The archived ramblings of my time as a world traveler up to my current life in Washington, D.C.White Christmas
A traditional holiday with everyone home has become a rarity for my family. This year we not only managed to get everyone in the same place for the holiday, we also had an even-rarer White Christmas (even on the often-frigid plains of Montana, snow on the ground has been scarce for recent Dec. 25ths).
The weather contributed a nice backdrop for the vacation, although it also nearly derailed my family's plans of Christmas proximity. We came by planes, trains and automobiles, and in every case were delayed as we tried to make our way across country toward central Montana.
My sister was the first to attempt the journey, driving cross-country with a friend, and a blizzard stranded them for an extra day in South Dakota. Our flight was delayed long enough we were 15 minutes late for a connecting flight in Denver. The airline's first response was to tell us every seat into the state of Montana was full for the next three days, getting us home on Christmas, but with an unwanted stay in Colorado. Thankfully, enough other people were delayed a standby spot was easy to come by a few hours later - someone else got the problem of a very extended Denver layover.
My brothers both decided rail was the way to go; one came from the West and one from the East. The Eastern route was the more troubled of the two - the train didn't even leave Chicago until about 24 hours after the scheduled departure, leading my brother and his wife to explore the confines of Union Station for a day. The weather in Oregon nearly shut down all transportation there, but Amtrak delivered my Western brother only 8 hours late or so.
The holiday itself provided much opportunity to catch up - the entire sibling set hadn't been together for more than three years, and three out of four partners came along as well. The weather stayed cold, but not horribly so - the snow stayed on the ground and the wind (mostly) stayed away, providing a crisp setting for those who chose to wander out in the elements, and a perfect scene through the windows for those who preferred to stay within range of the wood stove. A day on the ski slopes gave us some of the best conditions I've experienced in years, and there was even a mini-reunion for my high school class (we had six of 13 classmates in one place, which qualifies in my eyes).
The main problem, as always, was the return. I could have used a few more days out West.
The weather contributed a nice backdrop for the vacation, although it also nearly derailed my family's plans of Christmas proximity. We came by planes, trains and automobiles, and in every case were delayed as we tried to make our way across country toward central Montana.
My sister was the first to attempt the journey, driving cross-country with a friend, and a blizzard stranded them for an extra day in South Dakota. Our flight was delayed long enough we were 15 minutes late for a connecting flight in Denver. The airline's first response was to tell us every seat into the state of Montana was full for the next three days, getting us home on Christmas, but with an unwanted stay in Colorado. Thankfully, enough other people were delayed a standby spot was easy to come by a few hours later - someone else got the problem of a very extended Denver layover.
My brothers both decided rail was the way to go; one came from the West and one from the East. The Eastern route was the more troubled of the two - the train didn't even leave Chicago until about 24 hours after the scheduled departure, leading my brother and his wife to explore the confines of Union Station for a day. The weather in Oregon nearly shut down all transportation there, but Amtrak delivered my Western brother only 8 hours late or so.
The holiday itself provided much opportunity to catch up - the entire sibling set hadn't been together for more than three years, and three out of four partners came along as well. The weather stayed cold, but not horribly so - the snow stayed on the ground and the wind (mostly) stayed away, providing a crisp setting for those who chose to wander out in the elements, and a perfect scene through the windows for those who preferred to stay within range of the wood stove. A day on the ski slopes gave us some of the best conditions I've experienced in years, and there was even a mini-reunion for my high school class (we had six of 13 classmates in one place, which qualifies in my eyes).
The main problem, as always, was the return. I could have used a few more days out West.
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