Would have liked to have spent more time in Salt Lake City, but I had really exhausted the sites downtown and to venture to the Olympic ski parks and the Great Salt Lake (which by the way is sometimes as much as 27% salt, 2nd only to the Dead Sea and you can float on) would have required a car (as ever). Another reason to leave is that snowboarding with Tim is calling. So I woke at 7 to take a walk to the temple to catch the local bus out to the airport and save myself some money to boot.
7.00 in the morning in Salt Lake sees many scurrying people, suited and booted heading off to work. Strangely the biggest office block in Salt Lake is the Mormon offices. It's kind of funny to see all these businessmen heading off to work for a church.
Having got to the airport and checked in, I was subjected to the screening process. This is the 3rd time I've flown in 11 days and the 3rd time I've had the extra special treatment. Now even I am beginning to wander if I am a terrorist. If I was my cause would be the promotion of Fleet Town Football Club's search for a long term sponsor and to stave of relegation for another season. A noble and just cause if you ask me. Anyway enough of that. In the 11 days I'll have been on 5 different flights and used 3 different carriers.
I caught the 11.05 to Las Vegas on Southwest airlines. South West is like the Greyhound of the sky. There are no seat allocation so, as ever, I always get sat next to a loon instead of someone pretty, or failing that interesting or failing that someone who smells nice. The pilot sounds like a right cowboy and the flight attendants are all in casual gear (chinos and polo shirts).
As we departed Salt Lake you get an awesome view across the Rockies. You certainly wouldn't see that on the Greyhound. As time passes the snowy mountains fade into the red canyon country as you near Vegas.
Landing in Vegas we gained an hour again (so now I'm 8 hours behind you). I relented from playing the slot machines in the terminal before we took off again at 12.30. These are the 2 prettiest flights I've been on, I mean in terms of scenery. On this flight you get a cracking view of Vegas and then a gorgeous peak at Lake Tahoe.
We landed 13.50 in Sacramento and back in California. I had to wait for Tim to pick me up after work in his big white truck. He really has taken to this American lifestyle. I don't actually remember him from school although I do recall the name. He was 3 years above me and yet again I am blown away by people's (who don't know me from Adam) willingness to go out of their way and look after me for a few days. We drove back via Folsom to pick up some snowboarding rental gear ($25) and then drove to his house in Placerville where I met his wife Rachelle and 2 kids Ethan and Jamin. Placerville is about an hour east of Sacramento and you can see why they chose to live here, in the countryside, on his 5.5 acres of land.
