The Journey’s Start – Sept 13, 2019

Just after take-off

After packing for a month in anticipation of our 10-day trip to Montana, Wyoming & Idaho, the day finally came to begin our journey. We got ourselves out of bed at 3 am, after a few hours of restless sleep. Too excited to sleep, but managed a few winks. Everything was completely packed except a few items that were needed to start our day. I hurriedly ate a bowl of cereal, put on make up (I rarely wear makeup), curled my hair, got dressed, brushed my teeth & packed it all up into the suitcase. Meanwhile, Frank was doing the same, plus loading the car.

We left for the airport at at 4:15 am. Our flight was at 7 am. We parked the car in a covered lot, loaded the luggage onto the tram and headed to the airport. Filled with excitement, we arrived, checked all 4 bags. Yes, I said 4 bags. 1 bag had the inflatable Sea Eagle Kayak. 1 bag had the accessories: seats, paddles, life vests, camp table, backpack stove, pots and pans, kitchen utensils and other items for our outdoor needs. We were not camping overnight, but wanted to do what we wanted, when we wanted while exploring Yellowstone National Park & Grand Tetons National Park. The other 2 pieces of luggage had our clothes & personal items. Each bag weighed over 50 pounds and one was over 60. Yep we were packed for bear, literally. Not to mention bison, elk, antelope, wolves, coyotes, big horn sheep, moose, beaver, otters, all other mammals and any birds that happened our way.

We got through security pretty quickly and headed to the gate. It was only a short wait & we began boarding. We were one of the first to board as we were flying First Class. Knowing that we wanted to bring the kayak with us, the extra amount it would cost to bring those bags, we could almost purchase a priority ticket. In this case, it only cost us $22. We had earned enough miles on our credit card to cover it. You can do it to, more on how in a future post

All settled into our seat, getting pampered by the flight attendant, my heart was just about to beat out of my chest in anticipation to get off the ground. Not because I’m a nervous flyer (which I’m not), but because I wanted to hurry up and get to Bozeman, Montana. Get this Party started!

Just before take-off, you could start to see a shimmer of light on the horizon. The dark morning when we left the house was slowly turning like a butterfly from its cocoon. As the plane lifted itself into the sky high above, my heart skipped a beat or two with the true beginning of the day as the sun peaked slightly from cover. I had the window seat leaving Jacksonville, Florida. Frank really wanted the window seat when we arrived in Bozeman and I agreed. Making my hubby happy, makes me happy. I can’t say I was disappointed because the sunrise on this morning was spectacular. I took 10 photos & 10 videos between take-off & leveling off to 34,000 ft. These photos were just a sampling of what occurred over the first 10 minutes of our flight.

The Southeast coast is a beautiful sight from the air especially during a sunrise or sunset. The meandering waterways are dimly lit and stand out against the dark coastal canopy with Atlantic in the backdrop. We had the ocean, the rivers the salt marsh and the intracoastal waterway all laid out in front of us. It was magnificent.

The clouds continued to change the pattern of the sun & it’s rays. We were flying over land but could still see the ocean in the back drop. By this time we had been smiling and giggling so much my cheeks began to hurt. Giddy would be an understatement.

The world was waking up before our eyes. The sun rising at its pace with the acceleration of a jet plane and we were blessed with this awesomeness!

We started planning this trip in February. 7 months later, God blessed us with a smile giving us the most brilliant sunrise of purple, pink, bright yellow & orange skies. As a graphic artist, I just wanted to grab a paintbrush & put it on canvas. Oh yeah, I don’t paint very well. Thank goodness for my I-phone to capture this wondrous moment. This seemed to be a way of God saying…enjoy your time off and the magic of the mountains to which your are headed. In my heart, plus I cheated by looking at the weather forecast, I knew our days would be as close to perfection as you could get. Our Eyes were Open and I hope whatever you Open Your Eyes to in the future, will give you the same sense of excitement!