Planes, Trains & Automobiles, The Sequel

I have been dreading the thought of writing this post for some time now... one, because the story is so long, and two, because I have to relive the nightmare travels all over again. But I am finally taking the time to document our holiday travel woes and wonderful family times that resulted from them.

This story really starts on Saturday, December 20, the day before we were scheduled to fly out to Pittsburgh to be with Tom's family. That night we had very high winds (I believe there were sustained winds of 50-60 mph and gust up to 80 mph) that caused all the snow we received earlier in the week to drift and to cause power outages throughout the night. We really got no sleep that night worrying about the weather and what was to come on Sunday. Sunday, we started hearing of major travel delays out of Sea-Tac because of the weather, so we worked feverishly to finish the packing (done by me) and scoop the three foot drifts from the driveway (done by Tom) so that we could leave for the airport. Our flight, which was not scheduled to leave until 11:30 PM was showing on time all day, so we were optimistic that we would make it out of Seattle that night. We were going to leave our car at Kate & Aidan's house (friend's of ours that live in Renton and close to the airport) and they were going to drop us off at the airport. So we got to their house around 4:30 - early enough so that if we ran into any problems on the snowy roads or at the airport, we should be okay. We thought we could hang out at the airport just as easy as at home. Seems ridiculous, but it was our thinking.

As we checked in, all seemed okay, flight was still on time. Then as we were supposed to get our boarding passes, the check-in screen said, "See an agent." Our flight had been canceled and it was time to check out our options. The agent worked with Tom for about an hour trying every possible scenario to get us on our trip. The soonest she could get us out of Seattle was going to be on a Christmas eve flight that wouldn't put us into Pittsburgh until about 9 PM that night... not good since that would be three days later and we had to leave Pittsburgh on the 26th. That would really only leave us one and a half days with Tom's family, rather than the four we had planned. So our next option was to drive to Portland, where there was a newly added flight to Chicago on Monday morning (the 22nd) that we could catch. Should then connect us to Pittsburgh getting us there Monday evening. Sounds great in theory, but our fun was just beginning.

So we leave Sea-Tac, grab some food with Kate and Aidan, and then head down the road for Portland, which should on a normal day take about three hours. We drove for about two hours in the worst conditions (snow, slush, lots of traffic, poor visibility, etc.) and only made it to Ft. Lewis which is about 20 minutes really from Sea-Tac. It was too stressful so we pulled off and got a hotel. We slept for four hours, got up at 2 AM, to take off for Portland again, hoping to make it in time for the 10 AM flight we were now booked on. Again, another horrible, really nightmare of a drive. Snowing all the way, poor visibility, a rolling slow-down for a snow plow, snow covered roads... white-knuckled driving and lots of prayers during that time. Tom would have to reach out the window to knock the snow off the wipers as it would stick. I don't know what we were thinking! We definitely had some angels with us during that drive.

We finally make it to Portland and the airport around 6:30-7 AM. We get checked in it is looking like everything will be okay now. The snow was letting up, flights were showing on time, so we thought we were on the down side of the issues. As we waited, flights started getting canceled and delayed... ours was a 30 minute delay at first, then 45 minutes, then an hour, then two hours, then no status, just delayed. After ten hours in the Portland airport and little information from United Airlines or airport officials. they finally said our flight had been cleared and would start boarding. Thank God!!! We still aren't sure what the delays were really about... the runways looked clear, the snow had stopped falling... was it de-icing equipment, other airport delays? Who knows. But the entire ten hours we were there we only saw three flights take off, one of which was ours. We sat on the plane for nearly two hours before the flight took off, but we did leave Portland on a plane.

By the time we made it into Chicago, it was midnight. Tom had called his dad before we left Portland so he could help us with arranging our flights from Chicago to Pittsburgh (since there were no ticket agents to be found in Portland to help us). Tom's mom and dad were having no luck since the whole country was really backed up due to weather delays. So, our next option, drive to Pittsburgh from Chicago. Yay, more time in a car! We knew there would be no car rentals available, so a desperate plea was sent out to Tom's brother. Mike lives in Dayton, OH, which is 5 hours from Chicago. God bless him... he left Dayton as we left Portland, found someone to borrow a car seat from, and headed to Chicago to get us, just so we could all make it into Pittsburgh for the holidays. He had the five hour drive west to Chicago, and then ahead of him, an 8-9 hour drive east to Pittsburgh. How sweet is he!!

When we get to Chicago, we went to get our bags since we had missed our connection and were not booked on another. Figured that wouldn't be a problem... it was. They wouldn't give us our bags, just told us they would be on the next flight they could get them on to Pittsburgh. The agent we talked to was a miserable man - I'm sure he had had a rough day too - but at this point, I was not willing to deal with someone with no customer service. He was so unwilling to help us... so sadly to say, I lost any holiday spirit and I went off on him - "I'm 7 1/2 months pregnant, with a one year old, and have been traveling without my stuff for nearly two days now... I want my bags!" He had no sympathy. I was so mad. But there was no arguing with him... our bags would be in Pittsburgh sometime on Tuesday (the 23rd).

So it is now the early morning of Tuesday. As I get done arguing with the United agent, Mikey pulls up to pick us up. We go out to load Jackson, the two carry-ons we had with us, and get on our way. You would think all the disasters would be done by now, but they weren't. I was trying to get Jackson loaded since it was two degrees outside. I couldn't get the back door open so I thought that the door may have been locked. The guys were loading things in the back end of the Blazer, I opened the front door, hit the unlock button, shut the door, and go to open the back door. Only I didn't unlock the door... I just locked all the doors... with the car running... we are locked out of the car at O'Hare Airport in two degree weather. I break down bawling!! What else could there possibly be? We go inside, find a cop, who calls a tow truck to come help us get the car unlocked. Luckily fifteen minutes later we were loaded up and heading down the road. It is about 1:00 AM, we should be in Pittsburgh around 10:00 AM for a late breakfast! We thought....

Don't you love this story? I have so much more to tell though. We make it about 5 hours down the road, through the many toll roads across Chicago, Indiana, and Ohio. We were just outside of Sandusky, OH (about 30 minutes), when, you guessed it, the car breaks down. Luckily, we were right at an exit and there was a hotel at that exit. The guys go in to talk to the front desk and they were nice enough to let us come in, unload some stuff and set up camp for a little while in the lobby. The guys then started calling to get the car towed and fixed, find a rental, and figure out our next steps. The hotel was nice enough to also let us have some of their continental breakfast... we needed nourishment. The closest rental car we could get was in Sandusky so we had to call a cab to get us the 30 minute drive from the hotel to the rental car. Only one cab was available... and it was a one of a kind... a very nice cab driver, but one of a kind. In Ohio, if you have a bright yellow license plate it means you have been convicted of multiple DUIs. Our cab had these. We get in the old cab, it is full of cigarette smoke. The driver starts chatting about how hard it was to start his cab business as a recovering alcoholic amputee. What? Amputee? Tom and I look over the seat and the man doesn't have his right leg. Mike just looked at us from the passenger seat as like he was saying, "Yeah, I saw it, but didn't want to say anything." We made it safely the 30 minutes, got the rental car - a mini van with plenty of room to stretch out and headed down the road. Luckily, Mikey had a friend who was a regional manager for Enterprise Car Rentals and he got us a great deal for the rental.

Yay! We make it to Pittsburgh around 2 PM on Tuesday afternoon after hours in cars and airports. Our bags had arrived too... Tom's parents had picked them up when they picked up Jen & Ricky (Tom's sister and brother-in-law) from the airport that morning. We had a wonderful Christmas eve with the Neuberger family, a great Christmas morning with just the immediate family, and then a lovely evening with the Skerlong family Christmas night. It was a really great time in Pittsburgh, despite the travel woes.

So it is now Friday, December 26, and we are scheduled to leave Pittsburgh to spend our second half of the holidays with my family in Nebraska. We've experienced it all to this point, so what is there to worry about. We check in... our flight to Chicago was delayed meaning we would miss our connection to Omaha. Luckily we were early enough to catch another flight to Chicago that would leave in 15 minutes. They could get us on that one, so we could make our connection. We have a three hour layover in Chicago and then onto Omaha. Get to Omaha about 9 PM and our bags didn't make it! My parents live about 2 hours from Omaha, so United said they would deliver them once they arrived... didn't know when that would be but it would be by 5 PM on Saturday. We met up with my brother (who was flying in from Detroit), and drove up to Maskell arriving around midnight of Friday night/Saturday morning. Even though we were without our luggage... again... it was just a joy being with family.

We spent Saturday (the 27th) around the house with my parents, siblings, and nephews. Then Saturday evening we had a party with the Kneifl family (my mom's side of the family). It was a great gathering with about 75 people there - only four of my cousins and their families couldn't make it. Yes, it is a big family, but so much fun and full of love! Then Sunday was spent with my dad's side - the Knudsen's. Again, so wonderful to be with family! Monday was filled with playing my nephews' Wii at my sister's home. Tom and I had so much fun with the Wii that we decided to get one for our Christmas gift when we got back to Seattle. Throw in a day of shopping and then it was time to head back to the Northwest. The traveling was almost done.

Since we had to leave from Portland, our return flights were also changed to go back into Portland. We were to leave Omaha on New Year's Eve around noon. Can you believe it, our flight was delayed out of Omaha too... missed our connection in Denver. They were able to get us on a later flight from Denver to Portland though, and moved us up to first class. Great! Jackson should be tired by then and should sleep the entire three hour flight. But nope, that didn't happen. It was the one flight that he didn't do good on. So it goes. We make it into Portland around 8:30 PM, get our bags, and are at our car by 9 PM.

Now, there is one thing I didn't tell at the beginning of this saga. When we arrived in Portland, we were going to have co-worker (actually the manager) from our Portland office come get our car, so that it wouldn't have to be at the airport the entire two weeks. So we left the keys in the gas cap so that he could take it for us. Plans changed though and he wasn't able to get the car. So the car stayed in the long-term parking lot the whole time (luckily it was only $7/day rather than $20/day). Our fear was that we would make it to the parking lot and the car would gone since we had left the keys behind. We pull in on the shuttle bus, and thankfully our car was still there... but we had a flat tire! So in the rain at 9 PM on New Year's Eve, Tom is having to change the tire. My poor husband! He has had to do so much... he has to be just exhausted after this trip. The tire is changed and at 10 PM we are leaving Portland. We ring in 2009 somewhere around Olympia/Ft. Lewis as Tom drives and Jackson and I sleep. He woke me up long enough for us to say "Happy New Year" and to give a little kiss. We arrived home safely to Snoqualmie around 1 AM on New Year's Day.

I really haven't given credit, but Tom was so wonderful during this trip! He put up with a pregnant wife that was miserable with the traveling and he took most of the parenting role with Jackson. He was a lifesaver during all of this. And Jackson was such a great little boy... he handled all the delays and issues with ease. Such a trooper! I am shocked we made it through it all with out blowing up or melting down, but we did! I am sure we are stronger because of it and it will definitely be a holiday that we will never forget! What a holiday trip!

I hope you have enjoyed the book. Look for the movie to be hitting theaters next Christmas! And with my big tummy, I'll probably be playing the role that John Candy played in the original.

Waiting in the Portland airport

Christmas morning at the Neuberger home

The Neuberger Family - Don, Tom, Traci, Jackson, Ricky, Jen (& Little RR Rahne too), Joan, & Mike

Comparing bellies - Traci due February 12 and Jen due on May 3 (it's a boy for Jen & Ricky!)

Grandpa & Grandma Knudsen with their boys (Jacob, Mason, Nolan, Garret, & Jackson)

Mike (brother-in-law), Lisa (sister), Me, Tom, Jeff (brother)

Happy Family - despite the travel issues

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