Still Another Weather Experience - Blizzard Near Flagstaff Arizona...The Move East

Date: January 19, 2017 to January 22, 2017

Location: California to Missouri

Personal Reflections: 

I am destined to experience the worst weather when I am with Dirk, but before we get to that...

Born and raised in California, I never planned on moving away. Never thought I would ever consider it. Then I met Dirk. We saw each other off and on, traveling here and there. I even stayed in Branson Missouri about 4 1/2 months, but move? Nah...

Once we seriously started talking about it, I started making pro/con lists. Too many of them really, but I wanted to make sure I knew what I was getting into.

My 3 top reasons for not moving to Missouri were:

• Missing my boys
• The weather
• Fresh fruit & vegetables

I'm sure the first 2 times are self explanatory but let me mention the third. Californians are spoiled when it comes to fresh fruit and vegetables. I've traveled enough around the US to see that, really, nothing compares. Over my life, I have often told other Californians that we are so willing to cement over farmlands to build more or bigger cities and that we don't appreciate what we really have. I still feel that way.

But in the end, the decision is relatively simple. I officially retired early in 2016 but continued working as a retired annuitant for most of the year.  It was time to quit working and make the biggest change I could possibly make.

The move date was set for January 19^th. Dirk flew in a few days before to help me finish packing and our friend, Michael, flew in on the 17^th to help us move back. The plan was to hitch a U-Haul trailer to my CRV and Michael and I would take turns driving. Well, to be truthful, Michael would probably be doing most, if not all, the driving.

As the guys packed the trailer, it soon became obvious that I had too much stuff. At first I started culling things out, but then I finally had to admit we needed something bigger. I called U-Haul and told them the situation. Luckily, they had a small truck available so the next morning...yes, the morning we were set to leave, we had to haul the trailer back and transfer the stuff in it to a truck. And of course, it was raining but we got stuff situated and went back to my apartment to finish the packing.

So with Michael driving the truck and me driving the CRV, we finally left Roseville around 11am. I started crying at the Sacramento/Placer county line and didn't stop until we hit the San Joaquin county line. Still couldn't believe I was leaving everything I know. And yes, the doubts were there.

We made it to beautiful Barstow that night and delayed leaving in the morning so Michael could watch Trump's inauguration. A big day for so many Americans who are tired of the "politics as usual" politicians we have in Washington.

We stopped for gas in Lake Havasu and checked the weather. There was snow and lots of it around Flagstaff. Dirk's sister was on her way there for vacation and told us to avoid the area, so we headed south. The idea was to hook up to Interstate 10 and eventually work our way north again, missing the snow storm. Everything was going as planned. After a while, looking at a map, it was decided if we changed course and headed north, we'd be ahead of the storm, so off we went.

It was dark when we hit the mountainous area of Arizona. What we didn't realize is that we had driven into the heart of the storm. I was suspicious when a few "splats" hit the windshield, but it was short-lived and I was relieved. Then we started really climbing and the "splats" came more and more.

I should state that I have NEVER driven in snow of any sort and really never wanted to. I had asked Michael that once we got to Missouri could he give me some lessons on driving in snow. What I meant was driving when the snow stopped, the roads were clear and I HAD to get out for some reason.

Now, here we are and I'm going to get my lesson under fire. The snow started coming down very hard. We called Michael in the truck behind us and I told the guys I wanted to stop. They told me we couldn't or we'd get stuck. This was not just snow...it was a blizzard. I started crying, sobbing really, and didn't stop for the next 3 hours.

Michael and Dirk spent the 3 hours talking to me; telling me exactly how to drive..."go slower"..."speed up a little bit"..."don't worry about anyone going around you"..."you have to move over, the snow plow is coming"..."don't hit your breaks hard"..."apply steady pressure to your breaks" and so on....

I was gripping that steering wheel so hard and my jaw was clenched so tight. I just wanted to stop and barring that, I could picture myself going off the side of the road. Later Michael told me how lucky we were the downgrade was so gradual. He was really worried.

When we finally came out of the mountains, there was still plenty of snow but the highway had been plowed well. We finally stopped and when Dirk and I got to our room, I totally fell apart. They both promised me I would NEVER have to drive in snow again. Exhausted, I fell asleep.

The next morning, I awoke tired and sore from the ordeal. I looked out the window and you could hear the wind come out of my sails...snow. It felt like a huge weight just settled on me. I fell apart...tears falling anew. I told Dirk I wouldn't leave but he said we had to. I told them they could go ahead and I'd stay at the hotel until the weather cleared. I mean, I'm used to driving alone but they wouldn't leave me there. Michael said we had to leave and get a head of the storm that was right behind us. "Never" had arrived sooner than I ever thought it would.

Off we went and we seemed to stay just ahead of it. Stopping for gas at the border of Arizona & New Mexico, the owner of the station told me how New Mexico only has a couple of plows and doesn't maintain the highway. That scared me. There was snow across the desert but somehow we stayed just out of reach. Another gas stop in New Mexico and the snow started coming down. I felt like that damn storm was chasing us until finally we headed a little south and the storm a little north.

I have to admit, I've never seen snow in the desert and it really is beautiful. I didn't mind it when I was able to look out and see it on the landscape. The rest of our trip home to Missouri was uneventful, but I sure was glad to get there and be done with this trip.

Maybe January isn't the best time to move. Michael joked about me wanting to learn how to drive in snow. Truly, I had no business driving but was put in the situation and got through it. But I also know I would not have gotten through it without Dirk and Michael. Michael spent 3 hours directing a hysterical person through a blizzard while Dirk spent 3 hours getting me to hold on and not totally fall apart. Thank you both...you really are the best and I love you both!

So as I was saying at the beginning of this blog, I seem destined to experience the extremes of weather with Dirk. We had the April 2016 tornado scare in Missouri, the October 2016 hurricane in Florida and now, the January 2017 blizzard in Arizona. What's next?...*knocks on wood*

Another Weather Experience...Hurricane...Orlando, Florida

Date: October 4, 2016 to October 10, 2016

Place: Disney World

Location: Orlando, Florida

Personal Reflections: 

When is the best time to visit Disney World in Florida? You don't want to be there during high humidity, so middle of summer is out. Surely, you don't want to be there during hurricane season, June thru November. You also need to consider the crowds. Winter maybe? Possibly, but it can get quite cool. You do the best you can and I love vacationing in April and October, so October it is. End of hurricane season...what can possibly go wrong?

So of course, a tropical depression develops off the coast of Africa, and becomes Hurricane Matthew in the Caribbean but even then, there are only guesses as to the path. It looked like the hurricane would travel up the east coast, the outer bands just barely brushing the east coast of Florida, so we decided to go ahead with our vacation.

Off to Florida four of us go...2 coming from Branson and 2 from Sacramento. Somehow when making reservations we all ended up on the same plane in Chicago. Dirk and Logan in row 24 and Danny and I in row 25. This was the 4^th visit to Disney World for Danny and I. Dirk had been to Disneyland but Logan had never done anything Disney. It's really hard to imagine someone getting to be 23 years old and never been to any Disney property.

Disney has never made it so easy to stay with them. They give each of us a "magicband"...a wrist band. Programmed in those bands are our bus ride to and from the airport, it opens the door to our rooms, has our meal plan, our restaurant reservations, our park tickets and fast passes. You can even use it to charge purchases to your room.

The next morning, we have a message on our room phones saying that Disney is closely watching the path of the hurricane and, at this point, it will pass to the east. We spend the day at the Magic Kingdom, not really giving a thought to the hurricane. We knew Disney was on top of it. By the end of the day, the hurricane has toggled a bit and now will hit, to a greater or lesser degree, Orlando.

Up and out the next day. The message from Disney is still they are keeping close watch, but by mid morning, there's a new message coming out. We're at Disney Studios and word goes out that the parks will all close at 5pm, stay close the next day and reopen, maybe later, on Saturday. This is only the 4^th time in Disney World history that the parks closed.

I found out there are 5 things that happen when a hurricane is aiming for Disney World.

• If you aren't in Disney World yet, you can request a refund or ask that your trip is rescheduled
• Attractions start to close down depending upon the strength of the storm and how much preparation the attraction takes to secure.
• Decisions are made on the availability of parks...limited or full closure.
• The "tie down" starts within 72 hours of a storm. Teams move through all the parks, the hotels complexes and Disney Springs, removing loose items, such as trash bins, table and chairs. Signs and banners will be tied down and secured. Lights that can't be removed are covered in cloth bags to contain any glass that may break.
• Lastly, guests and staff start "sheltering in place". Most rooms are safe to stay in but sometimes people are asked to move to interior rooms.

The one thing we knew was that Disney would keep us safe. While others around us were worrying and wondering what to do, we knew all we had to do was follow Disney's instructions. Disney World has made it through more than two dozen hurricanes and tropical storms in its 40 year history. 

In 2009, the resort earned the Storm Ready designation from the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA), meaning it is one of the safest places to be in the United States when a hurricane strikes. Not only do they take care of their guests, it is also somewhere the local residents can come for shelter. The resort is unique in that it has several disaster command posts where they can dispatch staff and supplies. If a storm is indicated, Disney will continuously monitor weather reports but if a hurricane is projected to hit central Florida, they bring in additional experts. Once the storm is within 72 hours of the parks, Disney goes from "watch" to "prepare" with all staff acting as if the storm will directly hit Disney World. This is when they will start notifying guests as to what is going on and what to expect.

We stayed at Disney Studios right to the end with the storm closing in. Before leaving the park, we stopped at the bathroom. Ok, how long does it take to tinkle? Couple of minutes and when I get to the door, it is absolutely pouring. This wasn't one of those times you can out wait the rain, so we ran for the bus stop and so did everyone else. We wait for the bus to take us back, and they are cramming these buses as full as they can possibly get and of course, everyone is soaked thru and thru. 

Arriving at our hotel, everyone who was in the parks and at Disney Springs are back at one time and need to be fed. Just think, normally there are thousands of people spread all over the Disney properties...parks, restaurants, Disney Springs and hotels and now they are back at the hotels and all needing to be fed. The line of people waiting to eat wrapped twice around the lobby and we were told was a 2 hour wait. We went back to the rooms, changed and got in line. Logan started broadcasting on FaceBook live so people could see what was going on. Danny showed us a charades game app on his phone called Heads Up. Not only did we play but we had several people shout out answers. Danny and Logan were taking this to the extreme...they're laying on the ground acting out stuff...they're jumping up. The whole thing is amusing and helps to pass the time. 

The "sit down" restaurant at our hotel was undergoing remodeling so we had more of a fast food type place; definitely not equipped to handle the number of people. As time goes on, they are running out of things and the menu is getting smaller and smaller. At one point, they told everyone there was no more hot food left. They couldn't cook the stuff fast enough. I felt sorry for the staff. You know they have family and homes outside of Disney too and here they are stuck taking care of some cranky people. We were also informed that Disney wanted each person to pick up a "box" meal in case the hurricane got bad and we couldn't leave our rooms. 

After 3 1/2 hours, we ordered but then had to wait longer for the food to be prepared. At least at that point we were sitting down. It was funny, each time food came out from the kitchen, the room would erupt in cheers and applause as we all anxiously hoped it was our food.

We got back to our rooms after midnight...windy and rain but ready to ride out the storm. The boys had the room next to us and we told them that they could call us at any time and if they didn't want to be alone, could come to our room. What I didn't say was that if it got bad, I wanted my son with me. It looked like the hurricane would arrive during the night, but nothing woke me.

By morning, the hurricane has moved through and we carefully peek outside. It was a bit messy but no more than a bad storm anywhere. Of course, I have no idea how quickly Disney moved to clean things up. Obviously, each park has to have a sweep to check conditions and start clean up. Being the happiest place on earth, I'm sure they move pretty darn quick to restore the magic. The hurricane has just brushed Orlando. 

But before our magic could start again, we headed down to the restaurant where we find they have a limited menu with a much shorter wait. Before coming down, we had looked at our box "meal" that we had brought back to the room the previous night. It consisted of half a french roll...dry, no condiments, with 3 slices of very thin deli ham and 1 unripe orange. Really? We took the sandwiches with us and the manager apologized and said they shouldn't have been served. 

By the way, Disney did NOT give us those box lunches...we had to use our meal plan to get them; which irritated me even more. Needing something to do for the day, we went to the gift shop and bought a $10 deck of cards and occupied ourselves and the boys with multiple games of Hearts. 

Later that afternoon, we heard that Disney Springs was opening on a very limited basis at 5pm. I'm sure the hotels just about begged the restaurants to open so they wouldn't have to go through what they did the night before. But now you have ALL these people heading to Disney Springs...lines, LONG lines everywhere. All these people cooped up in their hotels with only one place to go. Waiting in line at Ragland Irish Pub, one of their bartenders went by and said if we didn't have anyone under 21 and didn't mind eating at the bar, we could go right in. They didn't have to tell us twice.

The last three days were mostly uneventful, a rather normal Disney World vacation. I did want to mention that at Epcot, we were coming out from having lunch at the Biergarten and saw the line to see Frozen's "Elsa" was short. Kidding the boys, because they both had a thing for her, I asked if they wanted pictures with her and they jumped at the chance. Listening to them while waiting in line was so amusing. Each of them boasting about what they would say and what they would do and where their hands would be; each guy trying to best the other. I really wasn’t sure what would happen when we got up there. 

Want to know what? Both boys turned shy. It was really funny but so sweet too. I would never tell them that. Their whole body language changed. Danny stood there with his hands clasped in front of him and Logan kept looking down...the perfect gentlemen.

And so ended another vacation with this California girl experiencing weather she'd rather not be in. First the tornado in Branson, MO and now a hurricane in Orlando, FL. What's next?

Post script...A week after we returned home, I wrote an email to Disney explaining that we purchased a package deal. I told them that although I may gripe about the cost, there is a level of service we've come to appreciate and expect and Disney fell short this time. We felt a refund was in order for 2 days on our meal plan and 1 day in the parks and we got it. Is Disney expensive? Yes... Unfair? No

Yet another post script...about a year later, another hurricane hit Florida and Disney had to go through the same thing, but with more damage. I read complaints about price gouging and felt I had to step in. I said that Disney wasn't price gouging...Disney is expensive...always has been, always will be, but they were not taking advantage of people.