So the first day was all about the PDs coming together in Hood River, Washington USA. The journey was super smooth.
It depends on who you ask!
- For our Chief War Correspondent it was super smooth. Free roads in Sydney, tiny line at the Kingford Smith International Airport, typical logistical breeze at Hong Kong (even managed a meal in a 1-hour layover), no waiting for my luggage at LA, off the plane in Portland, and no waiting for literally anything. The hotel in Hood River is flash, dinner was fresh and great. My only hiccup was like the dopey Australian travel SIM card company sent us the wrong country’s SIM card. Boohoo. AT&T sorted us out (at a higher cost).
- For our coach and 3 of her companions, well…
- For our club president and one of our club founding members, well…
- For our long time paddlers Charlotte and Rachel, well…
Maybe you should ask them ?. Or we can play “guess the journey”! So here they are:
- Plane had technical issues in Sydney, several-hour delay getting into HK, missed connection to SFO, had to fly to Seattle instead, drove from there to Hood River rather than from Portland.
- Plane flew ok Sydney -> San Francisco, then SFO’s highly-efficient (not) customs and logistics meant that you can’t get to your connecting flight in time! Had to do an extra flight to Seattle, then into Portland
- Same first leg as b, survived SFO and arrived in Portland without their luggage!
Match 2, 3, and 4 with a, b, and c. Winner gets 3 free paddling sessions in either dragon boating or 6-person outrigger canoeing, with instructions from our club coaching team.
No trip’s complete without adventures right? ?
We’ll also run a photo competition from our team on tour – today’s winner is Laura Cooke, for taking this photo from one of many scenic locations on Hood River.
