oregon trail

so, monday morning around 7:45am i left my house for my adventures to oregon. i boarded my plane about 9AM from charlotte to san francisco and 4.5 hours later, we arrived. i'm not used to this long of a flight, and after sleeping for two hours, finishing a book, talking to the man invading my personal space, and listening to the screaming child... i was so ready to get off the plane. i even tried to stay up until 3:30 am on sunday night in hopes that it would help me sleep on the plane on monday, but i failed miserably. back to the screaming child for a minute, i know children are going to scream on planes, and get upset, it happens. i love children, i'm not usually one to complain about children, but this was hardly a child at an age where crying was acceptable, this child was pushing three if not four, not young enough for this to be an excuse. this child should have been old enough to tell his parents what the freaking problem was, but instead the "terror" just screamed. the parents just kept saying, "shhhhhh." i know my parents would have taken me to the bathroom and spanked my butt, and that would have been the end of that, crisis averted.

i then get on my next flight from san francisco to redmond/bend, oregon - this was a much shorter flight, but still another 1.5 hours, which was torture knowing i'd already flown for 4.5 that day. i managed, slept a little more, and then arrived at the tiny little airport that looked like a log cabin out in the woods with bears on the walls, yikes. so, i have navigation on my phone, and i head to my hotel. i arrive at my hotel, and get all settled in, and then go eat dinner at an IHOP. i tried making myself stay up later last night, in hopes that i wouldn't wake up at the crack of dawn this morning, but what was i thinking, as long as i have a bed, i have no problem sleeping. i didn't wake up til 8 pacific coast time, which is like 11 AM east coast time, i felt well rested to say the least.

so, off to the site i go this morning. the visit went well. after my visit, i decide to go on a little adventure to find something to eat. i see this little japanese restaurant, and think, i'll try that. note to self: i should not try places that are not recommended by the locals. i go in and should have run for the door when i didn't see my usual on the menu, no hibaichi chicken. i ask the waitress and she has no idea what i am talking about. so, instead of looking like a total fool and being totally rude, i settle for the most plain thing on the menu, and order the fried rice and chicken - it says just that on the menu, so i think how wrong can you go. i then ask for my shrimp sauce or white sauce, and she says, i have no idea what that is either. at this point, i am flipping out. i am like, this place is wacko...what kind of japanese place doesn't have shrimp sauce, this is like a staple if you ask me. so, i'm not a happy camper. so, i sit there, kind of worried about how they are going to mess up my fried rice and plain chicken --- and oh my they did.... i think there were more vegetables than rice in my rice and it was absolutely disgusting. the chicken, was not chicken, we will just leave it at that. it also had mushrooms with it, gross. overall, the bottom line was, i couldn't eat it. so, i had no choice but to go over to the local mcdonald's and get a chicken sandwich and fries to eat so i wouldn't starve. so $15 later, i was full. note to self and others, don't try a place in a strange location that you don't know anything about, you'll end up wasting your money.

next i head out on my oregon trail, to get back to the airport. while i may not have had a child with cholera or missing ox, i did see a random lama on the side of the road - no lie. i couldn't believe my eyes. there was a field, and a lama was in the field, then the next field was full of cows, then the next field had horses, and then the next field had billy goats. i felt like i was in the game for real at this point, haha.

so then i finally make it back to the airport, board my flight, make it to san francisco, all for the lady at the united ticket counter to be completely rude, not cool. i have to walk all the way out of security to get my us airways ticket to charlotte, she says, "you are not signed up for a wheelchair." i say, "i don't want one. i just want to know how to get to the airtrain, so i don't have to walk 3 miles in a walking cast." so i walk away from the "meanie" trying not to use a bad word, and ask someone else and find my way... now i sit here, typing this blog message. we are about to board, it is nearly 10 pm in california, i'll be home at 6 AM wednesday morning, and i can't wait, i am tired. good night or good morning to most of you reading this!