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04/19/2006
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I'm a travellin' man, that's what I am. Spring is my heavy travel time, but I shouldn't complain. Heavy travel in my job means I go out of town maybe three times in three months. I've been to Mount Vernon, OH (see this post), Chicago/Kankakee/Bourbonnais (those of you who are familiar with the Nazarene higher education network might be detecting a pattern here) and Nampa, ID.
Typically, these are recruiting trips and I travel alone, as I did to Mount Vernon and Nampa. The trip to Chicago combined recruiting and an educational conference, the Human Capital Summit and my boss and I traveled together.
Oh, and I forgot the road trip. Here's how this interesting side trip worked out. I flew to Nampa on Tuesday the 11th, and flew back Wednesday night, getting to bed about 1:00 Thursday morning. We pulled out at 6:30 for a 3-hour drive to Omaha, where we went to a baseball game. It was a beautiful, sunny afternoon, with light breezes and warm temperatures. Plus, I always enjoy watching the Royals win. Unfortunately, we were watching the Omaha Royals, the AAA team for the KC franchise. Seems Omaha is the only team bearing that name doing any winning these days.
We stayed at the Omaha Marriott Thursday night. I know what you're thinking. Wow! Must be nice to stay at the Marriott. Yep. It is. Usually, we stay at a Comfort/Sleep Inn or similar chain. I got a super price on the Marriott room from Priceline - we paid $50 for a $189 a night room! Okay, I think they put us in the smallest room they had, and it was right next to the ice machine and elevator. On the other hand, it was very comfy and we didn't have to drag the luggage all over. Plus, we would have probably paid $80 or 90 for a Comfort Inn room.
Friday saw us checking out and heading for the zoo. Omaha's Henry Doorly Zoo has a fantastic reputation, with good reason. Most of the best attractions are indoors, in climate-controlled environments. They're close to the main entrance, and you really don't get too worn out taking in the sites. Plus, they have a great menagerie. About six types of tiger, eight or ten gorillas (scientific name: "Gorilla gorilla gorilla" - no, really), an aquarium, desert dome and jungle habitats, and more. We had a great time. I highly recommend this zoo. I'm also glad that the former Henry Doorly curator/director (or whatever they call him) is now the head of the KC Zoo. We need the help.
After the zoo, it was another three hour drive home. We wished we had taken an extra night, but after watching the weather later that weekend, were glad we didn't. Seems some nasty weather broke out in the I-29 corridor Saturday evening, with tornados, hail, and high winds. I'm glad we were home, where things were quiet.
Well, I've taken enough of your time. For those of you who are family, check your e-mail for an invite to see our Omaha photos.
18:30 Posted in About Life | Permalink | Email this
Comments
Sounds like you guys had a good time, Bruce.
Posted by: jeff edmondson | 04/21/2006