3 August 2017 Haynes Estate Conservation Area

I am not sure which local cacher's rig I was following in Spokane, but I am sure it belonged to a cacher.

My work for the week was done. I had a red-eye home and would pick up the dogs in the morning so our sitter could head to the beach in North Carolina for vacation. All I needed to do was spend a little time on the trail before I headed to the airport for my Chicago flight. I had never visited Haynes and hoped it was a good selection.

I was walking to complete an earthcache, a type I almost always ignore, when I spotted a number of quail in the trees.

They are truly odd looking from the front.

The edge of the property offers a pleasant view of the Little Spokane River which was the subject of the earthcache. The conservation area provides protection for this section of the river.

The Oregon Dark Eyed Junco was a new spotting for me.

It was time to get to the airport and make my way home, or so I thought....

I fueled the rental.

I returned the rental.

I went into the terminal.

I was supposed to be flying out on the red-eye from Spokane to Chicago. It was the last leg of the flight I had from Dallas to Denver to Spokane. All of that was great except there was a weather event back east and no one was flying this evening. I tried Seattle, Portland, and San Francisco which all usually have red eyes headed to Detroit or Chicago... nothing. The kind gentleman at United happily routed my back to Ohio to return at 5pm the next day. Are you kidding me! After maybe not so politely explaining my need to get to my dogs, my wife was out of town, our sitter was going on vacation, I've been away for two weeks.... he went back and somehow got me home at noon. Why is it so hard to work with the airlines?

He also gave me a voucher for a reduced rate at the airport hotel. I walked over with my bags. They were full. Despite a 5:30am flight, I decided to try for a room at my normal hotel. The rental cars were all gone. I managed to snag a ridiculously priced room at a nearby Holiday Inn. Ahhhh, after a "wonderful" meal at the Denny's next to the Holiday Inn ;( it was time for some sleep before my early flight...