Wednesday — February 25, 2004

Happy endings

Commentary by JoEllen Collins

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I look upon my safe arrival from Oakland as a happy ending.
The fact that it was 27 hours from the time I first set foot in the airport until I entered my condominium in Sun Valley was almost beside the point. Because of snow in Sun Valley, the existence of only the one Horizon flight and a couple of cancellations along the way, I was stuck overnight in Oakland, then put on a flight to Seattle the next day, then flown to Twin Falls and bused home.

The only upside to all of this was that I was lucky enough to have a parent and a colleague from my school who happened to be on the same flight and we were able to while away some of the long hours together in rueful conversation. I missed a day of work, and the cost was more than I bargained for, with a hotel, more hideous airport meals and other extras. I can think of hundreds of other ways to spend my time, but still I arrived, though a day later, healthy and relatively unscathed. I call that a happy ending.

While we absorbed the unhappy announcements, I watched the behavior of others in my spot, one woman furious because she would have to go home that night (the three of us envied her warm bed) and wanted payment for a cab.

Most of the derailed passengers, however, were good sports: I think people understand the problems of air travel in our post 9/11 New World: longer lines, fewer planes, frayed nerves. If you have chance to catch A&E’s new reality series “Airport,” you will see what abuse is heaped upon the poor employees of Southwest Airlines when things go awry. One episode involved a woman who had several tantrums when she was late and missed a flight. As one who loves to travel, I have become philosophical about delays, though this last one was excessive by any standards. What good is the convenience of a direct flight to LA or Oakland if it doesn’t go?

Living in the Wood River Valley, one must become somewhat inured to the woes of travel to and from our beloved region.
Years ago a friend and I wrote a show for KSKI, a satire called “Up in Sun Valley,” a spoof about our tourist mecca. One of our characters, a private eye on a case in Vermont, needed to track down someone in Idaho. When he asked the travel agent for tickets to Sun Valley, the weary man replied, “You can’t get there from here.” Sometimes I think that is true.

I have noticed that some of our happiest residents are those who are able occasionally to “get away” from the Valley. Many sun in Mexico, hop private jets to get “city” fixes, or visit homes in other places. I love this area and am comfortable here most of the time. However, as my former mother-in-law used to say, I have “wheels on my feet,” a wanderlust that urges escape occasionally from my nest, even if it is tucked securely in the grand mountains of Idaho. I understand that when I leave my safety net I may encounter delays and miscues and am always relieved to arrive anywhere within some near expectation of being on time.

I am set for a rather big trip in April to Switzerland with a friend. I have tucked in the back of my mind the possibility that there may be disappointments along the way. I have my friend’s hotel phone number in case of missed connections or cancelled flights or catching the wrong train from Zurich.

There is always a fear of being left somewhere in a strange environment, but those of us who travel accept these potential hazards. It’s the price we pay for keeping our eyes open to the world.

I remember arriving at my small village in Thailand, burdened in 100 degree heat and 99 percent humidity, with the baggage I needed for a long stint in the Peace Corps. I had taken a train and three buses and was stranded on a corner. I have seldom felt so alone, hoping the minimal amount of Thai I knew would suffice. A policeman drove up and addressed me in flawless English. He gave me a ride to my school (and home…I lived on campus) and told me that once he had been similarly alone upon his arrival at the University of Oklahoma and had been greeted on a corner by a friendly person who helped him find his way in his new country. He was delighted to repay this gesture.

Coming home — to my dogs, my friends, my job — is always a happy ending, This recent jaunt to California was a joyous visit to dear friends and family. I wouldn’t trade for anything the happy moments I had dining at restaurants, staying in my friends’ home in Sausalito, replete with three cuddly King Charles spaniels, seeing from behind a big box of popcorn the new Bertolucci film (“The Dreamers,” NC17 and deserving of another column), “hitting Macy’s,” engaging in good conversation, and experiencing the hugs of those I love.

Actually, I did make a trade for all of that, one day of discomfort and airport frustration for three days of delight. It could be worse.

The Idaho Mountain Express is distributed free to residents and guests throughout the Sun Valley, Idaho resort area community. Subscribers to the Idaho Mountain Express will read these stories and others in this week's issue.