Ed's Elder Escort Service - Day 2

Well, last night found me stuck at the Holiday Inn at Dulles Airport. I had been rebooked on the first out this morning to Johnstown, PA. I was to arrive in Johnstown at 9:30 and I was hopeful we'd be on the road by 11 a.m.

Not. At a little after 8, we boarded the flight. The flight attendant completed her safety speech but had not yet closed the door. We heard the engines stop and it got very quiet. The pilot announced that we were on ground control hold due to weather conditions in Johnstown. A few minutes later, he asked us to deplane and return to the terminal. The estimated time of departure was now at 9:15. That time slipped to 9:30, then 9:45 and then 10:00.

I was in contact with my nephew who was going to come to the airport and pick me up. As the estimated departure time got later and later, I asked if he could help Grandma pack the van so she could drive to the Johnstown Airport herself since if he took me back to her house, we would need to return the 20 miles to Johnstown on our way to Texas. I told him I would text him the last thing before I turned off my cellphone on the plane and that he could ask Grandma to wait about 20 minutes and then head to the Johnstown Airport.

A little after 10, we reboarded the plane. As I was boarding the gate agent got a phone call. I overheard him say, "I've already boarded half the flight". He told me, "Don't worry. We're simply going to fly into Altoona first."

Altoona is about 25 miles east of my mother-in-law's home and Johnstown is about 20 miles west of her home. If I was flying into Altoona, she could simply meet me there instead. When I boarded the plane, the flight attendant assured me we were going to Johnstown first. She checked with the captain and with his confirmation, I texted my nephew after the door was closed and told him I was on my way to Johnstown.

The fog in Johnstown didn't lift and although the pilot flew to Johnstown, he could not land and announced we were being diverted to Altoona. When we landed in Altoona about 11:15 a.m., my mother-in-law was, of course, waiting for me at the Johnstown Airport. The airline had a bus waiting and we took the hour-long bus trip from Altoona to Johnstown.

We grabbed a bite to eat at the Johnstown Airport and got on the road about 1:30 p.m. Several hours later than I had hoped. My goal had been to reach Lexington, KY which was about 440 miles. I wasn't sure that goal was any longer attainable, but I was glad to be on the way.

We need to stop about every two hours. Our first stop was in Morgantown, WV - home of West Virginina University. Since none of us had ever seen the campus, we took the exit and drove to the stadium (the best marked signage). It is a nice stadium and the campus is very beautiful. We returned to the freeway with our next stop about 50 miles north of Charleston, WV. It was now 5:30 and I knew we couldn't make it to Lexington. I was hopeful we could make it past Charleston and we did.

Tonight we are in Ashland, KY about 115 miles east of Lexington. We are staying at a Hampton Inn which is very nice and reasonably priced. We had dinner at Bob Evans and are now ready for bed and to start all over again tomorrow morning.

In spite of the bumps, I think the day went well. It was good to see Jane and Francie. I think they are enjoying the trip and I will do my best to make it enjoyable.

I'm hopeful the travel gods smile on us more tomorrow than today. My goal is to make it as far as Memphis, TN.