Monday, September 10, 2012

Trains, Planes, and Taxi Drivers

Once we were finished with the walk, we headed for the airport.  We had all booked red-eye flights, not knowing when Closing Ceremonies would be finished.  As it turned out, we were done by 6pm - plenty of time to catch our flights!

A few of us decided a taxi would be our best option - while riding BART would be cheaper, the thought of lugging our 40-pound bag on our 60-mile feet was not a happy thought.  So, four of us hailed a cab while the more hardy of our group headed for the bus station.

Our driver, Jamal, was a hoot.  KB sat in the front (he drove a Prius - 3 of our bags were crammed in the back, while the 4th bag was stored across the laps of Molly, Sharon, and me in the back seat).  KB kept Jamal entertained with stories and questions - a real comedy show that fortunately was taped by Sharon.  We quickly arrived at the airport and were soon joined by KP and Jo.  We dropped Sharon off at Delta and the rest of us headed for the American kiosks to check in.

KP checked in with no problem and headed for the gate.  The remaining four us seemed to have trouble with checking in, so we got in line to speak with a live person.  Molly and I tried the kiosk again, realizing that we had put in the wrong confirmation number.  We got our boarding passes and sat over to the side to wait for Jo and KB.  Which was a good, since things were about to get interesting.

As it turned out, when Jo and KB made their reservations, they made a simple mistake.  Although it seemed we were leaving on Sunday, we were actually leaving after midnight - on MONDAY.  In other words, their flight was over - it had left after midnight TODAY!  Well, you can imagine the chaos.  KB called me, as Jo's agent was no help, and KB was trying to broker a deal with her agent.

We pulled Jo over to our chairs, got on the internet and got Jo a seat on Sharon's Delta flight (our flight was full).  KB's maneuvering got her on a flight - that was about to leave in 15 minutes.  She called to us as she padded past saying, "I've got to go - flight leaves in 15 minutes!!"  We sent Jo to Delta to find Sharon and Molly and I went through security to find our gate.  KP met us there and sat with us while we had a burger.

The good news is that everyone made it home.  KB got home around 5am; KP, Molly, and I got home around 8:30am, and Sharon and Jo arrived about 30 minutes later.  We were all a bit sleep-deprived but happy to be home to sleep in a real bed and flush a real toilet.

Now to wash clothes and pack - did I mention I'm headed to NYC tomorrow?!
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The Good Stuff From Today:  plane problems solved; safe, smooth flights; home again; seeing Lindley and Everley

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