Missoula Bound

For REAL this time!

Again, I was stuck in that dreadful additional services line at the ticketing counter because the kiosk didn't like me.  Again, I had time, but not as much as I wanted because I thought it was going to be a quick and easy process.  My bike should already be in Missoula-it took the last flight out.

But then they pulled my bag after it went through the X-ray.  "Ma'am, you have a large lotion."  

"No, I don't. I did this all yesterday and I didn't buy anything."  

"Can you tell me where it is without touching your bag?"  I had my backpack tucked in my pannier to be down to one carry on. 

"I don't think I have anything."  Out comes the large purple tube of Butt Butter Chamois for Her.  

"Oh, I had no idea that was in there- it went through the x-ray yesterday."  (I'll own that I looked like and felt like an idiot)

Well, TSA, you are now the owners of a brand new tube of anti-chafe lotion.  Enjoy!  I'll be buying more in Montana.  I've never had to use it, but if this trip I need it, I want to make sure I have it!

The flight to Chicago was uneventful- just the way I like it!  And then I was on my connecting flight to Missoula, where I sat next to this cute little girl that was from Sweden, visiting her family.  Her Aunt was next to her, a fellow Navy wife.  It was fun to compare our version of sea stories, especially because her husband is a Navy Doc.  

The excitement really started to come out when I was trying to track down my bike.  I knew it had arrived the day before and probably wouldn’t be coming around the carousel. I went off to find the baggage claim attendant.  Missoula is a small airport, there was no such person, just a small sign that said to find a person from your airline.  That landed me at the ticket counter with two flights heading out, a family of 9 in front of me and a printer that was jammed and not printing out baggage tickets, so I had to wait.  At this point I do have plenty of time, but the anticipation of where’s my bike, is it in good shape from the flight, and how the heck am I going to do putting it together, doesn't stack the deck in my favor for lots of patience.  But I got it!  TSA had opened it up and managed to repack it, but everything was there and in tack.  I got to taking it out and sifting through things in the corner of baggage claim.  Just as soon as everything is on the floor, a flock of TSA officers come out of what I assume is their break room. I do my best to not look suspicious, which probably made me look more suspicious, but they let me be and I figure people might do this all the time out here.  Or maybe I’m just not the first.  At least I had slyly put on deodorant in the corner before they came out.  That might have been even more embarrassing.  But having packed my deodorant in the bike box, I hadn’t seen it for two days, and it was obvious to me.

And then I got to work.  Sorting gear, screwing bolts and packing things up.  As I have the frame together and am looking things over, thinking to myself, what the heck do I do next, one of the TSA officers comes over to me.

“Well, I saw you bring that box over and wondered what in the world is she doing.  Now I’ve seen you take it all out and I’m thinking what is she going to do with it.  Certainly she isn't going to put it together and ride out of here on it with all that stuff.  But now, I think that’s what you’re going to do.”

“Well, that's the plan!  And then I’m going to ride from here to Canada.”

“No way!”

“Yes way.  It’s my adventure for the summer.  I have a question for you, as an observer.  Do I look like I know what I'm doing?”

“Well, yeah, you really do.”

“Oh good, at least I look the part!  I’ve never done this before and am not really sure I actually have a clue as to what I’m doing.”

We laughed and I told him about what I was going to be doing.  

I finished up, learned that I’m going to put the panniers on before I bungee anything to the back, and put the address of the KOA Campsite in my phone’s GPS.  It was a moment of feeling on top of the world, and still a little worried and excited about what’s to come.