Our Story #5: A Long Road Trip

{part 5 in a 7-part series about my journey of love, with Al by my side}

After a great spring and summer together we were greeted with news of his upcoming deployment. We had expected this, but we all know there is no news like an actual date to damper ones mood. He decided instead of paying to put all of his stuff in storage on post and pay to ensure his car while he was gone, he would drive it home to Minnesota and store it all here.

Our plan was for me to fly down to El Paso in late October and join him for the road trip so we could share the driving task and get back sooner. The whole trip, from beginning to end, was a complete disaster. (Worse then all the other "mishaps" we've encountered. In fact, this was a real "test" of our relationship and happily, we passed.)

I was supposed to fly down the afternoon before leaving and we planned on meeting friends for dinner, going to bed early and taking off at zero-dark-thirty to get on the road.

As it turned out, my flight didn't even get into El Paso until 2 AM.

You might not know, but there are NO direct flights from Minneapolis to El Paso. They don't exist. So I usually end up flying from Minneapolis to Dallas or Houston and then on to El Paso.

This time, I had two layovers - one in Chicago and then in Houston.

I got to Chicago without a hitch. It was then I was informed that our flight was delayed because there was no one to fly it. Excuse me?! Don't you plan these things in advance. It was only suppose to be about an hour and wouldn't affect our connecting flights. So I nestled in with a book and waited.

And waited...

And waited...

An hour passed and then another announcement was made - the flight would still be delayed. If we missed connectors they'd deal with that when we got to the next stop.

They started offering vouchers for flights and asking people to switch to later flights and flights the following day. I couldn't do that. I wouldn't do that.

So I waited.

(In case you're wondering if this was simply a pre-cursor training for the upcoming deployment - I also noticed the irony. Surprisingly, I handled the deployment waiting game MUCH better then the airport one.)

They moved us to a new gate. And then another. 3 hours later there was no new information and we would all DEFINITELY miss our connections. They told us it would be another TWO hours before a crew was prepared and on site. I grabbed a drink at the bar (because I just HAD to at this point) and met a nice guy there.

The guy happened to work on Ft. Bliss. He had been in the Army for 20 years, retired and was now a civilian contractor who dealt with the mechanic units on Bliss. He actually worked a lot with Al's unit. So, we bonded over beers and I had a waiting buddy.

When they told us it was going to be another hour, I decided to talk to someone. I know there is nothing they can do, and often times, they're just as frustrated as we are...but I needed to do something. I walked up to the podium and asked her if she knew anything more. I told her that I had to get to Texas tonight and that I really, really needed her help in doing so.

She, of course, told me she was doing everything she could.

She offered to re-fund my luggage fee.

(Don't even get me started on luggage fees...)

I was carry-on only.

She offered me a pack of pretzels.

Umm, aren't those free anyway? Do you have any other food vouchers?

No, she indicated.

She assured me it wouldn't be too much longer and we'd be on our way.

So much for quality customer service.

It ended up being SIX hours.

My new buddy and I boarded the plane and chatted from Chi-town to Houston and then to El Paso. I slept a little, but was so stressed and nervous about the whole delay experience. I worried that Al was frustrated. I knew our whole schedule was already WAY off.

Mostly, though, I just wanted to see him. Now.

And at 2AM, I de-boarded and found Al. I was spent. He was equally exhausted by the whole thing. He had tried to sleep with the idea that we would just get on the road right away. Of course, he wasn't able to catch very many ZzZz's. But, we headed back to post and packed up the cooler and our clothes and took off.

We knew we were tired, but we wanted to get as far as we could before we stopped.

(We hadn't planned to stop at all. In fact, we planned on switching off driving and just driving straight through to Minnesota. Our low energy and bummed attitude simply didn't make that possible. It was actually safer this way, because it's really, really draining to START a road trip as the sun is coming up.)

We made it about 5 hours before we pulled over for a rest at THIS classy motel.

Who cares?! We just really, really needed to sleep.

After napping for a few hours, we grabbed a quick bite and got going again. This time, with a better attitude and even some smiles.

The sunglasses are actually saving ya'll from seeing the bags under my eyes. Al, of course, always looks good.

Cotton gin - They're everywhere in Texas.

Another thing that's everywhere - Texas pride. Even on the underpasses.

This is where happy Texans live.

We realized after driving for a few hours that Al's car was acting up. It was steering funny and it only got worse with acceleration. Somewhere in northern Texas we switched so Al could make a sandwich and catch some shut-eye. I got less then a mile down the road and freaked out about the car.

I consider myself a good driver. I'm especially a good city driver.

But I'm not good with cars. I have no natural inclination for them. So when something is wrong, I've got nothing. I couldn't do it. Which left Al doing all the driving for the next 20+ hours. Poor guy. For those of you who don't know, Texas is a big-ass state and takes FOREVER to get through.

We celebrated Halloween in a drive-thru in Tulsa, Oklahoma (birthplace of Garth Brooks, for those interested parties.)
Happy Halloween!

At some point, we stopped at a truck stop to find a shower - but it was disgusting and I refused to use it. We did a European bird bath (use a towel and soap and wipe the important parts) instead. Then it was night, Al was just busted tired and needed a stop.

Somewhere along I-35, we pulled into yet another truck stop. (Which I am now very familiar with and no longer scared that they're all creepy, murdered stations like in the movie Joy Ride. Haven't seen it? Google it. Paul Walker. 'Nuff said.)

I think we curled up with the seats back for approximately 45 minutes of sleep. It just wasn't possible to get more then that. It was November and we were getting farther north. And sleeping in a car just sucks.

We got back on 35 north determined to make it home that day. In Missouri, about 7 miles from the Iowa border, we were pulled over. Al was speeding.

The cop asked Al to step out of his vehicle and come with him to the squad car. I didn't really know why at the time.

Turns out, the cop wanted to talk to him without me hearing.

He asked Al where we were headed since he has Texas plates and a car full of crap. Al explained he was in the Army and bringing his car home to his parents in Minnesota. We are just trying to get home, he explained. I'm not sure if the cop didn't put it together right away or what, but he kept asking Al questions about his belongings and our trip.

Finally, the cop asked Al if I was a hooker. Yep, a hooker. I don't know where that came from, what "vibe" I gave off, etc... I don't really care.

Al insisted I wasn't in fact a hooker, but instead his girlfriend.

He told the cop he didn't pay for my company and I actually had more respect for myself then being a hooker would require. The cop EVENTUALLY believed him.

(WHAT THE HELL makes you think I would be a hooker?!?)
And the cop let us go with a warning. If we ever get pulled over in Missouri again, we'll be getting a ticket.

We made it safely home and believe it or not, went straight out to meet his family at the bar to watch the Vikings game. Sleep is for when you're dead, right!?

{Coming up in part 6 - we say our first good-bye}