The day started out sunny with just a few clouds. My plan was to head to the airport around 1pm as it is a two hour drive. Got some stuff done in the morning, car was packed and ready to go.

As the time to leave drew near, more clouds began to roll in and a slight mist of rain started. No big deal, I thought, just a little bit of rain. Well, the laugh was on me! It wasn’t just a simple spring shower, it was a full blown storm. The further East I drove, the worse it got. Other drivers were using their hazard lights. My first thought was an accident had occurred but no, these drivers were just being cautious. The flashing highway signs repeatedly warned to NOT use hazard lights but, like most signs, drivers ignored them. The speed limit is 70 mph and some people were actually driving at that speed despite having limited visibility. Nuts!

To add to the wonderful highway travel, There were lane closures as well! Yes, only one lane in which to travel and a driving rainstorm to boot. At least the speed was lessened as you could only go as fast as the front car. Whew. No pressure now to speed. The rain was not letting up at all.

That iced coffee from the drive-thru was catching up with me and I needed to find a rest stop. Soon. At last one rest stop boasting being ‘a full facility’ was up ahead. Relief was only a few miles away. I exited, found a parking space and, of course, there was no cover to protect me from the rain. I really had to go so I just went for it. AND as a result, I got SOAKING WET. Yup, front, back, head to toe wet. No way was I going to try to change clothes at this place.

I got back in the car and put the extra blanket/towel from the backseat down so as not to ruin the seat. My hairs is wet, my shirt is wet, my jacket is wet as well as my pants and shoes. Yuck. I now got to drive about another hour in damp clothes.

Ding, ding went my phone. I had a text. AND, the flight had been delayed so I din’t need to worry about being late for my plane, thank goodness. I white knuckle it the rest of the way to the parking garage. This time, there was an overhang so I didn’t get any wetter as I unloaded my car. I checked my car in, left my keys, used the facilities and waited for the van to take me to the terminal.

Not going to be changing my clothes in this place either. It is more like a ‘men’s’ bathroom, if you get my drift. You know the kind you find at Gas Stations or Car repair shops. Not the name brand car repair places, the local guy that can fix just about anything. The owner operator is so busy fixing cars that the restroom is the last thing on his list. It’s not really a ‘public’ restroom after all so why would it need to be up to par shall we say? Only in desperation was this facility used.

The van had just left with a couple of passengers for the airport so I walked around the waiting room for a while. Stretching my legs since I’d been driving for 3 hours and had a 5 1/2 hour plane ride ahead of me. Finally the van returned. I got in and we headed for the terminal.

We arrived at the airport with no problems. My clothes were still damp. Off I headed, cell phone in hand with my boarding pass. At least I had priority boarding so I was able to cut the line.

Not so lucky it seems. The Assume the position, hands up, stand still for 3-5 seconds  drill went well, I thought. Uh, No. My soaking wet clothes required me to have a personal pat down. FUN Seemed as if my upper back and buttocks were suspicious. Extra pat down in those areas.What a thrill. I explained that I got wet when I got out of my car. Whew, Okay, I passed the pat down.

The bathroom, though clean, was not conducive to changing clothes. Who wants to put their suitcase on the floor of a much used bathroom? Not me! My bag was really tightly packed and I didn’t want my things falling out. The shirt and pants were drying out pretty well.

I treated myself to a margarita and a sandwich. Okay, I had two margaritas. I deserved it wouldn’t you say? LOL. Another trip to the bathroom and then to the gate for boarding. Again, not so lucky. The weather had caused delays for all flights. At least I wasn’t among the crowd that had been waiting for 9 hours for a quick trip to Newark, NJ. Oh my, they had gotten a little testy.

The announcer repeated “We are doing the best that we can so, please bear with us a few more minutes. The plane is here and as soon as it is ready to board, we will let you begin.” Groans and bickering.

About 15 minutes later, “Ladies and Gentlemen, the flight to Newark, NJ is now ready for boarding.” Loud cheers and clapping!!!

That emptied out an area of the terminal somewhat. At least seats in the boarding area were easier to find. I sat next to a guy headed to Los Angeles who was discussing some movie deal. You hear the oddest conversations at the airport.

The plane for Los Angeles finally taxied to the gate, the passengers disembarked and the plane was cleaned up. Our flight was called.

Here we go . . .  California, here I come.