Heading Home

Sunday, February 24

It was still dark when we got up and went to the hotel lobby to wait for our ride to the airport at 6 am. Coffee was available which was much appreciated but we were too early for the breakfast that was included in our stay. When the four of us booked the package deal for Iguazu Falls I had expected that all of our transfers would be together in a van. But no. Again two drivers in two cars showed up. Seems like putting us together in a larger vehicle would have been a cheaper alternative. I know that is what I would have preferred.

Kent and Laurel were traveling with 3 large suitcases, a carry on bag and two backpacks...almost more than the small car could handle. It took some creative maneuvering by the driver, but they made it.

On our way to the airport we went past the obelisk. Very pretty in the predawn light.

Bob and I had checked in for the flight on the American Airlines app on our phone the day before and were able to check our bags fairly quickly. Kent and Laurel got held up trying to use one of the kiosks to check in. The line to get through security was long. Overhead electronic signs said shoes did not have to be removed (unless you were wearing platform sandals) and that up to 5 liters of a beverage were allowed. Seems like a lot, but I am pretty sure that is what the sign said because I was amazed that any beverage could be brought into the secure area. Once we made it through security and immigration lines, Bob filled our two empty water bottles at a drinking fountain.

While waiting on our flight to board, I enjoyed a piece of the cold, leftover pizza from our dinner the night before. The perfect breakfast! Sadly we couldn't eat it all so the rest had to go in the garbage.

At the gate, there was a wall where live vines were growing up from a planter box. As the first groups of people started to board, I noticed a few people emptying water bottles into the planter. Did they think the plants looked a little dry?

When our group was called, we presented our boarding passes and started to go down the jetway but did't get far. Tables had been set up and everyone was being stopped and their carry-on bags and personal items were being hand searched. The lady going through my backpack pulled out my water bottle and said I would have to go and empty it in the bathroom. What?? A man standing next to me was told that the two large (and probably expensive) jars of dulce de leche he had just purchased in a shop in the secure area had to be thrown away. He was not happy. All of a sudden the folks dumping water into the planter made sense. I didn't want to get out of line and walk all the way to the bathroom to dispose of my water so guess where it went. Hopefully those vines don't die from being waterlogged.

Bob and I got to our seats...the window for me, center seat for Bob...and got settled. About the time they were announcing that the plane was totally full, a man sat down in the aisle seat next to Bob. A few minutes later he stopped one of the stewardesses and said he was traveling with a minor who was sitting quite a distance away and asked if he could be moved. She left for a minute and then came back and told him she had found him a seat. We figured he was trading seats with someone but no one came to take his place.

I was afraid to even hope that the seat would be empty...but it was...for the whole flight. 😀 Right away Bob scooted over to the aisle seat leaving the middle seat open . I felt like we had won the lottery! I had been dreading the long flight home in the worst way but all of a sudden it didn't seem quite so bad.

Where we will be spending the next 9 hours.

Leaving Buenos Aires...and South America.

A little over 9 hours later we landed in Miami. There was lots of walking to get from the arrival gate and through customs. We had to retrieve our checked bags and then turn around and immediately recheck them for the last leg of our flight from Miami to Minneapolis. Kent and Laurel had a tighter connection time than we did and just barely made it to their gate for their flight to St. Louis.

Our concern was the weather in Minneapolis. Minnesota was having a blizzard and we were worried our flight would be cancelled. Here is the National Weather Service report on what actually took place.

On Saturday, February 23 and Sunday, February 24 a very powerful winter storm brought whiteout conditions across much of Minnesota and Wisconsin. A narrow band of heavy snow fell from central Iowa, through southeast Minnesota, and up through northern Wisconsin. Several locations within this band saw over a foot of snow. Very strong winds developed as the snow was ending Saturday night and these winds continued through Sunday. Many locations had wind gusts of 50 mph or stronger. This led to significant blowing and drifting snow, making travel very difficult or impossible.  Most roads in southern Minnesota and western Wisconsin were impassable, and hundreds of motorists became stranded in the blizzard. Portions of Interstate 90 and Interstate 35 were closed for over 24 hours in south central Minnesota.

The flight was still on, but got delayed which pushed our arrival time in Minneapolis back to after midnight. We kept calling and texting our son and he was willing to make the hour long trip to the airport to pick us up. Then...the gate agent announced that the flight was overbooked and they needed 4 people to give up their seats in exchange for a $500 airline voucher per person plus hotel and meals. I hesitated for just a split second but then rushed up to the counter...but was behind one other couple. Getting bumped would be the best thing ever for us. We were tired from the long flight already and staying in a hotel and leaving the next morning would be easier for us and MUCH easier for our son.

They had us wait until everyone had boarded and then decided they only needed two extra seats and we would be on the flight afterall. 😞 We did get aisle seats with extra leg room but the flight still seemed like it was sooooo long. I was exhausted. No in-seat entertainment on this plane either. I had downloaded a movie onto the iPad and Bob and I both plugged in headphones using a splitter. Not sure what the issue was, but I couldn't hear any of the dialog...just a little of the music. I'm not a good lip reader so gave up on that pretty quickly. And just when I looked at my watch thinking we were getting close to Minneapolis I remembered the time change and realized it was an hour earlier than what I thought.

Minneapolis had not gotten quite as much snow as the part of the state where we live. Also the wind had died down so our son was able to get to the airport without any trouble. His timing was perfect...he pulled up just as we were pulling our bags off of the carousel. And luckily he was parked right at the door at baggage claim because the wheel fell off Bob's luggage when he set it down. (Last trip his carry-on bag got trashed. Time to shop for new luggage!)

By the time we got back to our son's house and crawled into bed, we had been up a total of 23 1/2 hours. But all had gone well and for that we were grateful. Another trip and a million memories!

The three hour drive home happened the next day when we were rested AND the highways reopened after the blizzard. Minnesota does a good job of clearing snow and the roads were pretty good most of the way home. It was only February 25th and already our hometown had recorded THE snowiest and one of the coldest February's on record!

Heading home to southern Minnesota. Such a seesaw in seasons on this trip. Back and forth between cold and hot, cold and hot, and finally home to cold.

Thank you to all who have followed us on this journey through the blog. I hope to add one more post covering random thoughts and observations but it may take awhile. In the meantime, please feel free to post comments or contact me if you have any questions. Our next adventure is already booked, but I am having some second thoughts...we will see how things play out in the coming months.