Just Another Day In Paradise

Working two days in a row has the potential to be very taxing on the body. Luckily for me, my "work" is nothing but a pleasure, and flying to Reno this past Wednesday didn't feel like work at all.

We left way too early in the morning, which would be my only complaint. With three alarms set for 4:55 AM, I should have slept well knowing I would be awakened at the proper time. Wishful thinking...thanks to those early mornings, I rarely sleep because I am worried I will get called from Big Boss twenty minutes after we are supposed to take off, "Where are you, Micah?" It's never happened, but I certainly don't want to start such behaviors now! As a result, I had a restless night. If I occasionally fell asleep, it was only to have nightmares of being late AND having to drive on slick ice...some of my two least favorite things in the world. When the alarm finally went off, it was a relief to get out of bed and head to the shower for help to wake up. I can't exactly take a nap at "work," so it's important to be rested and ready! On my way to the airport, I picked Terry up at the gas station where his wife drops him off. The freeway was moving well, and we arrived at the airport in seventeen minutes. After getting the airplane ready, the passengers arrived for the trip to Reno, Nevada.

When we landed and I opened the door, it was a perfect 76 degrees. Sometimes I forget what it feels like to not be so hot all the time! It was a gorgeous morning. After making sure the passengers were on their way, I attempted to take a nap in the Pilot Lounge but failed miserably. Around lunch time, we borrowed the crew car to go to Atlantis Casino for their buffet. Terry is a fan of buffets. I must say the pot stickers we get from Costco taste way better, but the dessert wasn't too shabby!

By 3:00 PM, we were loaded back up with passengers for our flight home. We finally got a tailwind and didn't get slowed down by Air Traffic Control until about eighty miles out of Phoenix. How spoiled! We sweet-talked them into giving us Runway 25L, which means a two-minute taxi after landing. Luckily, it was in the afternoon between lunch and dinner rushes, so we were able to get crossed over the other traffic for our desired runway. This happens 98% of the time, but occasionally we have to land on the north runway and taxi for half an hour to park the airplane. And Big Boss always complains when that happens, so I try to use my nicest voice on the radio when I talk to the controllers. They are great at Phoenix and usually try to help us out.

I pulled into my driveway around 5:15 PM. If the early morning was forgotten, it felt like a normal job! Thankfully, my line of work is anything but normal. And I like it like that!