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Published: December 14th 2005
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Reading back over the posts from the last few days it just occurred to me how middle of the road and boring this trip might seem to other people. For the large part that is most likely to be True. But simultaneously i am completely unashamed of that fact.
This blog will contain many details and useless pieces of information (to other people).
This sojourn is not particularly about adventure, or risk taking or third world countries. For someone with a really good camera i am appalled at the level of photography i have displayed on this blog so far. Not my best stuff.
In my defence... i am in middle America. Everthing is pretty bland here (not that that is a bad thing necessarily.) and short of displaying another hundred snow pictures everything looks the same after a while.
However, This day classifies as an adventure in the true sense of that concept.
WARNING FOR MY MUM Mum, you may want to stop reading right now.....and if you do keep reading please keep in mind that i am alive and well almost a week after this day......
WARNING ENDED This day began
Waco Airport Cafe
This little cafe was the only place to get coffee in the whole airport. Just goes to show that they are the same the world over. very early. 5am. Thinking i was doing well having booked a taxi to the airport the night before i allowed myself half an hour for breakfast. What do you know ? the taxi was early.
explanation for the behaviour of ignorant Australia Besides the fact that i had never experienced a taxi ever being on time (seems so trivial i know) the fact is in Australia if you book a taxi you start paying as soon as it arrives - you make it wait you pay. I didn't know that i could have sat there and slowly eaten my lovely fresh waffles and maple syrup, my fresh pear and apple cider and my coffee until i was good and ready. Don't you just love America ? I had three bites and dumped my breakfast.
I regretted that ALL day......
Had i known i would have sat there and ate my breakfast and left when it was time. But i didn't.
The roads were incredibly icy and had i thought about it, it would hve occurred to me that there was no way we were going anywhere that morning. But i didn't.
Had i
Yes Mr Policeman
Thispoliceman was having breakfast in the cafe - apparently patrolling the airport was a once a month overtime shift. Office Dietrich had been a cop in Waco for 25 years. Note all the medals. thought about it, i would have called the airline the night before and changed to the earlier flight which was the only flight all day that left Waco. But i didn't.
The taxi driver was a good driver. At least he didn't spin out like at least 4 other cars we saw on the 15km drive to the airport. That didn't mean we didn't spin our wheels. Oh we did. I thought that was going to be the scariest experience of the day. now don't get me wrong, none of this or what was to come in any way remotely compares to my bus breaking down 3 times in the middle of the night somewhere in Thailand (when i am the only Farang woman on the bus) - i still don't know where we were - and breaking my big toe and being worried i was about to go missing after they drove me around on a motorbike in Bankgok on way to self same while also bein scared i was going to lose my kneecaps (5'6" never felt so tall). But we are not telling that story.
This wasn't that bad, no really i promise.
The
Happy Birthday Mr President
President Bush owns a ranch nor very far outside Waco. Although Airforce one never lands at Waco apparently the first Lady's aircraft does because it is smaller. This stand shows the patriotic american fascination with their flag and every conceivable product that it might be printed on. deal was no planes were going anyway out of Waco that morning. Then suddenly i had a choice. After talking to 6'3" advertisement for Stetson, this 60 year old man Virgil, told me he had a similarly timed (noon) flight out of Dallas for Paris. Paris, France not Paris, TX. and that he was renting a car to drive to Dallas and i was welcome to ride with him.
I walked away and received confirmation from different people at the airport that noone was going anywhere. Then i said a little prayer and decided that i would take him up on his offer.
Sometimes calculated risks when you are travelling mean you get where you are going. This turned out to be a Good decision. A vice president of a large local company Virgil was visiting his French wife's family near Alsace, France. An interesting man who had spent 20 years in the Navy as an engineer and had been to Australia a few times.
I was glad to be driving with him to. he was a good driver. At least compared to the 2 dozen cars and semitrailers we saw overturned, spun out or just not
Waco snow storm_1
If you look closely you can see the Icicles. The semitrailers had the same thing down the whole length of the trailer. COLD! going anywhere. The roads were horrendously icy. The hour and half drive to Dallas took close to 3 hours. But we made it in time.
I called United a couple of times and discovered that there automated system does not like my Australian accent. Say departure.....
Dallas to Chicago box ticked. Luggage booked through to Cincinnati.
So i thought it would all be fine. Not to be. Turns out the weather decided to follow me that day..... in a Northerly direction. The hour long wait i thought i was to have in Chicago turned out to be 16 hours. The Cincinnati flight was already cancelled when i arrived. Thankfully, and i will plug united airlines, i had one of those freak experiences where i actually spoke to someone from an airline who kew what they were doing. While i was put on standby for the two remaining flights that day (not much hope was held) i was confirmed on a 7am flight the next morning and was told to book a hotel room.
I thought she was being alarmist but since it wasn;t going to cost me anything should the standby flights work out i booked
Waco snow storm_2
There were hundreds and hundreds of semitrailers lined up going South. I was very happy i was going north. like she said.
If i had known the Hilton was attached to the airport i would have accepted the offer of the Hilton at the Airport for $80. But i didn't. However, i did accept the 5 star Crowne Plaza for $60. The hour and half that it took to get a seat on a little shuttle bus that got me there required all the commando skills i have ever been taught. Still it was a good deal and the cheapest night i'll ever spend in a five star hotel. Two words people, for anyone stuck in Chicago: Pink slip - like Gold. That thing gets you the CHEAP prices.
While i was waiting for the to-be-cancelled flights that i was on standby for i met three women from Cincinnati, Carol, Pat and Molly, who were in Chicago for work. All mothers they were sad about being stuck away from their kids. I helped them get a booking at the Crowne and then when all hell broke loose when everything was cancelled we made our way to get that bus.....
I was in the weird childlike daze after never having seen snow like this in my
Waco snow storm_3
Snow and Ice and more Snow. life and it was bucketing down (they got a foot of snow in that 24 hour period). I got over that when i realised i was freezing cold and very tired.Pickpocketings occurred in that crush. Not of me. But people weren't happy and the hotel bus driver was this mexican guy who kept apologizing about not being able to get anybody in any kind of order. He even asked me back at the hotel how to make people get in a line. I gave up trying to explain. I just got my own behind on that bus.
I had dinner in the hotel restaurant which was supringly not as exorbitant as you would have thought and given it was the only food available i was just happy to eat......expense aside.
I didn't sleep well even though i was in an incrediblly comortable bed. I was so wired - and scared i think of never waking up again because i was so tired i was happy to have gotten about 5 hours of sleep.
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