Down Under Day One

It's Day 1 of the Big Adventure Down Under (BADU). On Day 0, which was yesterday, we mostly completed our pre-trip checklist, with the exception of a few last minute checklist items that could only be done early this morning - turning the thermostat and hot water heater to "vacation" mode, turning off the ice machine in the freezer, and making sure the refrigerator doors were all fully closed.

I woke up early enough to squeeze in a quick 30-minute Peloton workout and a shower, after which I packed some bagels and the peanut butter and jelly sandwiches I prepped yesterday into my carry on bag. At some point, Deborah got up, showered, and did her last bit of packing. We had already deposited our dogs, Ziggy and Nyah, at the canine boarding house, Ruffin It, yesterday evening. So, the house was fairly quiet, all things considered.

We finished the last minute prep with a few minutes to spare before my buddy Stefan arrived in his blue Tesla to take us the the Madison airport (MSN). The 25-minute drive went without incident and we arrived at the United Airlines departures entrance of the airport about 7:30 AM. There was basically no line at the United ticketing counter, where we showed our passports, checked our suitcases, and got our trifecta of boarding passes (MSN to Chicago Ohare, Chicago to San Francisco, and San Francisco to Auckland, New Zealand). As a dual citizen of the US and Australia (with valid passports for both), I don't need visas to enter New Zealand or Australia, although Deborah does (for both).

There was, likewise, no line at TSA (PreCheck) Security and we breezed through that as well, arriving at our departure gate - by way of stops to get coffee and fill our water bottles - at about 7:45 AM, a solid three hours before our plane was slated to depart for Chicago. They say that you should arrive at the airport at least two hours ahead of departure for international flights, and this might be true if you are starting your trip at a major airport. But when you enter the air transportation system via a small regional airport, with minimal obstructions to passage and physical, mental, and spiritual well-being, I think an hour ahead is more than ample.

Sidebar: When I visit my sister in Colorado Springs CO, I sometimes fly non-stop into the Denver airport, which is a perfectly fine (and cost effective) arrival destination. But returning home out of Denver is an exercise in exhaustion and confusion. So, coming back, I try to fly out of the Colorado Springs airport, which is even smaller than Madison's airport. It's so much easier to enter the system there (despite the higher ticket price), even if you have to change planes in Denver, because by then you are already safely in the air transportation system. It's getting to the Denver airport and through it's labyrinthine TSA Security checkpoint (even with TSA PreCheck) that is nightmarish...and if I am traveling with my elderly parents, forget about it!

Deborah and I bided our time waiting to board by reading books on our phones and - in my specific case - writing travelogue entries like this one, respectively.

Unbelievably, both our flight from MSN to Chicago AND our flight from Chicago to San Francisco were on schedule. I have to say, United Airlines have proven themselves a reliable air carrier on most of the occasions I have used them (unlike a certain other American airline that shall go unnamed). At Chicago, we busted out the lunch of PB&J sammies I had prepared prior to our journey for just this occasion. Deborah also felt the need to purchase an overpriced snack pack of pretzels and hummus, along with a Diet Coke, and I joined the fray by throwing a small bag of Unreal coconut and dark chocolate candy bars into the mix. We refilled our water bottles and emptied our bladders in preparation for the longer Chicago to San Francisco flight, which departed on time and was remarkable smooth. The Captain of the plane turned of the seatbelt sign just about as soon as we reached our cruising altitude of 34,000 feet, and didn't turn it an again until we started descending into the San Francisco air space.

I tried to sleep on the SF flight, but to no avail. My brain was fully awake, having been informed - accurately - by my biological clock that it was still the middle of the afternoon in Madison WI. I remained hopeful that I would get a few hours of decent sleep on the 13 hour overnight international flight from SF to Auckland NZ, since my biological clock will, by that time, make it feel to my brain like it is 3 AM by the time that plane is up in the air and all the in flight meal service rigamarole is over (I'm estimating a maximum of two hours for all that). I'm aiming to try to sleep for a solid eight hours of that flight, although my brain and biological clock will no doubt conspire to awaken me around 6 or 7 AM Wisconsin time (1 or 2 AM Auckland time). However, I will be well armed for battle with my physiological inner workings...to wit, a hefty dose of over-the-counter melatonin and a precribed dose of prescription hydroxyzine (an anti-anxiety medication prescribed by my doctor, which also has soporific effects on the brain). I shall imbibe said medicinal arsenal about two hours into the flight, which - by my calculations - should equate to about 10 PM Auckland time. Fingers crossed.

If there is any continuation of this travelogue post beyond this paragraph, it means my physiology won the battle...