Summertime Fun (with delays)

The Chef & I are back from our whirlwind trip to the Midwest -- where we had healthy chunks of time spent with friends and family -- and (in between the celebrating) lots of waiting around at airports.

On arrival we had our usual high drama travel luck. We were nearly halfway there until this announcement. "We are now in a holding pattern over Sioux Falls. The control tower at O'Hare has just been evacuated due to chance of tornadoes and the threat of high winds blowing out the glass windows. If we are not able to continue to Chicago we will land in Rockford, IL to refuel."

"Wow!" I said to the chef "That's a lot of drama in one announcement. tornadoes! exploding glass! control tower evacuation! running out of gas! Rockford!"

Luckily, we were finally able to land in Chicago (whew) only to sit around for our flight to CWA to be cancelled. No one was going anywhere that night. All the hotels were booked up around the airport and they set up cots next to the baggage claim. Outside of the security area!

I took this picture (below) from the sidewalk while we were waiting (for another hour) for a cab ride to take us to an overpriced hotel downtown with our new desperate fare splitting traveler friend from Bimidge, MN. The Chef & I were happy to sleep in a real bed with four walls and a shower that night (minus the streetside view).