HarleyDad Returns

Well, HarleyDad is back.

I was on a mission. Needed to visit a Harley shop in the Zurich area. Saw a great chopped Harley for 100,000 CHF. Since I did not have that much Swiss currency on my I settled for a Swiss Harley T-Shirt. Sure it has the Swiss dealer's name on the back but the shirt--turns out it was made in Milwaukee. So much for the fine Swiss craftmanship I expected. I want to rent a motorbike and cycle through the Alps for three days or so. Perhaps I can add that dream to my wants list that is now so long that it extends from Ozarklandia to Texas.

And speaking of travel. You want to live dangerously, fly international these days. It makes a Harley trip look positively safe.

On this trip I rode cattle car in a 110% packed plane. The airplane restrooms with these amount of people soon approached the level of a road side toilet in Russia, China or India--but the airline's is not as clean. As for the passengers, learn to love the person next to you for believe me it is shared personal space. The plane was so cramped that no one in tourist ( a true second class )could put their computer up or work) However I do recommend it for people working on Yoga (you will find yourself in some interesting positions). It is also fine for meditation or prayer for patience. And if the person in front of you reclines his or her chair , then you do the same or your space is halved. Soon all chairs are at recline except for the poor guy or gal at the end of the line.

The movies are second rate. And guess where the old copies of Cheers and other obsolete TV are --on the airline. Is it me or is someone crazy who does the entertainment? I could give my 13 year old daughter $20 and she could buy better entertainment off the cut rate box at our local grocery store. Perhaps the airlines want us to take up a collection.

And then there is the food. But we shall not speak of it. The only good airline food is the pizza that American serves on their international flights. It seems that someone did something right once.

Then there are stewards and stewardesses. They can be villains or heroines. It seems like the pressure brings out the best in the good and brings out the worst in others.

How about a questionnaire given to passengers allowing them to rate service , movies, food etc. Guess why there are no questionnaires--because the airlines do not expect to make any changes and do not want to wade through the gripes. It is somewhat like handing out questionnaires to inmates in U.S. prisions. Airline travel is obviously like prisons, it is there to punish not to improve the flying inmates.

Oh, by the way, you are an inmate. See what happens if you get up to get your bag before the bell rings, or you do not bring your seat to full upright position for the landing or you leave your seat belt off. You Harley riders that do not wear helmets are not going to like what they will threaten to do and your tatoos will not help you when you meet the wrath of an overworked stewardess.

If the airlines can not make money at 100% occupancy then no one can.

I had to clear customs and this was no small feat . At DFW it took 2 hours. There were 14 customs people for the small group of internationals and 3 for the large group of US citizens. I found this to be symbolic of the way the government handles things. Everything for the foreigners and nothing for the citizens. Ah, I have it, we will just make the foreigners citizens and that will solve it all. Now why didn't Congress think of that. Oh, that's right, they did.

Once I picked up my luggage the whole area became gridlocked with carts. After an hour of being pushed and trampled with carts. I was mercifully waived through with my two international t-shirts and three boxes of chocolates. I was just glad that my wife and children were not present. It was ugly, really ugly.

Then you recheck your bag. Then you go through inspection again. And out comes the computer. I do not understand why the x-ray machine can see through my bags but it can not see through my computer bag. They do not ask me to turn it on.

In the inspection process I am wounded (only a nick to the finger) but does it ever bleed. But the kind people of Homeland Security (or their private company wearing the badges) eventually come to the rescue since I am bleeding all of the place and bring me a bandaid which was the first piece of real assistance I have had all day.

Then despite having a 2 1/2 hour lay over in DFW I rush for my next plane which is also 100% full and am off to Tulsa where I get my car out of hock and head home over the next 2 hours.

Yes, it is just another day at the office.

I notice that the stewards and stewardesses now have a little place that is curtained off where they can go and hide when they travel. Travel at one time many years ago was a pleasant experience . Now it has all the fun and pleasure of being strapped into a dentists chair for a root canal-but is more expensive and takes much, much more time than before. And by the way can I have one of those little tents where I work and I can go hide and get myself back together.

Oh, for the good old days when I travelled business class on Air France, and French meals with real silverware.

I don't think I will be seeing those days again.

Well, if you want to see people as they really are then go to the airports or to Wal-Mart. Today they are the same and no one looks pretty.

The beautiful people evidently have their own jets and would not come near a commercial airport. Airports have become the bus stations of yesteryear.

HarleyDad sure as heck would rather be on a Harley than any airplane!

You can bet your Harley boots on it.