Arriving in Denver

Mountains and canyons, between LA & Denver

Arrived in Denver on Saturday 7 August. I'm glad to be here despite a rather fraught journey from LA ...

For starters, I was unprepared for the mele of check-in at LAX - seemingly endless queues of anxious, impatient people at the airline desks and at the security points on the gallery above. For the first time since leaving Aus I felt lost, unfamiliar with local procedures, unclear who to ask for assistance. The automatic check-in machines were similar to those I’d used at Aus airports, but they didn’t recognise my passport or e-ticket number. This caused me some panic that I wouldn’t get through in time to catch the Denver flight. When I asked a passing airport staff member how to use the machine he simply commented “If you don’t do it yourself you won’t learn” and moved on, leaving me further distressed.

Deciding to take the innocent Aussie abroad approach, I sought out QANTAS at the far end of the terminal building. Here I found almost no queue and a smiling staff member, with a soothing American voice: ‘Don’t worry, we’ll get you to your flight, just give us your passport’. In less than five minutes my bags were checked in and I had a boarding pass. I still had to negotiate the security checks, but the supportive response from the QANTAS person had restored my confidence to manage the system.

(Just goes to show that inducing independent learning isn’t always the most effective form of support! And that in certain learning contexts, relying on the help of others is a valid problem solving strategy).

I reached the departure gate with 30 mins to spare and phoned Mary to say I’d be arriving on time. But soon after, there was an announcement that the 12.40 Denver flight had been cancelled and all passengers should proceed to the Customer Service Desk. It involved more queuing and uncertainty, but this time I just calmly followed the flow and eventually gained a seat on the 5.50 flight. I then hibernated for the rest of the afternoon in the Admiral’s Lounge.

The flight to Denver was spectacular. The plane passed over mountains and canyons. The layered reds and ochres of the mountains, illuminated by late evening light, contrasted with the intense black of the intersecting valleys. On the descent into Denver, distant thunderstorms gave some indication of the expanse of the high plateau. The illuminated roof of Denver airport suggested mountains or wigwams.

It was so lovely to meet Mary at last! She drove me to her home and offered a welcoming late supper and Spanish wine (she had guessed my taste well!) Next day, Sunday, we collected Christine from her hotel and made a leisurely orientation tour of Denver in Mary’s car, the highlight of which was a visit to the wonderfully stocked and accommodated Tattered Covers bookshop. The irregularly placed wooden shelves encourage browsing and unexpected discoveries. A young man on a wooden bench was reading and laughing, almost oblivious to the other browsers; title = “101 reasons not to go to grad school”.

We then selected dinner ingredients at Whole Foods, the most appealing and generous vegie shop I’ve ever been to, with a huge range of super fresh, multi-coloured produce. It had to be ratatouille and wholegrain bread for dinner!