Coffee

I was supposed to go to do a Santa Barbara round trip today, then have a two hour airport sit, then fly back to Santa Barbara tonight, but the SBA round trip was cancelled due to maintenance, so I'm now sitting at home, with freshly cut hair, in Uniform, waiting on my flight at 9PM tonight.  I don't mind, considering I get cancellation pay for maintenance.  I'm enjoying my loose leaf English Breakfast tea with cream, honey, and cinnamon.  Not a bad trade off.

Most pilots and flight attendants need their daily intake of shitty airplane coffee.  I don't touch the stuff because it tastes like burned wood chips.  I'm one of those coffee (and tea) snobs who prefers to make their own via either pour-over, French press, or some other method, with fresh roasted beans ground right before brewing.  My local coffee of choice is Cartel Coffee Lab in Phoenix and Tempe, AZ.  In addition to amazing, in-house roasted, single-origin beans (their Ethiopian, fruity and amazing,) they make each cup at a time, via either pour-over, Aeropress, or other methods.  Their teas are also quite good.

Making some Ethiopian Yergacheffe at home, courtesy Cartel Coffee, Tempe, AZ

So being able to fly for free has it's perks, like when I want good coffee, and I have the day off.  So that's what I did last week.  Portland is known for Stumptown coffee.  I wrote about it on Reddit and my little adventure got me the top post of all time in /r/coffee.

Oh no.  Out of coffee.

Clearly the only option is to go get some more.

Wide open both ways.  Score.  Row to myself.

Departing Sky Harbor.

Crater Lake, Oregon.

After a brief light rail ride from the airport, I've arrived.

Cargo has been secured.

Exit row to myself for the ride back.

Mt. Hood, Oregon.

Home.