Interesting Day--Unintended Road Trip

Interesting day, today.

My bastard of a car got me safely to the airport this morning, without even a hint of the odor of burnt rubber. Maybe yesterday's overwhelming odor did not come from the bastard, after all?

Because I misjudged how long the TSA gestapo-in-training lines would be, I arrived at the gate with only moments to spare. I got comfortably seated on the plane, had an uneventful flight to Austin, and caught a cab to my meeting, paying only $30 for the ride, not the $50 I had feared. Three hours after the meeting began, it was over. A fellow board member was good enough to give me a ride to the airport in her rented Toyota Highlander.

My flight was set to leave at 3:15 pm, so I tried to get an earlier one, beginning with the 1:00 pm flight. I was advised to go standby at the gate, which I did. I did not make the 1:00 pm flight. I tried for the 2:40 flight.

Periodically the gate staff informed us of flight delays on the 2:40 flight and the 3:15 flight, caused by weather in the Dallas area. By 4:30, they called all passengers who had flight connections in Dallas to the podium where they said they would attempt to get them re-routed on other flights. At about 5:00 pm, they announced that the 2:40 and the 3:15 flights were cancelled. They advised that all remaining passengers would be put on a "priority standby" list for the two remaining flights to Dallas.

I announced to a group of people near me that I doubted we'd get out today, thanks to the ongoing Dallas weather, and suggested we could rent a car and get there faster. After some conversation, two other guys latched onto the idea and said they wanted to drive. And so we agreed that the three of us would rent a vehicle and drive to Dallas. We introduced ourselves to one another, went to the main ticket counters to have our return tickets refunded, and went looking for rental cars. After being rebuffed by several rental car agencies, Avis finally came through with a mini-van that could be rented one-way to Dallas. One of the other guys offered to rent the van; he also drove it all the way to Dallas. By the time we got half way, around Waco, the full force of the storms that had delayed and then cancelled our flights hit us. Torrential rain, water rushing across the roadway, and blinding flashes of lightening followed by the explosive percussive booms of thunder accompanied us for most of the rest of the trip to Dallas.

When we finally arrived at Love Field, the other non-driver insisted on paying for the full rental. I tried to give him money, I even insisted he take some, but he refused. He said he was simply grateful to have had our company on the trip. So, I thanked both of them and we all went our separate ways. I got a ride to my car, which was parked off-site in a parking facility nearby, jumped in, and drove home on the waterlogged, slick, light-absorbing streets. And here I am. Just 18 hours since I woke up this morning, I am ready to go to bed again.