Simplifying Travel

Here, I’m waiting for a TTP (Trusted Traveler Program) interview via Zoom to renew Global Entry. With a simple selfie using an app as the plane arrives, I can skip immigration lines and I don’t even show my passport. Last time at O’Hare, I walked past a two-hour line and easily made my connection.

Cheap Tix

Booked a round-trip to Japan using miles earned from a United Airlines credit card I opened earlier this year. The sign-up bonus and other perks covered the cost. I’ll be flying with ANA on the transpacific portions, which generally offers better service than United. My outbound flights will take me to Asahikawa, Hokkaido, a gateway to Daisetsuzan National Park. Traveling on the cheap adds to the adventure!

Paying the Price of Travel

Downsides of long-haul travel are jet-lag, possibly layered on a cold or worse. Today I failed a COVID test, which is some consolation.

The Day After

It was a day for embracing jet lag and planning future adventures. Later this month, we’re day-hiking sections of the Superior Hiking Trail (SHT) on the North Shore of Lake Superior. To mentally prepare, I organized timelines of previous SHT hikes at my Web site. And for next year, I started researching a potential multi-day… Continue reading The Day After

Almost Home

Dwight’s carrying grocery bags of fresh produce we picked up at Trader Joe’s on the way from the LRT station. After over two weeks on the road, we are a little deficient in the fresh produce department.

The Road to Oxford

At Kings Cross we paused for a selfie, then took the tube to Paddington to catch a train to Oxford to join friends for our hike to the source of the Thames. Somehow, instead of one tube train, we took four trains, or maybe it was five trains as we compounded our navigation errors.

View of MSP Gate G9 Jet Bridge

MSP, gate G9, soon to board for London LHR. Thunderstorms are brewing bringing back memories of a rather alarming aborted landing in Tokyo due to thunderstorm-related downdrafts. We accumulate our experiences.

Good Eats

Substantial dinner after planning a trip to Italy next spring with my sister- and brother-in-law: pork ribs, pork belly, walleye, roast Brussels sprouts.

Bridge to Platform

Biking with a friend, followed parts of a new light rail route, under construction. We stopped at a chain-link fence, trying to understand this elaborate structure connecting the road bridge overhead to the platform below. It looks like it’ll have stairs and elevators for pedestrians. The station is a short walk from Bde Maka Ska,… Continue reading Bridge to Platform