2 Years Since Texas Trip

Above, dinner at Cattlemen's Steakhouse at the Fort Worth Stockyards.

It is sometimes incredible at how time flies.

It was two years ago today that Mitch Geriminsky and I flew back to Albuquerque from Dallas Love Field following out little vacation jaunt to Dallas-Fort Worth. Once we got back to Albuquerque, I bought a new set of tires for the motorhome.

Above, at the John Wayne: An American Experience exhibit. Photo by Mitch Geriminsky.

We had a good time wandering around both cities and visited the John Wayne: An American Experience museum, the 6th Floor Museum at Dealey Plaza, Southfork Ranch, Billy Bob's Texas and the Fort Worth Stockyards. We also enjoyed some Texas cuisine at Cattlemen's Steakhouse at the Fort Worth Stockyards. I hadn't been to Billy Bob's Texas since I was in Dallas for the 1984 Republican National Convention. We also stopped at the Best Maid Pickles store in Fort Worth.

Above, at Southfork Ranch.

Flying to Dallas Love Field was a lot easier as it is a smaller airport than the Dallas-Fort Worth International Airport, which is like a city on its own. 

Above, having a brew at Billy Bob's Texas. Photo by Mitch Geriminsky.

One does not immediately think of Dallas or Fort Forth, Texas as vacation spots, but the trip was interesting. I recommend it for those who need a place to travel to. 

Woman Arrested After Shooting At Dallas Love Field

Above, inside one of Dallas Love Field's terminals last year. Photo by Armand Vaquer.

Crazies firing guns in public places apparently aren't confined to 20-something males.

A woman was taken into custody after being shot by police after she fired a gun in a Dallas Love Field terminal yesterday. Fortunately, nobody else in the terminal was injured.

She was identified as Portia Odufuwa, 37. She has a lengthy criminal record, including bank robbery.

According to the Gateway Pundit:

 A shooting was reported at Dallas Love Field Airport Monday morning.

According to Dallas police, a 37-year-old woman was shot after firing several rounds inside Dallas Love Field Airport.

NBCDFW reported that the woman was dropped off at the airport and immediately walked into a bathroom where she changed her clothing.

The woman walked out of the bathroom wearing a hoodie and began shooting at the ceiling before police shot her in her ‘lower extremities.’

The woman was transported from the airport and taken to Parkland Memorial Hospital where her condition is unknown.

I was last at Dallas Love Field a year and a half ago when I took a trip to Dallas and Fort Worth to see the John Wayne: An American Experience, Sixth Floor Museum at Dealey Plaza and Southfork Ranch.

To read more, go here and here.

Travel + Leisure: Busiest Airports

Above, Los Angeles International Airport (LAX) came in at number five. Photo by Armand Vaquer.

What are the busiest airports in the U.S.? It is easy to take a guess and chances are, you'd probably be right. 

I have not had any issues on how busy an airport is, my issue with some of them are their sizes. If I have a connecting flight that I have to get to at such airports as Phoenix Sky Harbor, Dallas/Fort Worth International Airport or even Las Vegas McCarran International Airport (I refuse to call it by its new name) it is highly stressful, besides physically taxing, to get from one terminal to another. This is especially true if I am not familiar with its layout and it is as big as a small town.

Travel + Leisure has posted an article on the busiest airports in the U.S. Even though Los Angeles International Airport came in at number five, I've found its layout to be user-friendlier than the others. I also have not had any problems with Chicago's O'Hare International Airport either. Dallas/Fort Worth International Airport, also making the list, is one of the worst. The place is enormous. That's why I am glad we went to Dallas Love Field instead last year.  

They begin their article with:

Atlanta's international airport was once again the busiest airport in the world in 2021, according to a new study, seeing more than 75 million passengers pass through its terminals last year.

The Hartsfield-Jackson Atlanta International Airport, which was temporarily dethroned in 2020 by Guangzhou Bai Yun International Airport, saw a 76.4% increase in traffic compared to the first year of the pandemic, according to the Airports Council International. However, the airport still didn't reach pre-pandemic levels and remained 31.5% down from 2019.

Atlanta was followed by Dallas/Fort Worth International Airport, Denver International Airport, Chicago's O'Hare International Airport, and Los Angeles International Airport rounding out the top five. Eight of the top 10 busiest airports were in the United States.

To see the rest of the article, go here. 

Inflation Is Impacting U.S. Travel

We are currently feeling the force of sky-high inflation in our everyday lives. 

Above, Dallas Love Field Airport terminal. Photo by Armand Vaquer.

It has impacted us with price rises on food, housing, utilities and goods & services. Right now, there's no end in sight.

It is also impacting the U.S. travel industry. 

TravelPulse has posted an article on how inflation is impacting the cost of traveling in the U.S.

They begin it with: 

New data showed inflation in the United States has risen at the fastest rate since 1981, and the travel and tourism industries have already felt the force of the changes.

According to the Bureau of Labor Statistics (BLS), the Consumer Price Index (CPI) rose 8.5 percent in March year-over-year and 7.9 percent in February, the fastest jump registered since December 1981.

In an infographic from Yahoo Finance, the Federal Reserve revealed prices over the last year have increased for several travel-related industries, including hotel rooms (25.1 percent), rental cars (23.4 percent), restaurants (6.9 percent) and recreation (4.8 percent).

To read more, go here. 

T + L: The Best Small Airports In The U.S.

Above, a gate at the Ellison Onizuka Kona International Airport. Photo by Armand Vaquer.

When Mitch Geriminsky and I went to Dallas and Fort Worth, Texas last year to see the John Wayne: An American Experience exhibit at the Fort Worth Stockyards, he arranged for our flight to land and depart from Dallas Love Field. I was glad of that as Love Field is a much smaller airport than Dallas-Fort Worth International Airport and far easier to navigate.

Travel + Leisure has posted an article on the best and worst small airports in the U.S. Of the airports they mentioned, I have been to one of them, the Ellison Onizuka Kona International Airport on the Big Island of Hawaii. It is what they call one of the best ones, by the way.

They begin their article with:

Flying into smaller airports can be a delight with fewer crowds and less distance to navigate between terminals. On the other hand, they can also come with a side of frustration, with fewer flights options and without the larger staffs major airports benefit from. So, research company ValuePenguin looked at the nation's 50th to 150th largest airports to find the best and worst small-scale American airports to fly into.

To read the full article, go here. 

John Wayne's Life, Career On Display In The Fort Worth Stockyards

Above, some of John Wayne's costumes he wore. Photo by Armand Vaquer.

It is amazing that it has been over a year since Mitch Geriminsky and I headed to Fort Worth, Texas to see the new John Wayne: An American Experience at the Fort Worth Stockyards. We visited other places while there, such as Southfork Ranch and Dealey Plaza. It was the John Wayne exhibit that drew us there.

The exhibit opened in December 2020. Our visit came a month later.

Above, an exhibit of photo of John Wayne's Arizona cattle ranch. Photo by Armand Vaquer.

KRLD News Radio posted an article on the John Wayne: An American Experience a few days ago.

They began it with:

When you find yourself in Fort Worth, you can stop by a museum dedicated to one of America's greatest actors.

John Wayne might not have been a Texas native, but he always had a fondness for the Lone Star State.

"He's done a lot of movies about Texas and certainly about American heritage," says son Patrick Wayne, who became a Hollywood actor in his own right, "and the core values of what it means to be an American are strongly felt here down in Texas."

In the Fort Worth Stockyards, you can learn all about The Duke at "John Wayne: An American Experience."

"It covers my dad's professional life, his public life and his private life," says Patrick Wayne, who is now 82. "Very comprehensive."

The museum opened about a year and a half ago. 

"We've had (around) 55,000 paid customers come through it," says Wayne; "and to a person, everybody has been very, very pleased with what they saw."

The museum has artifacts from Wayne's legendary career, including costumes he wore in various films he starred in.

Above, yours truly with John Wayne and Robert Mitchum. Photo by Mitch Geriminsky.

It is indeed worth a visit. If you fly to Fort Worth, I recommend flying to Dallas Love Field instead of the Dallas/Fort Worth International Airport. Love Field is much smaller and far easier to navigate yourself around. And, it is easier on the feet.

To read more, go here. 

A Year Ago: Arrival In Dallas

Above, Cattlemen's Steak House at the Fort Worth Stockyards. 

They (whoever they are) say that as one gets older, time seems to fly faster.

I don't know about that, but it is hard to believe that it was a year ago today that Mitch Geriminsky and I arrived at Dallas Love Field in Texas to visit the John Wayne: An American Experience, Fort Worth Stockyards, Dealey Plaza/6th Floor Museum and Southfork Ranch. It seems like only yesterday we were there.

As we arrived in winter, it was on the cool side in Texas. But the weather during our time there was nice and sunny. I have been in Dallas during the summer months and the heat can get brutal (112° during my 1984 visit). The weather was at least comfortable.

For some reason, January 11 was in the back of my mind for the past several days and I finally figured out why. It was the Texas trip last year.

One thing is for certain, should I go back to Dallas/Fort Worth, I will fly to Dallas Love Field again instead of the humongous Dallas/Fort Worth International Airport. Love Field is a smaller airport and its terminal is a lot easier to navigate around. That includes access to the car rental area of the airport. 

It was a fun trip and one I highly recommend.