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The few readers of my blog may recall my dissatisfaction with American Airlines when we flew to New Mexico in September. Nevertheless, my wife was determined to use up the remainder of her sky miles as a gold member and fly to Jackson Hole, Wyoming for a romp in the snow.

A few Sundays ago (20th January 2019) we were scheduled to leave Atlanta on an 8.00am flight for Jackson Hole via Dallas. We were  mindful of the effect that the Government shut down was having on TSA security agents at some airports, so we rose at 4am to leave at 5am for the airport. By 5.40am we were making our way through security with very little obstruction.

However, upon arrival at our gate we quickly read the sign hovering over our heads: “Flight Departure delayed until 9.am. The clock ticked slowly towards the appointed hour when the public address system announced that we were waiting the arrival of another flight attendant from an incoming plane, and we would be boarding shortly. It concluded by saying: “Thank you for your patience.” This was a phrase that would resonate with us for the remainder of the day.

We finally left at 9.40am which meant that our window of opportunity to catch our connecting flight in Dallas was severely reduced. We eventually landed at Dallas which left us with very little time to catch our connection to Jackson. To make matters worse, it was the only flight of the day on American Airlines. The flight attendants made no attempt to phone our connecting flight,  but  made a cursory request for passengers on our flight to remain in their seats to allow the hapless few like ourselves  to make an attempt to catch the  connecting flight. Needless to say nobody complied with that request and we wasted precious minutes attempting to leave the plane.

We finally made it onto the concourse and my wife approached an airport employee who was leaning on a wheelchair. I’m not sure what words were exchanged between them, but he offered to push her in the wheel chair from Concourse A to Concourse C where we were attempting to catch our connection. Apparently she told the guy she was fitter and younger than her husband and they both beckoned me to take a seat in the wheelchair. I thought why not? My suitcase was placed underneath the seat and we set off at great speed through the airport. We took an elevator up a couple of floors to the airport train. I was  wheeled onto the train which departed for Concourse C, and  eventually arrived at our gate. To no great surprise the plane had departed.

I stepped out of the wheelchair and the pusher stood expectantly in front of me waiting for a tip. My initial reaction was  not to tip him because our great dash through one of America’s biggest airports had failed. The pusher hovered over me for what appeared to be an interminable time. I finally addressed him, and said: ” I’m afraid I only have a $20 bill.” He replied in a gruff, assertive tone: ” I have change. How much do you want to give?” I said: ” Give me $15 back.” He grudgingly gave me my change and disappeared into the madding crowd.

We trudged slowly to the customer service counter to explain our plight. We were resigning ourselves to spending the night in Dallas courtesy of my favorite airline when lo and behold we came across an American employee who was actually competent. She hit the keyboards on her computer for several minutes and announced: : “I have booked you on a United Airlines flight to Denver, and subsequently onto a connecting flight to Jackson Hole. Thank you for your patience and enjoy the rest of your day.” We landed at Jackson Airport twelve hours after we left Atlanta, bemused, bedraggled, but unbroken.

I wondered whether our checked bag would make the trip to Jackson Hole considering we had switched airlines not to mention two connections. My wife told me to have faith in the airlines’ computer systems, and within a few minutes of standing by the carousel our bag cruised around the corner into my welcoming arms. The vacation in the snow was thankfully back on track.

Following stays at  5 hotels, 4 flights (including 2 connections) and 1 rental car we completed our wonderful trip to the Land of Enchantment.

“Tell me Dave, what were the high and lows of your trip?”

“Well thankfully, Sam, the highs outnumbered the negative connotations”

“Can you expand on that theme for your readers, Dave?’

“Certainly Sam, I’ll be glad to.”

“Best breakfast: Hotel Garden Inn, Albuquerque (ABQ.) It was the only hotel on our schedule which had waitress service. Best lunch: a food truck situated to the rear of a bar in Las Cruces. Best dinner: sizzling beef fajitas served at an authentic Mexican restaurant, “La Posta de Milla” in the historic town of Mesilla minutes from our hotel in Las Cruces. Best dessert: a green chile sundae topped with pecans which was original and delicious from Caliche’s Frozen Custard.

Best shower: Hampton Inn, Las Cruces. It was walk-in shower and very spacious. Most comfortable bed: Hampton Inn, Ruidoso.

Worst night’s sleep: Hampton Inn, Carlsbad. The second floor of the hotel was being remodeled, a construction worker was prowling the corridor outside our room at 4.30am coughing his lungs out while a nearby store alarm joined in for good measure.

Best landscape: The Valley of the Fires is the youngest lava flow in the continental US and is located about 3 miles west of Carrizozo. It measures about 3 miles wide and 20 feet long, and suddenly appeared out of context with the surrounding desert on Highway 380.

Worst nightmare: Unquestionably flying with American Airlines. Our plane was delayed leaving Atlanta. We were not given any snacks or drinks during our three hour flight. On our arrival at Dallas we were informed we had 10 minutes to catch our connection. There was nobody at the desk when we arrived at the gate, and an employee ignored our pleas to open the door at the gate, so we could catch the plane. Luckily a gate attendant standing at the plane’s door saw my wife frantically waving her arms  to attract her attention. She mercifully returned and opened the door and told us to run down to the plane as they were just about to close the door to the main cabin. They must have known there were passengers attempting to make the connecting flight, but made no attempt to accommodate us until we took matters into our own hands.

Most spectacular experience: There are two candidates for this category both of which can be considered two of the most outstanding natural wonders of the world you are likely to see. Carlsbad Caverns are home to 500-800 thousand bats which every evening at dusk emerge from the caverns and spiral up into the sky and return next morning. The caverns themselves resemble a fantasy land of wondrous shapes and colors. Our 31/2 hour visit barely scraped the surface.

Most disappointing experience: New Mexico State Fair and Rodeo at Las Cruces. We originally planned to spend two days there, but it was very hot, the State Fair was mediocre saved only by the “Frisbee dogs,” and the rodeo was like watching Double A baseball which on occasions resembles watching paint dry.

Best historical places visited: Chloride, a genuine Western ghost town; The City of Lincoln where Billy The kid and Pat Garrett had their little dust up; Fort Stanton features more than 155 years of history ranging from its initial creation as a military garrison to its significance as the first tuberculosis hospital in the state, to an internment camp for German sailors during World War 11., and the 400 year old San Miguel Mission in Soccoro.

Most scenic route: The drive from Las Cruces to Cloudcroft where desert merges into mountain greenery.

Most Bizarre Moments: Excuse my ignorance, but I didn’t realize that New Mexico was a substantial oil producing state. Situated in a very industrialized area dominated by oil we passed through a little town called Artesia on our way to Carlsbad and it reminded me of Port Talbot, South Wales. Apparently Port Talbot inspired Ridley Scott to film “Blade Runner.”  Win, Place and Show Tap House was a bar recommended by a local guide pit, and only receives a mention because  the barmaid didn’t know how to make a margarita, and there were several different brands of tequila sitting on the shelves obviously resigned to being ornaments.

Memorable mention: White Sands Monument which has 275 square miles of gorgeous white sand complete with 40 feet high dunes.

Surprising delights: Dave’s Café in Cloudcroft where they served a splendid beer, wine tasting New Mexico wines also in Cloudcroft, and strolling through the farmers & crafts market in downtown Las Cruces on Saturday morning.  It was lively, colorful, and entertaining highlighted by a parrot that could imitate a dog or cat and play dead at a stroke. We attended the Manhattan Short Film Festival in Mesilla in the evening which more than compensated for the hapless rodeo.  Since our trip to California in June, we have become short film aficionados probably because they only require a short attention span.

Off Key Moments: Hubbard Western Museum in Ruidoso was okay, but I was expecting more on the Wild West considering its location in New Mexico. The Booth Western Museum in Cartersville, Georgia is far superior. Almorgordo’s  Museum of Space History was a little ragged around the edges, and is in need of an update. Dusty Boot’s Café in Cloudcroft had great reviews in Yelp, the BLT was good enough, but was the overall ambience was overrated. Smokey Bear Historical Park near Capitan is a waste of time.

“Do you have any other memories of the trip you would like to share with us Dave?”

Two factors spring to mind. I was impressed by the sheer size of New Mexico. The desert rolls on for hundreds of miles until they hit mountain ranges. On our way to Cloudcroft the desert scenery gently merged into green forest and orchards. The transformation from grey and spartan scenery to cultivated pastures and pine trees was breathtaking. It’s the fifth largest state in America but sparsely populated. Total population is only half the size of Los Angeles.

The roads that run through the heart of Southern new Mexico are long and straight with very light traffic, and were a welcome relief from the congested highways and byways where I live and work in Atlanta.

“Thanks again Dave for sharing your travel experiences with your loyal readers.”

I love road trips. I love the anticipation of  driving to the destination. I love the relief of arrival. And I love  acquainting myself with the new location, but it always amazes me how humans adapt themselves so quickly to new surroundings. We had rented a 5 bedroom house juxtaposed to the sand dunes at Cocoa Beach, Florida.

Cocoa Beach is normally an eight hour drive from Atlanta, but we broke up the journey by staying the night in St Augustine. For all its history and Golf Hall of Fame the town is quite unremarkable, and I was quite happy to hit the road the following morning.

We arrived just after 2pm and the owners were waiting to welcome us to the house which would be home for the next seven days. Now Cocoa Beach is a mere 5 miles from Cape Canaveral, and as luck would have it we were in time for a rocket launch which was taking place at 7pm. We grabbed a couple of chairs at the appointed time and sat on the beach sipping a couple of glasses of wine watching the rocket soar into the sky.

The house owners had informed us that we were in the middle of turtle mating season and if we were lucky we might catch the odd turtle or two crawling up the beach to lay their eggs. As an added bonus they also  advised us to take a short trip to the locks at Cape Canaveral where we would enjoy the sight of manatees cruising through the water. Unfortunately neither creature materialized during our stay.

Three of our grandchildren along with their parents joined us on Saturday, and proving their energy knows no bounds, they jumped out of their dad’s van after a nine hour road trip and headed straight for the beach, shoes and socks thrown to the sea breeze.

We spent most of Sunday on the beach with the grand children. Monday, the parents drove the kids to Disney World for the day, and my wife and I decided to hold sports day on the beach: bogie-boarding, a game of  bochi ball, flying a kite, throwing a Frisbee, taking a 3 mile bike ride to the pier. Wow, where did all that energy come from?

The following day, the tropical storm came ashore and it rained incessantly well into the evening. Nevertheless, there’s something magical about watching huge waves crashing onto the shore while heavy rain lashes against the windows of the house. Braving the rain, we ventured out late afternoon and took refuge in  a quaint Irish pub, Hogan’s, partaking in a pint of Guinness or two.

We had our fair share of seafood on this trip. Fish Lips was a reasonable restaurant for haddock and chips while the shark bites left a lot to be desired. There were two decent fish markets in the port area, one for fresh shrimp and the other for beautiful fresh swordfish. It was also the first time I’d tried smoked mullet and concluded it was also the last.

The grandchildren left the day before us and we spent what time was left doing laundry, tossing out the trash, putting all the toys and games back in the cupboards, and packing in readiness for the trip back home. The dishwasher was a godsend.

Our time was up, and our beach living was at an end. We left with the consolation that we had made a decision. Atlanta traffic is horrendous and we have been attempting to decide whether to move to the mountains or the beach. This trip was the determining factor. Our next abode will be near the beach.