August 6, 2012
At the airport
WOW. I’ve never had an experience like this at LAX. No lines at checkout, no lines in security, polite clerks everywhere. And now free internet? I’m convinced I’m still in my bed dreaming and in fact will miss my flight…
Easy traffic too! So I’ve arrived before Dave, with a full two hours before we board. I’ve got a bagel and some orange juice, you know, so I can carbo load before sitting on my duff for 8 hours.
It’s remarkable how easy everything has been so far, logistically. Our Peruvian collaborators have been outstandingly prompt and easy going with recommendations and reservations for the past six months. Part of my brain isn’t remotely contemplating the journey I’m starting, but my body is here and so is my luggage, so I guess it’s really happening.
This is my carryon bag, amusingly. In it I’ve got all my electronics, my camera, my gps, brunton compus, microscope slides, laptop, sweater, leisure reading, etc. It’s an amazing field pack for hauling rocks – one of the first packs ever made with an internal frame. It was my mother’s, and she gave it to me when I started grad school. With it she packed a dissertation’s supply of trilobite fossils out of Nevada’s Great Basin, now a national park. We’ll see, in a week’s time, whether I find any rocks worth hauling.
It’s funny now, looking at this picture. I took it during my first short research trip out to Nevada, in 2008. I was still looking for snails back then. A lot has changed.
Ah! Dave is here too, after patiently wrangling his reservation with airline staff. I’ll get settled, then write about the geology of our destination and adventures the last few days. Writing for this blog will be a nice way to break up the 8 hr flight.