Front Porch: Stranger on a plane steers Nana and Papa to new destinations

He slumped into the seat next to me, sighing.

On our recent flight to Columbus, Ohio, I had the middle seat as usual. Derek was already nodding off in the window seat when a gray-haired late arrival claimed the aisle seat.

He wasn’t the only one who barely made the Denver to Columbus flight. A handful of others passed him, and they gave each other high-fives.

“We made it!” the stranger next to me said.

I usually open a book right after takeoff, but this fellow had a story to tell.

“We attended a wedding in Aspen,” he said. “Our flight out was canceled due to weather, so we rented a car and drove to Denver this morning. Then THAT flight was canceled. Thank God, they found room for most of us on this one.”

I gave him a sympathetic smile and picked up my book.

“Is Columbus home for you?” he asked.

“No, it’s home to our grandkids,” I replied. “How about you?”

“We live in a condo in downtown Columbus,” he said. “How old are your grandkids?”

“Twin 5-year-old boys.”

“Oh! They’re the perfect age for the Wilds and COSI,” he said.

“The what and what?” I asked.

It turns out that his grandkids visit often and are just a bit older than the twins. He opened his tablet and showed me links to some fabulously fun family experiences. Even better, he was familiar with the suburb where our son and his family live, so he offered travel tips as well.

By the time we landed, our planned itinerary (another trip to Legoland and Chuck E. Cheese) had evolved into an educational adventure.

On our first full day in Ohio, we traveled an hour from our Airbnb to the Wilds.

Spanning over 10,000 acres, the Wilds is one of the largest conservation centers in the world. Over the past three decades, it’s become a global force in the conservation of threatened and endangered animal species as well as protecting local ecology.

We’d booked an open-air safari tour. With a bit of time to kill before our bus arrived, we visited the gift shop and told the boys they could choose a stuffed animal.

They looked over the giraffes, cheetahs and zebras before Nick spotted what he wanted.

“It’s a goat! Just like Goat Simulator!” he shouted.

Goat Simulator is a video game that both boys are obsessed with.

Adam chose a goat, too; however, we learned on our safari, they were actually fringe-eared oryxes. Goat is a lot easier to say.

Our almost three-hour tour was amazing. A Bactrian camel moseyed up to the bus to check us out. We all heeded our guide’s admonishment to keep our hands and arms inside the bus.

As we crested a hill, we saw a dazzle (herd) of zebras under a shelter. We stopped mere feet away and sat quietly. Our guide told us zebras are skittish.

We were thrilled to see a crash (herd) of rhinos munching on some grass. The giraffes kept their distance, but seeing them in the wild instead of in a caged environment delighted us all.

Our adventure wore us all out, so shortly after we returned we tucked a couple of happy boys clutching oryxes into their bunk bed at our Airbnb. Derek and I didn’t stay up much longer.

The next day, after a big breakfast, we drove into Columbus to COSI , or the Center of Science and Industry.

Knowing we couldn’t visit every exhibit in the 320,000 square-foot facility, which features over 300 interactive experiences and nine galleries, we tailored our day to focus on what 5-year-olds enjoy most – dinosaurs and sharks. Both exhibits featured fun hands-on activities for little learners and plenty to interest Nana and Papa, too.

Mindful of my airline seatmate’s suggestion, we visited Little KidSpace, a play and learn area for kids in first grade and younger.

It was a huge hit with the kids. A construction site provided hard hats, pretend tools, building materials and even a pint-sized bulldozer to explore. The health clinic included lab coats, stethoscopes, an X-ray machine, a fire truck and a helicopter.

Adam and Nick bypassed the treehouse and farmers market and zipped ahead to conquer the climbing wall. But their favorite experience was the room filled with water tables. Water wheels, balls, bells, ramps and boats provided lots of wet fun.

Extra wet because Nana and Papa didn’t notice the vinyl aprons hanging on the wall until it was time for lunch in the cafeteria.

Aside from the mandatory Chuck E. Cheese visit and a Sunday matinee, we spent the rest of our visit playing, reading and soaking in every minute with our soon-to-be kindergartners.

Fun new memories made, and many of them courtesy of a conversation with a stranger on a plane. I wish I’d learned his name and address so I could thank him.

His unfortunate travel delays were a serendipitous stroke of luck for us.

Cindy Hval can be reached at dchval@juno.com. Hval is the author of “War Bonds: Love Stories from the Greatest Generation” (Casemate Publishers, 2015) available at Auntie’s Bookstore and bookstores nationwide.