A trip home I will never forget
I never thought it would take four days to get home from Chicago. Turns out, mother nature thought otherwise.
My first attempt to leave Chicago was on Wednesday, Dec. 17. I thought I would be just fine as the weather in Chicago was cooperating, the sun was even poking through the clouds. Little did I know my layover was in Las Vegas and they were in the middle of a blizzard. 12 hours of snow in the desert. I heard a rumor their airport doesn’t even own snow plows. Needless to say, my flight was cancelled. Having missed every other flight for the day that would get me closer to home, I had to pick up my bags (four in total!) and return home.
I was lucky enough to make it out of Chicago on Thursday. The winter storm warning went into effect at 3 p.m., my flight left at 1 p.m. By the time I had made it to Denver most flights into and out of Chicago were cancelled.
My final destination, Spokane, Wash., had record-setting snow fall the day I was trying to fly in–17 inches in 24 hours. I made it as far as Seattle on Thursday, which was my goal, as my sister and brother-in-law live there. I knew I wouldn’t make it all the way home so Seattle was my best option.
My time in Seattle was going just great (Christmas shopping with my brother in law, good food, wandering Pikes Market) until we awoke to a fire in the apartment building at 3:30 a.m. Saturday. I woke to the fire alarm blaring and people screaming as they evacuated the apartment complex. We walked outside in nothing more than pajamas and slippers with Biscuit the dog in tow, and saw flames shooting out of the windows. (See my brother-in-law Bryce’s video of what we saw as we walked outside that morning here).
It was at this point I realized the world was against me ever getting home for Christmas.
People jumped from the upper floors onto mattresses below. We stood and watched fearfully for 45 minutes in the bitter cold before a bar owner was kind enough to open his bar and let us all in to warm up. They served hot teas and we waited for reports from the fire department and building manager. Luckily, my sister’s apartment was about as far away from the origin of the fire as possible. The fire department contained the fire and allowed us to enter at about 7 a.m. Four of five of the units are uninhabitable, mainly due to smoke damage. We later found out on the news that the fire was started by a candle.
Later that day my flight miraculously made it out of Seattle. A winter storm warning (think freezing rain, sleet) was set for that evening and my flight departed just after 4 p.m. I am fairly certain my flight was one of the last planes out, as the plane was fishtailing as it sped down the runway to takeoff. I still can’t believe I am finally home. My long journey here made me all the more grateful to be home for the holidays. I am now enjoying marathon pinocle games, freshly-made fudge and three feet of snow.
The breakdown: $210 spent on cabs to a from airports (with my four bags in tow), seven hours spent waiting in line and five hours spent in taxis.
I’m trying not to take this as bad sign for how the rest of my travels will go. Wish me luck!
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