One of the most impressive sights along at takeoff is the abundance of transportation/shipping facilities in the immediate vicinity of the airport. Not only is there the air transport available but there are train, ship and truck terminals all within a short distance of the airport.
Heading down the runway, you can see Port Elizabeth’s dock facilities. And once airborne the Bay Way refinery and storage facilities flanking the New Jersey Turnpike are clearly visible.
As we headed west (flying right over the Aerie) you could see Lake Michigan and some great city on the western shores. (It didn’t seem big enough to be Chicago and was further north in any case. Might have been Milwaukee.)
Then came the checkerboard pattern of farm fields in South Dakota/Nebraska and a brief glimpse of snow on the front range of the Rockies. After that things were drier and squares were replaced by circular fields irrigated by long sprinklers rotating about a central water source. The Rockies (probably the Big Horn Range of western Montana) were still heavily covered in snow.
Things got even more arid and the evidence of oil well drilling could be seen in the hills and valleys below.
As we made to land at the San Francisco Airport, we approached from the south. Colorful salt flats and/or chemical ponds could be seen.
Having parallel runways, there are two planes landing side by side and just a minute or so apart. It’s a busy, busy place!
We deplaned, claimed our luggage and headed for the tram to take us to the rental car facility—a ride that took us past all the other terminals to the end of the line a mile or so from where we got off the plane.
Hertz had rented all of the cars it had available and was only looking to help those who had reservations. We were in that group and so Terry filled out the paperwork and we got our car and headed off to Half Moon Bay on the ocean and the motel room that awaited us.
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