A Travel "Comedy of Errors"

If you have had a bad day you might want to read this and maybe feel better. I am traveling from Denver to Baltimore today – maybe, kind of sorta. Here is my woeful tale:

       A snowstorm was heading to town yesterday so I decided to stay at a hotel near the Denver airport last night. Great idea, thanks to my awesome wife. We drove Carly out to the airport in the afternoon for her flight to California and Susy dropped me at the hotel. Problem was that I had forgotten my jacket at home (30+ minutes away) and it was snowing now. We drove home and I cancelled the hotel reservation, opting to just sleep at home and get up early in the morning and head to the airport then.

       This morning I woke at 5am and planned to take the public bus from Lakewood to the airport. The bus left at 6:07am. I arrived at 6:10am, missing that bus. I waited for the next bus, the 6:37am, which picked up 20 minutes late due to snow.

       The bus CRAWLED its way along into the center of Denver, ever so slowly. Suddenly I felt violently ill, as if I would puke and crap all over the place at once! I asked the bus driver to let me off at the Greyhound bus station and I would take the next bus. I rushed into the public bathroom, filled with homeless guys, and did my business. A homeless guy says to me as fluids are coming out of my body, "I know how you feel!" Classic!

       I called United Airlines and told them I would not make my 9am flight and they said it was no problem and there is a 10am flight. I changed my flight with no issue.

       Then I waited at Greyhound for the next bus. It was supposed to come in 30 minutes. Not quite! 75 minutes later it arrived, at 8:25am. I have a flight at 10:00am, normal travel time from Greyhound to the airport is 45 minutes. Still enough time.

       Until we drove on snowy Interstate 70 the 10 miles east of the city to get to the airport - at 10 miles per hour.

       I arrived at the airport at 9:45am for a 10:07am flight. My seat had been given away. I needed to get on the next flight.

       That is at 11:53am. But It’s sold out... and goes via Chicago. I'm on standby for that.

       There is a 4:20pm flight. But it’s sold out too.

       There is a 7:53pm flight that has seats! YEA! It arrives in Balitmore at 12:45am, like almost the middle of the night.

       Now I am waiting at Denver Airport to see if I get on the flight to Chicago ... sitting very close to the men’s room so that I can dart in there at a moment’s notice. There are no homeless people in this bathroom though.

       Sure wish I had remembered my jacket yesterday.