In Monday’s post, I made the comment:
“If Delta and WordPress are both on time, I will have been asleep for about 4-5 hours by the time this post is published after returning home at dark o’clock on Monday.”
I’m toast
What I didn’t mention, because I don’t usually reveal travel plans in advance, was that I had to drive to Boston on Monday, so that whole being-on-time thing was important.
Well, WordPress was on time.
Delta? Delta had some issues.
At about 2:30 pm, Delta notified me that my 6:00 pm flight from Des Moines (DSM) that was to connect me to my 8:00 pm flight from Minneapolis-St. Paul (MSP) to Hartford (BDL), wasn’t going to leave DSM until 7:34 pm.
It’s a short hop, but not that short.
Delta is amazing when things go wrong, but this time, mainly due to the late hour at which I was scheduled to head home, there weren’t many options. The alternate flights they were suggesting, were either too complicated (multiple connections), too soon (I couldn’t get to DSM in time), or were going to require too many hours of travel and put me home much later. As I was muttering about the options, my brother said:
“I can get you to Minneapolis for that 8:00 flight.”
Seriously?
It was almost 3:00 pm. We still had to stop to see my mom – couldn’t leave Iowa without giving her a hug – and she lives 15 minutes in the opposite direction of MSP, and getting there for an 8:00 flight means 6:30-ish. We stepped into high gear. My niece packed up my mom’s dinner. I packed up my electronic gizmos, my brother looked for some good driving music – hey, some things are important – and we were off.
A Delta representative called me as we were pulling into my mom’s apartment building’s parking lot. The representative worked the issue offline while I said goodbye to my mom (universal understanding of that requirement) and by the time I was back in my brother’s car, she confirmed the fact that our plan was our best option.
Iowa-Brother-Airlines was cleared for take-off. Flying Driving Flying-low time to MSP, just under three hours.
Note: if you ever find yourself in the situation where you are going to miss the first leg of a multi-city flight, you NEED to speak with a representative. Mine kept me on the line for about 20 minutes while she worked to make sure that my seat on the flight from MSP-to-BDL wasn’t going to be put back on the open market after I didn’t board the DSM-to-MSP flight.
For the second time in two weeks, I was at Gate-D3 in MSP, waiting for an 8:00 flight to Hartford.
My brother stopped for dinner on his drive home. Ironically, he texted me that he arrived home, a few seconds after we touched down at BDL.
Sometimes, people step up when most needed – Thanks Bro!
This post is part of Linda G. Hill’s fun and challenging weekly series One-Liner Wednesday. Challenging because I can’t seem to stick to one line. The gallery includes some of the pictures I took as we drove through the rain to MSP. I managed to get some interesting doors-at-a-distance shots, but I’ll save them for a few weeks.
I really liked the #10 and #9 photos, Dan! Your barns, silos and fields were amazing. The Owantonna Airport shot made me look three times. Happy mid-week to you and yours. :)
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Thanks Robin. I couldn’t stop taking pictures. I never see farms this large, and I realize I was only seeing a small portion of the farm. I’m wondering if the airport was a former Air Guard base.
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(1) Your brother is the BEST! Not only did he drive you 3 hours to catch your connecting flight, but he did so in the rain?! You have a winner there!
(2) A crane AND wind turbines … nice :)
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He is the BEST Joanne. No hesitation whatsoever. Problem realized, problem solved! And yes, in the rain. He’s the one who spotted the crane. But, he added “I’m not slowing down…”
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LOL!! Of course he wouldn’t slow down … he’s still a sibling, after all ;)
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:)
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Can I reiterate what Joanne said in (1). Your brother has a good heart and soul. Your mom raised two fine young men. In regard to the photos, they all made me smile or laugh to some degree. You get 20 points added to your license for not being in the black SUV, 50 points for *ahem* not speeding *ahem* while passing the sloooow car, and 500 points for the Star Trek barn. Congrats, Dan.
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Thanks Mary – He really is the best. We were very happy to see that black SUV on the ramp. “Take your time, officer, no need to rush through with that bad hombre.” I’m glad you liked that barn :)
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Outstanding entrance to the Owantonna Airport!!
Some people really do step up when you need them the most, don’t they?!
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I mentioned earlier, I want to check to see if that airport was a former Guard Base. In any case, I love the entrance. We only had a few minutes to decide what to do, and there was no question as to his willingness.
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The regulatory overkill has been going on for years. California is now regulating itself to death and has the 2nd highest unemployment t rate in the country (12% last I checked) and is as high as 30-40% in some areas. Despite a desperate need of tax revenues to pay off overgenerous pension benefits, they still don’t get it. If one of the financially worst-off states in the country do#1s&e82n7;t get it, what chance do we have with the Feds who can just print money to pay off their debts. Apparently, some people DO need a ton of bricks to fall on them.
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Thanks
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Nothing about traveling today is simple, but you certainly had a strong Plan B. :-)
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Travel is getting more and more unpredictable, Judy. I didn’t even realize that I had a Plan-B this time. I felt bad that he and I arrived home at the same time. This travel mini-marathon ends today, as I head back to Hartford for a while.
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Cool post and pics – looking at them as an outsider – the stand out to me and my perception of what Mid-West is all about..! I have not made it past Ohio in my visits to the US, and I love endless fields and road trips :-)
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Thanks. The farms out there are so big, they do seem to just go on and on.
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Although I’v been to the West, North East and deep South…:-) I think my next visit will be towards that area!
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They do call the mid-west “fly over country” :)
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Totally agree about your brother being the BEST! Whew! That is some kind of driving! And photos, too!
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Thanks Lois. I’m hoping he gets to read some of the comments. He doesn’t mind driving, but it was raining, and he had to drive back alone. And, he’s been looking at mid-west farms for almost 50 years, so I don’t think the scenery was helping to keep him awake.
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Good teamwork, all! Glad it all worked out, Dan.
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Thanks Paul. I’m finally home for a while. I just got back from Boston.
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That’s what brothers are for… It is what we do for each other.
You passed through my home turf. We live about ten miles east of I-35 just north of I-90. I recognize the casino and the jets at the Owatonna airport. Too bad you didn’t come through yesterday, spring arrived with sunshine and temps in the mid-50’s.
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Now I understand the ‘almost’ in your blog’s name. If I get back that way, I’ll let you know. That will make having a beer even easier :)
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Good on your brother! Very nice!
Your pictures look a lot like ‘home’ to me, especially the one evocative to you of ‘farm’. It’s flatter there, but the buildings are the same.
The picture you don’t know what’s goin on is emptying out the silo. That arm extends and it moves the grain from one silo or hopper to another — or in this case, into a really big pile, for distribution. I know these things because I am curious and ask the same questions when I’m out in the world, and between my dad (77) and The Mister’s grandad (87) I usually get the answers on farming. :)
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Thank you for the answers! It was a fun ride. I would have preferred clear skies and sun, but he drove through the rain pretty well.
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And then there was the music :)
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I’m assuming that was a drive up I-35? Been on that route many times over the years!! Great reminder that your ticket is negated by missing the first leg of a flight that has connections…great ending that Delta worked with you!!
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You got it Kirt. Straight up I-35. The Delta agent was very good. She kept me on the line while she got a supervisor to keep that second leg open. I never would have thought of that. Nobody likes delays, but when it works out well, you breath a big sigh of relief.
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Exactly!!! Glad you are home and all worked out well!!
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Love those offers to help. What a brother.
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Very nice of him, John. Basically saying – “I can spend the next 6 1/2 hours in my car.”
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I know right? My brother would saw aw gee and drive me to a motel.
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I have two brothers and both of them would step up to the plate if needed. I’m glad Delta worked well for you. They are still of my s*#@ list for cancelling our seats out of Montreal, even though we got to the gate in time.
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Yay for brothers!
I can understand being upset. I enforced a 12-month ban on Southwest after they messed with me. It was actually 14 months after the incident before I booked another flight with them. Delta gets a few bonus points for me, because they got me home the day Southwest left me to rot in Salt Lake City.
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^5! To your brother for having your 6!
Delta sounds like they get some bonus points for taking care of your flights and getting you onboard another flight(s).
The images. SILOS!!! I love them, and the lone tree in the field. I wish we had more of those.
That rustic barn would be a neat place to explore and photograph.
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I wish I had time to stop and explore, even from the side of the road. I love the silos. I’ve never been up this highway before. Much more to look at than west to Omaha. Thanks for the comments on the photos.
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Looks a lot like Nebraska, Dan. Glad you had a chance to take some pictures on your journey.
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Iowa, Nebraska, Kansas, Minnesota…you guys all do kinda look alike :) But, coming from the east, where towns are stacked on top of towns, it’s amazing to see wide open spaces.
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Good to know that Delta takes care of its customers. I’ll bear that in mind, if I ever need to fly and have a choice of airlines. Wish *I* had a bro. ~sniff, sniffle Big eyes on black velvet~
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Aw…sorry. I fly other airlines, but when things go to heck in a hand-basket, Delta seems to have a leg up on the others. Maybe they have more problems and had more practice, but twice now, Delta has been there to get me home after Southwest dropped the ball and twice that I’ve had problems on Delta, they have been no big deal.
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Dan, that water tower/casino sign combo was fun viewing. You don’t see that everyday in PA either. We indeed have both…but have managed to somehow keep them separate.
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You have plenty of farmland there too, but it has hills. The endless fields are amazing to me.
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Great images. What is the maximum number of places you’ve visited in one single trip? During my college days I went for a 3-day trip to Konkan which is just 500 kms south of Mumbai. I visited 25 places in those 3 days. You remember that old photo of mine outside the Pepsi factory that Pepsi factory was one of the stops.
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I’ll have to think about that and get back to you. I think it’s the trip my daughter and I made to Pittsburgh in 2012 but I need to count.
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Thank goodness for brothers! Good call making sure your second leg of the trip didn’t get cut off because the first one went kaput. Glad you made it! :)
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Thanks Linda. I was lucky he had enough time and was willing to make that trip.
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That is fantastic that you were able to take the low flying airlines. Only a true friend would drive 6 hours for you, but I guess it’s in the blood. I also take pictures from. The car, how else would you remember what you’ve seen? I liked the comments as much as the pictures.
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Thanks. It’s a good thing my connection wasn’t through Atlanta. I wouldn’t put it past him to drive me there :) I wish we had had enough time to pull over once or twice, but…
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