Flight 4041

It is really muggy outside today. I think it is going to be hot and humid today and very hot and humid tomorrow.

Last night was a night at home. The downside was, I had to mow the lawn and cook dinner. The kids hung outside with me while I did the lawn and they helped pickup stuff in the yard. When I got done, I made hamburger gravy on mashers. It turned out really good.

Tonight Drew has his last game of the year. They play Urbandale here at home tonight. I am guessing it will be ugly. The kids are so disgusted with the coach that it wouldn't suprise me if some of the kids just don't show up. Drew will be there to finish it out.

The school has a free breaksfast and lunch program during the summer. Anyone 18 years of age and below can get a free breakfast and lunch, Monday through Friday. It is a really good thing. The kids eat if unless it is a day that they have stuff they don't like. The good thing is that even if the main course is bad, they can have as mush fruit and vegetables as they want. I wish they had this program all year round. It only benefits the kids and it can't be taken advantage of. It is a good thing. They even put it on paper plates so you can take it to go.

Ok we are getting to the end of the California trip journal. Here is the last day.....or is it?

Day 7
So we get up early and get packed up to head to the airport. I was a little nervous about turning in the rental car. I didn't know if it would be a hassle or where it was even located. Turns out, it was a piece of cake. We left the hotel, found the rental car return spot, returned the car and were on our way to the terminal.

Our flight was on a small, small, small plane. It was one of those planes they don't even have a ramp for. You actually go outside, walk out on the tarmac and climb a latter to the plane. Ahhh, the smell of jet fuel. By the way, jet fuel fumes leaves a metalic taste in my mouth. I was chewing gum like there was no tomorrow.

We take the sardine express to to Salt Lake City, Utah. From there we were headed to Minneapolis and then to Des Moines.

We had an hour and a half layover in Salt Lake and a two hour layover in Minneapolis.

So we are waiting for our flight to board and we see the sign turn to RED with the word "DELAYED", under our flight number. What the hell? I check with the counter lady and she says the plane coming in is delayed and it should be about an hour but they couldn't be sure. Ok, so we eat lunch and watch the sign. Finally, the plan arrives and they take our boarding passes and send us to the plane.

Half way to the plane, one again we are walking on the tarmac, they stop us and send us back to the terminal. What the hell?

When we get back, they tell us the stewardess on the plane that came in is sick and they need to wait until her replacement comes before we can board. For christ's sake.

We wait and wait and finally they start to board us again. On the plane we sit and they back the plane out of the gate. We suddenly stop and sit for 10 or so minutes and then back into the gate we go. Over the speaker, we hear the pilot say, "Your not going to believe this but we have a mechanical problem". You have got to be kidding me.

So they fix the plane and we get on our way. At this point I am a bit nervous about what else could go wrong on this doomed flight. I could just see the Lifetime movie about us. Did I mention that the gate we left from was 13!

So we are 3 HOURS LATE when we get to Minneapolis. We have missed our connecting flight but there is another flight to Des Moines at 10:30 pm. When the doors open from our flight, people are running, I mean RUNNING out to try to make arrangements for their connections. Everyone had missed their connections and we all felt like we were screwed. The mad dash to the counters began.

I ran to the other end of the airport, where the other flight was schedule to leave from, and it was a long, long, long way. When I arrive, out of breath and covered with sweat. They tell me the flight is overbooked and all but one person has already checked it. They said I needed to go back to the place I started and see if that airline, Delta, would put us up for the night. OMG.

So back we go. When we get back to the Delta gates, it is all dark and everything is closed up for the night. At this point we are screwed. The possiblity of sleeping in the damn terminal was freaking me out. We finally see a woman appear. She came out of a door and was on her walkie talkie. I asked her if she was from Delta, she said yes and we told her our saga. She arranged for us to be put up in a Days Inn.

We had to find a shuttle to take us there, which was an adventure in itself. We finally get to the hotel around 11:00 pm. I have no, contact solution, no deoderant, no change of clothes, no toothbrush but at least I had a bed to sleep in.

We took the shuttle back to the airport in the morning and got on our flight. We got back home around 1:00 that afternoon. Our luggage made it the day before and they had it behind the counter for us.

It was indeed an adventure.

More tomorrow.