Jul 8 - welcome to the zoo

I'm at Toronto airport now, awaiting my flight, cappuccino in hand.  So far, so good.  It took about an hour to get from hotel to gate, only about 5 minutes of that being shuttle time as the hotel is very close.

It's completely changed since the last time I flew from Toronto to the U.S.  I guess that's not surprising.  Kiosks for check-in / print baggage tags; drop luggage off ... weigh first ... 48 pounds, just as I told her; she didn't bother checking the second bag as I obviously knew what I was doing. 

They sent me down to oversized not because I had to be charged for oversize but because my bags wouldn't fit on the narrow conveyor belt.  I went to the sign, left my bags with a couple of other large bags but decided to ask someone if that's ok ... nope, dropoff is on the other side of the privacy panel ... whew !  Even though it wasn't the "manly thing to do" to ask directions, I'm glad that I did !

She didn't think that they would fit through the scanner but didn't get up from her chair.  A porter who came up at that point said that there was room.  She asked what was in the bag ... mostly clothes ... she looked at the scanner and said "mostly clothes ?" and I said and bicycle handlebars ... yes, ok.  In the next bag she could see the rest of the bike and she was ok; I'm good to go.

Next, security, i.e. carry-on scan.  Long line.  I wasn't sure if they would object to / want to look at the contents of my backpack; might wonder about the seed squares, but they went through.  Of course my liquids (deodorant, toothpaste, mouthwash) were in a ziploc and my shoes and laptop were in that same tray.    Everything goes in trays now, no loose bags.

Next, passport scan, beginning of US entry.  It takes your picture, confirms your reservation info, asks for consent re things you are bringing (agricultural, exemption etc.), prints a slip for the next step -- interview.  "Going to Denver?"  - "yes" - "by yourself" - "yes" - "have a good day".

Hand that stamped slip to the next station and I'm good to go, to the gate that is.

All in all, I probably showed my passport 3-4 times and had my boarding pass checked and/or scanned maybe 6-8 times. 

I'm early; grab a cappuccino and find a place to sit.  Wow, is this US Departures area ever traveler friendly. 

There are literally hundreds of stations with tablets and AC connections and of course there's also free wifi.  I'm really early so I'll make good use of the area.  The only thing that they are missing is serving staff to offer you drinks and food at the stations.  However, because there's so much space, you don't have to worry about giving up your spot if you head off to find something. 

So, that's today, i.e. the 9th, so far.

On the 8th, which is what this blog is supposed to be about, I had a fairly quiet a.m. and at 2:30 headed off to Toronto.  I stopped at MEC (Mountain Equipment Co-op) in Barrie to look at what they have in stuff sacs and bought a little one along with an elastic thingy to hold it onto my rear rack.  I'm trying a slightly different setup this time. 

I then went to Zehrs and picked up a couple of salads for dinner along with a container of almonds, some cheese and some dried fruit -- raisins, figs, apricots -- for the ride.  On the way to the hotel I realized that bringing fruit into the U.S. might not be the best plan, even if these are "product of USA".  So .. they're in my car.  Also in the car are the clothes that I was wearing yesterday, no point in carrying them around, the coffee maker and small cooler.  I've just got my backpack, which makes it much, much easier than when I went to Seattle with duffle and briefcase along with checked bags.

Speaking of checked bags, Air Canada, for my class of service, doesn't allow for any checked bags.  Duh.  Well, I guess that when I was business traveling, I didn't have any checked bags, so that's not completely unrealistic.  They charge $30 CAD for each bag; don't know what they'll charge flying back from Denver but it certainly won't be in CAD.

Hmm ... I'm trying to send an email to myself but it's not going through.  That's the easy way of getting a photo from my iPhone to my laptop.  I've sent it three times different ways but it's not showing up here in sent or inbox or spam even though it is in sent on my phone.   Usually the sent box on the phone mirrors what I'm seeing here on the laptop and vice versa.  Oh well.

Anyway, the photo is of a Ferrari parked at Starbucks in Parry Sound -- not your normal steed for that area.

I guess that's about it.  SouthWestward !