My travel season has started.  This week I am visiting beautiful Bend Oregon.  I had to spend time in 3 airports getting here.  I love to people watch in airports.

The Minneapolis airport had a few great long hair sightings.  There was a young Asian girl (maybe 10) with hair to her knees.  It was blunt cut, so you know it could have been longer.  It looked in great condition.  Her mother had classic length hair.  Asian hair always looks so nice!

There was a middle aged woman with waist length dark blonde hair that had lots of shine.  I complimented her on her hair, after thanking me she admited she had spotted my bun and was curious how long my hair was and how I put it up.  So I showed her, and helped her do the same with her hair.  I gave her a card for LongLocks, so I hope she shows up here.  Joan - if you see this - say hi!

In Portland, I had only 45 minutes, but still saw some great hair.  The best was on a young man (25 maybe).  He could have been my hair twin (minus the grey).  His hair was in a french braid which as almost to his waist.  He was on the phone the whole time, so I did not have a chance to talk with him.

I did talk with an older lady with "to die for" silver hair half way down her back.  She was definately an "outdoors" woman with a ruddy face, trim body, simple but functional clothes.  She said she enjoys hiking and camping, and does as least one white water rafting trip a year (she admited to being over 55 but would not say exactly how old she was!).  She had her hair pulled back into a beautiful silver and torquoise barrette.  Unfortunately she spends so much time outdoors she has not yet discovered the internet, so I don't think we can benefit from her experiences.

There was also a young gal with mid back Asian type hair with red coloring (sorry - I'm so out of it, I have no idea what you gals call that).  It was very striking on her.  I didn't have a chance to talk with her as she boarded her plane while I was talking with someone else.

When I arrived at the Redmond OR airport, I had to hang around while they tried to find my bag (which never left Minneapolis).  I chatted with another bagless gal who had a very thick braid that came to between her shoulder blades.  We both decided that the bag handlers were anti-long hair and that's why our bags went on their own trips.

The funniest encounter I've had this week - I stopped at a McDonald's for a quick dinner tonight and there was a young man who obviously does outdoor work on trees (his pickup truck was full of branches, etc).  He had his shoulder blade length hair in a sectioned pony tail.  I had hit my bun/hairstick on the doorframe of the car getting out and apparently it had loosened my bun.  As we walked into McD's, my hairstick slipped out of my hair - I felt it going and was about to grab the stick when this fellow grabbed it for me.  He complimented me on how shiney my hair was and then expressed shock when he saw how long it was.  He commented that he wished he could put his hair in a bun to keep it out of his way when working.  I told him he could and then showed him how.  I used my LL hairstick (pink beads, keep in mind) to put his hair in a bun.  Just as I got the stick in his hair, one of his fellow workers walks in and sees him with it and says" What the f**k are you doing with a froo-froo thing in your hair, man??".  That response was not unexpected, however the fellow with my hairstick in his bun then replied, "I'll wear froo-froo if I want.  I really like how this feels and this lady was nice enough to show me how to do it - so back off man!".  I'm standing there not sure if a fight is about to break out, or if everyone will break out in laughter.  Fortunately, laughter was the result.  I then dug a pencil out of my handbag and replaced the "froo-froo" stick with the pencil, and suggested it might not be as hard on his reputation if he used wood instead of pretty glass beads.  The guy then bought my dinner!  (It was McD's, so it wasn't that much).  I figured he had suffered enough humilation at that point, so I did not mention LL, but I would have loved to have had him come visit here!

I head home on Thursday - I wonder if my airport sightings will nearly as plentiful?

Thats hysterical BB.  

I've been seeing alot of long hair lately.  I almost never say anything though.  I must work on that.  

I always wonder when I see people with long hair if they are on LL.

I know, I wonder aboutthe same thing ChiliPepper -_-

LOL! Thanks for sharing that, BB! My favorite part is what happened at McDonalds.  ;D

I bet that adds a lot of fun to the traveling  :)

Cute McD. story  8)

Heheheh great stories!  I hope those people show up.  Especially froo-froo guy.  :)

That was so very cool, BB! Thanks for sharing and you've given me an idea. I leave for 10 days in Fort Lauderdale this Sunday and am mentally creating my hair inventory.   :D

You mentioned misplaced bags and since my laptop is coming along, I going to pack my precious combs, shea butter and elastics in my computer case. That way if the bag handlers are anti-longhair, they won't get everything.  ;D

wrote on Oct 18^th, 2005 at 11:53am:

That was so very cool, BB! Thanks for sharing and you've given me an idea. I leave for 10 days in Fort Lauderdale this Sunday and am mentally creating my hair inventory.   :D You mentioned misplaced bags and since my laptop is coming along, I going to pack my precious combs, shea butter and elastics in my computer case. That way if the bag handlers are anti-longhair, they won't get everything.  ;D

Yes, NR, anything you can't live without should be carried with you, especially if you are flying Northwest.  (Their mechanics are on strike, and although the other unions are not honoring the picket line, there have been work slowdowns and a lot of misdirected luggage - most likely sympathy moves.)

Be sure to report back on your airport sightings - They are the greatest place for seeing interesting hair.

wrote on Oct 18^th, 2005 at 1:56am:

I always wonder when I see people with long hair if they are on LL.

Me, too!  About 4 weeks ago, I saw a woman with her hair just like BB's in her avatar  (it wasn't YOU Bikerbraid...was it?  ;))  Hairsticks & all.  I did not have the opportunity to approach her, even if I did- I don't know that I would have...not really my style!  Hey- but, I've done stranger things!

hi hi hi, clearly you are a woman with a mission ... spread the word BB!!!  ;D

my only concern these days is to figure out how to get through a metal detector without setting it off. i am indeed getting slightly nervous about my trip to NYC (as well, i hope they don't throw apart my luggage as they like to do in JFK when they spot a weird person - i am so not taking hair herbs that is  8)  )

Here's what I know about hairsticks and airport security.

1.  LL hairsticks (excluding Giesha stix), do not have enough metal to set off the metal detector.

2.  Airport metal detectors look for a concentration of metal, usually at the middle of the body.  

3.  Unless you have metal plates in your head, or are wearing huge metal earrings, you probably don't have enough metal on your head to trigger the metal detector.

4.  I have sucessfully gone through airport security several times with a pair of LL hairsticks in my hair.

5.  Twice when the metal detectors went off on me, the ran the wand around me and NEVER went near my hair!!  (Makes me a bit curious about our security techniques!).

6.  I have several onces of metal in my back (2 rods and 8 screws).  I only trigger the metal detectors when we are at the higher alert levels.

7.  Carry a padded, self addressed envelope with enough postage to mail the sticks back to yourself, just in case they don't let you through!

Thanks for sharing your stories, BB!

Great suggestion on the envelope!  I've often thought about that but haven't done it.  Come to think of it, I haven't travelled at all this year  :-/

Thanks for sharing those BB!

This really doesn't have anything to do with airports, but more about traveling.

We were in Chicago, and you know they have the horse carriages in downtown, anyway all the horses tails were french braided, with the ends tied with ribbons. it was really cute :)

i have a pic but i think it shows more of the horses side, or maybe i should go check and see hmmmmm.......

Great stories, BB!

I don't travel much, but I always try to remember to keep a LL card in my wallet. My hairsticks draw admirers, and they usually want to know where I've bought them. ;D I don't think that I'd dare to travel abroad with my LL hairsticks- I'm way too paranoid.

:::realizes she hasn't taken a vacation in 14 years & feels sad  :'(:::

I NEED A VACATION!!!  8)

GREAT idea about the padded mailer!  Actually, I have an LL tube I haven't thrown away - I think I'll save it for just this purpose.  I've been worrying about bringing my sticks and having them confiscated.  

My rods and screws set off the hand scanners once.  I tried to tell the woman several times I had metal in me, and she rushed me through saying "Oh, it's probably the your bra strap."  I decided it wasn't worth holding up the line, and just nodded my head.  

Cynde