And they're off!

First out of the gate is Trevor, computer geek and sign language interpreter, originating from Arkansas' only National Park, the renowned spa city of Hot Springs; departing home on Sunday afternoon.
In second place we have Mark from Hot Springs Village, vacation property manager and world traveler, who was the first to actually leave Arkansas on a Monday morning flight out of Little Rock.
Quickly advancing from last place we have Bryan, hometown philosopher and yoga instructor, who joined up with Trevor in Fort Smith where the two proceeded to Fayetteville for an evening flight to Atlanta.

Thanks to the miracle of technology, trip preparation was easier than ever using our electronic devices. We were inundated with new "e" and "i" technology. We booked our eTickets on our iPads and checked in with eBoarding on our iPhones. Even our packing was simplified by using iPacking on our iDevices, although we purposefully left out some of the suggested items such as the 'bikini', 'tuxedo' and 'universal/functional underwear'.

Trip planning and pre-travel arrangements went smoothly, but as departure times neared it became a race to the airport between us and Mother Nature. A looming winter storm was quickly approaching and threatening our travel. Temperatures were in the 20s and parts of Arkansas were already experiencing snowfall and school closures. Mark made it to the airport in clear weather but Jill, his ride to the airport, was stranded on icy roads during her return home and was rescued by her husband. Trevor and Bryan were escorted to the airport without incident by Bryan's yoga partner Andrea and her husband David. Upon clearing security in the Fayetteville airport we were met with the concourse music system playing Karen Carpenter singing "We've only just begun". We looked at each other and smiled. The trip was on!

Trevor                                             Bryan                                             Mark