Savannah Trip-- Part 5: Another Museum and Homeward Bound

TUESDAY, APRIL 9

Sadly, it was now time to go home.  I would be once again be taking two flights on Delta.  One from Savannah to Atlanta, then one from Atlanta to Milwaukee.  However, I didn't leave until late in the afternoon so Ed and I went over to the National Museum of the Mighty 8th Air Force in Pooler, Georgia.

This was one of the major units to bomb Germany during World War II and quite a museum.  Just like the other museums I visited, I'll want to return next trip as there was just too much to see.  We had an excellent lunch at Miss Sophie's Restaurant located on the premises.

I am happy to say that both legs of my return trip home went just like clock work.

So, I will fly once again.

--RoadDog

The Day the Music Died and the Day the Beatles Arrive: Death and Rebirth of Rock and Roll?

In case you're wondering why so many of my blog entries of late have dealt with things that happened on specific days, we have been in Panama City Beach, Florida for a couple weeks and the local Panama City News Herald has a Today in History column.

On FEBRUARY 3, 1959, rock and roll stars Buddy Holly, Ritchie Valens and J.P. "The Big Bopper" Richardson died in a small plane crash near Clear Lake, Iowa.

ON FEBRUARY 9, 1964, the Beatles made their first live American television appearance on "The Ed Sullivan Show," broadcast from New York on CBS.

The Beatles Sure Had a Huge Impact On Me.  --RoadDog

SOME OBSERVATIONS:  If poison expires, is it more poisonous or is it no longer poisonous?

New Airline Charges-- "Onion-style"

After American announced they were going to start charging $15 for their first checked bag because of soaring fuel prices thanks to Big Oil's Greed, The Onion, one of the funniest papers around, had their own little column about new charges we can expect from other airlines.

UNITED-- $25 seatbelt rental fees for passengers who don't bring their own.
MIDWEST-- $35 to sit in the passenger compartment
JETBLUE-- New fee structure for wait times on the runway: $150 for under two hours, $75 for under 4 hours
FRONTIER AIRLINES-- $20 penalty if passenger is not wearing coonskin cap
CONTINENTAL-- $100 reduced-fare tickets for standing-room-only passengers
SOUTHWEST-- $10 to touch the captain
VIRGIN-- $30 fee for booking a flight with another carrier

How about $2 for that REALLY, REALLY little bitty pack of nuts or chips.
$5 an hour chair rental while waiting for your delayed or canceled flight.
Five bucks for a warm, in-flight beer. Wait, they already do that. Never mind.

The really sad thing is that it is about really getting this bad.

Those Funny Folks at THE Onion and Airlines. --RoadDog

Took a Drive Up to Lake Geneva, Wisconsin-- Part 1

Yesterday, Liz and I took a trip to Lake Geneva to see those beautiful lights at Grand Geneva, close by Wisconsin 50/US-12. We like to do this every year, and it is a magnificent display with over a million lights.

In keeping with our 40th Anniversary "Trip Down Memory Lane," we stopped at Dilar's in Richmond for lunch. We stopped at this place many times while dating in high school and college. At that time, and, until about seven years ago, it was Mr. Sitka's. They had some excellent pizza and very reasonably prices for modest high school and college budgets.

At the time, we were living in Palatine and it never would have entered our minds that one day we would be living only about six miles from it. That drive north on US-12 seemed to go on forever.

Still has excellent food, especially their broasted chicken, and a whole meal with chicken, potatoes, vegetables, rolls, and salad came to $8.25.

We then drove past the Wisconsin border on the four lane US-12 speedway. Speed limit is 65, but you'll get run over if you adhere to it. My favorite place along this stretch of road is where they have signs for "Airplane Crossing" and "Watch for Low-Flying Planes." This is not what you'd expect to see on a road. There is a subdivision at this point where one of the roads is a landing strip. These folks fly to their jobs.

It was still light, so we stopped at the Lake Geneva Lanes on Wi-50 and played NTN. It has 12 lanes and a great little lounge done up north-woods style with exposed timbers.

More Tomorrow. --RoadDog

"Fly Me Away"-- O'Hare Airport and Me

Over the years, I have been to O'Hare Airport many times. Sometimes to go somewhere, others to pick some one up or drop them off. It generally is not a pleasant experience, especially when dealing with traffic and lines and a quickly approaching take-off times and there you stand in a LINE with no choice. We live about an hour's drive northwest of it.

My first job out of college in 1973 was to drive business people back and forth from the Sheraton Inn-Walden in Schaumburg, Illinois. They weren't big tippers, I can tell you that--usually nothing. Later, after I got my teaching job, to make some extra dough, I did the same to O'Hare from the Holiday Inn Wheeling/Deerfield for several years.

I still fly out several times a year, mostly to NC, and have been lucky enough to find a bus that goes from nearby McHenry to the airport for $18; it was $16- thanks a lot Big Oil!! If Mom will just find out about the bus from Goldsboro to RDU, we'll have it made.

The other day, while doing an obituary in the other blog for Edward Corboy, who had a large part in the renaming of Chicago's Orchard Depot Airport to O'Hare, I looked up some information on Edward O'Hare and it was very interesting stuff. He was quite the WWII hero, single-handedly shooting down five of nine Japanese bombers intent on sinking the aircraft carrier USS Lexington. I have seen the fighter plane they have recovered from Lake Michigan that they have in honor of "Butch" O'Hare. You can find out more on the June 11th posting at www.roaddogsroadlog.blogspot.com

The reason your luggage checked to O'Hare has ORD on it is for Orchard Airport.

Get Me to the Airport on Time!!! --RoadDog