This is the first time I flew into Bozeman, Montana -
And I bet I’ll never fly this way again!
It was one of those early early 3am alarm awakenings. Stumble to the bathroom to start a shower. Glance at the phone to discover that messages have been coming in all night long (what night there is in 4 hours of sleep.) to find that my flights have been jacked around from a 2 hour delay, to a 4 hour delay, to now leaving in EVENING time, getting me into Bozeman aft4er midnight, via La Guardia and Indianapolis to Minneapolis to Bozeman.
WHAT!?
I was instantly awake and calling the Delta hotline.
No dice says the woman at the other end. There are no flights to get you there sooner. What do you mean, I say? It’s just the first flight out of Greensboro that is the problem, I still have seats on the other flights, don’t I? “Well no, ma’am, you’ve been re-routed those seats are no longer available. This is the best we can do for you.”
May I please speak to your supervisor??
I swear I have never used those words before, but something told me I must.
I waited a bit, and when the supervisor came on the line, she looked at the crazy flight plan and said she could do better.
“You are already up and ready to head to the airport?” Yes. “I’m putting you on an early flight to Detroit. You’ll go from there to Minneapolis, the connections will be very short –can you run?” YES!
And off we went.
My flight to Detroit actually got in a bit early which played well in my favor, but when I was touching down in Minneapolis, my Bozeman flight was already boarding. Preparing to RUN like the wind, I stepped from the plane onto the jet bridge.
I was met by a very well dressed man in a suit, carrying a clip board saying “Bonnie Hunter?” Yes? “Follow me please, I’m with the Special Elite Services and it is my job to get you to your flight on time.
Porsche Cayenne!
We went down the little stairwell that comes off the jet bridge, into the Porsche Cayenne we went and he DROVE me to my plane, all the way around the outside of the terminal. Can you believe that? I certianly drew my lucky number this day, and Delta was working awfully hard to make up for the schedule whammy they tried to put me through.
This deserves a photo! Ha!
Once we reached my gate, I went back up the stairs and into the plane, not stepping one foot inside the Minneapolis airport. CRAZY!
And THIS happened!
I met another quilter, Renee!
Renee left me a message on my instagram asking what I was doing in Montana, and I replied. She was also at the airport flying from Bozeman to Minneapolis for a retreat herself. Guess what? Her flight left out of my gate, and she stopped me to say hello! How fun! So nice meeting you Renee, I hope you have a great time on your retreat. Quilters are EVERYWHERE!
More on this project to come!
Cathy and I headed to the Mountains!
Gorgeous reservoir!
The plan was to get in a hike, see some scenery and give me a leg stretch after sitting so long.
Trail Head Sign!
Gorgeous trails, sun and shade and the smell of pine!
I have to admit, the altitude was getting to me. It’s much higher here than in North Carolina. Even in Alaska we were at sea level – this was kicking my hiney!
But Oh, this was so worth it!
Palisades Falls!
Can you hear it roar?
Temps were much cooler by the falls which is all snow run-off. Just amazing! What a wild and weird and crazy day. I loved it!
After an early dinner, it was off to the hotel for me. I’d been running on 4 hours sleep and all I wanted to do was plop myself down in bed and catch up on some lost Zzzz’s.
There are some days that just turn out better than expected if you just let go of what you can’t control and see what happens!
Today I’m meeting with the Gallatin quilters for a My Blue Heaven workshop and I can’t wait to meet them all.
Quiltville Quote of the Day!
Vintage quilt found in Kentucky.
Sometimes we just have to stop and look and appreciate things for the way they are right now.
And sometimes life will surprise you as you simply watch things unfold in front of you.
Also….did you catch the Quilty Box Giveaway that went live yesterday? Check it out HERE.
Have a lovely Wednesday, everyone!
16 comments:
talk about a trip!!! kudos to delta for the curb service tho...
Those Montana-blue skies and white clouds. Wow. Just wow. Poster for their travel promotion folks. Delta just went up in my book, too.
love it! you SO deserve it! sometimes going with the flow is not best, especially when it is slower than molasses!
Simply amazing how Delta stepped up for you! So happy you had a safe trip. Never heard anything quite like this, so you have shown again, you have a "charmed" flying history! Thanks for sharing your photos of beautiful Montana.
Yay for Delta! They took care of you after all. I'm still coming down from the Alaska cruise; can't imagine being on another trip already, much less one that started like yours. I've been to Bozeman many times, and the headwaters of the Missouri River are nearby.
yes ... yay for delta... BUT ... if Bonnie had not been pro-active and demanded a supervisor it would have gone in the dumpster... kudos to BONNIE for making Delta provide adequate customer service... you don't just cancel someone's flight(s) and re-route them all over God's Green Acres and expect them to "take it"... There are quite a few lessons here, and not a one has to do with quilting... this time! LOL, I love me my Bonnie Hunter... thanks, AGAIN, for all you do...
One of the advantages of being such a loyal customer. I seriously doubt you'd have gotten that service from United!!
I love Montana. Beautiful country.
Hope your trip back home is less eventful.
I bet you are exhausted! What an adventure. One thing is for sure you don't have to go looking for adventure, it seems to find you. You are the one person I know that can make the best of a situation you cant always control. Bozeman is so beautiful, my daughter lived there for a few years. Enjoyed all our trips out there. God bless you Bonnie you make my day!!
So glad that turned out well for you. Kudos to Delta for owning the need to fix the problem they created somewhere along the way (although they could have lost a plane in the mess in the Midwest). Everything will surely be better for you from here on out.
I was just in Montana a couple weeks ago to see my daughter and SIL. The scenery photos you posted look awfully familiar! Hope you have a great visit in Montana. I'll have to let my daughter know that you are in town :)
You're letting your inner Marie Osmond sing through in that title there! :-)
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8xlpOjcyst8
Wow! What an adventure!! Nice that Delta stepped up for you!
Welcome to Montana! I am so excited to meet you this weekend in Helena!
Bonnie I so enjoy reading about your adventures. It makes my day to see where you are and what fun side trips you are taking. Have fun in MT!
Jonnie in SC
It pays to be a super platinum user. I bet you have flown a ton of miles with Delta, so they'd better take care of you! My husband is a frequent flyer too and they usually do right by him as well. But excellent service ought to be available for everyone (I have my doubts that it is tho). Everything works out in the end, and you deserve the good fortune. Thanks for all you do and for sharing.
I'm amazed your luggage may it when you did! Bravo!
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