Mr Popular

Mr popular at home this morning as I crashed and banged out of the house at dusk lugging a suitcase for a work trip. I leave behind a family and an island that is bracing it for its first major hurricane in three years.

Hurricane Humberto is moving east-northeast at 7mph and then is due to take a sharp right turn as it finds Bermuda’s warm waters and will roll very close to us as a Cat 2 storm on late Wednesday night.

At this exact time I will be in Scottsdale, Arizona at a conference dinner in the Desert Botanical Garden keeping a close eye on my phone. The conference is an annual get together of North American rail freight and passenger companies…. honestly it is, and people ask why I support Charlton….

In past years this conference has taken me to Banff, Chicago (twice), Kansas City, Washington DC, Philadelphia, Fort Worth and Las Vegas. These rail people know how to party. Keep that to yourself by the way.

I have been to Scottsdale before. A six-hour flight from New York I loved the contrast, the uncontaminated fresh air, the stunning landscape and the sheer adventure of the place. Part gruff Wild West, part dazzling modern society I called it at the time.

We are staying at the grand Arizona Biltmore (photo), and almost the entire few days are spent inside, unless one wants to play golf in 40 degrees.

However on Wednesday a few of us are going to take a ‘hike’ by large gas guzzling American car to Sedona. Another town I have been fortunate to visit previously. A world once domineered by Cowboys and Indian’s, but a world still prevailed over by rugged canyons, vast forests, tall cylindrical ponderosa pine trees and dreamlike red rocks that dance with your imagination.

I’m looking forward to it, even though I will be keeping a close eye on what’s going on at home.