Carlsbad is in California?

I learned a geography lesson this week at work. New Mexico isn't the only home to a city named Carlsbad. Luckily, the clarification was made before we landed at the wrong airport, in the wrong direction!

The wheels came up a little after 4:00 PM on Monday. I had been waiting by the phone all day, praying for my ears to get well enough that they wouldn't explode on the flight. It's the little things in life that matter most...and hearing drums are things I prefer to have whole. Luckily, since the flight was only to southern California (in between San Diego and Los Angeles), we only went as high as 28,000. That helped keep the pressure differential down for the flight, and the cabin only got as high as a 2,000-foot ceiling. I still couldn't pop my ears in time to have them clear on landing, which resulted in being my typical old-lady self and not being able to hear well for a few hours after arrival.

It's pretty rare to land with daylight still left when Big Boss is on the airplane. We took full advantage of this and went to the beach! We ate at Norte Mexican Restaurant before walking half a block to the water. Coming from 110-degree weather made me appreciate the 68-degree temperature in Carlsbad. I couldn't resist taking off my shoes and feeling the sand between my toes. I love that feeling. Not enough to move close to the beach, mind you, but I enjoy it while I'm am close to the ocean. The beach was full of joggers, while a few surfers braved the chilly water to catch some decent waves. The water felt great up to my ankles after the initial shock of its cold temperature!

We didn't stay long. Since I was still pretty sick, I was ever-encouraging of heading to the hotel. It was formerly a Holiday Inn but had just changed to the Carlsbad by the Sea. I can't believe people pay $199 for a room at this place, but it was full. We paid about half of that since the FBO arranged our rooms. Most FBOs have a local rate with several hotels, and we pick the cheapest (while trying to avoid something that would have bed bugs, mind you) so that Big Boss will be happy with the bill. Though I usually arrange the passengers' hotel rooms as well, they were attending a conference at another hotel and simply stayed there instead.

Since he said we would be leaving around 10:00 AM, and since we promised the FBO that we would return their car by 8:30, I was up at 6:45 to get ready for the day. Since I'm still feeling puny, I would have loved to enjoy a few more hours of sleep to get me whole. Not today! Though we arrived at the airport nice and early, we didn't have passengers show up until 2:30 that afternoon. Since lunch time came and our stomachs were growling, we walked to the terminal restaurant around noon to grab a quick lunch. When we never know when Big Boss is going to show up, it's a treat to have a restaurant just a block away to visit. The food here was amazing. I had half a California Chicken Sandwich with a side salad. Terry ate an appetizer of nachos and then had a Cuban sandwich with fries. The best part about lunch was being right on the ramp for the airliners! Only SkyWest services Carlsbad-Palomar Airport, but we watched them land, unload, load, and takeoff all while enjoying our sandwiches outside. It was one of the most pleasant lunches I've ever had.

When the passengers finally arrived, we headed back to Phoenix to drop some people off. As he was leaving the airplane, Big Boss said he may want to leave again that very night. I drove home to see Hubby but kept my phone close. At 8:00 PM, I received a call that we weren't heading out again for another trip. It will probably still happen this week, but at least it wasn't the same day! And it's always nice to see Hubby in the middle of the week!

What a fun trip. I had never been to Carlsbad before, and I'm surprised at the San Fransisco-ish weather despite its location in southern California. With my ears staying mostly in tact for the two flights, I would consider this trip a success.