RNC

Flying near Hanna

I thought I'd give you a little update on my journey from the RNC in Minneapolis-St. Paul to Walt Disney World near Orlando, by way of Philadelphia. It's a journey that's been impacted along the way by Hanna (the tropical storm, not Ed -- although I know he and his family also like to visit WDW).

First, after Karin, Bill, and I boarded our plane in Minneapolis, we were told we'd have to stay on the ground for about half an hour because of already heavy air traffic in Philly. The pilot shut off the engines to save fuel. We were then on our way sooner than we thought, but we ended up circling above Philly for about 15 minutes, waiting for clearance to land.

Once on the ground, we were met by the same driver who brought us down to the airport early Sunday morning. We gathered all our luggage and equipment -- 13 pieces, in all -- and I saw Karin and Bill off on their way back to Reading.

I then proceeded on to the ticket counter to check in for my flight to Florida. It was originally scheduled for take-off at 7:50, but it was already delayed five minutes. Later, it was 10. By the time I grabbed a bite to eat and started heading to the gate, it was 15. And when we were ready to go on board, they announced that some 60 other planes were already in line for take-off and that we'd be sitting on the tarmac for awhile. It's going to be a long night. Luckily, only 29 people were booked for the flight on a plane that can hold 137, so at least we could all spread out and try to relax a bit. Or so we thought.

Once everyone was on board, the pilot came into the cabin and told us to expect a bumpy ride for the last two thirds of the flight. He said we'd be flying along the outer bands of Hanna and that he'd have to keep the "fasten seatbelt" light on for most of the way. It's just a few hours from the time Ed says the storm will make landfall between Myrtle Beach, South Carolina and Wilmington, North Carolina.

Well, we were only about 15 minutes in the air, with the flight attendants already serving snacks, when the pilot suddenly ordered them to take their seats right away. We had flown into heavy rain and the ride was going to get bumpy sooner than we thought. After about another 15 minutes and reaching our cruising altitude of 36,000 feet, it smoothed out enough for them to resume their service and I now have a Diet Coke and a bag of peanuts in hand. But the pilot was right about it being a bumpy ride. It was nothing too severe until about halfway through the flight. We really started to bounce around quite a bit, making it even difficult for me to type. And I'm not one who deals well with severe motion, so I'm going to stop for a little while.

Okay. I'm back. And I can tell you the pilot's prediction that this flight would be bumpy was an understatement. Bumpy describes a ride on the back roads between Topton and Alburtis. Most of this flight would qualify as a thrill ride at Dorney. And there would be signs warning people with heart problems and expectant women not to ride.

About a half-hour before we were expected to land, the pilot gave us an update. It appeared we had broken out of the stormy weather and that it should be smooth flying the rest of the way to Orlando. Thankfully, he was right. We're now safely on the ground. Disney World, here I come. After a long, good night's sleep, of course. Sweet dreams.

Not far behind

As we make our way home to Pennsylvania, the Republican and Democratic candidates for president and vice president won't be far behind us. By all accounts, we'll be seeing quite a bit of them between now and November 4.

In fact, John McCain and Sarah Palin were both in PA over the past weekend. And McCain will be in Lancaster next Tuesday. Barack Obama was just there yesterday. He's back in PA again today.

One of Pennsylvania's top officials jokingly told me yesterday that the candidates will be in PA so much over the next few weeks they might have to declare residency and pay taxes.

And Dr. Terry Madonna, political science professor at Franklin & Marshall College in Lancaster, had this to say to Karin the other day.

"I think by the time we're finished, they'll be issuing them PA drivers licenses," said Madonna. "Of course they don't drive. They have somone drive them, but they certainly might meet the residency requirements for the state for voting if they continue to be in our state."

As for us, it appears we won't be getting much rest away from the presidential campaign trail anytime soon.

Heading home... or to Florida

It's a question usually only asked of Super Bowl quarterbacks and Olympic gold medalists, but if someone were to say to me, "You just covered two political conventions back-to-back. What are you going to do now?" I'd have to say, "I'm going to Disney World!" That's right. After arriving in Philly late this afternoon, I'll bid my farewell to Bill and Karin and get on a plane for Florida. I'm looking forward to spending some relaxing time with my wife, whom I haven't seen in 12 days, and our baby in her belly (due to be born on the day after Election Day).

But we have to leave the Twin Cities first. We'll be heading to the airport soon. Our flight's at 12:20 Central Time. We've been told to get there about three hours early because most of the 45,000 people here for the convention and heading home today are flying out between 7:00 this morning and 1:00 this afternoon.

A hometown girl

For the past two weeks, Karin's been sharing with us some of her personal experiences at both the Democratic and Republican conventions. Here's her final note.

"I've seen her in the Wal-Mart without her make-up on. She's just an average girl."

That's my cousin Heather's take on the Republican vice presidential nominee, Sarah Palin. Heather's children go to the same school where Palin's children went when she was mayor of Wasilla. And Heather says she sees her at football games. I guess it's not only hockey that she supports.

When I heard Senator McCain picked the Governor of Alaska as his running mate and that she was from Wasilla, I immediately thought of my cousin. She's lived there now for the past year-and-a-half. I remember how excited she was when she learned she was moving there from Dutch Harbor, Alaska, which is about as far out in the middle of nowhere as you can get. Wasilla meant neighbors and a shopping center. She never thought that in one of those shopping trips, she'd end up running into someone who could possibly be moving into the White House.

Forget six degrees of Kevin Bacon. I've got six degrees of Sarah Palin.

Waist-deep in balloons

Being on the floor of the Republican National Convention before, during, and after John McCain's acceptance speech Thursday night is something I'm likely never to forget. In fact, I still remember being on the floor in Philadelphia for 69 News when George W. Bush accepted the GOP nomination in 2000. And I can tell you, the level of energy and excitement on the floor was on the level, if not moreso, tonight than it was then. No matter what political affiliation you might be, there is history being made and it's exciting to witness it in person.

After McCain's speech, I managed to work my way over to Pennsylvania Republican Party Chairman Bob Gleason just as he carefully climbed onto a chair and removed the state delegation's sign from its metal pole. Unfortunately, I was standing too close for the picture because the pole then came down and hit me on the head. It hurt, but I'm OK. Just add it to the list battle scars I'm taking home with me from the last two weeks.