa-Midland.
My idea was to take a morning flight on Sunday from BWI and check out a barbecue joint I had found on the internet for lunch. If it wasn't too hot, maybe I'd take a short hike in one of the local parks. A, who lived in the Washington area, was flying down from National a little later, and we'd meet for dinner. Then Monday morning, we'd be up bright and early, drive over to SwRI, do our inventory, and then hit the road for the 6 hour drive to Ft. Stockton. (We had been advised that the places to stay in Pecos were much inferior to the offerings in Ft. Stockton. That's saying a lot considering what we found in Ft. Stockton.) Naturally, nothing worked as planned, except for getting up early Monday morning, doing the inventory, and taking the 6 hour drive. I guess from the point of view of our work, that made it a success.
Faced with the massive crowds at the airport, there was nothing to do but grit my teeth and get into line. I had followed the Advice given by Southwest Airlines and arrived at the airport an hour and a half before flight time. Given how slowly the lines were moving, I was beginning to think this was a mistake. I don't know why I didn't come earlier. Usually I get to the airport two hours early, breeze through security and spend lots of time twiddling my thumbs waiting.
I had actually checked in the night before. In fact, I had paid an extra $40 for what Southwest calls "Early Bird check-in," so it was done automatically for me. I needed to check a suitcase, so I actually had to endure two sets of lines. Finally, I got to the head of the baggage check line. They took my bag, and gave me a nice little piece of paper that said something to the effect that becuase I had checed my bag so close to flight time, the bag might miss the flight. I looked at my watched and thought, "I might miss the flight." Anyway, it was no big deal, as I was staying at a place near the airport that night, and they could just bring the bag to me. The next phase was the security line. Now I'm starting to sweat. Finally to the security checkpoint -- off with the shoes, empty everything and put it on the belt, and a quick pass through the X-ray machine. Then to collect everything, put on my shoes, who needs to tie them? Fortunately, my gate was pretty close to the security checkpoint. I limped down as quickly as I could with untied shoes, didn't want to trip, and walked up to the gate ...
Just in time to see my plane pushing away.
OK, so it's 8:30 AM. The agent at the podium rebooked me for the next flight at 12:30. Too bad about my Early Bird Check in, $40 flushed down the toilet. The worst thing though, is that I'm stuck at BWI Airport with a 4 hour wait. Well, first I killed time by going over to the Silver Diner and had a real breakfast. Then I walked through every concourse that was within the security perimeter. I think I even went into the Duty-Free Shop, even though I couldn't buy anything duty free. When I wandered back to Southwest Airlines country, I found there was some confusion as to which gate we were using. Apparently the plane that was coming in that was going to continue to San Antonio had to go out of service for some reason, and they needed to find a new plane for our flight. Fortunately, BWI is a Southwest hub, and fresh planes were in abundance, though the one we boarded seemed a bit long in the tooth on the inside.
After this, things seemed to go all right. The plane left on time and arrived on time. When I got to the San Antonio baggage area, I didn't even have to wait on the baggage carousel. Unlike me, my suitcase had made the original flight. There it was sitting waiting for me.
The next step was getting my car. In its infinite wisdom, our Agency had decided they could save money by using an off-site car rental agency and forcing us to rent subcompact cars. I called the rental car agency, who shall remain nameless, although, actually, the were perfectly all right, except that I had to wait almost a half hour before someone came by to pick me up. The were nice and gave me a free upgrade to a slightly larger car, which was much appreciated, as we were going to be doing some pretty long drives. Then I drove over to the hotel, right by the airport. It was about 4:30 PM. A should have been there waiting for me. He was not. I later found out that his flight was massively delayed for mechanical problems, and he didn't arrive at the hotel until midnight.
For me, it was time for dinner. I missed my barbecue lunch, but I was not going to miss having Mexican food when in San Antonio. I headed for one of my go-to places when in town, Guajillos. This is off the 410 Loop (the San Antonio Equivalent of the Beltway) at Blanco Road. They have more variety than the usual Tex-Mex place. I had the Ensalata de Nopalitos (cactus salad), and the Albondigas en Salsa Chipotle (Mexican meatballs). They were good, as usual. The crowd was local, and it was a much better value than the tourist places along the Riverwalk.
Here's the cactus salad.
And here's the meatballs in chipotle sauce.
After that I thought I'd go downtown and walk off my food. The last few times I've been down to San Antonio, I park up by the Pearl Brewery complex where the parking is free, and you can park under the freeway to keep your car out of the sun. Then I walk down the extended Riverwalk down into the downtown area. It's a good long walk, but nice and scenic. But this evening was not only hot, it was humid, so I paid the big bucks to park in a downtown garage. It started cooling off as the sun set, but not that much.
Remember the Alamo!
After a nice walk around the RiverWalk, I went back to my car, too hot and tired to do too much else and went back to the hotel.
--to be continued
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