FINALLY! We're home. Vancouver to St. Louis via:

[OnTheWarpath15]

Where to start?

The wife and I left STL last Thursday the 21st to spend a long weekend in Whistler, British Columbia playing golf and celebrating our 1st wedding anniversary.

The stay in Whistler was phenomenal. I'll post pics later. We played 6 .5 rounds of golf in 4 days. Met some great people, had a blast.

Getting home on Tuesday, not so much......

We were scheduled to leave on an American Airlines flight at 1:30 on Tuesday afternoon. This meant leaving Whistler at 7:30am to make the drive back, turn in the rental car, check in and clear customs. (In Vancouver you clear US Customs before you ever board the plane...)

Traffic wasn't as bad as I expected, so we arrived a little early. The check in agent said there were only 40 people on the 12:10 flight and rebooked us on it.

No trouble until we get about an hour outside of Dallas. (our connection to STL) The Captain mentions that weather is going to force us to circle for an hour or so, which we do, then land in a torrential downpour.

We step off the flight around 7:15pm to find our connection flight to STL cancelled. We then proceed to wait in line for 2.5 hours to get reticketed and try to get home. First available was at 9:30pm the next day. (Wednesday night)

As I posted over in the vacation thread, he wife and I figured we better try to get a rental car, otherwise we're looking at $60 dollar cab rides to/from hotel, and would be stuck in the airport all day waiting for our flight.

We were lucky to LITERALLY get the last rental car at DFW without a reservation.

The wife and I decided to make a day of it on Wednesday, since we had noting but time, and she had never been to Dallas. Had lunch at a BBQ joint downtown, went to the 6th Floor Museum, and were going to go to the Art Museum, but decided to go to a Borders Bookstore to jump on the laptop and make sure flights were moving as scheduled.

Sat at Borders for a few hours, surfing the net, and flights are leaving with no problem. Saw that there was an earlier flight (8:10) that had availability, so we decided to head to DFW early to see if we could get on that flight. No sooner than we get to the car, both of our cell phones are ringing........

American Airlines calling to tell us our flight has been cancelled.

I'll continue on the next post........

[BigMeatballDave]

Hello?

[OnTheWarpath15]

So, the wife sits on hold with the Airline while I navigate to DFW, again in a downpour that starts just minutes after leaving Borders.

AA tells the wife that there is nothing available on Thursday, and that it looks like Friday isn't available either. (we found out later that some people weren't getting rebooked until SUNDAY)

We're right at DFW now, so we have a decision to make: Go inside, wait in a monster line, and be stuck in Dallas for the weekend, costing a small fortune per day, or drive the rental car back to STL.

We drove. Keep in mind we don't have our bags, so I've been wearing the same clothes since 7:00am Tuesday morning. That in itself is pissing me off.

I start heading up TX 121 to get to 75 North, figuring we'll spend the night in Tulsa, then finish the drive in the morning.

It takes 2.5 hours to get from DFW to McKinney, Texas. 40 miles.

I decide to stop in McKinney at a hotel, figuring they have WIFI, I'm gonna look for a hotel in Tulsa for the night. The wife starts chatting with the desk clerk, who tells her that the highways are flooded over and closed in several towns north of McKinney and at the Oklahoma border.

Thanks to him, we didn't get 40 miles up the road, only to have to turn around. So the plan now becomes to cut across TX 330 to I 30 and try to stay the night in Texarkana.

So, we stay the night in Texarkana, sleep in, and drive the rest yesterday, across Arkansas, through Little Rock to Memphis, up I 55 home.

We finally get to the airport last night to get our bags, and the lady tells us they aren't there. This is AFTER my wife had called around 2:00 that afternoon and confirmed the bags WERE in STL and waiting for us.

After arguing with her for 20 minutes, I finally demanded to be let in the back room to look for my bags. She lets me, and what do I see:

Right inside the ****ing door: All four of our bags.

So finally, approximately 48 hours later than scheduled, we finally arrived home last night.

[OnTheWarpath15]

Hello?

Sorry, Dave. Didn't mean to leave you hanging....

[Phobia]

Wow. Sounds sucky.

[OnTheWarpath15]

Wow. Sounds sucky.

And as sucky as it was, we were still VERY fortunate. There were hundreds, if not thousands of people stranded at the airport with no hotel room or rental car.

At least it happened at the END of the trip......

[OnTheWarpath15]

On the practice range:

[OnTheWarpath15]

The Wife and I, Chateau Whistler Golf Club, Hole #17:

[Phobia]

And as sucky as it was, we were still VERY fortunate. There were hundreds, if not thousands of people stranded at the airport with no hotel room or rental car.

At least it happened at the END of the trip......

Yeah, that's rough. As crazy as it sounds, you are lucky.

[OnTheWarpath15]

What a view:

[Phobia]

Incredible.

I'm coming along next time.

[OnTheWarpath15]

In the fairway? This time, yes. Many other times, no.

[OnTheWarpath15]

North Vancouver, waiting to cross the Lions Gate Bridge. No signs of KC Dan.....

[OnTheWarpath15]

Clark W. Griswold and the Family Truckster, circa 2007 outside a gas station in Blytheville, Arkansas. Figures that the clothes I'm stuck in for 3 days consists of my Chiefs T-Shirt......

Don't I look happy?

[stumppy]

How was the Dodge on the road. Haven't talked to anyone who owned one and I've been thinking about buying one.

Edit:
Oh yea, incredible pics. Always wanted to go there.

[OnTheWarpath15]

How was the Dodge on the road. Haven't talked to anyone who owned one and I've been thinking about buying one.

Personally, I hated it.

It handled like a cruise ship and sucked gas.

However, it was my only option, and I'm home, so thank you to the Dodge Magnum.

[Mr. Flopnuts]

Vancouver is one of the most beautiful places on Earth. City is a lot of fun too. Living in Seattle I make it up there a couple of times a year. Whistler is beautiful isn't it? Glad you got to experience it. That being said, what did the airline do for you? Surely they didn't think it was acceptable for everything that happened. Let me know, whether or not I ever fly AA again depends on your answer.

[OnTheWarpath15]

Vancouver is one of the most beautiful places on Earth. City is a lot of fun too. Living in Seattle I make it up there a couple of times a year. Whistler is beautiful isn't it? Glad you got to experience it. That being said, what did the airline do for you? Surely they didn't think it was acceptable for everything that happened. Let me know, whether or not I ever fly AA again depends on your answer.

This was actually our second trip to Whistler, we spent our honeymoon there last year.

As far as AA is concerned, we're gonna make a few calls once things calm down a bit. The phone lines are still jammed, and will probably be through the weekend.

As a former travel agent, I'm not expecting much, if anything. Technically, the delays and cancellations were due to weather. (Dallas and surrounding areas have received 15+ inches of rain since Monday.

Can't really blame the airline for an act of God, but I'm gonna at least try to get some mileage or vouchers out of them.

[Mr. Flopnuts]

This was actually our second trip to Whistler, we spent our honeymoon there last year.

As far as AA is concerned, we're gonna make a few calls once things calm down a bit. The phone lines are still jammed, and will probably be through the weekend.

As a former travel agent, I'm not expecting much, if anything. Technically, the delays and cancellations were due to weather. (Dallas and surrounding areas have received 15+ inches of rain since Monday.

Can't really blame the airline for an act of God, but I'm gonna at least try to get some mileage or vouchers out of them.


I agree. Except for the fact that they misplaced your in plain sight bags, and booked you on a different flight in the first place.

[cdcox]

I'd stay clear of TX and OK if I were you. It's been raining like mad there this week.

[Bearcat]

Your laptop?

[HemiEd]

I'd stay clear of TX and OK if I were you. It's been raining like mad there this week.

LMAO, where did you go on vacation cdcox?

[Rooster]

WOW. Your pictures of the golf resort are amazing. Beautiful country.

[cdcox]

LMAO, where did you go on vacation cdcox?

I just did the Sedelia, KC, Des Moines circuit to visit family. We are planning on taking our first real vacation (a trip whose purpose is not to visit family) in years next summer.

[Baby Lee]

Your laptop?
ROFL

[Fish]

That course is stellar.....

[HemiEd]

I just did the Sedelia, KC, Des Moines circuit to visit family. We are planning on taking our first real vacation (a trip whose purpose is not to visit family) in years next summer.

I know how that works, that is what we do most of the time too. Good times!

Glad you made it back ok OnTheWarpath58, nice pictures.

[OnTheWarpath15]

That course is stellar.....

The nicest course I've played, and I've played some of the Heavyweight Private Clubs here in STL, including Bellerive and Algonquin.

Layout, condition and service were all top-notch.

[OnTheWarpath15]

Your laptop?


Flashback humor, I suppose?

Would someone like to clue me in so I don;t have to go back to see what I missed this week?

[Stewie]

OTW, I've played that exact golf course... except it was near Grand Lake, CO.

BTW, I've never liked flying American or United. I missed a connection in Chicago flying American. The ticket agent asked why was I late. I said because I'm flying American. She laughed.

[OnTheWarpath15]

OTW, I've played that exact golf course... except it was near Grand Lake, CO.

BTW, I've never liked flying American or United. I missed a connection in Chicago flying American. The ticket agent asked why was I late. I said because I'm flying American. She laughed.

Back in the days of TWA, flying out of STL was a breeze.

Then American came and ****ed it all up.

We drained our Frequent Flyer accounts to make the trip, so now we have no ties to AA. I expect we'll be flying Southwest, Frontier and others much more now.....

[Drew]

North Vancouver, waiting to cross the Lions Gate Bridge. No signs of KC Dan.....
that's actually west vancouver, right by the border to north van which was the river you crossed right before you got on the bridge. glad you enjoyed your stay here and sorry about your commute home.

[007]

Happy anniversary.

[OnTheWarpath15]

Happy anniversary.

Thanks man, and Happy Birthday.

We had a great time, and all things considered, the way home wasn't *that* bad. At least we're home. I could still be posting from Dallas.

[Demonpenz]

Next time I'm going to reroute my trip L.A. via omaha

[Baby Lee]

Flashback humor, I suppose?

Would someone like to clue me in so I don;t have to go back to see what I missed this week?
Some power bottom came on here bragging about how some dude negelected his laptop at a coffee shop and he stole it, but it was ok because the guy was probably pretty wealthy anyway.
Discourse ensued, cops talked cop talk, Fraz revealed sexual orientation can depend on something as random as visual acuity, someone stepped on a tack.

[OnTheWarpath15]

Some power bottom came on here bragging about how some dude negelected his laptop at a coffee shop and he stole it, but it was ok because the guy was probably pretty wealthy anyway.
Discourse ensued, cops talked cop talk, Fraz revealed sexual orientation can depend on something as random as visual acuity, someone stepped on a tack.

Sounds like a good week to miss.....