Friday, October 5, 2012
Early alarm after a late night of final preparation for our trip to the Albuquerque Balloon Festival and National Parks Tour. Everyone had arrived when we parked the car - even the Airport Metro Shuttle! I had to call them last night just to confirm they were going to be there. Everything worked out great! They were very accommodating and handled the group well.
We arrived at the Atlanta airport with plenty of time to spare. Checked our bags - nice surprise - no charge for checking them! (must have been included in price of ticket - thanks Go Ahead Tours! - "good form"!)
At the gate we had time to chat - eat a snack - etc. before boarding the flight. The flight was over booked! Ticket agents were calling for 5 individuals to fly later and receive a voucher for $600 to fly anywhere in the U.S. It took awhile but 5 folks stepped forward - no one from our group.
Our group gathered at baggage claim. It was there we met our tour guide, Stevyn Polk. He welcomed us and directed us to our awaiting motor coach (and driver, Dale) that would transport us to the Hampton Inn for the evening.
Several wanted a bite to eat. We made our way - jaywalking across 6 lanes of traffic to eat at Rudy's Country Store BBQ or a hamburger place (for milkshakes). The BBQ beef brisket was outstanding. The sign outside said, "The Worst BBQ in the World!" After a little snack, many made their way to their rooms - for some it was the first time - since some rooms were not ready when we arrived.
After resting for a few hours - we met in the lobby prior to leaving for the Welcome Dinner. Dinner was at Sadie's - a Mexican restaurant. We had a Mexican buffet - cheese quesadillas, ingredients for fajitas and tacos, rice, fresh quacamole and salad. Sopapillas were brought out during our meal - great with honey! For dessert - fried ice cream! Yum!
During dinner we met others that will be traveling with us on the trip - folks from Memphis, TN, California, and all over the U.S. There are 45 of us that will be traveling together over the course of the next 10 days.
While we were eating dessert - Stevyn informed us of the events for tomorrow. He also shared with us some optional excursions that would be available during the tour. The BIG NEWS - departure at 5:00 a.m. for the Mass Ascension at the Balloon Festival!
I better get to bed .....
No comments:
Post a Comment