Well, we booked our flights way back at the beginning of January. And here we are, five months later, in St Paul, Minnesota for a month-long vacation with our elder daughter Hannah and her family.
Our trip started very early last Thursday (9 May). I’d booked a local taxi for 03:30 to take us to Newcastle International Airport (NCL) for the flight to Amsterdam (AMS), so had the alarm set for 02:30. Just ten minutes before the scheduled pick-up time, I received a message on a phone app with the name of the driver, make and registration of the car, and when he would arrive. Imminently!
The roads were quiet at that time of the morning, as expected, and the 11 mile drive to the airport took less than 20 minutes.
All went smoothly at the KLM check-in; there was no-one in the queue ahead of us. Unlike last year when it was mayhem at NCL.
We quickly cleared security but then had to wait until 05:30 for the gate to open.
Once on board, the captain announced there would be a delay for about 1 hour due to fog at Schipol. Groans all round! But then, just five minutes later, he announced the good news that the weather had improved in AMS, and our flight had been given clearance to depart.
KLM operated a Boeing 737-800 (registration PH-BGC) on this sector.
Source: Planespotters.net © Günter Reichwein
It was bright and sunny, warm even, when we landed in AMS, around 08:20, but there was a very long taxi (around 15 minutes) to Gate D44.
Our connecting Delta flight (DL161) to MSP left from Gate E3 at 10:15. Schipol is a huge airport, and even with walkways it can take many minutes to walk from one gate to another. But as we’d arrived on time, we ‘enjoyed’ a leisurely stroll to our gate. Unlike last year when our arrival into AMS was delayed by more than 1 hour and we had to rush, arriving at the departure gate just as the flight was boarding. And as I’m still having some mobility issues, I was relieved we had the extra minutes this year.
Delta operated an Airbus A330-300 (registration N821NW) on this route. As with previous years we booked Delta Comfort+ seats. We enjoy the slightly bigger space and seat recline (and dedicated overhead bin space). And in the 2-4-2 seat configuration, window and aisle seats are a good choice for us. On the return journey last year, from Detroit (DTW) to AMS, I used airmiles to upgrade to Premium Economy. Not worth it!
Source: Planespotters.net © Erwin Scholz
The flight was almost completely full, yet despite that boarding proceeded smoothly and we actually departed about 10 minutes ahead of schedule.
This was one of the smoothest flights I’ve had over the North Atlantic, and although I never can sleep well on any flight, I must have snatched some, helped by a couple of these with my lunch, and another with a snack later on.
On arrival at MSP (Gate G2), at 11:40 (about 40 minutes ahead of schedule), there was quite a long walk from the plane to Immigration. With just a couple of passengers ahead of us in the queue, we sailed through, and both our bags arrived within 10 minutes. Hannah and Michael were waiting for us, and since they live just 4 miles (and around 9 minutes) from MSP, we were home by about 12:30 and soon enjoying a refreshing cup of tea.
In 2023 we visited the US for the first time since 2019 and made just a short road trip overnight to meet up with old friends Norma and Roger Rowe in La Crosse, Wisconsin. It was in September 2019 that we made our last long road trip, and I ‘vowed’ it would be our last. Until we agreed to make another trip this year. Who knows what’s in store in 2025?
Anyway, we’re flying out to Las Vegas (LAS) next Tuesday to begin a road trip of around 1800 miles across Utah and Colorado, visiting several national parks along the way: Kolob Canyon, Zion, Bryce, Arches, and Canyonlands in Utah, and Mesa Verde and Florissant Fossil Beds National Monument in Colorado. I’ve chosen some exciting (challenging, even) routes through the Rockies, taking in the ‘Million Dollar Highway’, weather permitting. And stopping off at the Hoover Dam in Nevada on the first day.
This is our planned route that will be subject to changes depending on road conditions at the time. But we do have all our overnight stops booked, so that much remains fixed.
Then, a week later, we’ll fly back to MSP from Denver (DEN).
Yesterday, we visited the Minnesota Valley National Wildlife Refuge (just 6 miles from Hannah’s house) to purchase an America the Beautiful National Parks and Federal Recreation Lands annual pass. At US$80 (=£64.29) this is great value, saving probably half of what we would pay for all the individual visits on our trip, and permits entrance to all the national parks and facilities of several other federal agencies.
We also enjoyed a short walk around one of the trails near the Visitor Center, and within just a few minutes of arrival saw an incredible array of bird species. We will be returning there and to several of the other trail sites along the Minnesota River.
So look out for more posts in the coming weeks because I’ll be writing about each day’s adventures, posting lots of photographs and dashcam footage as we wend our way through the various canyons and over the mountain passes.
A balanced diet . . . 