Adventure Report #2 - Ciao? - Jacksonville, Norfolk, Jacksonville

Ciao! Benvenuto alla nostra avventura Italiana.

We signed up on February 18 to travel from 6 terminals which have flights to Europe. Our 60 days will expire on April 18th. We hope to be on a plane heading somewhere in Europe during the next two weeks.
 

If that doesn't work, we have a 2nd plan; our sign up date for our passenger terminal of choice (Charleston) is March 9 which gives us travel time until May 9th. Charleston flies to Rota, Spain on occasion. So our Italy trip could begin in Spain. Our 3rd plan would involve leaving the U.S. through BWI (Baltimore-Washington airport) on a military flight to Germany that has a consistent posted schedule but it's at least a 10 hour drive. That signup expires on May 15th. We could buy a commercial ticket from Atlanta to BWI to be at the airport on the day the scheduled military flight departs but there is no guarantee that we would get a seat on the military flight. We are registered at a few National Guard units that fly to Europe on occasion and that's our fourth option.
 

Cinque Terre translates to Five Lands and comprises the five small coastal villages of Riomaggiore, Manarola, Corniglia, Vernazza and Monterosso. Each charming and colourful village clings to the cliff face overlooking the ocean and is accessible by boat, train and on foot.

Now, how do we get back to the United States at the end of our travels? We have registered to return from 8 departure points in Europe. Our sign up date is March 10th which means we have to be on a plane no later than May 10. I'm treating this way of travel like a game. Otherwise, it might drive me insane. The earliest military families can check their children out of DOD schools is May 16th, I think, if they are returning to a new duty station in the U.S. It is advised that Cat VI travelers avoid traveling from June through August or mid September because families will have priority for the seats available. 

I'm tried of thinking about all the "ifs". It's a beautiful day and we're going for a long walk.

We had just finished our walk on Sunday, April 3rd and I checked the facebook page for Charleston AFB not expecting to see much.  However, there it was -- a flight to Aviano, Italy with 53 tentative seats on Tuesday, April 5th. YES!!!  Our sign up date is March 9th so that means there could be lots of people ahead of us but we're gonna try for it.

 Early Monday morning I checked facebook to see if the Aviano flight was listed. It had been removed. Stoney called the terminal and was told it had been listed in error. Aviano has no passport control center. No wonder I'd never seen a flight from Charleston to Aviano.

I did realize though that I could do a bit more planning in the thinking through of what we'd like to do once we arrive in Italy. Stoney doesn't like to travel for more than 2 weeks at a time (more like, 10 days is his max) and there are lots of places I'd like to visit. So, now I have time to think through a 10 day trip to determine what could be possible without running around "like chickens with our heads cut off." Thankfully, I've never witnessed such a scene. Here's the meaning and origin of the phrase:   

Meaning

In a frenzied manner.

Origin

Poultry may sometimes run around in a frenzy for several minutes after decapitation. The phrase was known in the USA by the late 19th century. It is recorded in print being used as a simile from the 1880s; for example, this piece about an escaped prisoner in The Atlanta Constitution, July 1882:

"Finding himself free from the heavy shackles, he bounced to his feet and commenced darting about like a chicken with its head cut off..."

Speaking of chickens, I remember the time my dad told my sister and me that he could hypnotize chickens. We were probably around 6 and 8 years of age and we had gone to visit Uncle Isadore and Aunt Ada on their farm in Ohio. My dad always wanted to be a farmer so vacationing/working on a farm was fun for him.  My dad picked up a chicken, put the chicken's head underneath its wing, rubbed his hand over the chickens wing saying "paw me saw tah, moo mah may". When he placed the chicken back on the ground, it did not move for approximately one minute.  It just layed quietly on its side. Then, it quickly jumped up, flapping its wings and took off!  My dad was a man of many talents.

Last night as I was trying to firm up the best travel route to visit the places on our wish list, I was exploring train travel and looking at the departure and arrival schedules from place to place. Somehow in my search, I found this book and downloaded it to my Kindle app for iPad. It should be a great resource. So, the posting error on the Aviano flight was a blessing. It forced me to begin thinking through the plans to determine what would be feasible and I discovered a book that will aide in my planning.

And here's what happened ... our bags were packed. They can be carried on and will fit in the overhead compartments. We can get on and off trains/buses with them. They also can be carried on for Easyjet or Ryanair in Europe. Each weighed about 18 lbs.

Monday, April 11th we drove to Jacksonville, Fl and visited the passenger terminal. In order to speak with the terminal reps you go through security just like you are checking in for a flight. We were assured there would be no problem getting on the flight to Norfolk. The atmosphere of the employees at the pax terminal was very laid back. We were instructed to park our car long term "just past where the road curved and we would see the gravel lot where presently a Malibu and another car was parked." Well we did not find it. So as instructed on the NAS Jacksonville facebook page, we went to the hobby shop - maybe a mile away from the terminal. He said we should be able to park right out front in the newly paved lot for the AMC terminal. Back we went. This time Stoney spoke with a man who gave him a parking lot form to fill out and leave on the dash and told us we could leave the car in the first two rows of the newly paved lot.

We checked into the Navy Lodge, just a few minutes by car, from the passenger terminal. It was a nice afternoon and we took a walk.

We had dinner at the golf course restaurant, walked some more and retired for the night. For those who have an RV, there is a nice spot near the Navy Lodge. We visited briefly with a man and his wife who make have a full time home in their RV and travel the country. It's a small world; they used to live about 15 miles South of us.

Tuesday morning we were up for breakfast and another walk. Went to the NEX and Commissary to kill time. Bought a small sub sandwich, pre-made/wrapped and refrigerated for later in the day.

When we walked by the Chapel of St. Andrew, we saw that there was an 11:30 am Mass so we attended.

St. Andrew - holding a fish

After Mass, we shared the sandwich we had purchased at the Commissary. One of the meats was pretty spicy and so I gave at least half of the meat to Stoney. If I could go back and do one thing differently, we would NOT have purchased this sandwich ...

An interesting tree

We went to the terminal and waited for the flight.

Boarded the bus about 3:30 pm which took us to Cecil Field to get on the plane. The ride to Cecil Field was a little over 30 minutes. It was a hot one. The a/c was not working and it seemed the heater was turned on! We watched as those arriving from Cuba deplaned and their luggage was removed. Those getting back on the plane for Norfolk got back on board and then it was our turn. It was about 4:25 pm. We waited. About 4:50 pm one single Commander and another Commander and his family boarded and the doors were closed. We were in the air by 5:15 pm for the approximately 1 hour and 5 min. flight to Norfolk.

  
Nice, roomy and comfortable seats

Upon arrival we went immediately to the passenger desk to mark ourselves present. We were told the number of seats had dropped from 70 something to less than 50. There were LOTS of people in the terminal lounges and active duty. Since this was our first time here we had no clue... We were instructed to take a seat in one of the lounges upstairs and come back down at 9:15 pm. 

At about 7:30 I became suddenly violently ill. I made it to the nearest restroom. I want to commend the staff who kept it so clean. I have never been ill away from home and the cleanliness of this restroom and its availability EVERY time I had to run in was greatly appreciated. The next two hours were dreadful. I kept thinking there was no way I could get on the plane even if our names were called. At 9:15 pm Stoney went down to the desk and was told that a bus had arrived with active duty that they had not expected. They stopped filling seats with some but not all Cat IV. He came up and told me. I called the Navy Lodge and they said they had one room available. Thank God. Then an announcement came over the system that there were no more seats and no more flights this night.

We walked out of the terminal hoping for a taxi. A couple was walking in front of us, pushing their bags on carts and Stoney asked if they were familiar with the area. They had been hoping to get on the flight too. Stoney asked if we could walk to the Navy Lodge and the man said it was very close but across the interstate; no way to walk there. He said they had tried to get a room but it was booked. I guess we did get the last room. They offered to give us a ride and we most graciously and thankfully accepted. I was carrying a plastic bag (just in case) and praying that I would not have another episode (which was both ends at once now) before arriving. THANK YOU, Ernie and Jill from St. Petersburg, FL. 

Miserable - all night long. At 5:30 am Stoney walked about 6 miles round trip to a Walgreens for Dramamine, Immodium and Gatorade. I started with the Dramamine (which ended up really only being ginger) but it worked and the vomiting stopped. The other end kept going but I didn't want to take a chance getting my stomach riled up so I held off on the Immodium.  I was so very dehydrated but afraid to drink anything so I sipped a little Gatorade in the hopes it would remain inside. It did. This was me Wednesday and Thursday! I have never been this ill and now I understand when they say food poisoning can be so dangerous for young children and the elderly.

Then early Thursday Nick asked how it began for me ... and it was his turn. We had shared the contaminated sandwich but I guess his stomach took just a little longer to succumb to the attack. Because we had the meds, we hoped his bout would not be quite so bad. He had a bad night.

We had arranged for a taxi and it arrived a few minutes ahead of time. Roll call was 0400 and we arrived about 3 am. The taxi driver said it was good that we had asked for a pickup at 2:45 am because it becomes a "cattle call" around 3 am getting people to the terminal. We walked into the terminal, signed in and got seats within 10 minutes. There were lots of Air Force and Marines waiting for another flight. It was sad to see them waiting to go. I thought about our son who served in Afghanistan. There were 9 dogs and their handlers and they boarded first. We listened to the Marine briefing about what would happen when they landed in Germany (no drinking on the stop over but on their return in 9 mo. it would be different). I prayed for them and will continue to pray for all those who are serving in harms way. The food aroma from the cafeteria was more than my stomach could handle. I sat down stairs until it was time to board.

The plane back to Jacksonville had seats which really packed in the people -- narrow and no leg room. I was on the aisle and a very short woman returning to Cuba carrying a huge shopping bag of orchids (almost as long as she was tall) said her seat was next to me. She could not get her bag in the overhead because she was short and I helped her. She then handed me the bag of orchids so she could get in her set. After we were settled, the man who had the window seat arrived. She could not stand up with the orchid bag so she handed them to me. We got up to let the man in. She got back in her seat and I handed the orchid bag back.

I love flowers; I love orchids but I could barely handle looking at them besides the fact they were all over me. I'm glad these orchids had no fragrance.

We departed Norfolk just before sunrise. Once we were in the air, we could change seats. There were lots of empty seats so we moved up to the front row - to be nearer the bathroom - just in case. Thankfully, neither of us needed it.

Landed in Jacksonville; boarded bus back to the JAX NAS, got in the car about 9 am and drove home -- 5 1/2 hours. Stopped for one egg and one piece of toast and it remained down.

We are still not back to 100% but our bags are unpacked and we aren't planning any more Space A adventures for the near future. It's good to be home.

Lessons learned:

1. Never ever buy another pre-made grocery store sandwich.
2. Always travel with Dramamine and Immodium.

P.S. On the facebook Norfolk Passenger Terminal Page (really on all fb terminal pages), you can find the ICE form to fill out about your Space A travel experience. I completed it today giving kudos to the staff who kept the women's lavatory so very clean!  


 "Hindsight is better than foresight. Hindsight is better than foresight by a damn sight. If our foresight were as good as our hindsight, we would never make mistakes. If your foresight was as good as your hindsight, you would be better off by a d*mn sight." The earliest citation is 1879: Burdette, "Hawk-Eyes." From "Dictionary of American Proverbs" edited by Wolfgang Mieder & Others (Oxford University Press, Oxford and New York, 1992).

Hindsight -- Flight from Charleston AFB to Rota on Saturday, April 16 - released 58 seats and all 26 Cat VI got on. Sunday, April 17 another flight from Rota. Monday, April 18 another flight to Rota from Charleston and one on April 20th. Should have waited and executed Plan B. 

We used Trail Wallet to track our expenses. It's a free app and simple to use. Cost of our "misadventure" was $461.66.

 

 

Our 1st SpaceA Adventure? Charleston, SC to Hawaii

Molokai

 We have registered to fly from Charleston, SC, Air Force Base and several other installations on the East coast within about a 5-6 hour driving time from our home. We've only been on the list for about one week which probably will not put us in very good standing to get on the plane UNLESS it's a slow travel time and there are not more than 53 people who want to go. Last night this screen was posted. I got excited because it looked like it was going through to Yokota, Japan. When we called Charleston this morning, the passenger service rep said we could only be manifested through to Hawaii for final destination and would have to complete for seats to Yokota. Since this is our first Space A adventure, we'll be happy if we can get to Hawaii. Trying to compete for seats to Yokota might be more than we are up for on our first Space A adventure.

We have reserved a car for pickup at Hickham AFB. We're hoping to get a last minute opening or cancellation at one of the military facilities - Army, Navy or Air Force. Rates are fantastic compared to the norm in Honolulu. We could also try to find a place with Airbnb. Time will tell.

I'd like to fly to the island of Molokai for a day. In grade school I read about Fr. Damien and the leper colony.  If you've never heard of Fr. Daminen, check this article from EWTN Blessed Damien.

 Here's Part 1 of a movie about Fr. Damien. There are other parts of this movie on youtube.


  
I would like to visit Kalaupapa National Historical Park. There is an option to hike there which would be great.
 
Traveling Space A is never a guarantee and you are encouraged to have Plan B and Plan C or whatever ... "flying by the seat of your pants."  For our first adventure, I'm trying to keep it simple because Stoney prefers organized. So, Plan B consists of remaining in Charleston, SC for the day. We might take a walking tour with Two Sisters Historic Walking or Charleston Footprints. We could sample some of Charleston's delicacies with the  Charleston Culinary Tours.

Perhaps the next day we'll drive to Beaufort, SC.  It's about 1 1/2 hours south of Charleston.
Again, because Stoney functions best with activity and I enjoy walking as well, Janet's Walking History Tour.  

We enjoy staying at Bed and Breakfast places. A night here looks to be lovely The Rhett House Inn.


“Travel is fatal to prejudice, bigotry, and narrow-mindedness, and many of our people need it sorely on these accounts. Broad, wholesome, charitable views of men and things cannot be acquired by vegetating in one little corner of the earth all one's lifetime.”  ~ Mark Twain, The Innocents Abroad/Roughing It

 

Space A E-Mail Sign Up

We have made our intentions to travel known ... Woohoo!!!!  Because we are retired and our category (Cat 6) will be the last selected to board a plane if seats are available, it has been recommended from those with experience to sign up via e-mail at the places you wish to depart from that frequently fly to the place you desire to go. That puts our names on the respective Space A lists at each place with the date and time we sent the email. Our names will remain on the lists for 60 days from date of sign up except for some Navy bases which only keep the sign ups for 45 days (have to check to see which ones). Then we begin a count down of sorts. 

Our chances of being selected for a Space A seat could be enchanced by waiting 40-50 days before going to a passenger terminal to mark ourselves present for a flight. If there are lots of CAT 6 hopefuls, we may be higher up on the list because we have been waiting 40-50 days. Sometimes it doesn't matter about date and time of sign up because there may be lots of available seats and everyone gets on. Other times there may be only 10 seats released -- that's when the importance of date and time of sign up can help. However, we would still only travel if those10 seats were not filled by the other 5 categories ahead of us.

There are no SET schedules anywhere unless you hope to travel via the Patriot Express (PE) which are commercial airplanes flying specific routes transporting active duty military and their families. Depending on the time of year, it may be possible for CAT 6 travelers to get a seat. It would be great to fly from Seattle/Tacoma to Japan this way. 

So now we watch the facebook pages for the military terminals we'd like to depart from going somewhere closer to our desired destination. Schedules are only shown 72 hours in advance of departures. A flight may appear on a facebook page, we could travel by car to our hoped for departing terminal, we could be marked present to compete for a seat on that plane. Our car has been parked in long term parking. We might even be selected to board and then have to get off the plane for one reason or another -- the plane has a problem, the mission has changed, or any number of reasons. There are NO GUARANTEES with Space A. My stomach is churning a little just thinking about this scenario. So we need to have Plan B and Plan C and roll with whatever ... I hope we can live with one another and roll ...time will tell.

So where might we drive to get on a plane? Charleston, SC; Jacksonville, FL; Birmingham, AL; Jackson, MS; Memphis, TN; Tampa, FL; Knoxville, TN.  

What might we fly on?  Check it out.

What Is Space A?

Space Available Flight, more commonly referred to as Space-A travel or military hops, is a privilege afforded to military service members, their families, and service retirees. The system accommodates these passengers by letting them fill seats on Air Force air transport flights that would otherwise be left empty. The seats are made available on a space-available basis.  Unused seats on DoD owned or controlled aircraft are made available once all the space-required (duty) passengers and cargo have been accommodated. 

Space-A travelers may sign up for travel 60-days in advance of the desired travel date. Passengers are categorized by priority of travel and are processed in priority order by their sign-in time (Julian date). For leisure travel, Reservists are placed in category VI, which is a rather low priority. (Official duty passengers have priority over Space-A travelers.) 

Space-A seats are provided according to certain criteria. Eligible passengers on a military aircraft are ranked in order of priority according to the purpose of their travel. Families may choose to use Space-A travel to go on a vacation during a family member's military leave. They may use Space-A for general transportation as well, such as to visit family or friends or for other private reasons. But the most urgent -- and therefore highest-priority -- situations involve military service members or other related individuals traveling on emergency leave, such as to visit a family member with life-threatening health problems. Individuals or entire families can be accommodated, although smaller parties usually have an easier time securing seats on Space-A aircraft.

There is no charge for personnel traveling in government owned aircraft. However, if a Space-A flight is made on a commercial contract carrier, a fee will be assessed - the fee varys (approximately $15-30) depending on the port. There is also a fee for meals served aboard military aircraft 

Space required passengers or cargo may require the removal of Space A passengers at any point. If removed en route, you may reregister with your original date and time of registration. Passenger Service will assign a new date and time to any country or destination you change or add on your application. 

This is not us but gives an example of how we might travel

When Stoney was active duty, we caught a Space A flight from Frankfurt, Germany to Dover, Delaware. Our boys were very young and it is was quite an experience to fly on a C5-A. Now that we are retired, footloose and fancy free, we're going to give this mode of transportation another go. 

We have sleeping bags and mats and we plan to travel with small backpacks for our carry-ons and small roller bags that will carry less than 30 lbs. I think we are authorized 70 lbs. of luggage on these bigger planes. If we travel with 30 lbs. or less, we could catch a flight on a much smaller planes. So we plan to be ready (just in case). We could fly to Europe in one of these. (Notice the people stretched out on the floor sleeping).


Below is a C17 Globemaster cargo jet.  They can be very noisy and cold; earplugs and blankets might be issued. You can see there is lots of legroom and supposedly you can jog around the cargo area, and visit the cockpit. Right up Stoney's alley.

This is not a picture of us either; just another example of how we may travel.

Most likely we'll begin with trying to catch a flight to California and see how we fare. Not sure our personalities will mesh with flying this way but we'll give it a go a time or two.

We could go to places all over the United States from the East Coast to the West. Flights go to Germany, Spain, Crete, Azores, Italy, England, Ireland, Hawaii, Alaska, Japan, Australia, New Zealand, Singapore and other places. Adventure awaits ......

Prayer for Travel

O Almighty and merciful God, you have commissioned your angels to guide and protect us.  Command them to be our attentive companions from our setting out until our return; to clothe us with their invisible protection; to keep from us all danger of collision, of fire, of explosion, of fall and bruises, and finally, having preserved us from all evil,  to guide us to our heavenly home. We ask this through Jesus Christ, our Lord.  Amen.