MAR 9, 21 .. FOR WHAT IT’S WORTH .. THANKS DETROIT TIGER TOM

For What It’s Worth, something is happening here (what it is ain’t exactly clear). Detroit Tiger Tom well knows those words from the long-ago song, For What It’s Worth sung by Buffalo Springfield.

Rhetorical Question : How tired, how physically exhausted can one get? Does The Shadow Know?

I am physically sitting outside of the lobby here in a Motel 6 property off Bell Road near Interstate-17 in the greater Phoenix metropolitan area. We are supposed to get WiFi / Internet IN our room. No luck. I came up to the motel’s front office and I got instant and great WiFi. So to do Posts I come to the motel lobby, with my laptop sitting on a lap board (a piece of plywood 24-inches by 12-inches stained dark walnut that travels with me and is used for this precise reason) doing my best to put together a Post.

I asked the night manager here if he believed in God. Before I let him answer, I told him maybe God wants me to take a break from this action of having to be online doing Posts. Another Rhetorical Question for The Shadow.

Last Wednesday, last Thursday, last Friday, last Saturday I began to get ready for this trip. I did NOT want any drama on flight day (yesterday, Monday the 8th of March 2021). Then Sunday I RAMPED UP the pre-trip actions. I kept saying, “Captain, this is no big deal. If we leave something home (unlike being in Russia, Mongolia, Hong Kong, Seoul etc) we just go one short block to the local Walmart Super Center  and buy whatever we need.” We do KNOW this immediate area having been here off and on since 2016 when I broke my hip in Dubai and came here to have Mayo Clinic Surgeons replace it.

So yesterday morning arrives and basically all I have to do is get things into our suitcases.

Bottom line, by the time our taxi came to pick us up last night at 9pm (local Anchorage time) I was dog tired (having basically done nothing all day but ten thousand little things that needed to be done).

We get to the airport. We sail through baggage check in, we sail through security (well the best one can do airport security) and were at our boarding gate a full hour before we boarded. Gullible, I listened to you. I put my pocket stuff (wallets and money and keys etc) into a yellow bag and then into a 2 gallon ziplog bag so everything was all together. Great idea Gullible one I took to heart.

We boarded on time. The flight left on time. BUT sitting all night in an airplane seat for six some hours is (ahh-h-h) tiring. At age 84 and 80 years respectively, it is getting old and boring.

Now the fun.

Tom drove our GMC Suburban from Nevada here to Phoenix (200 miles give or take) leaving around 1am in the o’dark o’clock in the morning Saturday night (early Sunday morning). Got to the Phoenix Airport and parked our Suburban in the East Economy parking lot (what came to be) Row Q3.

All I had to do (keep in mind I was really tired from the pre-trip activity and the all night flight) was find the Suburban.

God appeared in the form an amazing wheel chair assistant, Raju. He, one man, pushed both of us, Patti and I, with his left and his right arm (going one at a time up the ramp from the aircraft). Raju got us to the baggage claim. Patti spotted our bags and Raju grabbed them and said, “Sir can I assist you in any other way?”

“Raju” I said “I need to get the the East Economy parking lot.”

“Ah-h-h Sir you need to take the mini-train (and he rattled off what and where I needed to go and do)”

Then Raju said, “Sir, I will take you myself.”

We parked Patti outside of Terminal 3 Door 6 (as we left Raju said to Patti this will take some time) and off Raju dashed with me following (or was he pushing me in my wheel chair. I can’t recall. See what I mean about utter fatigue and exhaustion?)

“O.K. Sir here comes your mini-train.” Raju knew which side of the platform I needed to be on to go to the East Economy parking area.

A quick aside. Get this. Raju had done service far beyond normal. For one thing, by himself he managed to push two wheel chairs. As we said our good by I peeled off a $5 bill and handed it to Raju. He smiled politely and thanked me. Then as he turned away I pulled his arm and peeled off a second $5 bill. He lit up and profusely thanked me. As he turned away I again grabbed his arm and peeled off a third $5 bill. He was beside himself. I said, “Raju you did an amazing job. Are you sure this is enough?” He assurred me it was. Later Patti said when he went back to tell her I’d still be awhile Patti asked him if I paid him. Patti said his eyes got large and emphatically he told Patti I had taken good care of him.

Onto the train I got. We then arrived at Terminal 4. The mini-train sat awhile. Then back we went to Terminal 3 (where I’d just originated from). Out of the mini-train I walked. Saw another lost soul and said .. “East Economy Parking?” .. He said follow me I’ll get you there.

Back to Terminal 4 we went. My new friend said, “Get off the train. Go to the other side of the platform. Take the train going to the right.” I said, “That will just take me back to Terminal 3.” He replied..  “Yes but you’re going to be on the other side of the platform.” It turned out they had revised the mini-train route so Raju had me on the wrong side of the platform to begin with.

I got to the East Economy parking area. A huge area. I found the Q1 row to the right. The Q2 row was the other way. Off to Q2 I went and up popped Q3. I was looking for our Suburban next to a fence. Finally found it. Called Patti and said I was in the Suburban with the motor running and also called Detroit Tiger Tom (and Ginny too) to tell them the good news.

Now all I had to do was to find my way back to Terminal 3. And Door 6 Arrivals. Long story short I managed this deed and there was Patti waiting patiently for me.

A fellow airplane passenger from our red eye flight was there (odd he was still in the area a full hour after we deplaned) and he put our bags into our Surburban. Now all I had to do was to find my way out of the enormous Phoenix airport, find Interstate-17 North to Flagstaff, Arizona, and motor to our Motel 6 off I-17 at Bell Road.

Are you getting it here? I got off the plane a basket case. YOU are tired just reading the above tale.

We got to Motel 6. Into the lobby I walked. I said that I needed a downstairs room. Two beds. I handed them my formal reservation papers. I was told that our reservation expired at 4am. Please don’t ask me for more details. To avoid this very thing from happening, I had talked with the property several times from Anchorage by phone to be positive we would have a room that we had guaranteed for Monday night. During our last call from Anchorage on Monday night we thought we had it set.

“Sir you are in luck. We have a room open you can immediately occupy, two beds, downstairs, handicapped parking area.”

And?

It was collapse into bed time. Patti first and me in close pursuit.

I did manage some texts to our key friends and family members.

And?

That was that. A day lost to exhaustion and utter fatigue. There was more but you don’t want nor need to hear it (it has to do with our Alaska smartphone plan with GCI).

Now to have Patti proof-read this rambling mess.

And? At 8 am in the (coming far too soon for us) morning we begin Mayo Clinic activities.

Over and Out.

Smiles..  Cap and Patti

Here’s how tired I am. We got an amazing (the best we’ve ever had until our next one) Subway Tuna Footlong and I forgot to take a photo of it to show you. With it I inhaled a quart and a half of Gatorade.

• ← MAR 8, 21 .. TODAY WE FLY TO PHOENIX
• MAR 10, 21 .. GO FIGURE .. WHEN DOES IT GET EASY ? →