Date: 2003-03-07
To: View Entry
Miles today: 0.0

Today we flew to Atlanta. A very subdued family as we went out to Edinburgh Airport, at the thought of being separated for six months, not to mention the ungodly hour! Check-in was unusual as, for once, we had little carry-on baggage. Main items were the two ski-poles which, even when compressed, were too long to fit in our backpacks. In our post-September 11th world I thought they might be a problem but they weren't, nor when we checked through again in Frankfurt. So at Departures, lots of hugs, tears, weak attempts to cheer each other up, and then we were gone, through Security, "Wee Toe" and me on our way. Walking almost to our gate, and feeling quite low, I suddenly heard a cry of "Chester, Chester!" from behind, and turned to see Neil McMahon striding towards me. I say "stride" because Scotsmen wearing kilts etc never seem to shuffle. In Neil's case, it was full tartan regalia below the waist and a mean black leather jacket above. A Scotsman with attitude.My colleagues have done so much else to help get me here that it seemed likely that they had sent an ambassador to see me off, but Neil explained that he was off to Amsterdam with friends. I don't know why, he didn't have time to explain as his plane was boarding. But he seemed pleased to have caught us setting off on our journey, and it cheered me up a lot to have seen him. Security at Atlanta is tight. Atlanta is unique (I think) in requiring you to collect your baggage at the arriving terminal, go through customs, then re-check it back in for transit to the main terminal, at least for passengers not flying onwards. Then you go through security yet again before catching the rail link to the main terminal.Almost at the security ckeck-point, "Wee Toe" said "Dad, where are the ski poles?". Oops! I must have left them on the floor after putting the backpacks in the check-in bay. Sure enough, a member of the security staff, a large, very helpful lady, had picked them up five minutes before and quickly re-united us with the poles. Then back into line and finally at the check-point, where now everyone has to hand in their shoes to be examined (thank the "Shoe Bomber" for that). Wearing my hiking boots, this was no easy slip off/slip on affair. The boots were fine but the ski-poles weren't. "Sir, these are a prohibited item. They'll have to go back". "What? Where? To Scotland?". "No Sir. They will have to be checked in". "But where? The flight's over. We're here". (with rising voice) "This lady will help you". This was a large lady, but a bit less friendly, who dragged me, with poles, back to the Lufthansa desk. The Lufthansa lady thought she was nuts. "These are just poles. Why are they a problem?". "It's a rule. It's in writing. They're on the prohibited list". So, finally, they were wrapped in Lufthansa tape and I fed them back in at the re-checking bay, ("Ah, so you're the man with the poles!" said an official at the bay). "Why, it's you again!" laughed the first lady... And then the boots off/boots on again routine at security, and finally, WE ARE IN THE UNITED STATES!Tonight we are camping, Econolodge style, near Atlanta Airport. We've got a lot to sort out. Get food for the next few days, and take a major look at our packs, especially Wee Toe's. Too heavy and, in her case, poorly balanced. The motel has offered to drop us at a store with their airport shuttle bus. So we may stay here tomorrow night too and head up to Gainesville on Sunday. What a long day it's been.