I tell the travel agent I want to fly into Bend, Oregon. She books me to Redmond, Oregon. I say, “No, I’d really like to go to Bend.” She tells me that Bend, Oregon, is served by Redmond. But I was SO sure I saw an airport on Google Maps in Bend.
So, I hung up the phone, get onto google maps, and low and behold there is an airstrip just North of Bend. So, I get onto Expedia and look it up… the airport is called North Bend. I call the travel agent back and have them change the reservation. All is right in the world again… until we are landing.
The woman next to me says, “I just LOVE living here, looking one direction and seeing the mountains, looking the other to see the ocean!” Huh?? Ocean?!! you can’t see Ocean from Bend!. I look out the window, and there is the beach! Huh. Turns out I’m in a little town of North Bend, just north of Coos Bay!
I got off the plane and went straight to the United desk. “Oh,” they said, “Yeah, that happens quite often.. and the last plane out of here has left for the day.” So I go to the Hertz desk and they say “Oh yeah, that happens quite a bit.” Huh! Well, guess the trip that started 18 hours ago is not quite over… I still had a 4 hour drive left.
Meanwhile, Mike is waiting at a little (private plane) airstrip just North of Bend… Thank goodness for cell phones.
I have a college friend living in Bend Oregon. Carey Edson Olson. She was our wedding and grew up in Carmel, CA