Saint Martin Trip Report -- Day One September 17, 2015

Good evening from St. Louis, Mo in the good ole US of A. After a day that started with the alarm blaring in my ears this morning at 4:00am. After getting up and getting dressed, we ventured out to one of our morning spots for breakfast. While there we checked some of the various SXM webcams and got our ‘virtual’ daily dose of St. Martin. After eating and have our morning coffee, I and my dear wife, Diana, gave our respective employers another full day -- the last one they’ll get for a bit.

By 2:30pm we had both completed our work day, and were now officially on vacation. We had packed the previous evening, so the only thing left to do, was to load up the car and head out. So that’s what we did.

Now we live in central Illinois, so naturally that means you can’t go anywhere that requires an airline to get to where you are going, without driving 2 to 3 hours first. This year St. Louis won the battle for the flight to and from SXM, so we pointed the car west by southwest and began the first leg our our journey to our beloved St. Martin.

Months ago we had picked a park-and-fly hotel near Lambert (KSTL) -- Airport Plaza Inn. We have stayed there several times before. Now this place is really nothing to write home about, but it’s clean, affordable, and close to the airport. In addition, If I get lucky, I get to leave my car in covered parking for the duration of our journey.

We arrived at the Airport Plaza Inn (the Park-and Fly) at about 5:30 pm and checked in. We fly from St. Louis to Miami, and then on to St. Martin in the morning at 6:00am. So, that means we get to get up at 3:30 am or thereabouts, so that we can catch the shuttle, get checked in, and run the security gauntlet at the airport.

After checking in at the hotel, and dropping our stuff off it was time to find somewhere and something to eat for dinner. After little to no debate, we decided on TGIF, and set out for some much needed sustenance. I decided on a Reuben, while Diana, had a salad with breaded chicken strips. After eating we returned to the hotel, and had a beer in the bar. By this time it was time to head to our room to shower, relax and prepare for a full day of flying starting early in the morning...

By tomorrow this time, if all goes well, we’ll be 2600 miles southeast of our central Illinois home and will be sitting on the balcony of our studio 'home' in Mont Vernon.

And while enjoying the sights and sounds of Orient Bay, an adult beverage (or two), and the company of my dear wife, I’ll be posting the next installment of this travelogue…

So for now, good night from St. Louis, Mo...