DAY two started out quite well after our crazy night getting onto the base. We left Barksdale AFB (at right) around 10:30 a.m. and hit I-20 westbound. As we proceeded toward Dallas, my navigator advised me that instead of going through Amarillo and then cutting off a corner of New Mexico on our way up to Denver, it would be more efficient to turn north out of Dallas and keep going right on up to Witchita, then picking up I-70. Clever lad. Gets his brains from his Grandma! We are now ensconced comfortably in a two-room suite at McConnell AFB just northwest of Witchita, Kansas! Getting into the base was more quickly accomplished tonight since I knew to ask the lodging clerk which gate to use after 6:00, and since McConnell is an ordinary (as opposed to "historic") base, the accommodations are modern and were very easy to find.
On the other hand, the journey TO McConnell was not as planned. The route change was a minor matter, but an annoying technical difficulty with our vehicle sent us off schedule and on a detour to DFW airport for a vehicle swap. Upon arrival, I was initially told that there was nothing to be done as they had no vans available. Upon further questioning ("How is it even possible that a major rental company in one of the largest airports in the world doesn't have a vehicle available?") and intervention from management, we unloaded our older model Dodge Grand Caravan and loaded a brand new Toyota Sienna -- SCORE! The new van is beautifully equipped, rides more comfortably than it's predecessor, and made the five-hour journey from Dallas to Witchita considerably less tedious than it might have been.
Paul was amazed by the size of DFW International, the freeway interchanges, massive wind farms in Oklahoma and Kansas, and a striking sunset over the rolling hills of America's heartland. All-in-all, it was both more exciting than we needed, and less disastrous than it might have been.
Tomorrow we turn west again and head for Denver.
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