Vegas Day 6: Returning home

Homeland security have declared an orange alert, but there don’t seem to be any problems getting us through security. We’re soon at the departure gate, and discover it has a great view of our hotel in the distance.

McCarren Airport has some cool metal palm trees. There are slot machines in the departure terminals, so addicts can get a final fix before boarding their flights home.

The flight seems uneventful… until the plane gets to Newark. At that point the pilot announces that the airport hasn’t actually assigned a space for the plane to park. Now, maybe I’m missing something, but don’t they know when the planes are due? Don’t they have air traffic control information about exactly where each plane is? Regardless, we sit on the tarmac for half an hour. By the time we get off the plane we have ten minutes to find our next flight, and my stress and irritation level is back at pre-vacation levels. Thank you, Continental Airlines.

We make it. The plane is delayed for our luggage to be loaded, but now we’re on the plane and going home I don’t care. The rest of the trip is uneventful.

My case is opened, but this time it’s done officially and the TSA leave a note and don’t steal anything. sara’s case has one of the handles destroyed somehow, given the solidity of the cases’ construction I can’t imagine how.

It’s not too cold when we get back. As the house warms up, we sit by the Christmas tree and open our presents a day late. We’re tired, but still euphoric from a wonderful vacation.

Coolest gift: sara’s family have sent me a genuine Swiss Army Knife, a limited edition collector’s knife engraved with a river otter!