Wanderings: California Here I Come

My December 16 flight to San Francisco was scheduled to leave at 5:45am so I was awake (barely) at 3:15 to make the 4am quick shuttle ride from my hotel in Detroit to the airport. First thoughts upon waking were grumbles, "I don't need to be there almost two hours before departure...an hour is plenty of time!" Luckily, something pushed me out of bed anyway and after one sip of horrible hotel coffee I was on my way to DTW. It was a good thing I made the 4am bus because the arrivals area was a madhouse. The line (aka mob) that I thought lead to the American Airlines counter was a mile long. Five minutes in, I was awake enough to ask what line I was in and was told it was for Frontier. Ugh. Nearly forty minutes of being in the right 'line' and a couple of screw-ups at the damn ticket kiosks (I prefer human beings, no matter how cranky) I headed for the corrals that would take us all through security. When I was escorted into the TSA pre-check line I knew the stars once again were going to align in my favor. My simple, hopeful mind concluded that it was a good omen for the whole trip (all 4-6 months of traveling) that I breezed through security still donning shoes, coat and scarf; my possessions, including my computer which I never travel with still happily snuggled into my over-packed carry on bags. Smooth sailing from there confirmed all my good omen theories...the flight left on time, was early into and out of Chicago; all flights were supposedly full, the middle seat next to me was miraculously vacant on both legs of the trip. Extra space all the way to SFO...YAY!  I am DOING this! We landed early in San Francisco, my checked bag popped up onto the conveyor belt as I headed into the baggage claim area and amazingly, I made the Sonoma County Airport Express that would take me to Santa Rosa an hour earlier than I had planned. Oh I am GOLDEN! I would be at Aunt Lorraine's and Uncle Joe's by noon! Double YAY! Piece of cake...this big adventuring stuff...no problem...I've got this. 

We had yummy Chinese carryout for dinner that night and I had a good night's sleep. A quick stay with my favorite aunt and uncle ended with hugs and best wishes...a nice transition between comfort zone and whatever was to come during my first Workaway assignment in Fort Bragg, a few hours north of Santa Rosa.

The bus ride north the next day ended with a forceful expulsion from my comfort zone and a rude introduction into reality. I've never been a fan of reality.