Our journey started in Bend, Oregon, as we went by way of the laborious means of transferring out of our townhouse. I had stop my job 10 days in the past, and we should always have been celebrating the beginning of our mini retirement, however there was a lot work to be executed first.
It was about 7pm on Sunday once we realized that we wouldn’t make it to our storage constructing in Portland in time so as to add our remaining packing containers to our long-term storage earlier than they closed on Sunday, and wouldn’t reopen till after our flight left on Monday.
At that time limit I ought to have realized this journey was going to be tougher than it had performed out in my head. You see, right now, we had been already exhausted. We had been actually throwing stuff within the rubbish, giving it away, and making a mad sprint to get moved out of our townhouse in time.
We didn’t get all of it executed, however thanks to assist from some nice associates, we managed to go away by 10pm on Sunday. By then, we had already rescheduled our Monday flight for 10am – loads of time to get to storage and again and make it to the airport in time to catch our flight.
Full of pleasure regardless of the exhaustion, we had been on the street with the final of our earthly belongings tucked into the again of James’s Ford truck. As we handed by way of the mountains, the roads bought worse and worse, filled with snow and ice. Let me simply say it was an extended drive.
We arrived round 2am, and by the point we settled into mattress, it was clear that we’d solely get about 3 hours of sleep earlier than James wanted to rise up and get to storage after they opened – at 6am.
Whereas he was at storage, I bought the children up. (Belief me, these youngsters are usually not straightforward to get up. They’re snoozers like their mother and father.) However we managed to rise up and out the door with our baggage.
Our Baggage Scenario
- 2 massive suitcases
- 3 massive dufflebags
- 1 Peter McKinnon Digicam Backpack
- 1 Common Objective Backpack
- 2 Carryon-sized Suitcases
- 2 Children Backpacks
- 1 Diaper Bag
- 1 Purse
We wanted 2 baggage carts simply to get our stuff to the check-in counter, and one to make it to safety. This will likely look like a ridiculous quantity of baggage, however bear in mind, it is a one-way journey for us and its every part we personal for five weeks till the remainder of our belongings arrive on the port.
I’m so grateful for TSA Pre-Test. It saved us a ton of time and vitality, particularly with the entire tech we journey with.
Tech We Journey With (Sure, we’re insane.)
- 2 Laptops
- 1 Mirrorless Digicam with 5 lenses
- 1 Go-Professional Digicam
- 2 Tablets
- 2 Cellphones
- 1 massive drone
And a bunch of equipment to go together with. We’re each tech nerds and and can’t stay with out our techie instruments. Additionally, cameras plus equipment take up a variety of area on their very own. These are the instruments that may assist us do the issues we’ve been wanting ahead to doing for therefore lengthy.
I’ve been slowly constructing my assortment of digicam gear that I’ll use to make Youtube movies. Take a look at our Youtube channel and subscribe so that you’ll get an alert once we begin posting actual crusing Youtube movies.
The Salt Lake Metropolis Expertise
Our flight arrived in Salt Lake round 2pm, with an extended layover ready on our Jet Blue flight to New York, and a fast layover to Grenada. Since we took Delta to Salt Lake, we needed to take our baggage and re-check it.
With our 2 baggage carts, we scooted over to the Jet Blue ticket counter, the place they knowledgeable us that they had been all going house, and a brand new crew can be there in 4.5 hours. We might test our luggage in then.
Okay then! A few issues –
- We seemed round and realized there are not any eating places outdoors of safety within the Salt Lake airport. We hadn’t eaten but that day (Monday).
- With no area left to spare, we had gleefully ditched our heavy coats in Portland, not pondering we would want to go outdoors of an airport till we reached our closing vacation spot. It was round 27 levels F in Salt Lake. A lot for our planning abilities.
The Dreaded PCR Checks
The following impediment was our PCR checks, which James believed was post-security, a spot we couldn’t get to earlier than we left our luggage with the airline. The PCR checks had been scheduled for 4pm. We might drop our suitcases off at 6:30pm.
Extra on that in a bit.
We went in the hunt for any form of store or meals stand contained in the airport, and located a Starbucks on the underside stage. No tables, however we ordered some meals and drinks and made it work sitting in these beautiful airport chairs, whereas we labored out an answer to the PCR subject.
It seems that they had moved the PCR checks to a brand new location close to the rental automobiles, outdoors of safety. Phew. One drawback solved.
We simply discovered the testing website and took our PCR checks as scheduled. The girl informed us it could take 45 minutes for outcomes if a take a look at got here again unfavourable, or an hour if it got here again “invalid”. No point out on if it got here again constructive.
Good. Let’s not even focus on that state of affairs.
The testing website closed at 6, they usually assured us we’d have our outcomes rapidly. I at all times have anxiousness about this stuff. I could even develop a mini cough as I sit there and anticipate outcomes. Its not a enjoyable time for me.
It was round 5:30 pm when the employees began wiping issues down, placing tables away, and I’m like “Babe, what are they doing? We don’t have our outcomes but.”
At this level, drained as I used to be, I used to be ready to deal with the final woman making an attempt to go away with out giving us our outcomes.
James, the one with the cooler head, walked over and requested them for the outcomes they usually let him know that mine got here again “invalid” and would take one other quarter-hour to re-run outcomes.
At 5:45 pm they informed us they wanted to re-run them once more, and they’d be prepared at 6:02 pm. They promised to not go away till we acquired our outcomes.
Exhausted and anxious, I sat there and waited, whereas the clock slowly ticked by. What if my outcomes got here again invalid? There was nobody there to re-test me – that they had already left. It was too late to seek out one other testing website earlier than our flight left that night.
James at all times assumes every part goes to work out whereas I sit there and picture every part that would presumably go improper. And he won’t ever, even for a minute, acknowledge that any of these issues would possibly occur.
I actually love him for that as a result of if he did purchase into my anxiousness we’d be an actual mess. However I’ll by no means admit it in that second as a result of sooner or later I’m going to be proper. And its going to validate each anxiousness I’ve for the remainder of my life.
However for now, no matter he’s doing is working as a result of at 6:02 pm, we acquired our printed unfavourable outcomes and moved on to our subsequent drawback: what to do with the following 5 hours of our lives.
The Lengthy Layover
At this level it was too late to attempt to get a resort room to seize sleep for a couple of hours like we had deliberate. So we went again to the ticket counter to see if anybody was there, and positive sufficient, they had been able to take our suitcases.
Two cartfuls of issues solved. Now we might return by way of safety and discover a place to eat and calm down.
We arrived at Squatters Pub and Brewery simply in time to catch a number of the Nationwide Championship soccer recreation. Good! All of us crammed our bellies and rested comfortably in our seats for a minimum of an hour or two, however I used to be just about nodding off at that time, they usually had been able to kick us out to seat extra individuals who had been ready in line to eat.
So we left, and with nowhere else to go, and no vitality to get there anyway, we went to our gate and sat. After which our flight was delayed one other hour and we realized we should always have simply gone to a resort room and slept for a few hours.
They don’t make airport seats straightforward to snooze in. They put these metallic armrests between every seat to be sure to don’t get too comfy.
I miss the airport seats from the 80s, the place folks can be piled up, laying round all over the place, taking fantastic airport naps whereas ready for his or her flights. That doesn’t occur anymore, as the enjoyment of touring by aircraft has principally been destroyed at each stage.
Lacking Our Connecting Flight to Grenada
For sure, we had been further exhausted and I had tears streaming down my face once we realized that we’d not make our flight to Grenada. The layover in New York was tight to start out, with solely 45 minutes to get from one flight to the following.
The hour layover would get us to JFK airport 5 minutes after our flight to Grenada departed. They’d put us on a flight the next day – on Wednesday.
I used to be distraught. I wanted this journey to finish. James and the children wanted the journey to finish. We had been all a multitude.
I sat there for the remaining hours holding again tears. And let me simply say that our youngsters are actually good vacationers. I can’t think about having this expertise with a number of the youngsters I’ve seen in airports and on airplanes. Our youngsters are champion vacationers and I’m grateful for that.
However they they had been drained and able to get to our closing vacation spot as effectively. It wasn’t a enjoyable time for any of us. They had been useless asleep when it was time to board, and we merely didn’t have sufficient palms to get our luggage and them onto the aircraft.
So we gate checked the 2 suitcase carry-ons and one way or the other juggled the remainder of the baggage and made it to our seats. It wasn’t straightforward, as I had little or no energy left in me at that time. However willpower can get you thru alot, and I appear to have that in spades.
New York Metropolis
We clumsily and painfully boarded our aircraft to JFK airport in NYC that left round 12:30am. It was a quiet red-eye flight, and I’m fairly positive everybody on the flight slept however me. I don’t sleep effectively on planes like I used to, however my husband had no hassle passing out. Neither did the 2 littles.
I’m grateful for that. I used to be in a position to sit there in my very own distress and never have to speak to anybody or cope with any issues. There’s some solace in that.
The flight went tremendous till Lizzie began having nightmares and crying in her sleep. She moaned and talked in her sleep for the final hour of flight on which 90% of the folks had been sleeping, and each time she would cry out a number of folks would get up and look our means.
What are you able to do although? I held her and tried to coax her again right into a deeper sleep, however she wasn’t having it. She was within the throes of a nightmare through which I consider her brother was opening her Christmas current and she or he wasn’t blissful about it.
She moaned and cried till we touched down. Till the lights got here on within the cabin. After which she wakened, and promptly went again to her candy, humorous self prefer it by no means occurred. That’s my good lady.
TWA Resort
With a flight scheduled to go away for Grenada the following morning at 7am, we needed to discover a resort room for the rest of the night time. The most important drawback was that it was 17 levels F outdoors and the children had no coats.
I had no coat. James had no coat both, however he’s proof against freezing to dying, or so he would have us consider.
James organized to go away our luggage with the airways so he wouldn’t must cart them anyplace, and I understood why. I actually did. However any heat climate garments they nonetheless possessed had been in these luggage. I used to be upset and went in the hunt for a option to maintain my kiddos from changing into popcicles whereas we traveled to a resort.
And I cried once more as a result of I used to be that drained. Typically if you’re totally drained the tears simply come.
I discovered a store that had some youngsters clothes and managed to seek out them every a hoodie and hat to put on. It wasn’t a coat, nevertheless it was higher than nothing.
Shortly after, James informed me a couple of resort related to the airport {that a} woman had identified to him. Its known as the TWA resort, and though means overpriced for what we would have liked, and price greater than what the airline would reimburse us, it was the proper resolution.
We didn’t must stroll outdoors to get there. I informed him to ebook it and let’s go.
It seems that the TWA resort is a extremely cool place, stationed within the outdated TWA Flight Heart inbuilt 1962. The decor has a definite Sixties-era vibe, and embrace brass lighting, walnut-accented furnishings, and rotary telephones.
For extra photographs of our time on the TWA Resort, try our Instagram channel @sailing_life_on_mars highlights.
It introduced some levity to our state of affairs, and the children beloved it. We ate, slept, and wakened the following day prepared to finish our journey.
The Finish of One Journey
The flight to Grenada was delayed, however just for an hour and a half and gave us time to have breakfast within the terminal. The flight went effectively, they usually fast-tracked us by way of customs in Grenada. (Thanks youngsters, doing all your job!)
We took a minivan to the Radisson, and the motive force managed to suit all of our baggage in it without delay (miracle!). We checked into our room, ate, and took a fast romp on the seashore because the solar was setting. And now everyone seems to be sleeping whereas I write this as a result of I’m coping with some next-level insomnia. (And I can’t discover my melatonin.)
Signing off to attempt to catch a couple of Zzzzs earlier than dawn. Tomorrow our subsequent journey begins.
