Blue Moon Blogging - Traveling to South Dakota

Wel,, I had got a new client at work and they are in South Dakota.  In the plains near the NE, not the SW which has the Black Hills.  I left the world's busiest airport in Atlanta and went to one of the smallest!....after changing planes in Minneapolis.

My plane to SD had only about 13 rows but it went well.  I didn't check my bag but they took it to save space and still put it on the baggage claim conveyor.  There was only one "gate" and went you entered the airport you quickly came to the baggage claims area here:

And do you see just to the left is a counter with a red Avis sign above it.  Easiest walk to the rental car counter I have ever had.

Then, the rental cars were parked right next to the airport.  Mine was waiting for me in row #6 here (my plane is in background).  When I returned to the airport the next day I pulled into Row #1.

I practically didn't even need a rental car because my client was so close to the airport.  It was a long way to go for a visit but I will be going back in October.  They were so, so nice and they must have liked me because I was invited to go pheasant hunting next time.  I think they were trying to get my reaction but hey, I go with the flow.  Some people golf with clients--why not hunt for food?

Oh, and at the littlest airport ever, about 30 mins before flight time, two TSA women appear.  They were super nice and certainly there were no big, expensive radiation screening machines.

Then it was back in Atlanta and on the train there was a young lady with these shoes. 

Last time I traveled it was in May and I bought new flat shoes knowing I'd do a lot of airport-walking.  I made it home with blood dripping down my heels from those suckers.  I still have scars.  Those platforms would have been better I guess.

At the Atlanta airport before you get to the baggage claim area where you exit for the parking lots, you ride up a long escalator and at the top of it, all the people that wait for arriving passengers stand in a line.  There can be hundreds of people there.  When I got to this area, like the guy in this photo in the orange shirt, I was shocked and peeved to see a government worker (TSA) at this podium, with his hands around his phone or ipod, with his head down.

Like I said, to his left are hundreds of people off the street, not scanned.  Shouldn't he be more on the ball?  I was so shocked I had to stop and take his picture.

I think my 11th grade son summed up my travels to SD in a positive way.  He doesn't say very long sentences, but he said, "Your job gives you the opportunity to see parts of the country you would never see."