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Day 1: Heading to Belize My Saturday began in Portland at 2:45 a.m. with the sound of a blaring clock radio in my apartment bedroom. I had gotten only two hours of sleep that night but was excited about the trip and quickly got up and stumbled out of bed. After a shower, I did some last-minute packing, then I hopped in my van and drove down a deserted Interstate 205 to the airport to catch my 6 a.m. flight. I checked in at the Continental ticket counter and as I stepped away, I saw Cecelia, who greeted me with a smile which I tried to reciprocate but, frankly, it was 4:30 in the morning. We walked and talked to the security line, where we bumped into Michele, a friend of Cecelia’s and a veteran of many of her south-of-the-border adventures. Miscue #1 for me: I forgot about the ban on liquids so TSA snared my pint-sized Nalgene filled with water. Doh! I really liked that bottle, too.
The morning flight to Houston was memorable. I always try to book a window seat when I fly and usually press my face against the glass for the entire trip, staring at the beautiful landscapes below (it’s the geographer in me). If I can get a window seat and look outside, flying is a treat, but if not, I dread flying and feel like a caged rat. I like to gaze at the landscapes below when I fly and – having taken numerous cross-country drives – figure out where I am and think about the times I'd visited that area below. Sometimes I even take a Rand McNally road atlas with me on the plane and follow the highways from 35,000 feet above. This gives you an idea of why I’m still single. I suppose drinking wine from a box doesn't help, either.
We were blessed with sunny skies on this flight across the American west. As we crossed the snowy Rockies, I looked below and mused, “Hmmm, that little town looks like where I used to live.” Then I sat up straight because I realized it WAS where I used to live. We were crossing directly over Lake City, Colorado, population 392, my home for six years when I was the head BLM ranger and firefighter there (see News: July 4, 2002), This was the first time I’d seen my 100-square mile patrol area from the air and I snapped about 30 pictures of it in a half-minute, then watched it fade behind me as I craned my neck to get a final glimpse. This was a good omen, I said to myself.
Above left: Getting on the plane, bleary-eyed, for the 6:00 a.m. flight to Houston. But I had a window seat so I was happy. Above right: Waiting to taxi at PDX airport.
Above left: And here's my patrol area, about 100 square miles that included several 14,000-foot peaks. I loved working here but it was only seasonal work, so I moved on. But I still miss Lake City (and being a ranger). Above right: After a few hours in Houston, we got on the plane to Belize City.
Above left: 35,000 feet over the Gulf of Mexico. Above right: The headquarters of Belikin Beer, Belize's own brand and the most popular beer in the country, is next to the airport. Hey, this trip is already off to a good start!
Above left: Arriving at the Belize International Airport that afternoon. Above right: Belize City has the only International airport in Belize. It has about five or six flights a day from the U.S. but the rest of the time, it's pretty quiet.
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