Pooha’s First Flight

Before I took this cross-country adventure the only travel I had ever done was road trip in my car with me as the driver. I was 100% in control of everything. I also had never ventured far outside of Oregon because I did not know how to pump my own gas, not allowed here in Oregon. I also had never purchased a plane ticket so that was an adventure as well. I was brave and asked for help buying a plane ticket and it was so quiet I could hear crickets. Several days passed and I got one message that just said, “Kayak website cheaper prices.” I taught myself how to purchase a round trip plane ticket. Then I scheduled my shuttle to get to the airport 75 miles away.

PDX to DFW

After the Groom Airport shuttle dropped me off at PDX my adventure began. I was to fly across the United States for the very first time. I flew from Oregon to North Carolina with a stop in Dallas Fort Worth to change planes.

The adventure began as I reached the ticket counter. I must have had a look of confusion all over my face because the lady at the counter asked me if she could help direct me where I needed to go.

I showed her my boarding pass and she asked me if I had any luggage to check. I said I just had the carry on and so she told me to continue on down the concourse till I got to the first right and turn there and to continue following that concourse till I got to security.

I began walking and walking and walking.

I reached the point of where I needed to turn right from that first concourse. I was met by another airport employee who must have recognized the same confused look that the lady at the ticket counter saw. He asked me if I knew where I was needing to go. I showed him my boarding pass on my phone when he asked to see it. He went looked on computer board and said “your flight is still on time you need terminal C gate 17 just continue to follow hallway with the signs for C.

I began walking and walking and walking again.

When I finally reached security I thought to myself, “why is security so far away?” When I got to the first guy I asked him, “Where do I get the wheel chair help I requested online” He flatly said, “back at the ticket counter” I asked if he could call for one and I was told he could not and that I needed to return to the ticket counter to request that service.

Well, I was not going to walk all the way back there, so I decided to just continue on as I had already gone that far.

My knee lit up the x-ray and other parts of my body showed metal. I told the gal that I am pretty sure the only metal is in my knee but according to the machine all of my mid-section was marked so she needed to frisk me.

After that adventure through security, I thought to myself, not much further now. Oh, how wrong could I be on that. I kept following the signs heading me to terminal C. Finally, I see C-1 and realize I still had a very long walk to C-17. I think there was 23 or 24 gates in C so my gate was almost to the very end.

When I arrived at C-17 I checked my fitness watch and I had walked without siting down to rest for ¾ of a mile. First time walking that distance in years. Three months post knee replacement. I posted on FB and a friend told me to make sure I had the wheelchair assistance awaiting me at DFW and at CLT. I got confirmation all was set for the rest of my trip to Charlette NC. But my adventure was far from over.

DFW adventures on the way to NC.

On the flight to DFW there was a medical emergency so we were instructed to stay in our seats till the EMT’s had boarded the plane and taken the person off then we could disembark. I was met with a wheelchair, and I showed him my boarding pass for my next flight. I originally had a 45 min layover but that was reduced to approx. 20 mins now to get to the next connecting flight. Thankfully it was in the same terminal but 20 gates apart. The young man told me to hold on and he jogged me to my connecting flight. I thanked him, tipped him, and boarded my flight.

45 mins is way too short of a layover I discovered. Thankful for wheelchair service still or I would have missed my connecting flight. Lesson learned. I also learned the valuable lesson of finding peace and joy during that moment because you see getting stressed out would not have changed the circumstances it just would have changed me.

Once on the plane I enjoyed looking at the night sky with city lights as far as the eye could see from Dallas to Charlette. Amazing the difference in West coast and East coast seen from above.

CLT arrival at midnight.

I was greeted by a really nice young man who had such a deep accent I could not understand him very well, but he was very understanding. I told him I was going to be picked up at 12:15am. He pushed me to where I was scheduled to be picked up for my ride to the motel. That was another very long trek in the wheelchair. I assured him I would be ok waiting on the bench, but he politely told me he would wait with me and to stay in the wheelchair. That might have been policy, but it was still very nice that I was not outside alone at midnight in a new city. I had an awesome experience at CLT. They got 5 stars for that part of the airport adventure.

At the writers conference I had to get use to the time zone difference and the physical pain I was feeling the next morning. At lunch time day one a gal came up to me and said she was so glad I had found help purchasing my plane ticket. My face must have been saying something as her expression changed too. She asked if I was the one asking for help purchasing the ticket? I said yes but I got no help so I taught myself how to buy a round trip ticket. It was at that moment I realized my wording had everyone assuming I was looking for financial help buying the ticket. That realization that most who were in attendance knew of my request for help and them thinking I needed their money damped the rest of my time there.

Now for the return trip home.

CLT to DFW

The assist service at the Charlette airport is top notch. I was able to get a wheelchair outside before even entering the airport. He asked to see my boarding pass and took me to security. Once again I lit that Xray machine up in my midsection and my knee. By now I am wondering what in the world is in my mid-section that would indicate metal. So, I was frisked again LOL. Then he took me to my terminal and gate with a nice long relaxing wait. The flight to DFW went smooth and uneventful.

DFW adventures…my oh my

I am met at the plane with a wheelchair, wheeled up the ramp that connects the plane to the terminal. The guy pushing me mumbles something softly and fast as he parks the wheelchair at the check in counter of where the plane landed then he takes off back down the ramp back to the plane.  I look at the reader board and it is not my flight to PDX lol.

I sit there very confused because between my hearing issue and now plugged ears from the flight I am pretty much deaf in that moment. After a couple of mins, I go to the guy at the ticket counter and ask him where my guy went that was to push me to my connecting flight. The employee said we called for a cart, and it has not arrived yet.

“Ok a cart, what is a cart?” I asked.

He does not answer me on what the cart was but instead asked to see my boarding pass. I show it to him, and he says hold on I am calling for the cart again. Your flight had a terminal and gate change. That is when he informed me that I might miss my connecting flight. You see I landed in terminal A my connecting flight is now in terminal D. At that moment in time, I had zero idea how far apart A was from D.

Spoiler alert…It was a really long distance from landing terminal to connecting flight terminal. Like the size of a small city far apart.

The cart arrives and I get on with my suitcase. Off we go. We drive and drive and drive for 10 mins (driving for 10 mins) we reach an elevator, and he gets off, undoes my seatbelt and takes my bag off. I said, “what are we doing?” He said, “taking the elevator to the next floor.”

We get off the elevator and he points us 3 gals (2 have joined my ride along the way) to a set of seats and tells us to wait for the next cart(s). He gets back on the elevator and is gone.

I say a silent prayer for God to slow time down as this was not looking promising. I underestimated the size of DFW and it felt like it was the size of my hometown of Albany Oregon of 54,000 population.

Us 3 ladies chat a bit. I look at my time and boarding was to begin in 10 mins. Two carts arrive 1 lady gets on one and me and the other get on ours and off we go. He drops the other lady off at her gate and then it is just me to continue for another 10 min ride. (God had to have slowed time as doing the math it was not adding up.)

He announces that I am there, and I get off get my bag and I literally am the 2nd to last to board as boarding is closing for that flight to PDX. Only God got me to my connecting flight on time because the cart ride alone totaled 20 mins and then we waited a good almost 10 mins for the other carts to arrive. By worldly standards I should have missed my flight, BUT GOD!

DFW to PDX

My flight to PDX was smooth and relaxing and I arrived in Portland, met by a young man with a wheelchair and he pushed me to the waiting area for the Groom Airport shuttle. I had a 2 hour wait for my shuttle ride back to Albany.

I kind of like long relaxing waits now. I people watched and did several word search puzzles. Enjoyed the ride back to Albany and was glad I was home. Many firsts in this adventure from West coast to East coast and back. I was so happy that I did it and learned many first-time flier lessons.

The lessons I learned on that trip back in Feb 2022 were many. Be careful of how a request of help is worded to avoid misunderstandings. Be better prepared from start to finish. Give up control and let God manage the trip. But most of all be brave enough to do something so far out of your comfort zone. God has you. Let Him guide the steps, the time (He had to have slowed it down). Thank Him for every little miracle you see had to only be God. You see I had just lost 200 pounds. I was 3-month post op on a right knee replacement. I am an introvert with Asperges. I was so far out of my comfort zone that trip was only possible because God was in it, I kept my eyes on Jesus.

Will I do it again? Yup!