DEN

Hi Readers!

I hope this post finds you. If it does, then it is probably a sign. What it is a sign of, I know not. But it is what it is.

I am at the low gate number end of Concourse B at the Denver airport (DEN). I found the observation deck, which also doubles as the pet relief area for people traveling with pets. I'm not gonna lie...the smells out here are not ideal. They comprise a mixture of jet fuel fumes, dog pee, and possibly cigarette smoke (although I am not certain about the latter...it is an outdoor deck...but DEN regs technically prohibit smoking out here).

I've got over two hours to chill at DEN before my flight to Madison WI (hypothetically) departs. I probably won't chill on this deck too much longer. It's a bit chilly. But it is fun to see the random doggies coming and going to do their business. I hope Deborah and I can travel with our doggies one day.

Fin.

Easy Peasy

Hi Readers!

I am at the Colorado Springs CO airport (COS), considerably in advance of the departure of the airplane that will transport me to the Denver airport (DEN), where I will catch another airplane home to Madison WI (MSN).

I am going to tell you something...it is almost INFINITELY better to enter the airport system at COS than it is to enter it at DEN. COS is a small airport - even smaller than MSN - and I cruised through the TSA PreCheck security portal with minimal hassles, arriving at my gate ridiculously early. There was no line at TSA Pre at all. I don't know if you've ever been to the DEN airport, but it's a colossal and massive s**tstorm of an airport. If you are starting your journey there, the TSA security portal is a chaotic nightmare that overwhelms the mind and exhausts the spirit. By entering the airport system at COS, I get to bypass all of that, which is probably the most taxing and frustrating part of traveling out of DEN. That's not to say DEN is not rife with other annoyances. Even once you are "in" the terminal areas, it's a crowded zoo with miles of concourses that often need to be traversed (by light rail train and/or moving walkway) to get from arrival gate to departure gate. This is unlikely to disrupt my trip today, because my layover in DEN is 3+ hours, theoretically giving me ample time to navigate the labyrinthine airport that is DEN and get where I need to go. But I never like to count my chickens before they hatch. I have learned not to underestimate DEN's ability to royally inconvenience and destabilize me (and the general populace).

That said, I mindfully and intentionally chose to exist in the universe in which all my travels today go smoothly. And that's fully what I expect to have happen. I am surprisingly excited and ready to get back into the complacent normalcy of my home life in Madison.

In other news, my sister Kate scored me a nice "satchel" for Christmas, which I'm using as my "personal item" on these flights today. I also have my usual carry on duffel bag. No checked bag. Deborah and I bought "collective" gifts for my mom and pops AND Kate's family, respectively, comprising gift nut boxes in both instances.

Fin.