Chorale is safe and sound in the new world of Atlanta, Georgia. However, the current weather - cloudy and rainy, with a chance of snow later today - is making us feel right at home.
Yesterday was our travel day - a full travel day. We left PLU at 9am on a bus to SeaTac for a Houston flight scheduled to depart just after 12. The flight was delayed just twenty minutes, though once on the plane it was another forty minutes of sitting still before the pilot arrived. Unfortunately, the original pilot had gotten sick, so an alternate was flown in to cover. He didn't exactly sound thrilled. Once on the plane, he welcomed us with a brief greeting, the gist of which was, "Hi, this wasn't my fault." A fairly turbulent four-hour ride with a bit of a bumpy landing followed, but Chorale was just happy to have arrived in Texas in one piece! We were a bit of a sight, entering and exiting the aircraft as a large conglomeration of college students. Many were curious about who we were and where we were going.
And as it turns out, there was plenty of time for conversation! Upon landing at the Houston-George Bush Intercontinental Airport, our pilot was simply ecstatic to discover that another aircraft was in the way, preventing us from exiting the plane and heading to our next flight. We watched the clocks anxiously as our one-hour layover with the possibility of grabbing a bite to eat before our final flight to Atlanta began shrinking in size, until we began to worry we'd miss our connecting flight completely.
By the time we were free to leave the plane, it was just after 7:30pm local time, which meant that our connecting flight was already scheduled to board. We power-walked through the airport (thankfully it wasn't a terribly long walk to our next gate) and past the tempting restaurants and eateries we spotted on the way. Our mission was to get on our next flight; dinner could be a hearty selection of gummy bears and fruit leather tonight.
After rushing to the flight to Atlanta, however, we were met with another delay - there was some paperwork concerning the baggage on board that needed to be completed before takeoff. After about an hour of waiting in the aircraft, we were ready for takeoff! Just a one-and-a-half hour flight and University Chorale would be in Atlanta, Georgia! It was a bit of an exciting trip, as several Chorale members stayed entertained by watching the lightning storm that was taking place outside our tiny windows.
Thankful to be safe and sound and done with flying for the day, a hungry and time-disoriented Chorale collected their baggage - but, true to the day's theme, not before a delay! - and boarded a bus to the Best Western that would be our home for the night. Though only 10:30pm Washington-time, the local pizza places that some choir-members seeked delivery from were keen to operate (and close) according to the Eastern time-zone schedule. (Apparently some determined boys found a place that was still delivering pizza. The rest of us stuck with our granola bars and waited eagerly for the complimentary breakfast.)
After a refreshing four hours of sleep (You may determine if I am employing sarcasm or sincerity here) and tummies full of breakfast, we are ready to begin our first official day of tour! Today's schedule brings us a visit to the University of Georgia and an evening concert in John's Creek! As for now, it's time to board the bus and head to our next destination. More to come later!
P.S. Check out the latest video, created by the fabulous Alicia Hoag, below!
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