January 23, 2026

Adventures in (non)travel with Mini-Chuck

I was ~supposed~ to spend a long weekend in Arkansas, but the fates decreed otherwise.  
So I'm at home. 

Here's my adventures on Thursday. 

I was up and at work at 6am, stayed in the office until 10, then went home to "work" from home until 2.  My flight was scheduled to leave at 5:44pm at an airport 45 minutes away. 

First of all, since I was only going for a weekend, I was only taking a carry on bag.  Which meant Chuck would have taken up too much room.  So I ordered a pair of 16 inch skeletons from Amazon that were supposed to deliver Wednesday.  Weather delay!  I really thought I was going to have to make due with....
micro mini Chuck!
But as I got in the car to leave, 
I saw the mail truck on the other side of the street!  
So I went to get gas in the car and came back to get... 
the perfect travelling buddy!
Welcome to Flint Bishop International Airport!
We got there in plenty of time but we waited.
And waited. 

Flying out of Flint meant I had to change planes in Chicago before going on to Little Rock. 
Between mechanical issues and weather, there was a 3 hour delay and I was going to miss my connecting flight. 
So United was going to put me (and a bunch of other peoples) up in a hotel in Chicago and rebooked me on a different flight into Little Rock.  
So we waited some more. 
Starting to snow!
We also got a $15 food voucher for some dinner while waiting. 
Yes - the place was a ghost town!
Just a cool light sculpture on the store. 

I was in constant contact with the Spouse and he let me know about this before United did. 
AAARGH!
More snow. 
Oh look - a tiny little plane!!
You can see the guy in yellow out there guiding it in.
Heading down the jet way.
I'm 5'8" and my head almost touched the ceiling inside the plane - I can't imagine someone tall going in!
Speaking of, I'm so glad there were some empty rows because I originally was squished in next to a big guy.  Once I got the blessing from the flight attendant, I moved back a row so we both had 2 seats to our selves. 
Mini Chuck reading the safety card. 

Anyway we sat in the plane for a good hour & a half waiting for visibility to lift and for random maintenance snow sweepers to get un-stuck from the runway and to make sure there were enough people to do the de-icing. 
The plane had just landed and we boarded right away and there was already over an inch of snow on the wing. 
Getting fuel. 

So anyway.  That's a far as I got in my trip.  
Not long after this, they decided to cancel the flight. 

Since I'd been talking with the Spouse, we just decided that I was just going to cancel my trip and go home.  I feel fortunate that I was able to do that, since a lot of people were trying to get home somewhere else!
ugh.  NO.
I love the paper airplane art in the terminal!
So there was about 3+ inches of powdery snow already on my car when I got to the parking lot.  And it was super windy so drifts between the cars. 
In retrospect - I'm kind of glad I didn't have to fly anywhere in that little plane with the wind the way it was!  

I got home shortly after 3am.
I couldn't tell where the lanes were on I-75!

Maybe next year will be less stressful.....?


Also - even if I had made it to Hot Springs like planned...coming home Monday might have been another adventure!

No comments:

Post a Comment

Leave a note - they make me feel loved!!