Early Saturday morning. It’s dark outside. Even as we past the Winter Equinox last month with the promise of longer daytime hours, I still end up fumbling in the dark.

A good night’s sleep at a downtown Minneapolis hotel helped. I felt a spring in my step. There’s no ice to slip on. Just concrete in the dark, and an almost quiet light rail station. The Green Line to Union Depot…that’s a different story.

This was the start of my latest Day Trip Challenge. This Winter Edition yielded a day’s worth of adventure. I was looking forward to it with some trepidation.

How do you feel about your home airport?

It is a place that should be very familiar to you. You know how to get there, you know when to check in to which airport at the terminal you need to be in. You know how the security lines run. You are also reminded of the local flavors you enjoy outside the airport. That is, if they appear inside the terminal.

It is also the place that reminds when you arrive that you are almost home. The familiar lights of the city, combined with familiar landscapes, become clearer when your flight is about to land.

When I travel by air, my home airport serves as a reminder of the work that needs to be accomplished by the time I board my flight to when I land back there again.

Let me tell you about my home airport – Minneapolis-St. Paul International Airport.