Last Leg

True to the nature of this herd of cats, plans change moment to moment. Dave Buffington and Zane Lemon have taken early passes back to Dallas as both are leaving on trips again on Wednesday. So we are down to six. The first plan is for a leisurely Mexican lunch in San Angelo. But Jacob needs to get back to school tomorrow in Kentucky and needs to get to DFW in time to catch a flight to Nashville. So, the plan changes to a quick lunch in El Paso. After we are on the plane, Peggy checks the flights and finds that there are three evening flights that are wide open. Then the plan changes to no lunch, push on through non stop. (Again, Patti, thanks for the snacks.) Sheryl and Gene decide to also try to get out that night and sleep in Nashville before picking up their car in Shelbyville.
So off we go into the cold and bumpy sky. I think this is our bumpiest ride yet. Jacob again sleeps in the aisle and risks real bodily harm as the others step around and over him while holding on for dear life. It also seems to be our coldest leg, though it may be just the longest sustained cold. Steve suggests we invest in lightweight sleeping bags for the future. There are a lot of snowy mountains as we head out of California and into the desert.
As we pass over a tiny town, Lewis gets a signal on his iphone and arranges for rides to the airport and for Steve and Peggy back to Ft. Worth. The time change means we lose two hours today. Bump, sway, bump. The pilots come back from time to time to advise of progress and Peggy and Sheryl take turns on the jump seat for a better view. There are a lot of wind farms and oil wells in West Texas, but very little else.
At long last we are on final at Alliance. Steve Jacobson makes such a wonderful landing that we area not sure we are down until we feel the tail wheel fall. He gets a standing ovation when we roll to a stop. Buff and Zane are there to ferry us to our destinations. After a delay to get Gene listed on Peggy's pass list and to list folks on flights, we are off to the airport. Buff hangs around to make sure that we get boarding passes and through security. The plane has arrived late and so leaves late but we all get on the first flight in first class. Then there is a mechanical delay and finally a weather delay as we are on approach at Nashville, making our arrival an hour late. But, gosh, that jet is smooth after the bouncy earlier flight. We bid farewell to Lewis and Jacob and finally arrive at a motel at midnight. I keep telling myself it is only ten Pacific time. We have called George Dennis and he has arranged for another member, Joe Roberts to pick us up tomorrow morning and get us to our car.