9/2 – Flash Back to Plastic Fantastic and Mountain Countdown.

1985 - the year of sockiplast – the brilliant invention that we all had to wear as soon as it came to running around inside. Socks, which were either too small or too big, with rubber thingies underneath to stop you from slipping on the dusty green sports hall floor. I had almost forgotten they still exist, until I opened the red, cylindrical, little Delta toilet bag on the plane. And there they were, dark blue sockiplast. How convenient. No risk of slipping and falling in the carpeted aisle on my way to the lavatories. How safe I was going to feel the whole flight. Not sure the tombola tactics during the safety demonstration made me feel the same way. Life jackets, oxygen masks and seat belts seemed to pulled up by the steward in no relevant order whatsoever to the message being read, while he was chatting along with the passengers on the front row. Could never have guessed that it was that hard to learn what goes when.

Well in Salt Lake City, UT, the first thing that struck me was the mountains surrounding the flats and the lake. Clear blue sky and a beautiful afternoon outside the terminal windows and thus not very tempting to get on another airplane instead of going outside. But better be patient, only eight more sleeps and it’s my turn. A couple of weeks with homework up to my ears and Green Chile Double Whataburger for lunch in Albuquerque, NM, and then I’m off.

Except for the mountains, it was also hard to miss the two main Utah symbols during the hours in Salt Lake; The massive Mormon church just in front of the mountain side, slightly above the rest of the city and glistering nice and white in the late afternoon sunlight. And the cowboy hats, they seem to go with everything. Baggy jeans, hoodie and sneakers – perfect match with the hat. Snake skin boots, weirdly shaped jeans as only Americans can wear them, and a belt with a buckle the size of a saucer – perfect as well. T-shirt and track pants – the hat brings it all to life. Would it go with Icebreaker and Haglöfs gear? Probably. Superdry speedway jacket? No doubt about it. Think I need to sort out a proper cowgirl hat before my return to average land.