The Trip There

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Travel rarely goes according to plan. Denver's thunderstorms turned a simple connection into an overnight delay, a reroute through San Francisco, and a 2:30 AM wake-up call. But sometimes the complications work out—first class upgrade, excellent lounge time at SFO, and that peculiar satisfaction of watching your miles accumulate on Strava as you hike 2.2 miles through Heathrow's terminals. The journey from Portland to Bristol Parkway took longer than expected, but small victories accumulate: a £15 train upgrade instead of £200, a Diet Coke refund, and Emma waiting at the platform. Finally made it.

Complications and Small Victories

August 25, 2025

Well, that was more complicated than it needed to be.

Traditional PDX Carpet Photo

The plan was simple: Portland to Denver to London. But Denver had other ideas. Thunderstorms delayed flights, turning my 13-minute connection into an impossibility. United rerouted me through SFO the next morning, which was actually better—I should have known better than to book through Denver in summer.

Spent the night at the Sheraton. Excellent bartender, by the way. Up at 2:30 AM for the 5:30 flight, which somehow got me upgraded to first class. Small victories.

Five and a half hours at SFO gave me time to think in the United Club. The food was surprisingly good. The flight to Heathrow was long but uneventful—terrible seat that turned into infinite legroom when I moved to the aisle. Watched the Minecraft Movie and The Blues Brothers. Got a little sleep.

Heathrow keeps changing. This time they had eGates—self-serve immigration. Worked fine. Then came the hike to the Heathrow Express. Turned on Strava for fun: 2.2 miles just walking through the airport.

At Paddington, the ticket agent got confused about Bristol Parkway versus Temple Meads but sorted it out. Best part: they wanted £200 for first class at the window, but offered upgrades on the train for £15. The attendant even tracked me down to refund my Diet Coke since drinks are free in first class.

Emma met me at Bristol Parkway. Finally made it.

Images here ... https://beloretrato0.picflow.com/d43bka91mw/y1n0cxq3lu

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