- What a view!
I am not a frequent flyer. One of the delights of flying last week was discovering the interesting conveniences airports provide, specifically the Skylink transport system at the Dallas-Fort Worth airport.
With a three-hour wait to fly home ahead of me, I texted a critique partner who was flying another airline to see where she waited. Terminal C. Stopping in at a Hudson bookstore in the airport I asked the cashier how far that was. She said, “Just take Skylink. It’s right outside here on the right. Two minutes max.”
“What is Skylink?” I asked. She explained it was a transport system that circled the top of the airport, carrying passengers to different terminals as well as to the Grand Hyatt hotel. Who knew?
Like a little kid exploring the unknown, I loved the adventure of it. I followed the signs to Skylink and faced the tallest escalator I’d ever seen. Three flights of moving stairs carried me to the loading dock.
There I boarded a car shaped like twin peanuts end-to-end, complete with giant windows. Grabbing a pole to hold on, as if riding a subway train, I watched the dry and flat Texas terrain move beneath me as I approached Terminal C.
Texas is flat and the view from the car extended for miles in every direction. I wondered what the state looked like when not plagued by drought. I imagined the cattle drives I’d read about and wondered if this stretch of land fed into the Chisholm Trail and once bore the weight of cattle on their way to market in Abilene, Kansas.
At terminal C I exited and followed the escalator down to find my friend. We chatted for about an hour before I decided I better get back to my flight.
Now an experienced Skylink rider, I grinned as the little nut-shaped car transported me back to my terminal. I wondered how many airports provide those. At San Francisco I’d ridden a shuttle bus so I guessed Skylink is not a universal phenomenon, but it provided me with a glimpse of Texas I might not otherwise have seen. Another adventure to tuck in my writing memory book.
Psalm 19:1 (NKJV) “The heavens declare the glory of God and the firmament shows His handiwork.”