The story of how it took me 12 hours to get to Monument Colorado.

 This story takes place on June 5^th, 2015 – June 6^th, 2015.

I had planned a trip to Colorado. And since driving would take too long (although it would be my preference) I needed to fly in order to make this a weekend trip.

My plane was scheduled for 5:48pm on Friday via United airlines. I usually like united if for no other reason than I can pick my seat ahead of time. Plus their big hubs are SFO and DEN. And while I was flying to Colorado Springs (I like their airport because it’s so small, and in theory closer to my destination anyhow.) I knew I would have to make a stop off in Denver.

So, I get to the airport via M, who drives me right after work. I go through security, everything is fine. The plane arrives that we are supposed to board, but it had landed a bit early because they had a medical emergency on board. Someone was brought out and put onto a stretcher and taken away.

I should have known that this was a small warning of the night to come.

I get on the plane which leaves around 5:48pm. The flight is mostly fine, although I find out that the girl next to me has a cold (and by the way had been flying from Ireland and had been on a plane for many many hours), and I also realize I now get nauseous on planes… awesome. Plus now snacks on not supplied on flights you must pay for them (WHAT?! I no longer get peanuts?!) Whatever, it’s fine.

We start to approach Denver which has some bad weather. So bad in fact that they redirect us. We have a lot of turbulence (Not awesome). They put us in a holding pattern while they wait for the storm to clear. We wait for an hour. Then they say they have closed the Denver airport and nobody can come in. So we are re-directed to Cheyenne. As in Wyoming. As in, over 100 miles away from our destination.

I was not thrilled, but hey, I don’t want to be unsafe right? I mean the storm isn’t their fault. I would just prefer for this to not be my last flight ever (which I am also informing God.).

So we wait in Cheyenne and refuel. The pilot says we will be here about 20 mins while we wait for the storm to pass. Then we wait some more.

We have been in Cheyenne for 40 mins or so now. On the runway. As we wait, the pilot comes on and says “The FDA says we can’t fly legally. We are too heavy.” Other than putting fuel on our plane how can this be? None of us have left the plane and come back on again (although that would have been nice). He says he will let us know in 10 mins what’s happening.

20 mins later he says we still can’t fly and they are frustrated, they say certain things are not working (Lights? Numbers? Clearly important things because planes should have all things working??? I have seen plane disasters people! I’ve watched ALIVE!) and so - they are using their cell phones to gauge what they need on the plane. WHAT?! My life right now is being left up to some IPHONE?! Why aren’t all the dials working on the plane?

They say they will get back to us in 20 mins.

40 mins later (Clearly this man needed a new watch OR SMART PHONE, because every time he said, was double what he actually meant.) he tells the stewards and stewardess to get ready for take-off. Does he tell us? No, just them. They get ready and we wait a little bit more on the runway.

Finally we take off to arrive in Denver (Now keep in mind, this is NOT my final destination. I am supposed to catch a connecting flight to Colorado Springs after this.) and land 3 hours late.

We get off the plane and it’s midnight now. I ask where the customer service line is since I need to figure out what will happen with my connecting flight. If it’s left and what to do next. Well. After waiting in that line for almost an hour (yep) I finally get to the front.

Yes, the Colorado Springs plane has left. The next available plane is at 10am Saturday morning. The wedding I was flying in to attend was at 11am. Let alone the fact that Denver is only about an hour away from the springs. Give or take half an hour. Can I get a refund for my flight? (the new plan was just to drive to the springs. I mean, I saw no point in sleeping in an airport.) yes but you have to do it online. Ok, whatever, that can be dealt with later.

Now for the new problem. I had a rental car reservation for the springs not Denver. I now needed a car to drive from Denver and drop off in the Springs. Rental car companies don’t love that. (which is dumb since they move cars back and forth all the time… but I digress)

I call Hertz, they say I don’t have a reservation with them. After waiting on the phone for forever to find this out. I call my number on my chase card reservation line which no one answers. I go to get on a little shuttle to get to the rental car area. It’s now about 1:30 / 2am. I get one the one for HERTZ. They make a stop and I realize my car isn’t for Hertz, it’s for budget. I feel stupid, and get off the shuttle and get on the Budget shuttle. It’s now about 2:30am.

I get in the long line at Budget. The long line which only has 1 guy working at the counter who is working slow. And why not? He works the crappy shift at the airport Budget rent a car at 2am. I’m sure normally being fast does not matter.

As I wait in line I call Budget (which was an ordeal on it's own) only to have them inform me that because I used chase to book the trip, I have to call them. They give me a new number. I call them. Eventually someone answers and I explain my situation. My phone now is down to one bar. Thankfully not making unhappy noises, but still I’m getting nervous. I say I need a car to go from Denver to the Springs now. He says he will talk to budget. He puts me on hold and I get nervous he won’t return. But he does.

“So they say they can do that, but it will cost three five six.” “What?” I say. Keep in mind, my pervious reservation cost $61, and was only for 2 days. Which now is becoming less and less time as I wait in this line. “356.” “Three hundred and fifty six dollars?” I think he thought if he said three five six I might not go into shock, but he was wrong. My brain starts to mush and my emotions begin to run a little hot. I realize I could call a cab, have them drive me there and get my car for cheaper than this new price.

I don’t yell but respond -“Three hundred and fifty six dollars?” “It seemed a little high to me too” “I’m sorry I’m just in shock I hardly know what to do…..” “that’s alright mam.” “Let’s cancel the old reservation, and not take this new one, and I will just see what I can arrange with the guy here. Thanks for all your help” (I will humble brag and say, I was nice to everyone I dealt with. Many others were not.)

Now, I have been on the phone quite a bit by this point, and the people in line have gotten interested in my story. Because honestly some of them are going through the same thing. Not exactly, but still. So they ask if things are working out and I tell them my plight while enjoying the live action charlotte’s web on TV.

Eventually (At about 3:40am?) I get to the front desk.

“Hi, how are you.” “Ok. How are you.” “Fine” “What’s your reservation number?” “Funny you ask. I used to have one, but….” I then proceed to try to tell the man what has happened. My flight was delayed, I missed my connecting flight, I now need a car here instead of the Springs, and need to drop it off in the Springs… “Basically I got hosed.” To which he laughs. You see the man at the ticket counter has had a bad night too. People have yelled at him, and it’s late for him too.

He then works on trying to get me a good deal. I hope beyond hope it’s less than $100. But at this point I am somewhat at his mercy. He stands for quite some time figuring things out. Putting in codes but not having some of them work. He then tells me “we only have Trucks and SUV’s” “that’s fine” I say. “Our SUV’s are pretty big” “A truck is fine.” Me thinking that means like a Toyota Tacoma. A little truck no big deal.

He figures it out and tells me it will cost $71 (awesome. Only $10 more!) and the keys are in the truck. Off I go to find said truck.

4am. As I walk down the aisle I notice these trucks are not small in size. I get to my truck and can’t help but start laughing. Here is a MONSTER of a vehicle. A Black Dodge Silverado which could easily eat 2 Toyota Tacoma’s. It even has 2 cabs. I could sleep back there if I wanted to. I could film a music video back there.

I take a while to find the keys because well… it’s 4am now. Eventually I find them on the Dashboard (I know I know.) and find that I can in fact plug in my USB IPod. Whoo hoo! I was too scared to start it though on the first part of my journey, while I am trying to figure out how to get to I25. Not recalling what it was called.

I ask the little man working at the rental booth to let me out. “Country girl huh?” I must have looked small in that truck. “Nope, the opposite actually. Do I look like I don’t belong in this thing?” I was scared to drive it I will admit, but I thought “hey, it’s just a truck! We are going on an adventure!” he tells me how to get to I70 which should connect to I25.

I go down the road and what happens? I end up going to an old area that I lived in in Aurora… Yep. It was a strange sensation of knowing both where I was, and being lost at the same time. Have I mentioned it’s now about 4:30am?

I stop at a 7-11 for better directions. AH HA! I have missed the exit because for some reason I didn’t think of I70 as looking like a freeway.

Ok, now we are cooking. We are on the right road and heading for our destination. It’s now about 5am and the sun is starting to rise. I now know I won’t be going to bed since I won’t be getting to my destination until about 6am and what’s the point in sleeping then? I still need to shower, have breakfast and drive for another hour to get to the wedding. Plus, I want to get there early.

I now get to Monument and the dirt roads I shall be traveling to get to my destination. A place I have not been before (because the last time I visited them they were in a different house), but luckily by now it’s light outside.

I arrive at my destination at 5:50am. 5 hours later than expected (with travel time from airport to destination) and 12 hours from my plane leaving SFO.

It was nuts to say the least. And it does not make me like airplane travel more. In fact, I like it a lot less. I think next time I might drive, because… reasons….