Well, I was one of those people that got caught in all this Southwest mess. I am not their particular fan, but they have a regular connection to Las Vegas, where my wife's parents live, so they come in handy. We have driven numerous times to Vegas before, but with two kids and a busy schedule, we occasionally do, especially in winter, Southwest. Regardless that we did this route numerous times, this title is still appropriate because it just fits what happened.
On 12/24, we were supposed to fly from Colorado Springs (COS) to Las Vegas (LAS). In LAS, we would take my in-law's Honda Pilot they have there, drive to San Diego, then LA for some Disney torture, then on 01/03 back to LAS< then on 01/06 fly back to COS.
Our flight was around 05.30, and since the airport is like 20 minutes away, and it is really not a busy one, we left maybe around 3.45. I checked the statuts of the flight as I heard there were numerous cancelations, and all was OK. Well, we get there, and the flight is canceled. I was waiting in line to see options, and web site crashed, and finally, around 7pm, I talked to the lady at check-in. She offered us a flight from Denver that was supposed to leave at 07.30 pm but is now delayed until 10.46 pm. Ok, jumped into Honda, hit the gas, and off we went. Somewhere around Castle Rock (approximately halfway between Denver and COS) I checked the status of the flight, and an airplane is gone.
Turned around, dropped my wife and kids home, and went to COS airport as phones at Southwest crashed. Around 10.30 pm I talked to an absolutely exhausted, but very nice lady, who is a Southwest supervisor, and she said: oh, you were a no show in DEN, so your ticket is blocked. I can't do anything as our phones are down, the ticket is blocked. The only thing I can do is make a note, and you call SW customer service and they will resolve it. Just be patient; it will take you a few hrs. So, around 10.45 pm, I call SW, get in the car, and just stay on the line (this is part where those earbuds really come in handy). Came home, poured some whiskey, and waited.
Somewhere around half a bottle later, or around 1.30, I am thinking: I am going to sleep at 02.00 am and call again in the morning. Well, around 01.45 am, someone answers. Lady offered me the first flight out of DEN, through Orange County (SNA), then LAS, on 12/28 at 05.45 pm. OK, it is what it is.
Sunday, Christmas Day, well, nothing works, and we do not have anything as we anticipated we would be gone until 01/06. I go out looking for some Asian stores as they are usually open, and get one thing, in other, another thing, just to stumble onto Safeway close to home that is open until 3 pm (that is after 3hrs of driving around).
On Monday, we went to Denver to check VW Atlas I was interested in, and Boulder for my wife to buy some fish for her aquarium. Anyway, 11.30 pm, I am hanging out with whiskey again, and I get a text that the flight from SNA to LAS is canceled on 12/28. THAT WAS IT!
I get crossbars out of the storage room and install them on my wife's Tiguan (I did not want to go with Honda we have here as a. does not have snow tires, b. it is ridiculously uncomfortable). By 2am I have Yakima on top. In the morning on 12/27, we got up, got all our stuff ready, fed the kids, got gas at Costco, etc. and by 11 am we hit the road.
I was thinking of going directly to San Diego via Phoenix, AZ. But to come in 2 days, I would have to do 650 miles a day, and with two small kids, that would be a stretch. So, I decided to go from I70 to I15 and spend the night in Green River, UT. That is 408mls from our house, and from there to LAS is 421mls. Then, the day after, we arrive at LAS, drive to San Diego. Not bad:
So, off we go. Armed with Mobil1 ESP 0W30 in the sump and Bridgestone Blizzaks WS90, we hit the road.
As soon as we hit the mountains, things started to get really cloudy, and clouds were promising if we were going to ski. By the time we hit Vail Pass, it was a full-blown blizzard. Good decision to skip Honda and go with VW as things got really bad. At that point, I was not paying attention to tires as much as to the fact that having HiD lights on Tiguan really paid off. By the time we hit Glenwood Springs, it was a mix of heavy snow and rain, then snow again, etc. Finally, when we reached Fruita, CO, we were able to see dry pavement for a bit and gas up:
Around 8.30 pm we finally hit Green River, UT, and it was some super cold rain:
When I got up the next morning on 12/28, their parking lot was a skating ring.
Off we go. Of course, Utah, while deserted, has its charm:
But, the most beautiful part of the road, that I always absolutely enjoy driving through (unless it was my Sienna) is the I15 stretch that goes through AZ:
We came to LAS around 4 pm:
My car was brown. There was snow storm through UT, maybe an hour North of ST. George that turned into rain. Tried to find a car wash that had a self-serve pressure washer, but no luck. The next morning before we hit the road to San Diego, I managed to find a self-served wash close to the intersection of Charleston Ave and Rainbow Blvd. We hit the road around 12pm. Oh boy, I forgot about the traffic on I15 between LAS and Riverside. The first issue was just outside LAS. I went through Handerson and hit some local roads:
I passed two buddies in Teslas. One behind had to show me that his EV had a bunch of power and immediately passed me, just to slow down again. I had to pass him again. I am glad I helped him address his insecurities:
Finally, I15, and thinking: well, this is not bad (assumption is the mother of all screwups):
Now, I forgot how challenged drivers are on this road. I mean, it is like they are all hanging out in the left lane. I literally saw a girl that bit the steering wheel and drove with her theeth. I really did not want to take a photo of someone. But she drove 10mls below the speed limit, and traffic was like 3mls behind her.
But things got really, really bad when going down toward San Bernardino:
On 12/24, we were supposed to fly from Colorado Springs (COS) to Las Vegas (LAS). In LAS, we would take my in-law's Honda Pilot they have there, drive to San Diego, then LA for some Disney torture, then on 01/03 back to LAS< then on 01/06 fly back to COS.
Our flight was around 05.30, and since the airport is like 20 minutes away, and it is really not a busy one, we left maybe around 3.45. I checked the statuts of the flight as I heard there were numerous cancelations, and all was OK. Well, we get there, and the flight is canceled. I was waiting in line to see options, and web site crashed, and finally, around 7pm, I talked to the lady at check-in. She offered us a flight from Denver that was supposed to leave at 07.30 pm but is now delayed until 10.46 pm. Ok, jumped into Honda, hit the gas, and off we went. Somewhere around Castle Rock (approximately halfway between Denver and COS) I checked the status of the flight, and an airplane is gone.
Turned around, dropped my wife and kids home, and went to COS airport as phones at Southwest crashed. Around 10.30 pm I talked to an absolutely exhausted, but very nice lady, who is a Southwest supervisor, and she said: oh, you were a no show in DEN, so your ticket is blocked. I can't do anything as our phones are down, the ticket is blocked. The only thing I can do is make a note, and you call SW customer service and they will resolve it. Just be patient; it will take you a few hrs. So, around 10.45 pm, I call SW, get in the car, and just stay on the line (this is part where those earbuds really come in handy). Came home, poured some whiskey, and waited.
Somewhere around half a bottle later, or around 1.30, I am thinking: I am going to sleep at 02.00 am and call again in the morning. Well, around 01.45 am, someone answers. Lady offered me the first flight out of DEN, through Orange County (SNA), then LAS, on 12/28 at 05.45 pm. OK, it is what it is.
Sunday, Christmas Day, well, nothing works, and we do not have anything as we anticipated we would be gone until 01/06. I go out looking for some Asian stores as they are usually open, and get one thing, in other, another thing, just to stumble onto Safeway close to home that is open until 3 pm (that is after 3hrs of driving around).
On Monday, we went to Denver to check VW Atlas I was interested in, and Boulder for my wife to buy some fish for her aquarium. Anyway, 11.30 pm, I am hanging out with whiskey again, and I get a text that the flight from SNA to LAS is canceled on 12/28. THAT WAS IT!
I get crossbars out of the storage room and install them on my wife's Tiguan (I did not want to go with Honda we have here as a. does not have snow tires, b. it is ridiculously uncomfortable). By 2am I have Yakima on top. In the morning on 12/27, we got up, got all our stuff ready, fed the kids, got gas at Costco, etc. and by 11 am we hit the road.
I was thinking of going directly to San Diego via Phoenix, AZ. But to come in 2 days, I would have to do 650 miles a day, and with two small kids, that would be a stretch. So, I decided to go from I70 to I15 and spend the night in Green River, UT. That is 408mls from our house, and from there to LAS is 421mls. Then, the day after, we arrive at LAS, drive to San Diego. Not bad:
So, off we go. Armed with Mobil1 ESP 0W30 in the sump and Bridgestone Blizzaks WS90, we hit the road.
As soon as we hit the mountains, things started to get really cloudy, and clouds were promising if we were going to ski. By the time we hit Vail Pass, it was a full-blown blizzard. Good decision to skip Honda and go with VW as things got really bad. At that point, I was not paying attention to tires as much as to the fact that having HiD lights on Tiguan really paid off. By the time we hit Glenwood Springs, it was a mix of heavy snow and rain, then snow again, etc. Finally, when we reached Fruita, CO, we were able to see dry pavement for a bit and gas up:
Around 8.30 pm we finally hit Green River, UT, and it was some super cold rain:
When I got up the next morning on 12/28, their parking lot was a skating ring.
Off we go. Of course, Utah, while deserted, has its charm:
But, the most beautiful part of the road, that I always absolutely enjoy driving through (unless it was my Sienna) is the I15 stretch that goes through AZ:
We came to LAS around 4 pm:
My car was brown. There was snow storm through UT, maybe an hour North of ST. George that turned into rain. Tried to find a car wash that had a self-serve pressure washer, but no luck. The next morning before we hit the road to San Diego, I managed to find a self-served wash close to the intersection of Charleston Ave and Rainbow Blvd. We hit the road around 12pm. Oh boy, I forgot about the traffic on I15 between LAS and Riverside. The first issue was just outside LAS. I went through Handerson and hit some local roads:
I passed two buddies in Teslas. One behind had to show me that his EV had a bunch of power and immediately passed me, just to slow down again. I had to pass him again. I am glad I helped him address his insecurities:
Finally, I15, and thinking: well, this is not bad (assumption is the mother of all screwups):
Now, I forgot how challenged drivers are on this road. I mean, it is like they are all hanging out in the left lane. I literally saw a girl that bit the steering wheel and drove with her theeth. I really did not want to take a photo of someone. But she drove 10mls below the speed limit, and traffic was like 3mls behind her.
But things got really, really bad when going down toward San Bernardino:
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