Tag Archives: Groome Transportation

The Road to Diamond, Day 286: Recovery

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Posted by on in Assistance, children, collaborating, Education, Inspiration, Personal Values, Social, Striving, Travel

September 9, 2025, Reykjavik- It turns out that my trusty laptop had had its screen light minimized. I walked about the north side of this bustling Icelandic capital and found the computer store that had been recommended to me by the manager of HI Dalur, where I am spending the night.

So, here we both are, giving you the skinny on the first night and day of Europe 2025. Let’s go back a bit:

Home Stretch- Yesterday morning, as I left HB 1, wearing my bush hat and sunscreen, the three neighbour kids lined up and greeted me from their yard. Dad was in the background, saying “Don’t bother him!” Those precious little ones will never be a bother.

After a short walk over to Yavapai College, I was picked up by the shuttle to Sky Harbor International Airport. Mentor: A gregarious gentleman from Saskatchewan was my seatmate, after joining the group at Hampton Inn. Turned out, he was also going to Calgary and had lived in Sweden, one of the cornerstones of my time on this side of the Atlantic. He corroborated my agenda in that country and in Denmark. He also saw me to the right counter for West Jet, a carrier well-known in Canada, but less so in the Southwest U.S. For good measure, he “talked me into” not using my TSA special access number; I wouldn’t have been able to use it,anyway, as we were there before the quick processing line opened-and few people were processing at that time.

Snags: The bugbear of modern travelers is the plethora of electrical outlets that don’t work. They are in airports and cheap motels, as well as ferry boats and some national parks (though not many people go to those for the WiFi). Trains tend not to have WiFi at all, at least in the United States (though that is supposed to change next year.) I will see, next week, how much progress European train stations and cars have made, in connectivity. We got that settled, as mentioned above.

Language: Everyone on the plane spoke English (They were Canadians, Captain O! ) Everyone here, so far, speaks English, also. Some of the hostel workers speak it better than I. All those who I encountered this afternoon, including a couple of very well-dressed ladies, took the time to corroborate the concierge’s route map.

Sights Seen: Here are a few small gems seen in the Dalur and Laugarnes precincts.

Airport sculpture
Keflavik International Airport (Okay, so not at the northern edge of Reykjavik). It was the first thing that caught my eye here.
Rainy day picnic?
Dalur’s Reykjavik Camp Ground.
Reindeer near a forest preserve, Laugardalur, Reykjavik
Seaside calm
Thermal healing venue, Nautholsvik, Reykjavik
Laughursdal Church
Laughursdal Lutheran Community

I leave you with the notion that this people, the increasingly diverse community that makes up Reykjavik is among the most dedicated to kindness and helpfulness found anywhere.

Pushing Back On The Mud, Day One

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Posted by on in Assistance, children, collaborating, Community, Education, impediments, Inspiration, Personal Values, Service Activities, Social, Striving, Travel

April 3, 2023, San Jose- The three giddy teens had no qualms about running into the street, but seemed surprised when I stopped and let them finish crossing. This was about the only blip on the calm radar screen that has been playing out, in this economic hub, of the Tech Hub that is Silicon Valley.

The day started early enough, 5 a.m., and after the usual routine of shower, shave and devotions, I got packed, loaded the car and started out around 7:50-then the zipper on my Vietnam Vet jacket separated, from the bottom. I managed to get it fixed, then headed over to True North, where I was initially mistaken for the owner, who is also my weight reduction coach. He came in a few seconds later, took my figures and found no significant change from last week.

Next up was the shuttle to Phoenix. I got to Groome’s terminal in plenty of time-to find we were waiting until nearly departure time, letting anxiety rear its head, ever so slightly. Never fear, though, the driver was merely picking up a disabled woman at her home. Five more stops later, we were en route to Sky Harbor, and made it to the airport on schedule.

It’s been a while, since I last flew Southwest Airlines-with all but one flight having been seamless. Today’s short hop, Phoenix to San Jose, started with me being mildly upbraided by a ticket agent for not putting the tag on one of my bags neatly. I made the mistake of checking the departure board-and ending up in the wrong Gate Area. Fifteen minutes later, with a delicious jalapeno-cilantro hummus and grilled chicken in tow, I got to the actual gate-with another fifteen minutes to spare.

The flight was typically smooth, spent in the company of an interesting couple who were headed to Palo Alto. only a minor gust of wind, which rocked the plane, just before we landed, interrupted our discussion of modern education. We pretty much concurred on the consequences of inconsistency and “faddism”, and breathed a sigh of relief when the wheels hit the tarmac.

Getting the bags was fairly swift, and catching a ride to Red Cross-San Jose took a few phone calls and texts, but the driver, while surly, showed up within ten minutes and got me to the headquarters building-where I learned I was going-not to Visalia, as planned earlier, but to Watsonville, home of Santa Cruz County Fairgrounds. That will be my assignment until at least April 11. I am also working day shift, much easier on my constitution.

The evening drive around San Jose was in search of a pair of reading glasses, following a Zoom call during which the soft light of my hotel room rubbed the need for such eye wear in my face. I can read full well in good light-but the converse is not true. I can, however, see to drive perfectly well-and no random pedestrian in the middle of a road is in any danger-even when putting self in harm’s way.

Thus did a long day pass, and end perfectly nicely.

Cactus Flower to Yellow Rose

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Posted by on in Assistance, collaborating, Community, Hiking and Nature, impediments, Inspiration, Personal Values, Social, Spiritual, Striving, Travel

November 22, 2022, Grapevine- A 1:45 a.m. wake-up, for a 3:15 shuttle, leading to a 7:15 flight from Phoenix to Dallas-Fort Worth, is not on my frequent travel schedule. It is also far from the hardest of itineraries, as I imagine any veteran of a Belem to Manaus to Leticia packet boat trip along the Amazon, or a joyride from Punta Arenas to the Ross Peninsula, or even a trek to the summit of one of the great peaks of the Himalaya, Andes or Northern Rockies, would attest.

It is, however, something I have mastered, along with nine other travelers, who joined me in packing a van that made it in perfect time, from the campus of Embry-Riddle Aeronautical University (where a twenty-minute search of three stops yielded the two travelers sought.) There was scant traffic, once two more passengers boarded the shuttle, in Prescott Valley and Groome’s driver got us to Sky Harbor on time.

Other than a few uptight, suspicious people in an airport coffee shop, and in my row on the plane itself, there were no hiccups between Phoenix and my secondary home. I retrieved my luggage fairly quickly and took my first ride in a Tesla. The car is not quirky; I’ll say that much, and the time may well come when the brand has no more association with Fascism than does a Volkswagen. It rides very smoothly.

Now it’s time to relax, get rid of the rest of the cold that has bothered me-along with 3/4 of the people I know in Arizona- and bask in my little family’s presence.

Seventy-One and Counting, Day 2

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Posted by on in animal and plant life, Assistance, collaborating, Community, Entertainment, Family, Personal Values, Social, Striving, Travel

November 30, 2021- Son was busy, during our after-lunch walk, counting any and all critters he spotted along the nature trail that wends it way along Mill Creek, just east of the apartment complex which was, until this afternoon, my Texas home for a week. There were eight squirrels, a crane and probably five green beetles of one kind or another. Such is the condition of an ecosystem that is in the early stages of a managed recovery.

Lunch. Yunhee made her third classic Korean meal in a row. After mandu gook (dumpling soup), and miyok gook (seaweed soup) came bulgogi (the famous Korean marinated barbecued beef). Every meal taken at home was heavenly.

Farewells. I left my little family behind, after a lowkey, but well-spent week. We did not leave the house much, but did take in a few nature trails-including the aforementioned Mill Creek Trail; the latest James Bond film-replete with an Agent 007 who is not Bond, James Bond-and a JB mini-he; and a couple of restaurants-the surprisingly good Tommy Tamale and the earnest, but not overwhelming, Jake’s Burgers and Beer. About the latter, the perky server, Maria, took good care of us, when she wasn’t hanging out with her friend-but that is a maturity thing, not a matter of character. The fare itself was lackluster.

Aram and I had important conversations about spirituality and preparing oneself for parenthood-before even trying to start a family. He has a clear vision about both matters, which I find re-assuring. I was also able to give him extra moral support, while he finished a college project he found nettlesome at times. I’m ever happy to be with my little family.

Return flight. I wandered into an American Airlines bank of check-in stations that were apparently meant for connecting passengers. The agents looked bored out of their skulls, so they were more than happy to check my bag and direct me to the correct gate. TSA is a bit more exacting at DFW than at Sky Harbor. Shoes and belts still come off, and the efficient site manager has bins underneath each standing point along the conveyor belt. Woe be unto anyone who takes a bin from the used pile, which is unsanitized. The manager reminded me of Queen Latifah’s character on the current “The Equalizer”- as officious as needed, very professional and very sure of self. The confusion over a delay of the flight turned out to be confusion, and not fact. My flight to Phoenix left on time. I had a relatively brief waiting period in the boarding area and the plane was loaded on time. Nice seatmates, from Louisiana and California bantered, mostly with one another. I occupied myself by watching a silent screening of “Kong vs. Godzilla”, which I have seen as a captive audience, once before. The Hollow Earth theory is something of which I had heard before, when I was about twelve. Thankfully, it has been relegated to B-grade SyFy.

Sky Harbor. Once on the ground in Phoenix, it took only fifteen minutes to retrieve my checked bag. I had changed the shuttle time to Prescott, owing to the rumoured flight delay. So, back upstairs it was, to Blue Mesa Tacos. The new cook was being strictly supervised by the manager, but she was doing a fine job on her own-for which I praised her. The quesadilla was perfect.

Around 6:20, the shuttle to Prescott arrived. As there was space available, I made a quick appeal to the driver and explained the switcheroo. He was glad to take me along, and by 8:30, we were all back at Home Base.

All good things come to an end, followed by other good things.