The following is my best recollection of the events of the past few days—definitely one of the craziest four-day stretches in my life so far. I’ll start with a little context—providing you with a brief introduction to what was going on to get us into the positions we found ourselves in over the course of the past few days:
Last week (16 Mar) Lance came out to Salt Lake to hang out with us during his spring break. It was a relatively uneventful week as I was busy watching/critiquing engineering presentations all week and had little extra/free time to participate in our usual brotherly shenanigans—namely video game playing through the night. The plan all along, since he opted to drive out here, was that I would drive back with him so that he could focus his energies on a quiz he would be taking Monday after spring break. Since my spring break started this week, the timing couldn’t have been better—I’d get a couple extra days to hang out with Lance and, maybe more importantly, I’d be getting some good food in Colorado before heading back to Utah on Tuesday or Wednesday. It was supposed to be a quick trip out to Colorado to help Lance out—it turned out to be much more complicated than that.
Late last week we learned that Jen’s grandfather, after complications following knee surgery, unexpectedly passed. In the wake of learning this news, Jen’s family scrambled back to New Jersey in order to make arrangements for the funeral. Jen was prepared to head out and we were under the impression that she would be gone for the latter part of the week. Because it was the weekend, no plans could be made until Monday morning. So, keeping that in mind, Lance and I left for Colorado.
We decided we would leave just after lunch on Sunday (21 Mar) in order to get into Ft. Collins before dark. A little over three hours into our drive—read, too far away to turn around—we learned from Jen that funeral arrangements had been made for Wednesday, slightly earlier than we had expected. Having checked flight loads for Tuesday, I was confident I would get back to Salt Lake a little after noon and Jen would head to Philadelphia via Denver a little before two—we’d meet up in the airport, swap car keys, and Jen would jump on her plane to Denver and then Philly (scheduled to get her into Pennsylvania at 1:00 am local time) and I would head to daycare to pick up Addison. With little else to worry about, Lance and I trucked on to our destination while Jen and Addison played happily together back home.
The remainder of this story will be in what I’m going to call semi-chronological order. That is, I have done my best to organize the events according to what time they happened but because of some of the crazy stuff that took place, a few events may end up slightly out of order as I piece together the past few days.
The real story begins Tuesday (22 Mar) morning in Highlands Ranch, CO. Lance and I had driven down from Ft. Collins the night before to hang out with my parents for the evening. Never one to miss an opportunity to hang out with her granddaughter, my mom jumped at the opportunity to join me on my flight back to Utah. Based on flight loads (wide open), we chose to try to catch the 11:15 flight from Denver to Salt Lake City which, as I mentioned previously, would get us into the SLC by about 12:30 and then Jen would catch the 1:45 flight (also wide open) to DEN. It is important to note that United flies the same plane between Denver and Salt Lake for these two legs, meaning my plane would get me in and the same plane would take Jen back. Cool, right? Jen would be able to meet me at my gate upon arrival—something few people have been able to do for the better part of a decade. Turns out, this is where the story gets interesting.
Since Dad had to work early Tuesday morning, Lance drove us to the airport on his way back to Ft. Collins so he could make it to class. We left at 9:30 and got to the airport at 10:15, exactly when we wanted to arrive. Lance dropped us off and continued on his way to the Fort (likely hoping to get a nap in before class). Mom and I quickly made our way through security and onto the trains to Concourse B. A quick train ride later and we were checking departure screens to find out where our flight would be departing from.
Upon arriving at our gate at 10:45, it quickly became apparent we would at least be delayed as the flight to Orlando, scheduled to leave at 10:15, was just beginning to board. Mom and I settled in some chairs a few rows away from all the boarding commotion. At this point, I thought about calling Jen to let her know we were at the airport and then, in an attempt to startle her, I thought I’d joke that our flight had been cancelled. Luckily she didn’t answer her phone and I was able to think that plan through more clearly—realizing it likely wouldn’t have been funny or productive. Not two minutes later the United gate agent comes over the PA announcing the Salt Lake City flight had been cancelled and all passengers should head to customer service to get rebooked. As soon as we heard this, Mom headed to the counter to check on the passenger statuses for the afternoon flights. While she checked on this I called my friend Megan to see if she’d be willing to help us out with Addison in case I couldn’t make it to Salt Lake by the time daycare closes. Megan, always being available to help out, was more than willing to do what was necessary. In order to further cover my bases—you know, just in case—I also called daycare to make sure they knew Megan might be picking up Addison if I couldn’t make it back to town. As I got off the phone with daycare, Mom came back to inform me that the fare-paying passengers were being put on stand-by for the following day; essentially giving us no chance to getting out on a flight that day. Since Jen was supposed to be on a flight to Denver and then Philly that afternoon, my non-arrival really wasn’t an option.
Alternate strategies regarding what to do next quickly raced through my mind. My brother, now 40+ minutes away, was the next person I called. “Can you come pick us up?” I pleaded. “The flight cancelled and we need to find another way to Salt Lake. I don’t know what the plan is but I think we need your car. I’ll call you back when I have a better idea.” Lance quickly turned around and headed back to DIA. Meanwhile, Mom and I headed to check on car rental prices thinking if it was cheap enough, we’d just rent a car and drive. Luckily the train ride from Concourse B to the main terminal is long enough that I had a chance to think through my options while still making progress toward “somewhere.” As the train arrived at the main concourse, we decided it would be best to take the bus from the airport to the training center (ridiculously abbreviated TK) where my dad was currently working. The plan: to hijack Dad’s car and hit the road. This was both a simple and cheap alternative as the Prius was closer than Lance and it would also save us money on gas.
As Mom and I waited for the bus to take us to TK, it dawned on me that Jen’s flight might also be in jeopardy of cancellation. If my flight doesn’t make it to Salt Lake, then it doesn’t turn around and come back. This created another imminent predicament. On the bus and on the way to Dad’s car, I pulled out the trusty iPhone to check on the status of Jen’s flight. Sure enough—cancelled! I quickly checked alternate routes to get Jen to Philadelphia. Los Angeles, San Francisco, and Chicago were all too full to try sending her. Out of options, I quickly booked Jen a flight on Southwest ($430) that would leave SLC at 3:55 and get her into Philly (again through Denver) at almost midnight.
With Jen set up and taken care of, the focus turned back to getting to Salt Lake before daycare closed at 6:00. Knowing the drive is at least seven hours from Denver, we were already running late. Luckily we had Megan at the ready and I got hold of her letting her know she was likely going to need to pick up Addison after all. As we got to TK, Dad handed over the keys to his car and we were on the road shortly thereafter. The sun had ducked behind a few clouds and the wind picked up. Knowing Colorado weather, I didn’t think much of it and headed north on I-25 toward I-80. The drive from Denver north to Ft. Collins was relatively uneventful. As we approached Loveland it started to sprinkle, but again nothing to really worry about. It wasn’t until we were just south of Ft. Collins that the trip took a turn. The overhead traffic sign alerted us to our first major hurdle on the road. The sign read: I-80 WESTBOUND CLOSED LARAMIE TO RAWLINS. “No effing way!” escaped my mouth, knowing full well that Mom, in the seat next to me, wouldn’t approve.
Another round of quick thinking and we were off the highway heading towards the Colorado State University campus to pick up Lance. If the roads were bad in Wyoming, we didn’t want to be in a Prius. We were going to switch cars with Lance and try again in the Explorer. While switching cars, we took the opportunity to check road conditions and see if we could find any information regarding an anticipated time I-80 might reopen. It looked like I-80 was going to be closed for the remainder of the evening so we checked alternate routes. The best looking option was to take CO-14 out of Ft. Collins to US-40 since the Colorado Department of Traffic site did not sure any weather or road conditions on that route. So we promptly headed out on that route. As we walk out the front door, we learn the rain has turned into snow. This doesn’t bode well for the trip.
As we left Ft. Collins, Dad was leaving work. Having no car, he was forced to find a new way home. He took a bus from TK (Quebec and I-70) to the light rail station, the light rail to Park Meadows mall, and then a bus from Park Meadows to about one mile from home—where he opted to stop for a much-deserved dinner at Chipotle. Dad’s impromptu trip on Colorado public transportation got him home two and a half hours after leaving work. Thanks for sacrificing for the good of the team, Dad.
Meanwhile, Jen is at Salt Lake International Airport (how an airport that small can have international status is still mind-blowing—pretty much like most everything else in this state). Waiting for her scheduled flight (3:55 pm), she is offered the opportunity to travel on an “earlier flight.” The flight was scheduled to leave at 2:00 but instead left at about 3:40. Regardless, she’s technically on an earlier flight, which, assuming things go according to plan, will allow her to stop and get a Heidi’s crab cake sandwich before the second leg of her trip.
At this point, Mom and I have been on CO-14 for about 45 minutes and the roads were covered in thick, wet snow. We slid through the center line and into the oncoming traffic lane three times (each time there were no cars coming the other way) while navigating the continually curving road. Three trips to the other side was enough for the both of us and, as much as we would have liked to make it to at least Craig to stay for the night, it was simply too far and much too dangerous to attempt. Foiled once again, we begrudgingly turned around and headed back to Ft. Collins for the night. Hopefully by morning, the snow would pass and we’d be able to travel on I-80. As we got back to Lance’s house in Ft. Collins, not 90 minutes after departing, the snow had accumulated quite a bit. Here’s a look:
Upon returning to the house in FoCo and getting settled in for the evening, I called Megan and let her know that we would not be making it back to Utah and she’d be in charge of Addison and Gryffin all night. Likely already prepared for that scenario based on all the previous changes in plan, she readily accepted and headed off to take care of Gryffin and pick up Addison from daycare a little before 6:00. The pick-up was relatively seamless with only a couple minutes of Addison screaming as Megan took her to the car. Once in the car, however, she was fine and ready for whatever Megan had to bring at her. When they got home, Addison engaged in a little pre-dinner Elmo (Sesame Street) before digging into some cheese, hot dog, applesauce and milk. After dinner, Megan, Addison, and Gryffin watched even more Elmo. Overall, a pretty uneventful evening as far as Addison was aware.
Jen’s flight, by this point should be on the ground in Denver and since I’ve yet to hear from her, I checked the flight status online to learn that her flight, originally scheduled to land at 4:45 was instead going to land at 5:30. Shortly after 5:30, Jen calls and explains how her flight was easily the most terrifying she’d ever been on. Not only did her plane get struck by lightning in flight, but they were forced to circle DIA for a half hour while they waited for the go ahead to land. While circling, their plane was continually tossed up and down by the intense turbulence surrounding the airport and neighboring air space. Happy to be on the ground finally, she doesn’t have long to enjoy her landfall as her flight to Pennsylvania is scheduled to leave at 6:15. Knowing her plane’s landing was delayed due to weather, her fingers were crossed that she’d get out quickly. Looking at the weather outside, things didn’t look too promising.
At this point, Jen is still unaware of any of our troubles getting out of Colorado. In her mind, by the time she called, Mom and I should have been to Rock Springs, if not further. We didn’t want to cause her any more unnecessary stress as she tried to get to New Jersey for a funeral so we figured we’d just try to get back to SLC before relaying our plight. So she hadn’t heard about I-80 being closed or that we tried CO-14 and got turned around there, too. In other words, she didn’t expect us to still be in Ft. Collins. She was so surprised (and likely distracted) that our conversation went a little like this:
Jen: Where are you guys at?
Me: Ft. Collins.
Jen: Okay.
After explaining what had happened to our attempts to get back home, and talking her off the ledge, Jen had to go to try to figure out what was happening with her next flight.
She also immediately called Megan to check in with her and make sure things were ok with her, Addison, and Gryffin. After much reassurance from Megan that things were just fine and that she had things under control, Jen was able to focus on getting on her plane to Philly.
after the lightning, but before it got really snowy
Knowing the weather was still pretty bad, she was surprised and delighted to learn that they were boarding the plane and they would be ready to push back from the gate at about 6:45. With her cell phone off in anticipation of their departure, Jen waited patiently for them to pull away from the gate and head toward the runway. Instead, after about thirty minutes, the passengers on her flight are informed that they will need to deplane and wait for further news regarding whether/when the flight would leave.
Almost ready to have a nervous breakdown, Jen sat in the waiting area fretting over getting to Pennsylvania to be with her family. After another half-hour wait, she was informed that the Denver to Philadelphia flight had been cancelled and she would need to contact customer service to get listed on another flight the following morning.
With her phone on the verge of dying, Jen was forced to find a spot on the floor next to an outlet so she could charge her phone while talking with Southwest customer service. After learning that the earliest she could get into Philadelphia is after 1:30 PM on Wednesday, Jen reluctantly opts to cut her losses and fly back to Salt Lake instead of try to get to Philly. The best Southwest can do is book her on the 4:45 PM flight back to Salt Lake and, if she wants to, she can try to get on any of the earlier flights as a stand-by passenger.
Back in Utah, Addison says “night-night” to Elmo and takes herself along with her blanket, bottle, and Elmo doll to bed all by herself. She climbs up the stairs, with all of her gear in her hands, and walks to her room waiting long enough for Megan to put her in her crib. After waving “bye-bye” to Megan, she promptly went to sleep. Again, for Addison the night was relatively normal.
Jen has spent the past twenty or thirty minutes on the phone with her parents trying to book a hotel room close to the airport. Because of all the weather cancellations, there were no available rooms anywhere near the airport. And even though there were a couple offers from very generous friends to come pick her up and let her crash at their place, the roads are much too treacherous (nearly 12" of snow in some areas) to ask them to risk their own safety to come get her. Completely defeated and exhausted, Jen finds herself uncontrollably sobbing in the airport sitting underneath the laptop center as she talks on her dying iPhone still plugged into the wall. Finally, after many kind words from her friends and family, Jen finds herself a suitable space on the floor in the upstairs area of Concourse C, and settles in for the night.
And so ends a crazy Tuesday for the Simmons’…but Wednesday is another day.
Wednesday morning starts with Jen waking up in at DIA slightly after 5:00 AM to learn the first Southwest flight from Denver to Salt Lake has been cancelled—the weather looks slightly better outside but still not great.
clearing snow the morning after
She tries to get a little more rest before getting up at 7:00 to get ready for her day. I also got up at 7:00 to check road conditions. Most of I-80 is still closed but it looks like things are going to start opening up soon enough. In an attempt to get a little more rest before hitting the road for a potentially long day, I crawled back into bed to catch another hour of sleep. As 8:00 rolls around, Addison wakes up and Megan goes in to get her ready for the day. Other than a little confusion that Megan is still there taking care of her, the morning moves relatively smoothly and Addison gets to daycare with little fanfare.
Finally, around 10:00 the roads are opened and Mom and I quickly grab breakfast before hitting the road again with a much more positive outlook on the day ahead. US-287, mostly clear of snow and with only a few patches of ice, is smooth sailing and we quickly find ourselves at I-80, finally. Thanks to a pocket of coverage, we learn that Jen got on an earlier flight to SLC that left a little after 10:00. Barring any more troubles, she’ll be back in Salt Lake by noon. Travel on I-80, meanwhile, was relatively slow going—mostly as a result of all the delayed truckers taking up both lanes as they insisted on passing each other as slow as possible.
A short while later Jen lands at Salt Lake International and heads out to get her car and get back to the house. At last, someone is back in the state with Addison. After learning Jen is back, I am much more relaxed and less intent on making it home as quickly as I originally intended—oh, the irony. Still on the highway and still navigating the trucks intent on using both lanes, I finally get a chance to pass the semi-trucks. I take my chance and pass a group of three trucks at between 75-80 mph. It is at this point that I pass a cop sitting in the median. I double-checked my speed and saw it was just over 75 so I wasn’t too worried, until he pulled out and hopped on the road with me. Apparently this stretch of I-80 is 60 mph—even though we only EVER saw signs saying the speed limit was 75. He flips on his lights and we slowly make our way to the shoulder.
As the state patrolman makes his way to my vehicle, I try to get my wallet and driver’s license out so I can provide it for him. I can’t find my wallet in my pockets, my hoodie, my backpack, or the shorts I had been wearing the previous day. I have no idea where my wallet is at this point. The patrolman then asks for registration documents. Since this is Lance’s car, we can only assume the documents are in the glove box but are uncertain that this is the case. Mom looks through the glove box and all we can find is registration papers that expired six days prior. Luckily, Mom thought to check the center console and to our delight, the papers were in there. The patrolman then asks for insurance documents and we go through the same process finally turning up the current documentation. Phew! At least we had registration and insurance paperwork. The officer then asks me to follow him back to his vehicle. Terrific. There’s really nothing I’d rather do than get into a patrol car in the middle of Wyoming. After getting into the car, the officer asks me to take my hands out of my pockets and keep them visible and to take off my sunglasses—both legitimate requests, I think.
Lucky for me, I think, I knew my driver’s license number—something I don’t think most people would be able to provide. So I give him my name, address, phone number, and license number and he sends the information in to dispatch to see if I am who I claim I am. While we wait for dispatch to get back to us, he asks where I’m going and why I’m heading to Salt Lake. I relay to him a good chunk of the story you’ve been reading and he seems thoroughly unimpressed, which is really amazing considering everything that had happened in the previous 24 hours. After finding out that my record is clean, the officer books me for traveling at 77 mph in a 60 mph zone. He also points out that “my” right taillight is out but thankfully doesn’t ticket me for that. Before allowing me to return to my vehicle, he informs me that I-80 is closed at Rawlins and has been for a couple of hours. Great.
After bringing my $138 ticket back to the car, we’re back on the road and traffic is moving along quite well until we get to Rawlins where, as the cop explained, I-80 was closed. We took the opportunity to fill up on gas, clean the windows, and take a quick walk to get rid of any kinks from driving for so long. Surprisingly we are only stopped in Rawlins for about 15-20 minutes and are quickly back on the road.
As we approach the Utah border a couple hours later, Jen calls to check in on our estimated arrival time. Things are going smoothly and we explain we’re about 90 minutes away and we’ll start thinking about what to do for dinner. Not five minutes later, I-80 Westbound completely stops—both lanes. It takes us about 45 minutes to travel the three miles between where we are stopped and where traffic starts moving again. Once traffic breaks, we travel the remaining 100 miles without incident arriving in Salt Lake City at 6:30 pm.
We arrived home in Salt Lake 33 hours after leaving the house in Highlands Ranch. Jen got back to the house a little over 24 hours after leaving and had to sleep in an airport. Addison’s life went on pretty much as normal and I’m not really sure she has any idea that any of this happened—although she was quite excited to see Jen and then me upon our return. Considering everything that went wrong and as horrible as it all seemed at the time, no one was hurt, everyone was safe and taken care of, and we're all at home safe and sound. As sucky as it felt at the time, we can only be thankful that everything worked out and we're all now getting back to life as normal.
Combined stats for Kyle and Jen over these two days: 10 tweets, 77 text messages and 89 phone calls.
1 comment:
Whooooooooa. That's one crazy novel, I mean story! :) Glad everyone made it back to UT okay.
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