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 |  I travel the country on business, sometimes the world. Come see where I've been. |
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Talk about perks, my job has one of the best ones I can think of! I travel in the course of business, delivering classes for my employer. I am a Senior Training Specialist for Motorola Solutions, and teach classes on a wide variety of subjects centered around 2 way radio communications. I'm qualified to deliver approximately 30 different classes, but about half of those are 'Legacy' classes, and are not in demand anymore. My students are technicians, those who maintain, program, calibrate, and repair large 2-way radio systems. Some of these systems are statewide, and use TCP-IP networking to allow sites to communicate with others. Some are small, traditional type radio sites. The size doesn't matter, in each case the systems must be kept operational at all times, since many of them are Public Safety Systems. So I get to travel, sometimes frequently, 3-4 weeks in a row.... where am I this week? This probably won't have daily entries, but I will make entries when I get to go somewhere, and keep an updated list of coming trips. My schedule changes faster than the weather, so don't be too surprised to see me list an upcoming class, only to remark later on that it is cancelled, or delayed. Delays are fine of course, but a later date might mean that someone else gets to go instead of me,,, Well, here we go with this, let's see where it takes us.  Best Cultural And Regional Honorable Mention |
Well, I flew out of Chicago on Saturday morning, and spent the night in Seattle. I did that because it was almost impossible to get decent flights to my ultimate destination in one day. I guess it had something to do with a few people who waited until the last minute to go home after the holidays.  This morning, I flew here, and find it funny that I left Chicago to go north to a warmer place. What's that? Where's here? Why Alaska of course!! It was the 49th state to join the Union, but it's the 50th state I've been in! Wondering if I should add to that one poem of mine, about the states I've been in.  It's about 35 degrees here (will be about -15 in Chicago tonight), raining, and very slushy. Look for an addition to "Travel Pictures"  for photo's from this trip. I took a few, but will wait to add to that after this week is over. Next week will be another trip, this one to Nova Scotia. So I will go 5 time zones east of where I am right now. Then home for a week before going to Washington DC for a week. I will add more to this post later on. Til then, y'all stay safe and warm in that extreme cold out there. |
| This week I'm in Colorado Springs delivering a class to the Air Force Academy. The odd thing is, I had one student, named Will Smith. Yep, that's right, I was teaching a class to Will Smith this week. He looks a little heavier in person that he does in the movies, must be the camera or something. Wish I had a camera like that, I'd take a ton of pictures of me! But it's been a good week. Could not believe I left Chicago at 3 degrees or so, and landed here in Colorado, the land of mountains and snow, and it was 61 degrees! I didn't have to wear a coat all week, which is always nice in December. The Air Force Academy is upgrading their radio system, but still using the old one. On Tuesday afternoon, Will was called to his site because it was down, called me to tell me about it. I joined him and we quickly saw the problem. I knew what the problem was, but wasn't sure what was causing it. I don't teach the course dealing with part of his system, but I still knew what was wrong. The problem was, little to no documentation, and a faulty power supply that wasn't part of the problem, but seemed to be. What I mean is, we had indications of a bad power supply, and that could have contributed to the problem, but that was normal for that piece of equipment. In the end, we rebooted the devicve (Imagine that), and everything was fine.I had an interesting lunch today too, not because of what I ate, but because of the restaurant I was at. It's called 'The Airplane Restaurant', part of it is a building, but connected to the building is an old KC-97 Tanker! You could either eat in the terminal (building next to the plane), or in the plane itself. So of course I had lunch in the plane. While waiting on my food, I toured the cockpit and took a few pictures. Very interesting, and definitely an 'out of the norm' place to eat. Well, this is my last trip for 2013. Can't imagine why, since there's still two more weeks left this year. I've traveled 26 weeks this year, delivering 27 classes. Been to quite a few places I love, and them some. This year included trips to El Paso, San Diego, Toronto, Seattle, Texas (2 or 3 times), Florida, North Carolina, Spokane, Great Falls Montana, and others I can't remember. In going to these places, I met many wonderful people, but the best part was meeting a couple of my WDC friends this year!. I wonder what 2014 will bring, besides Juneau Alaska, Nova Scotia, Alabama, Washington DC, and Kansas, which are currently on my schedule. Til next time, y'all remain warm, and have a very Merry Christmas! |
| Well, the week after my wonderful trip to Maui was different for me. On Monday I drove to Holland Michigan for a two day class. Holland is a beautiful town near the shore of Lake Michigan, about 30 miles west of Grand Rapids. I loved the small town feel to it. It's one of the few places I've been that still have angled parking on the streets! Class was Tuesday and Wednesday, but Wednesday night I drove back to Chicago. I had an early morning flight to Jacksonville on Thursday morning, so opted to stay in a hotel near O'Hare. (I live at least 30 minutes from O'hare, and for all intents and purposes I was still 'on the road', so a hotel was allowable, and only five minutes away). I flew to Jacksonville as planned, then drove to Gainesville Florida that afternoon. The class there was a special request, the customer only wanted a small portion of a three day class. Based on a conference call we'd had, I knew it wouldn't last much longer than an hour. But they did ask a few questions about this class, as well as a couple other I teach, and it ended up lasting two hours, which was fine by me really. I mean, where would you rather be, the cold of Chicago, or the warmth of Gainesville? Saturday morning I flew home, and have been here all week. Tomorrow's my last trip of the year, this time I'm off to Colorado Springs, and the United States Air Force Academy! It starts all over again in early January, when I will fly to Juneau for Alaska, and finally reach my fiftieth state! Til then, y'all stay warm, and have a very Merry Christmas. |
| Warning Will Robinson, Warning! This may will be a long entry, one you may find boring. But it's all about Hawaii, so it can't be that bad, can it? Last week I was sent to Maui to deliver a class. This was Thanksgiving week, so I decided I should take a little personal time off, and spend Thanksgiving on the islands. It was quite the experience, one I wish everyone could enjoy. I was very pleasantly surprised at how 'rural' the entire island of Maui is. There are no major highways/freeways like you find on Oahu. True, there are highways, but they are more like small state highways here on the mainland. To recap my time there a little.... Friday - Flew to Maui from O'Hare on Friday morning, with a 2 hour layover in Los Angeles. The plane landed at LAX on time, but the connecting flight was delayed in Las Vegas. It was not comforting to hear that the plane had experienced a hydraulic leak, which had been corrected. But a 4-5 hour flight over the ocean with a plane that had gone through mechanical problems didn't sit too well in my mind. Finally arrived in Maui at 8pm, about 2-3 hours later than planned. That was midnight Illinois time, and I was beat. Drove to the hotel and checked in, but it wasn't until later that I really appreciated where I was staying. Saturday - I managed to sleep until about 5 in the morning (9am Illinois time), but tossed and turned from 3-5. I relaxed a bit in the room, then went to breakfast in Kihei town. I made sure to order some hot, fresh malasadas (If you get to visit Hawaii, be sure you have some of these. They are originally a Portuguese pastry, but the islands have adopted them as their own. The best place to get them is on Oahu, at Leonards Bakery), and fried eggs with Portuguese sausage and rice. Since I had 2 days to adjust to Hawaii time (I never did completely adjust to that time), I thought I'd play tourist some. I'd lived in Hawaii while in the Navy, and seen many beaches on Oahu. So visiting a beach wasn't high on my priority list. Seeing the sights on Maui was. Off I went to Haleakala! Haleakala is the extinct volcano on Maui's eastern side, and dominates the landscape. During the drive, you go from sea level to over 10,000 feet in altitude. It is quite the drive; even though it's only about 60 miles from the hotel to the summit, it's a 3-4 hour drive. At least it was for me, because I stopped frequently to appreciate the view. Funny how the drive back was shorter, lasting about 2 hours. I was still exhausted from the flight, so I napped for a couple of hours, then went to Lahaina for dinner. I would recommend the Lahaina Fish Company to anyone who visits Maui.Sunday - This was much like Saturday, except this time I drove the road to Hana. Hana is a small town on Maui's east coast, but it's the drive to get there that is enchanting. It's 52 miles (84km) from Kahului, and takes about 2.5 hours to drive when no stops are made. The highway is very winding and narrow, had over 59 bridges, 46 of which are only one lane wide. There are approximately 620 curves along Route 360 from just east of Kahului to Hāna, virtually all of it through lush, tropical rainforest. Many of the concrete and steel bridges date back to 1910 and all but one are still in use. It took me about 3.5 hours to get there, but I find it almost impossible to describe it's beautiful scenery. I intended to continue to driving around the island, but noticed on the map that one section was labeled as "Unpaved, not recommended unless in a 4 wheel drive vehicle". So, I drove back. Monday & Tuesday - What can I say, I was sent there to teach a class, so I worked those days. Sightseeing was not practical, but I still loved every minute of it. Wednesday - Time for another drive, this time around Maui's west side. Once again, I didn't see the small print on the map until I was well into the route. There's a section on the map that is labeled "Narrow Winding road, proceed at your own risk". What it didn't say, is that for a 10 mile stretch, it is a one lane road that winds along cliffs, with some sections missing guard rails! What a beautiful drive, I loved every minute of it, even if most was driven at 10 mph. Some of the curves were so tight that you literally turned the wheel as far left (or right) to creep around the bend. To really appreciate this highway, it must be driven. Since I know many of you may never get that chance, this might help you learn about it. http://www.dangerousroads.org/usa/643-kahekili-highway-usa.html This road is one of the top 10 most dangerous roads in the world! Thursday (Thanksgiving!) - Finally! I spent the morning on the beach relaxing and getting a little sun. I had plans for dinner, but getting some sun was important too. It was a nice day relaxing on the beach at the hotel. Now, about my hotel. I stayed at the Grand Wailea Resort. This place had no front doors, with most of it's common areas open to the air. It's grounds are beautiful, but I found the whole place to be opulent, almost decadent. It's where the wealthy go to relax, many of the hotels visitors never leave the grounds, and I find that very sad. I won't go into the snotty attitudes I saw every day there. Not everyone was like that, but it was all around me nonetheless. Thursday night I went to the Old Lahaina Luau. Again, something that needs to be experienced. I will be posting more photo's on Photobucket ( http://s1355.photobucket.com/user/Sum1swriting/library/?sort=3&page=1 ), and may eventually upload video's from it to Youtube. Below is a photo from the front area of the resort. ** Image ID #1965413 Unavailable ** Friday - I spent the day relaxing and shopping in Lahaina, buying gifts for my grand-daughters. I flew out Friday night at 10pm, arriving in LAX at 5am. I had enough time to walk from one gate to another and board the flight to Chicago. By noon Central time (8am Hawaii time), I was home in the cold midwest. I managed to get a couple hours sleep before working at the restaurant from 5-10 pm, slept a little before meeting my family for a couple of hours in Bloomington. I was home by noon or so again, and worked on raking leaves in my yard until 2:30. Sadly, I had to work that night also, so I never did get completely rested. Next week, I'll be in Holland Michigan Monday through Wednesday, then fly to Jacksonville Florida to deliver a class in Gainesville. Til then, y'all stay warm as the winter approaches. See you then. |
| Monday I flew the Dallas, then drove 130 miles to Wichita Falls, Texas. Why drive? Because it would have taken longer to get there flying (connection in Dallas), since I'd have a layover and such. I taught at Sheppard AFB, only a two day class, again. I find it hard to get out in the late fall or winter, since it's usually dark when I head to work, and dark when I head to the hotel. I've been to Wichita Falls, but it was years ago. It was a nice town, but I have to say, I didn't get out and do anything special. In fact, I flew home on Wednesday night instead of Thursday. Not because I didn't like the town, but because I had to fly out again on Friday for my next class. See you in my next post about that! |
| This past week I was in San Antonio for a couple of days. No trip to San Antonio is complete without doing two things. Visiting the Alamo, and walking along the Riverwalk. Sadly, it was almost dark by the time I hit the Riverwalk, so I couldn't get any decent pictures of the area. Still, it was interesting to walk it and see the people and various sights along the way. I figured out one thing pretty quickly though. It is better to do this with someone special by your side. Walking this alone isn't near as fun, there's no one to talk or point things out to one another; who knows the little nooks and crannies, stores or stalls I missed because of this? Still, it was a nice experience. The Alamo is another story. It sits nestled in the middle of the city, surrounded on all sides by high rise buildings, and the bustling life of a modern city. Other than the buildings that surround it (all which were rebuilt, I believe most were lost during and after the seige), there's no sign this was a place that men stayed to fight a battle, knowing they were going to die. I've seen many civil war battlefields; each of them has some method of depicting what happened at that site. The Alamo does too, but I got the impression that it was a place held in awe, revered by the state of Texas, almost like a shrine. The feeling I had visiting it was totally different than the one I get visiting Gettysburg, Manassas, Antietam, or any other civil war battlefield. I can't explain why, but it was different. Til next week, when I'll be back in Texas, this time in Wichita Falls. Y'all take care and stay warm in the approaching fall/winter. One final thought. My thoughts and prayers are with those hit recently by devastating storms. Both here in the United States, as well as the Philippines, and anywhere else I may have forgotten. |
Well, I'm on another trip this week, this time to the city of Chicago. I'm staying at the Hard Rock Hotel on the south side of the Miracle Mile on Michigan Avenue. Yeah I know, you're wondering why I'm here, and not commuting back and forth to my home in Arlington Heights. Well, basically I was told to stay here, or at least to stay in the city. I've never done the commute to the city from my home, and I don't want to try this week. So I called the Project Manager, he recommended I stay here at the Hard Rock, so I am. The customer this week is the Office of Emergency Management and Communications, which was used recently in the filming of the third Transformers movie. The class is on a relatively new product from Motorola called the MLC8000. This is not a class we normally deliver, nor are there any materials for this course. Or, there weren't until I was assigned to deliver this class. I ended up writing a short course on it, today was the first time the materials had been used, and it went pretty well.  What I've figured out is that I know cities around the U.S. that I've been to on more than one occasion better than I know the city where I live. I know the suburbs decently well, but the actual city of Chicago? Nope, Na-da. So I have trouble knowing where to go for dinner, sightseeing, etc. Plus it's rained most of the day today and yesterday, and it's chilly out. Makes it hard to get out much. Maybe I will get down here more soon, we'll see. Tomorrow I'll deliver the class again (it's only a 1 day class), then go back to Arlington Heights. Next week I am off to San Antonio, Texas, then Wichita Falls Texas the following week, before being sent to Maui, Hawaii the week of Thanksgiving. Yeah, I know.... I'm pretty lucky, and will love being there again, for the second time in 2 years. Til then, y'all be careful and stay warm. It's getting cold out there. |
| Happy Halloween everyone, I hope you have a great day. Last night, I decided to make a special cake for this great day. So, I made this one. (Forgive the blurriness of the picture, I took it with my cell phone). ** Image ID #1960790 Unavailable ** I have a lot of fun offering people some cake, you'd swear that I had really grossed them out. It's nothing more than German Chocolate Cake, White Cake, Vanilla Pudding, Vanilla Creme Cookies, Green Food Coloring, and Tootsie Rolls. It's all in the presentation though. |
| Okay, I'm actually here for a whole week, does that make it a month then? Seriously though, it's not a bad town. The people are nice, class is going well, so what more could I want? I don't see many photo ops here, didn't see a lot on the drive down either. Took a somewhat scenic route on I-40 from Memphis to Texarkana. I'd been in Arkansas before, but never much off I-55 on the east side of the state. So I decided to drive through the heart of the state and see things. Was told by one member that the state bird is often referred to as the orange barrel. That's in reference to the amount of road construction that is always going on there. Took me a second to get that one, so I made sure I typed it slow in case some of you are a little slow too. Port Arthur is very small, but only about 15 miles from Beaumont Texas; I was there about a year ago delivering a class, so the area isn't totally new. A co-worker is teaching in Mont Belvieu Texas, about 70 miles away, so him and I have been meeting for dinner each night. He's my 'protege' so to speak, even if he's already been promoted to lab manager for my department. Meanwhile, I'm still 'just an instructor', and quite happy in that regard too. My co-worker is very qualified for that position, I'm not. He'll do well there I'm sure of that. We're delivering the same class to two different customers, so we compare notes over dinner. So all in all, having a good time. My next field class will be in some small town, not sure what I'll do there. Anyone know anything about a town called Chicago?? Yep, I'll be transiting from Schaumburg to Chicago for 2 days to deliver a class in the city. Management says to remain in Chicago overnight, so I just may take advantage of that. Til then, y'all have a great week, and stay healthy! See you then. Jim |
It's been an interesting week here in the Denver area. Monday was pretty hot, in the mid-90's. But Monday afternoon, the rain started, and it really poured for a while. But as you probably know by now, that was only the start. The rain continued through Tuesday and Wednesday without letup, and part of Thursday. It was never a torrential downpour again, but it was a nice, steady rain. Then, the flooding started. Roads were washed out, bridges flowed over, and sadly, people either killed, missing, or displaced from their homes. My hotel is about 10 miles from the training site, making for a 15-20 minute drive to work each morning. But Thursday I-76 was closed south of where I worked at, but it affected traffic quite a bit, as you might imagine. It took me over an hour to get there, most of that being that last 2 miles. But I've been safe and sound, I just wish everyone could have been. I fly home this morning, and will have a month in the Chicago area for the first time this year before going to Port Arthur Texas in mid-October. Til then, stay safe, warm/cool, and happy. Jim Dorrell |
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