To Denver
I'm finally on the plane from Boston to Denver, Colorado. Instead of watching the movie I work on this web site and read. In the middle of the flight, the stewardess comes on the intercom and asks if there are any doctors or nurses on the flight. Later they come searching for blankets. Finally, when I was in the back of the plane coming out of the lavatory, I see a stewardess replacing an oxygen bottle. I never found out what happened.

Plane with lots of TV screens showing the movie
On the plane to Denver
In the Denver airport
In Denver, a walk to gate B61, all the way at the end of the terminal, far away from the food I like. That's where I'll catch the plane for the next leg of this trip, Denver to Gunnison, Colorado.

Inside the airport
Denver airport
I search for a seat near an outlet to recharge my laptop and power it while I work. I find one. A kind women moves her stuff so I can put mine closer. I hook up my A/C adapter -- no juice, the outlet's dead (like all the others I find in Denver -- they worked at United in Boston in the morning...).

Outlet
Outlet
At the check-in counter I run into two Festival attendees, the first of many I will run into. They decide to take a car and drive. No chance of air sickness if there are winds. I turn down an invitation to go with them, hoping to get there sooner so I'll have time to upload my new material before the dinner reception.

Two smiling people
Drivers not flyers
We trudge off to gate B61H and out onto the airfield. A little plane. Well, not so little, but not so big either. Not everybody likes little planes.

Walking to the plane
The plane
Emphasizing the small plane, a propeller that I'll get to look at the whole flight.

Propeller looking big
The propeller
Further emphasizing the size, they take one of my bags. Before they do, I move my laptop into the one I'm carrying on.

Bag and handler
Stowing my bag
On we go. About 30 seats, one row of overhead compartments.

Bending down to walk down aisle
Taking our seats
The plane to Gunnison
As we wait and wait to start flies start entering the plane. Eventually there are dozens of them. The stewardess comes on the intercom to tell us the plane is too heavy. They need a "volunteer" to get off and take the next plane in 3 hours and receive various travel vouchers. No one volunteers. They then say they'll take the "lowest class fare" person, or something, and call out a name. Up stands a woman who walks to the front. She explains to the stewardess how she's part of a group of four people going to the Festival and the rental car is in her name (she's the senior person in the group I later learn). Someone else volunteers. Everyone lets out a sigh of relief. The door is closed, we taxi and take off for Gunnison.

View out window
Climbing to altitude
The ride is pretty smooth (not always the case, I understand). Mostly it's all cloudy, but we can see some mountains, some trees, and a lake. Here are some mountains:

Mountains and clouds
View from my window
We start our descent and fly over Gunnison. A close-in airport; no tunnels to downtown.

Gunnison viewed from the air
Gunnison from the air
At last! We're on the ground. No more little plane (until the return...).

Runway
Landing
Off we go! (Yes, I bumped my head on the low door getting out.)

Plane
Climbing out
My bag made it, too. I was waiting for me.

My bag
My bag
We walk into the building.

Walking to building Welcome to Gunnison-Crested Butte
The airport building
The drive to Crested Butte
I meet Shelley McIntyre, Evangelist for RealSlideshow from RealNetworks. She's helping me work with her company to serve up the slideshows on this web site. Shelley offers me a ride, so I tell the van to cancel my reservation.

Shelley and car with trunk open
Shelley and her rental car
Driving through Gunnison:

Gunnison road
Gunnison
Out into the beautiful country:

Mountains and sky
Mountains and sky
Into Crested Butte:

City limit sign, elev 8885 ft
Crested Butte City Limit
Past the Conference Center where the Festival will be held:

Festival sign
Festival sign
And, finally, checking in at our hotel:

Checking into hotel
Checking in
The trip to Crested Butte is over. Time to upload the web site additions I did on the plane.

Next: Wednesday evening registration reception >