Saturday, August 1, 2009

Planes, Shuttles, & Automobiles.

Here we go... I tracked my steps through Twitter and made a chronology of my disastrous traveling experience when I tried to SIMPLY fly from Durango, CO to Phoenix, AZ for Scott's American Idol concert. You'd think it would be pretty easy, right? Guess again...


12:47 PM Jul 19th -- It just rained.. I love the smell! Durango for lunch, then Scottsdale for dinner. :) sadly it won't be with my favorite scottsdale date.


4:19 PM Jul 19th -- Wow... This is THE smallest airport I've ever been to. I check in an hour and a half before departure and she says i'm there really early!




4:22 PM Jul 19th -- So now i'm in the waiting area. With the other ten passengers. lol. Oh and there is a moose painted on the plane & no jet turbines. Just propellers.


5:55 PM Jul 19th -- Its basically a sardine tin with wings and an engine. The things i do for love..





5:56 PM Jul 19th -- When the pilot announced the current temperature in phoenix there was an audible gasp throughout the plane. I just laughed. Haha


6:29 PM Jul 19th -- WOW. not only did we spend 3O minutes shifting passengers around and adding ballast onto the plane, we don't have enough fuel. So we have to stop in Flagstaff. OY VEH!


6:44 PM Jul 19th -- We're still sitting here.. Oh and the pilot just announced that there is no fuel in Flagstaff!! So... Stay tuned!


6:47 PM Jul 19th -- Well I'll just catch the next flight, right? Guess again. No more flights till thursday. Oh and as for fuel, the airport might be holding out on us. The pilot actually said he'd "barter for fuel".


6:50 PM Jul 19th -- This is a major FML moment. Brought to you by US Airways! :D


8:02 PM Jul 19th -- Still at the airport... Its like a disaster movie. A bunch of angry stranded people. True character is beginning to show. And some fat guy magically got some McDonalds...? I haven't eaten since lunch. ugh.


10:14 PM Jul 19th -- 7 hours since i got to this mother $ucking airport and i'm now in line to get information on flights out of here tomorrow or tonight. OY VEH!!


10:47 PM Jul 19th -- Off to the Stater Hotel in Durango for the night. Compliments of the bloody US Airways. I need something stronger than aspirin right now.


1:05 AM Jul 20th -- You know you've arrived when you go to Denny's with your parents in the wee hours of the night. Does this make me cool? haha


10:22 AM Jul 20th -- Enjoying an iced rasberry pomagranite (SP) tea at the Durango Coffee Company while I wait for the shuttle to take me to the airport.


11:28 AM Jul 20th -- The driver of the shuttle came to pick us unlucky passengers up from the hotel. Late. And after brief car trouble we're on our way. ...... Hopefully.....


12:16 PM Jul 20th -- I'm in New Mexico now.. Almost to Farmington. I hope... Haha


1:12 PM Jul 20th -- FML. The plane that i drove an hour and a half to another state to get to, is now delayed. By at least an hour.. Happiness really IS a warm gun.


1:26 PM Jul 20th -- This is how small the airport is. There are two gates. I guess you're either coming or going. hah.





2:12 PM Jul 20th -- We just found out our plane is delayed due to (drumrole please) maintenance issues!! :D its going to be at least an hour till we can board..


3:53 PM Jul 20th -- Security checkpoint and terminal waiting area all in one! so small its cute. NOT.




7:35 PM Jul 20th -- I am now in showlow.. Sick. Tired. Crying. Waiting on the weather in phoenix to change so we can fly in.


These are some of the ladies i met with on the flight from Page to Phoenix to Showlow and back to Phoenix. lol


Here's my two best friends of the day! We were there through it all.. the pain! frustration! joy! tears! hunger! laughter! oh it was the best of times through the worst of circumstances. haha
Oh and my face looks funny because this picture was taken about 7 minutes after I got done sobbing. (they had just announced on the plane that we couldn't keep circling around PHX waiting for the weather to change, so we had to fly back to Showlow till further news. THEN they announced that PHX had shut down and closed its airport due to weather.)

This picture and the one below it was taken at the Farmington Airport.

The lady in the background had a baby that went with us from Farmington to Phoenix and the baby was crying for most of the time we were in the sky. Although i'd be a hypocrite to complain because I was crying too for a while there.. lol.


9:35 PM Jul 20th -- YAY!!! we can board and go to Phoenix!!! FINALLY!!!


10:39 PM Jul 20th -- In phoenix!! Taking a taxi to the Glendale arena as we speak!!


11:15 PM Jul 20th -- After all that.. I finally get my happy ending.



2 comments:

Wild Angel Joy said...

I followed this on Twitter, it was one of the wildest travel stories I'd ever heard and I'm so glad it had a Happy Ending (not enough of those in today's world) <3

bren :) said...

Holey-moley! You poor thing! So glad the angels got organized enough to get you home in time! I love Durango--it's one of my fav places for hiking and camping. Didn't even know they had an airport, though. I will be sure to avoid it in the future after reading your story. When I lived in AZ and was flying back to Cali every month, I did have a lot of experiences on those puddle-jumpers, though. Lot's of fun they are....NOT!