Travel Day

We say goodbye to Costa Rica.

Everyone looks happy because we're thinking about sleeping in our own beds.

The day turned out to be long and taxing. I got us off on the wrong foot; two roads on the map led to the airport, and the one I chose took us on a winding trek through the mountains. At one point we were driving along the ridge at the very top of a mountain, with steep valleys dropping away from us on both sides of the road. Ridiculous.

Our flight out was delayed, and we were subjected to an additional security check at the gate (where they confiscated everyone's beverages that they purchased after the first security check - Melissa suspects a Spirit Airlines conspiracy to make you buy drinks on the plane). We also were bused across the jetway to our jet, with Sam humming the Indiana Jones theme song as we climbed the portable stairs. 

The Ft. Lauderdale airport, despite being a complete dump, was very efficient in moving us through customs and getting us and our baggage back through security. Amazingly, we would have made our connection even if it hadn't been delayed, which of course it was.

Thousands of people were packed into terminal 3, and some of them had been there more than 24 hours. They would move in waves as departure gates were switched, groans would rise up as flight cancellations were posted, and applause would break out as boardings were announced. We were convinced we were spending the night in the airport, but our plane finally arrived and we began to board around midnight. Many, many people were still there when we left, mostly travelers to the East Coast.

It was 95 degrees when we left this morning, we returned to this:

O'Hare is strangely beautiful in the snow, particularly when you thought you might never see it again.

Our limo driver deserved combat pay for navigating through a blizzard. Arrived at Fred and Nancy's to find the battery dead in my van. Argh. Fred drove us home. 

Laid down in bed at 4am. End of the trip for us; everyone else had to be up at 6:30 to take Sheridan to Midway airport for her return to Kansas. She still had a three-hour flight and a three-and-a-half drive before she was home. We heard this afternoon that she arrived safely.

I have decided that adventure traveling is for the young.