1. Everyone is treated like a criminal.  I appreciate security, but come on:  Metal detectors, explosives detectors, death threats if we carry someone else's bag?  Honestly, why do we have to take our shoes off?  Because of that shoe bomber guy?  If your security screening process can't detect explosives in a person's shoe while they're wearing it, you've got a bigger problem than shoe bombs.
2. Nickle and diming.  I've already come to the conclusion that paying $5 for a meal on a plane actually isn't a bad deal, but regardless, it should just be included in the ticket price.  Same with the $5 headphones, the $5 beers, and the newly-established checked-baggage fee.  We're already paying hundreds if not thousands of dollars for the stupid ticket, why not include all those stupid little fees? *
3. Everyone is treated like an inconvenience.  Sometimes it seems like airport employees and flight attendants are saying, "Hey listen, we're already gonna fly this plane from here to there, so I guess you could bum a ride with us.  Just stay out of the way and don't expect anything other than a miniature can of soda.  We're doing you a favor."

* I actually have a feeling there's a different reason for this.  I'm sure at least one smart person works for at least one airline, and that person suggested rolling all those fees into the price of the ticket.  But I bet a few other smart people (consultants) told the airline industry that people are much less likely to take a meal if it costs $5 than if it's free.  Hence, cost and logistics savings.  Similarly, people are way less likely to check a bag if they're charged for it, no matter how minimal the cost, simply because they're so used to not paying for it.  Less checked baggage means less lost baggage, which means higher customer service reviews (i.e. boost your customer service by providing less of it).  An airline losing your luggage is the worst thing that can possibly happen.  An airline not even having the chance to lose your luggage is way better. 

"But Dave, didn't you just go on vacation to the Grand Canyon or something?"  Yes, I did.  That was excellent.  But you see, Wendy's employer suddenly wanted her to travel to Germany to visit some equipment manufacturers.  And seeing that I have no real plans to travel outside the U.S. anytime soon, I decided this would be my opportunity to do so relatively cheaply.  Hotels were paid for, a rental car was paid for, so all I had to do was buy a plane ticket.  That one plane ticket cost more than our entire 8-day vacation in the southwest -- meals, lodging, and rental car included (our airfare was free -- yay frequent flier programs!).  But despite the cost, it was deemed a worthwhile endeavor, so we went.  Here's what we did: 

Day 1 - Flew through Paris to Hannover, Germany (Wendy flew through Munich).  Walked around Hannover, which, unbeknownst to us, was having its summer solstice celebration (music, food, happiness). 

Day 2 - Picked up Wendy's co-worker from the airport, then drove to Berlin.  Walked around the city.  Took a guided bike tour, which was really cool. 

Day 3 - Walked around Berlin some more, then drove to Bad Salzuflen, which is where one of the equipment manufacturers is located. 

Day 4 - The women went to work while I walked around the town of Bad Salzuflen. 

Day 5 - Drove to Lübeck.  The women went to work while I biked around town.  Watched the Germany-Turkey Euro 2008 semifinal soccer game, which Germany won (celebratory chaos ensued). 

Day 6 - Walked around Lübeck some more.  Drove to Hannover and walked around a little. 

Day 7 - Flew through Paris on the way back to Newark (Wendy flew through Copenhagen this time). 

The following several posts will likely be about Germany, travel, or some other related topic.  Enjoy.  Or not. 

Update:  Pictures are up.

Summary
Day 1 - Clear and in the 90s; flew into Las Vegas; stocked up on food and supplies; grabbed dinner at Mr. D'z Route 66 Diner in Kingman, AZ; camped in the Kaibab National Forest outside Grand Canyon National Park, where the temperature got down in the 40s at night

Day 2 - Clear and in the 80s; drove into Grand Canyon very early; hiked to Cedar Ridge along the South Kaibab Trail with an informative park ranger (3 miles); strolled along the Rim Trail; got a prickly pear margarita at El Tovar Hotel (too alcohol-y); showered at Mather Campground; watched the sunset at Powell Point; camped in the Kaibab National Forest again

Day 3 - Clear and in the 90s; climbed the Desert View Watchtower on the way out of the park; stopped off at the Little Colorado River Gorge; briefly walked around in Coral Pink Sand Dunes State Park; arrived at Bryce and looked around a bit; camped in Dixie National Forest, where the temperature got down in the 50s at night

Day 4 - Perfectly clear and in the 80s; got up to see the sunrise in Bryce (wasn't that good); hiked the Navajo/Peekaboo/Queens Garden Trails (6.4 miles); got lunch at the Bryce Canyon Lodge; drove to nearby Mossy Cave and walked around in the river; hiked the Bristlecone Loop Trail (9100 feet elevation) and played in the snow; showered at the general store; stopped at a few more spots on the way out of the park; camped in Dixie National Forest again, where it was windy and a little wet

Day 5 - Cloudy and in the 60s; drove to Zion; got lunch at Zion Lodge; hiked to the Lower Emerald Pool in the rain; rode Fuzzy the horse and Moses the mule; hiked the Riverside Walk just up to the Narrows (water was too high); stopped off at Big Bend; hiked to the Weeping Rock after going a half mile in the wrong direction (uphill); spent the night in Terrace Brook Lodge

Day 6 - Pretty clear and in the 60s; hiked to Angels Landing (5 miles, 1488-foot climb); stopped at the excellent Springdale Fruit Company for lunch on the way out of the park; drove to Death Valley; stopped at Zabriskie Point for some desert views; camped at Furnace Creek (196 feet below sea level), where the temperature stayed in the 70s all night

Day 7 - Hazy and in the 80s; drove to Badwater Basin (282 feet below sea level); hiked to Natural Bridge; saw weird salt crystal formations at the Devil's Golf Course; looked at colorful desert minerals on Artists Drive; hiked up Mosaic Canyon; walked around the Mesquite Sand Dunes in the rain (yes it rained in the driest place in the country); stopped at Dantes View on the way out of the park; drove to Red Rock Canyon National Conservation Area just outside Las Vegas and camped, where it was cold and rainy

Day 8 - Cloudy and in the 70s; drove into Las Vegas; checked into the hotel early (yay!); packed our bags

Quick facts
Miles driven:  About 1500
Highest elevation reached:  About 9300 feet
Lowest elevation reached:  -282 feet
Highest temperature experienced:  90s
Lowest temperature experienced:  40s
States visited:  4 (Nevada, Arizona, Utah, California)
Showers taken:  6
Pennies pressed:  4
Miles hiked:  About 25
Times coyotes were heard at night:  2
Times we wished we were doing something else:  0

Thoughts
Two important things for the trip were health and weather.  It occurred to me about a week before we left that our trip would change significantly if either one of us was injured or hurt with something as simple as a twisted ankle.  Thankfully we were both in great health before we left so it wasn't an issue.  Weather was also pretty important, but I didn't expect much bad weather considering the fact that the areas we were visiting were deserts with very little rainfall.  However, it rained for roughly half the trip, which turned out to be a pretty big downer, especially since so much of the trip was about enjoying an outdoor experience.  But as long as you have a poncho and some relatively warm clothes, rain doesn't stop much.  It definitely would've stopped our harrowing ascent up the slippery rocks and steep cliffs of Angels Landing in Zion, but most other things would have and did happen as planned. 

If I was gonna do the whole thing over again, one small thing I would change would be water storage.  We thankfully packed more than we needed to with bottles and a huge collapsible container.  It might've been slightly easier to just buy several 1-gallon jugs of water when we got there and filled up smaller bottles of water for use when hiking.  But that's a small thing.  No harm, no foul. 

Today, I forgot to put my watch on. 

This is troubling for a number of reasons.  For one, it's a habit.  I've been wearing a watch every day for about 15 years.  Like every friggin day.  Everywhere.  All the time.  Since I'm not a morning person, I robotically follow a very simple yet reliable system in the morning:  Shower, dress, put things in pockets and put watch on, drink warm liquid, go to work.  I don't deviate much from that pattern.  Somehow I managed to put the things in my pockets without putting my watch on.  It's like I got dressed in the shower. 

Second, it's Monday, which inevitably means some stupid meeting will appear out of nowhere and ruin my lunch break, which it did.  And of course it's Monday, so I forgot to bring my lunch, which means I had to go out and get my lunch, which means I had to keep checking my watch to make sure I got back in time, which means I was reminded again and again of the fact that I forgot to wear my watch. 

Third, this is my last week at work before going on vacation.  So of course I need to check my watch to see what day it is.  And of course I can't remember even though I just checked 3 minutes ago. 

The funny thing is that I'm at a computer all day, so I can easily check the time and date there.  There's a clock on my desk phone.  There's a clock on another part of my desk.  There's a clock in my car.  And of course I carry a cell phone.  There's really no shortage of timekeeping devices, yet I still feel like a chicken without a head.  What a ridiculous situation my habits (and breaking them) have gotten me in. 

I went to Red Lobster last week, and it was surprisingly better than I expected.  I always think of Red Lobster as the ... well, the Red Lobster of seafood restaurants.  It's a definition in itself.  I guess it's like the Pizza Hut of pizza places, the Taco Bell of Mexican food.  But I had a great meal there, thus raising my opinion of the place altogether.  And why was my lobster-shrimp-pasta dish so good?  Because of how it was cooked and how it was seasoned.  I highly doubt I'd be able tell the difference between freshly-caught seafood and 3-month-old, frozen seafood.  But as long as it's cooked well and tastes good, it doesn't much matter. 

Here's to non-fresh seafood. 

I went to college in Hoboken, NJ, which is the epitome of a pedestrian city.  It's tiny, its streets are narrow, and everything is within walking distance.  Anything that's not within walking distance is a convenient train ride away.  It's actually inconvenient to own a car in this city, what with the obscure parking regulations, the parking fees, and the fact that you have to walk several blocks to find a parking spot, which completely negates the benefit of having a car in the first place. 

While living in this city, I existed solely as a pedestrian.  I walked everywhere, all the time.  To get food, to buy groceries, to get to the train station, to get out of my closet-sized dorm room.  And unfortunately, the weather didn't stay nice all the time, so I walked in the cold, rain, and snow.  The interesting thing about Hoboken is that it's on the Hudson River, which I'm convinced has something to do with the fact that it always feels about 20 degrees colder than it actually is.  Couple that with stepping in some puddles, breaking your seventh umbrella because the wind turned it inside out, and sitting through a three-hour lecture about management, and you've got yourself an angry pedestrian.  Crossing the street was almost like a game of chicken.  "You wanna do this, lady?  I guarantee you I'll cause more damage do your car than you'll cause to my body!"  If somebody didn't stop, I'd yell after them, "No, no, you go ahead.  It must be hard, sitting in your warm, dry car, using your leg to push a pedal to either speed you up or slow you down.  How dare I get in your way." 

Based on my experience, I understand what it's like to be a pedestrian.  When I'm driving, I'll stop for people because I know how they feel.  Especially when it's cold or wet outside.  I understand who would win a battle between a vehicle and a pedestrian, but I still think pedestrians should have the upper hand.