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TRASH TRUCK ON A PETERBILT - NEW - TO
PHOENIX, AZ
Friday - 1/28/11
? 6 AM dispatch, a weekend
run? But I need to work and it should be an easy run. I took a number of this
same trip a few years ago.
Three in the shuttle this AM, one doing the
same trip as me, another picking up somewhere else in IA and going to WA. We
stop for fuel and I pick up some DEF as the trucks will likely be on 'E' and
there are not any truck stops in the town where we pick up.
At our
pickup the trucks are ready, mine has a couple of dings in the paint so the
other driver gets ahead of me. We both fuel at Wal-mart, add our DEF (desiel
exhaust fluid) and are on our ways. By now it is after 10 AM so it has cut into
our 11 hours driving for the day, should not be an issue, we have 3-1/2 days to
do a 2-1/2 day run.
Everytime I go through Kansas City I remember the
'Royal American Shows.' Up to a few years ago, you could still see a building
with that name on the side … but looking on Google, it may have said
'American Royal and had nothing to do with the carnaval.
http://www.allbusiness.com/services/amusement-recreation-services/4590950-1.html
Per the article, they did their last shows in 1997, like usual, I'm right
on top of things. :
http://business.highbeam.com/53/article-1G1-15379505/minnesota-state-fair-considers-revamping-midway-operation
Says that as of 1994 it was still at the MN state fair, didn't find
anything beyond that.
I stop a 2nd time today for fuel, at the 'new'
Pilot in Kearney, MO. That puts me in rush hour traffic in KC as usual. I
should have stopped at Stroud's. One of these days.
I have plenty of
time to make it past Emporia, KS today, but I plan on staying 'cheap' this
trip. $29 motel in KS and AZ, $15 motel in NM. But as I get closer to Emporia,
I see a billboard for the Budget Host that says $31 (not $29) GASP! And it does
not say anything about wireless internet. So I don't stop. (I see online now,
that the Buget Host has an online coupon on their website for $29. Any, yes,
they have internet.)
I keep going into town and stay once again at the
Guest House, I see the other driver has already checked into the Motel 6 next
door but I 'need' my WiFi. I had thought I would try out the in-house
restaurant but when I look in the door I see … no one. Not a good sign, so
I decide to go the the rear of the building and go again to Bruffs. It's full,
line waiting. Don't feel like waiting so I decide to walk across the freeway to
Montana Mikes, but once I get to where I can see it I see their parking lot is
full also and then it hits me … it's Friday night, everywhere will be
full. Except the in-house restaurant, how bad could it be? How many miles am I
from my drop? I decide not to chance it and go back to Bruffs and get a to-go
order, owner ends up being the one who brings me my food. Won't take a tip.
Another chicken bacon wrap.
No 'Trip Advisor' on tonights stay, I can
only do one every so many months. I suppose I could write them now and then not
post them for six months ??
http://www.guesthouseinnemporia.com/dining.asp
Just checked their website and it does not show that they are open in the
evening any more, maybe that was their last day(s). I did stop by the next
morning when I checked out and the café was empty then too. To get to my
room I walked past the indoor pool, they have a large carpeted area that used
to be ?? I don't know what, adjacent to the pool And it also looks like the
pool is goes under the window so the one pool is both indoor/outdoor. It looks
the same in person as on their website. Room was OK but the internet service
was didn't want to work, spent more time trying than online.
Saturday - 1/29/11
Wasn't happy again at checkout, same as last time,
they can't get their printer to work and I finally have to suggest (again) that
they make a copy of last nights check in page. Nice place but if the Budget
Host works, that'll be almost $15 less.
I'm not on 'E' yet but there
isn't a lot of truck stops between here and Tucumcari, only one 'name brand' in
Hooker, OK. Plenty of desiel, just not with perk points. The other driver was
asking about going down to Oklahoma City and stay on the freeway the whole way,
I suggested they call dispatch, for a while that was the way they were routing
us. I wanted to take US 50 one more time, computer routes us US 54 instead and
after thinking about it I think that 'we' may have started going this way to
avoid having a toll receipt with a time stamped on it, makes it harder to cheat
on the log book. Can't think of why else our drivers used to run this way ?? So
this was likely my last time … unless I have a round trip and I have time
to stop at farm dealers and shop for toys
:)
Or if I have time to stop
at their state fair in Hutchison.
Flying J was full this early AM,
that is only going to get worse as / if the DOT rules change and force the
drivers off othe road for longer periods. Still dark when I left Emporia, not a
whole lot of changes. I have all day to get 500 miles to my next cheap motel so
I set the cruise at 55 mph. I still remember a lot of the sights before I get
to them, not sure how many dozens of times I've been down this road.
I
had forgotten about the 1st Interstate Inn in Newton, that would have gotten me
another hour down the road and been cheaper than the Guest House. I see now
they have a coupon for $37. Maybe next time … If I take US 50.
There is a Claas dealer in Hutchinson, KS but I don't stop to
look at toys, no way to get them home. Shortly after Hutchinson, it's KS-61
down to Pratt and US 54. Pratt is getting two new motels north of the truck
stop, nothing I will be staying at. Prices not posted on the Ma/Pa places so
that means they are likely not cheap. I've stayed at the Super 8 before, it's
next to the truckstop so I leave my truck there.
This is the first
trip I've taken this way since the Greensburg tornado in 2007
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=akUX58MFAQM
http://www.google.com/images?hl=en&source=imghp&biw=1280&bih=636&q=greensburg+kansas+tornado&gbv=2&aq=3&aqi=g10&aql=&oq=greensburg+
The first link is to the videos, the second is to images. One video I
watched said it was the largest tornado ever recorded. It's been almost four
years so the place has been re-built, but it's noticeable. Here in the middle
of nowhere is a 'new' town, new main street, new trees.
On the east
end of Liberal, KS they have completed the new four lane highway … for a
couple of miles. And they have re-routed it, must have not been able to get
someone to sell? Can't see an other reason to have done it this way.
Do end up making it to the Loves in Hooker, OK. It's changed. They've closed a
street so Love's could expand … wouldn't happen in most towns. Guess there
must not be any plans to put a bypass around this town. I think it only adds
one more pump but does have more parking area.
I couldn't remember
which town it was, but I remember the place where I wanted to stop and eat. For
eight years I have traveled this road and thought "I bet their food would be
great." A restaurant at a cattle auction house. It's in Texahoma, OK
http://www.texhomalivestock.com/restaurant.htm
>> TRIP ADVISOR -
The Texahoma Livestock Auction Restaurant, Texahoma, OK <<
"Where could you find a better steak than at a restaurant in a cattle auction
house?" 3 of 5 stars Date of review: Feb 3, 2011
For eight years I
have traveled the road past this place and thought "I bet their food would be
great." A restaurant at a cattle auction house.
Today the place was
almost empty, one person when I got there and for a while I was the only one on
a Saturday afternoon. But not to worry, the food was good. Ground steak, baked
patato, salad for $8.95. Asked for ketchup but didn't need it.
They
didn't ask how I wanted my steak and it came well done, I'd ask for MW next
time, but I ate the whole thing and most of the Potato before I was so full
that I couldn't eat anymore. This was at 2 PM on a Saturday, and they were
already cooking for their 'Mexican Food' night … one guy who came after I
did and left before I did, said he'd be back tonight. It was smelling good.
If time allows, I'll be stopping here every time I take this route.
* Reviewer ratings for this restaurant:
o 4 of 5 stars Value
o 4 of 5 stars Service
* Date of visit: January 2011
* Member since:
November 28, 2010
* Would you recommend this restaurant to a
friend? Yes
>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>
Place was almost empty, one person when I got there and for a while I
was the only one. Made me re-think about not eating at the empty place in
Emporia last night. Food was good. Ground steak, baked patato, salad for $8.95.
Asked for ketchup but didn't use it. They didn't ask how I wanted it and it
came well done, I'd ask for MW next time, but I ate the whole thing and most of
the potatoe before I couldn't eat anymore … now I'll be sleepy. This was
at 2 PM on a Saturday, and they were already cooking for their 'Mexican Food'
night … one guy who came after I did and left before I did said he'd be
back tonight. It was smelling good.
That was a rare hour off for me,
not often I stop mid day to eat and burn my hours. Beautiful day, sunny and mid
60's ( a few days later it will be the worst snow in 20 years with wind chills
around -20)
XIT FEEDERS #9 on the link below
http://www.fiveriverscattle.com/Locations/
Mapquest won't find their
address but by scrolling along the highway I think I found it. It looks like it
is almost the size of our crop circles and each circle is in the center of 160
acres so that's <> 640 acres of cattle. Website says capacity is 75,000
head of cattle.
It's Saturday, scale is closed in the ghost town of
Nara Visa … Wiki says at one time it had "four active churches …
eight saloons, at least three dance halls, drugs stores, general merchandise
stores, a barber shop, butcher shops, millinery shops, auto suppliers, hotels,
garages, and a bank"
Now there is one motel, had been closed for a
while, now open again and a post office, truckstop closed about six years ago.
And the truck scale is open but that's not really a 'town' business.
Still light when I get to Tucumcari, I'll fuel tonight so I don't have to deal
with it in the AM, don't need the fuel but I've got 650 miles to go tomorrow
(compared to 500 today, 400 yesterday) I haven't been to this Flying J before,
it was still being built when I took my last trip four years ago and this year
my trips this way had been CNG buses.
DENIED ??? My credit card is
denied, same with my bank debit card? I 'love' these people protecting me from
myself. There is a line so I pull out of the station and call my wife. Maybe
it's a Flying J thing so I pull across the street to Loves and fuel without an
issue.
Nope, not a Flying J issue, we did get an email saying there
was 'unusual activity' on our account … OK, what good does an EMAIL do me
when I'm trying to charge gas at a station? Later I check and find out that
with the new technology, 'unusual activity' one one card can flag all your
cards using the same address or on businesses in the same area. In our case
three cards were flagged and had to be cleared. Sort of defeats the idea of
carrying more than one card.
I wish I could find my list of cheap
hotels in Tucumcari I made last year … but I did find a copy from my
former 'Cheep Sleep' website. As of April 2005, they were
$16 Relax
Inn
$17 Royal Palacio Motel
$17 Redwood
$19/22d Economy Inn
$19
Paradise
$19 Pony Soldier
The Tucumcari Inn was $26 in 2005, it's
now $25.
We stayed at the Pony Soldier shortly before it closed and it
was the worst … cigarette ash on the table in a no smoking room. Tub had
to be scrubbed before using … and it was owned by a young couple from the
midwest ?? The building has since been knocked down but the sign still stands.
I had thought there was a $15 motel when I came through in September
2010, but I can't find it tonight
>>>>>>>>
TRIP ADVISOR - Best Value Inn, Tucumcari, NM
<<<<<<<<<<<<<
"Great motel ...
for the price" 3 of 5 stars Date of review: Feb 2, 2011
(To put the
review in context) Tonight I was looking for the $15 motel I had seen in
Tucumcari in the past, but things have changed in the last six months. There
were no (open) motels for under $20, there used to be at least three. A couple
of the motels no longer had prices posted and look like they have gone to
'monthly rates.' Four other motels have closed since my last trip through so
there is less competition. I did see three other motels for less than the $25 I
paid here.
This room was clean, the water was hot, the room was warm ...
that's all I need. Plus FREE WiFi. And a block from the Rockin' Y's Roadhouse
(food).
The room is basic, no frills so I was trying to think of what to
post and started comparing it to other resent motels.
WiFi - The night
before I stayed here, I paid $50 for a room and their WiFi didn't work most of
the time. The night after I stayed here I paid $35 and they wanted another $5
to connect to their WiFi
Hot Water - I recently paid $70 for a room where
it took 15 minutes to get hot water.
Heat - I've paid $50 for motels where
either the heat was either on/off (no controls) or the gap around the door was
so big the heater couldn't keep up
... so yes, this is a great motel
... for the price. (After I checked in, I remembered I've stayed here before)
* Reviewer ratings for this hotel:
o 4 of 5 stars Value
o 3
of 5 stars Rooms
o 3 of 5 stars Location
o 3 of 5 stars Cleanliness
o 3 of 5 stars Service
o 3 of 5 stars Sleep Quality
* Date of
stay: January 2011
* Visit was for: Business
* Solo Traveler
*
Member since: November 28, 2010
* Recommended by this reviewer? Yes
>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>
>>>> TRIP ADVISOR - Rockin Y's Roadhouse, Tucumcari, NM
<<<<<<<<<<<<<
"Great food"
3 of 5 stars
Date of review: Feb 2, 2011
Ended up here because it
was walking distance from the Tucumcari Inn
Ordered breakfast at 7 pm,
eggs, bacon. Both were good, good enough that I'll likely be back even if I'm
not staying in Tucumcari.
* Reviewer ratings for this restaurant:
o 3 of 5 stars Value
o 3 of 5 stars Service
* Date of visit:
January 2011
* Member since: November 28, 2010
* Would you
recommend this restaurant to a friend? Yes
>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>
Sunday - 1/30/11
Rolling before dawn, no reason to, no
reason not to. I've been off the road for 13 hours instead of my usual 10. I
did call and set up an airport shuttle last night so I wouldn't forget. $29
… for five ?? miles.
The other driver had not gone to OKC and
managed to stay ahead of me yesterday, he ended up in Santa Rosa at the Super
8, I could have made it there but this was a 'cheap trip.' When I tried setting
up a website a few years ago for cheap motels, I fould out that 'Cheep Sleep'
was aleady being used by a motel. I've since thought that AOK would be a great
website / listing of non KOA campgrounds … well right next door to the
motel I stayed in last night was the AOK campground. Not sure I can come up
with any orginal ideas …
Today I'm going to run at 65 mph, 640
miles to go and hills/mountains. Sunday in ABQ so not much to slow traffic
down. This fuel tank seems to have more fuel in the bottom 'half' than most. I
didn't think I was going to make Hooker yesterday and did. Today I don't think
I'll make Gallup and then do. Fuel stops are close enough together on I-40 here
so I'm not worried about running out. Low fuel light comes on just as I'm
entering the east end of Gallup.
Interesting KOA in Gallup, about five
acres, surrounded by three multi-story motels and the freeway. I guess if you
just need somewhere to park …
At Gallup I catch up to the other
driver, first time I've seen him since the pickup. Loves in Gallup. This one
does not have a big enough fueling area. There's room for the one truck
fueling, someone ahead of them who's done, IF they only leave a foot between
them and room for one behind them on some, but not all, lanes. Seems the TA has
taken over the former Howard Johnson motel next door.
I stop at the AZ
welcome center for a coupon book in case I don't like the $29 motel I've
thinking of. They are out so I end up stopping again at the McDonalds in
Holbrook, its my ½ way point on bus trips.
AZ scale gives us a
by-pass so no scales in three days.
Clear enough that I can see the
'Flagstaff mountain' ?? 70 miles out. The former Pilot / 3B's truckstop in
Winslow is still closed. Looks like there is more than one 3B's truckstop, not
sure why this one couldn't make it. The DOT did close the exit for a while
while they were replacing the overpass, I wonder if that was what did them in?
Again today I'm wordering if I'll make it my 320 miles on a tank full,
doesn't look like it for a while. Even coming down the hill south of Flagstaff
it looks like I'll have to stop again. But I remember from prior trips,
whatever milage you've been getting on your trip, double it from Flagstaff to
PHX.
Coming down the hill I see a cop in the median and tap the
breaks, I've let the truck get over 65 mph … then I see the speed limit
sign … 75 mph. Truck holds it's speed fairly well, only have to tap the
breaks a couple of times. And it holds its speed up hills too, only had to put
the flashers on once for a couple of minutes when I dropped below 45 mph.
See an awful lot of four wheelers in the ravens today, and I wonder if
they are re-stocking their bomb shelters or just out having a good time on
another beautiful day ???
I found out last night that the 'Primier
Inn' I want to stay at is owned by the same people who own the EZ8 and some of
the drivers will not longer stay at the EZ8 because of the neighborhood it's
in. So I'm not real sure if I want to stay there, and when I get there I see
that the two lots I go past are vacant with a fence around them and I know from
past trips that the restaurants I can see from the road are all closed, a whole
row of them. How bad of an area is this?
Doesn't look that bad, motel
is in good shape and I can see a Sears in what looks like a mall, but then I
see the closed restaurants and decide I don't want to be walking around when I
don't know the area. By this time I am in front of the Four Points Sheriton
… which is still open and full … so I walk through their parking lot
to the Olive Garden. The Olive Garden is right across the street between the
two motels.
Place is full, I have to wait a few minutes to be seated.
Order their new lasagna fritta, not knowing it's a 'appetizer' so the waiter
asks if I want something else … I do order a salad but shouldn't have, the
lasagna was enough. And good, it's been too long since I've been here. I should
have know it was an appetizer, it was listed next to the 'Smoked Mozzarella
Fonduta,' an oven-baked smoked mozzarella, provolone, parmesan and romano
cheese. Served with Tuscan bread. ( I should have ordered both)
The
other driver calls after I've checked in and while I'm eating at the Olive
Garden, big storm coming in. I didn't pay for Wi-Fi so I won't see my email
saying the same thing from our 'driveaway weather guy.'
(Once home, I
looked up the mall and it has a food court with McD's, Charlies and a bunch of
other places. Sears, Dillards and Macys are still there with two anchor stores
empty. Also two or three doors down from the motel there is a Black
Angus/Stewart Andersons that still shows open
http://dumpystripmalls.com/2009/07/10/stuart-andersons-cattle-company-roseville-mn/
Says the last MN one closed in 2004)
Maybe this is why I don't
ever turn on the TV, I turned it on and didn't do anyting on the computer for
the next four hours.
>>>>>>>> TRIP ADVISOR -
Premier Inns, Phoenix, AZ <<<<<<<<<<<<<
"Don't let the view from the freeway fool you ... it is a nice motel"
3 of 5 stars
Date of review: Feb 2, 2011
The north end of the
motel is adjacent to two vacant lots with a fence around them, to the south are
a number of restaurants that are closed including Bennigan's (which no longer
has any locations in AZ). And to the west is the Metro Mall with 2 of 5
anchor's vacant.
When I've gone past this location in the past, the sign
said "$29," today it is $33. PLUS they want another $5 for WiFi. But after I
found out that the closest Motel 6 was $35 and the Best Western would not honor
their coupon for $44, I decided to stay.
The motel 'still' looks like a
1st class motel, I say still because often a motel in this price range gets
bought as good motel cheap and the owners let it go down hill fast. So far that
doesn't seem to be the case for this motel. Pool area was well kept, as was the
grass and parking lot. No complaints on the room either. But no extra perks
either. Bed, table, TV, room was clean, water was hot, room was warm.
Great choices of food across the street, Burger King, Olive Garden and Four
Points by Sheraton.
If I stay here again will depend on if I need Wi-Fi
that night or not. (I'm not going to give my credit card on-line to get Wi-Fi)
* Reviewer ratings for this hotel:
o 4 of 5 stars Value
o 3
of 5 stars Rooms
o 3 of 5 stars Location
o 3 of 5 stars Cleanliness
o 3 of 5 stars Service
o 3 of 5 stars Sleep Quality
* Date of
stay: January 2011
* Visit was for: Business
* Solo Traveler
*
Member since: November 28, 2010
* Recommended by this reviewer? Yes
>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>
Monday - 1/31/11
My wife calls before the alarm goes off,
she's seen the weather forcast, not a good forcast for leg two of this trip.
We have the airport shuttle set up for 9 AM so we had agreed to be at
the customer by 8 AM, so at 7:30 I do my inspection and … I can't unlock
the drivers door, from either the in or outside. And these cabover trucks have
the motor and controls sitting between the two seats. I can turn the key but it
won't release. And when the door is locked I can't reach the button from the
inside, even with a vise grip. (Not sure how you are supposed to unlock if from
the inside?) Once I 'unlock' the door from the outside, I am able to wiggel the
buttom enough from the inside that it releases.
I had the same issue
last night when I tried to get out of the cab, thought I was going to have to
climb across the truck to get out, took 'forever,' did some sweating and not
sure it was from the heat.
Rolling, traffic isn't too bad this AM, 16
miles to go. Map is good, other driver is already there and talking to
dispatch. I get checked in with no problems, we now have an hour to wait.
Either here or at the airport, we'll still be to the airport two hours before
our flight.
Dispatch is sticking to 'Stay on schedule / get on your
flight to Chicago and we'll look at the situation then..'
Shuttle is
on time, five miles or less to the airport. No problem with getting our tickets
or security, no one in line right then. We find our gate, the other person asks
if we can change our tickets and fly home … we can, for a change fee of
$150. So we go and find food, the other driver needs a drink … at 9 in the
morning. They get their drink and we both get breakfast. Eggs, bacon for $9.
Food was good but too early for me to eat that much, actually shouldn't have
been, that would be 10 AM our time.
I breifly talk to the 'driveaway
weather guy' and then get calls/texts from my wife … don't go to Chicago.
Both had seen/heard on CNN that our airline was allowing people to cancel with
no penalty. I go up to the counter but the person says they have just checked
and it does not apply to Chicago, I insist that I've heard it from two people
so she asks where they heard it 'Just now from CNN.' So she rechecks, it DOES
apply to us, we can cancel but we only have a few minutes because they are
ready to start boarding. Actually if the plane had been on time we would have
already been on the plane and not heard the news. Our flight is running late.
It takes her a long time to get it credited properly, I have to call
dispatch and get their credit card number from them, the airline can not do a
credit without the complete number. No, the agent can not touch my phone. I
wanted dispatch to give them the number directly, instead dispatch gives the
number to me and I write it down. Once the agent is done with it she hands the
paper back to me and with a smile says "I suppose you are supposed to eat this
now?" (I'm not sure how many people dispatch would have given the number too
??)
NOW to find our way home. Because there are two of us, we start
with dispatch finding us a flight. They find us a flight but it won't let them
book it online so we go to the counter. We have to be careful because we are
only using half of the ticket we are buying and for some airlines it is against
their policy.
The flight we want is going to Philadelphia and we will
get off when it lays over. Too late, this may be why dispatch couldn't do it
online. The 2nd leg of the flight has already been canceled … but they can
route us through either of two other airports to get to Philadelphia. Now how
do you explain that that won't work for you ??? We said we expected that the
other routes would be canceling soon and we did not want to be stuck in those
airports, and had to check with dispatch. Finally we just asked with a flight
direct to our ariport would be, as they would not/could not sell us a flight
with one leg already canceled. $311, plus $35 surcharge for buying it at the
airport.
Out of line and back talking to dispatch, if they could buy
it online it would save each of us $35. And I really didn't want to be buying a
$350 ticket for someone I had never met before three days ago. Turns out that
this was as cheap as the flights got, we'd have to wait another six hours if
dispatch was going to purchase the tickets online (to get past the lockout
window). I decided I did not want to wait that long, no knowing where or when
the storm was tracking I wanted to be on a plane before they started canceling
more flights. There was one in two hours.
We had decided to leave the
agent because there was no line … when we get back there is a few dozen
people ahead of us, but the 'question lady' grabbed us and put us 3rd in a
shorter line, but we still get the same guy we had the first time. S-l-o-w, he
had to have people help him find flights the first time, this time he had up to
five people standing there helping him … with dozens of people waiting in
line. We thought he was new but the other driver said he was wareing a pin that
said he'd been there almost 30 years … but not as an agent I'm guessing.
Now we had to have dispatch advance the other drive $200 so they could
pay me with the balance to be credited by dispatch to my settlement check.
Dispatch first says they can't do that, everything is squared away. The other
driver calls them and then dispatch calls me, OK, they can credit me the other
drivers flight.
A few weeks ago, a driver on our 'driveaway board' had
posted about a moonlighting driver who had taken him to the same customer that
I was to have picked up my 2nd leg at. We had arranged a pickup for 9 PM
tonight so I had to call and cancel. He didn't think the weather was going to
be that bad until Wednesday and it turns out he was right but better save than
sorry.
Sitting waiting, I've taken the only power outlet I could find.
Finally someone else wants to use the other half of it. The guy is from
Missoula, MT and tells us that he sat in that airport a few days ago for nine
hours waiting for his flight to leave.
And he tells us about the 'fog
freezing machine'
http://missoulian.com/news/local/article_97926a74-2905-11e0-9dfe-001cc4c002e0.html
Basically they spray CO2 into the fog, turning it to ice crystals. And
deplending on the weather as little as two planes can land before re-spraying.
But in a town the size of Missoula that's not such a big problem.
Ahhh, finally
At our gate … again. And we see the next gate is
going to the same place we are, same airline but 45 minutes earlier. Why didn't
the guy sell us a ticket for that flight? We still don't know. It wasn't full,
we asked, 20 open seats. $50 to change flights. GRRR!!!
And our flight
is full and late, but we are going home. More flights are being canceled.
On the plane I have a middle seat, no room to work on my computer. The
PHX airport has 'free wireless' but in the four plus hours we were there I was
never able to get a connection even though I had a full signal.
We are
the first row in '2nd class'/coach and we have just gotten our drinks when
something happens on the plane, I notice the 1st class steward heading to the
back of the plane and not coming back. Our stewardess covers 1st class for him,
finally people start looking and talking. Someone is sick and getting an IV,
there is a doctor on board helping, at first I think we'll likely head back to
PHX but we don't.
The person sitting in the isle seat next to me had
not said a word to anyone up to this point, but when people saw what was
happening the person across the isle from then must have asked her a question.
Within a couple of minutes they realized they were both from Brazil and talked
the rest of the flight and exchanged info. Interesting, some topics they were
talking in (I assume) Portuguese then back to English and back and forth.
Interesting cloud patterns over this storm that streatched for 2,000
miles … and we likely only saw a 1/3 of it.
After I feel the
plane start to slow the pilot comes on and says that we will be going into a
holding pattern (later my wife tells me she was tacking the plane online and
didn't understand why it was taking the route it was … she opted NOT to
come and get me after not getting over 45 mph on her way home.)
Well,
the ill person must not be doing too bad or we would have gotten priority
landing. The airport is down to one runway and only allowing a few planes to
land at a time … and I'm sure having all those extra planes sitting in the
way that can't leave doesn't help either.
The person next to me does
not like to fly and keeps commenting about planes that have crashed. Once we
are getting close they are trying to figure out where we are, I'm in the middle
and between the dark and the snow I can't tell with a quick look (and I'm
supposed to be seated.) But still, 10 miles from the airport I'm able to pick
out a land mark and everything else falls into place.
On the ground we
can feel the plane slide when it's breaking.
Even though we have been
told to stay in our seats to let the medic's on the plane, ½ the people
stand up until a 2nd announcement is made.
First we hear cheers, not
sure why but we see the steward that has been helping most of the flight
walking to the front with the ill lady's few month old baby. Then the lady
walks out, still holding her IV. Then her husband (?) collecting all their
luggage. I would guess the couple was in there 20's. A couple of people
followed closely behind him, making use of the clear isle.
When they
made the announcment for people to stay in their seats they also said not to
worry about your connecting flights, EVERYTHING is running late.
The
other person has a ride, my wife is not going to pick me up in this weather and
it's past when the buses run on a frequent schedule so tonight it's the Super
Shuttle again for me. I walk up to their counter and say that I need a ride
… "To the office or to the lot?" they ask,. I guess the name on my jacket
gave me away. It'll be 20 minutes, but I end up with a non-stop trip so I tip
the guy $5 plus the original $25 is still cheeper than a taxi. If I had planned
ahead, (my wife had said she was picking me up before we took off this
afternoon) I could have called one of two former driveaway guys who are
moonlighting for us.
When I did see the owner of our company the next
day he thanked me for getting the flights taken care of … that wasn't the
feeling I got from dispatch when it was happening. But it was the safe thing.
At one point the 'driveaway weather guy' had said that may our flights
would be canceled and that would 'save us from ourselves.' Which likely is
true, being right in it, I don't always see it the way others look at it. |
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