Go West

Tuesday morning the alarm went off at 3 am. I was at the Newark Airport by 6:15 where I proceeded to miss my flight because it was at a different gate. When they announced this, I ran, with luggage about .5 miles only to be told the flight was leaving in 8 minutes. Why can't I board then? Boarding is closed.

I went to customer service and was booked for the next flight to Seattle. This turned out to be a lucky break since the flight was full and they'd check luggage for free. I mostly slept on the flight, but woke up periodically to see the Rockie Mountains and Mt. Ranier. I had to wait 4 hours in Seattle to connect with my flight to Eugene. I heard a comedy skit last week on the radio where the guy describes flying on a propeller plane. He was spot on with the sound and the retro feel of the experience. It turned out that my next flight was on a small jet-prop plane, and it was really fun. You fly fairly low so you can see the sights. They offered free wine and beer. I accepted a plastic cup of pinot grigio.

The man sitting next to me was reading a book about the historical existence of Jesus. I happen to be reading The Book Against God. He didn't want to chat so I drank my wine, which I had to down because we were landing soon. Eugene has to be the smallest airport I've ever been in. It has one airline (Alaskan) and one baggage claim. I retrieved my bag and waited for the airport shuttle to my hotel. I entered my room at 7:30 pm PDT. I'd been traveling for 12 hours.

Eugene is called Tracktown because the U of Oregon is a serious running school. There are running trails everywhere. I'm here to see my son Mark run the 5000m race on Saturday. Yesterday, with the help of girlfriend Mia, I surprised him at a restaurant. He was really surprised and happily so. We had a nice lunch, walked around and hung out before going to the stadium.

It was a long day at the races. Field events, hurdles, 1500m, 4X4 relays, and finally, the 10,000m which has 25 long and grueling laps. Mark's roommate Mike was in the race and we cheered him on. He made a good effort, finishing 19th out of 24.

I must note that I sat next to the same man at the stadium as I did on the plane the evening before. If I see him again, I'll think he's stalking me.

After the races, Mark and I met for dinner which was an abundance of Chinese food. In another twist of fate, he and his teammates are staying at a hotel right across the street from mine.

Today, I'll be cheering on Mark's girlfriend Mia who runs the 5000m, just like Mark.