I was anxious to get home to my family. But, with plenty of time to make my late-morning flight out of Durango, I casually explored some of the remnants of the Farmington Branch on the drive back north.

When I finally arrived at the airport there was absolute chaos. It took a few minutes to figure out what all the hubbub was. The airport was CLOSED. All flights cancelled. Something was supposedly busted with the weather gear. But, it was clear and sunny in Durango. Go figure.

[Insert expletive here]

I called Michele and told her what was up. Then called United Airlines and determined that I couldn't make the last flight out of Albuquerque that evening, but I could easily make the last flight from Denver. So, I booked that flight and called Chel back to get her to check the road conditions through the South Park while I re-rented my rental. Visions of Christmas Cards with a snow-covered Como Depot danced in my head...

While on the phone with Chel, I got word that Denver Airport closed due to weather. So much for that Como Christmas Card. Oh well.

With conditions deteriorating in Denver and supposed to get bad in Durango the following day, I made the decision to drive home. Besides, I was out of clean socks and underwear.  The look on the guy's face at the rental agency was hilarious. "You want to drive where?"

With my rental rented and my return flight cancelled, I started south. A quick stop in Aztec yielded supplies of water, snacks, and 5-Hour Energy drinks. I stopped again in ABQ for fuel and lunch (Chipotle), then made a non-stop mad dash east on I40 to Amarillo. Hit some pretty heavy fog and snow around Santa Rosa and Tucumcari, but no ice. After Amarillo, I stopped in Wichita Falls and Waxahachie for fuel before arriving home.

The last two times I made the Durango-Spring trip, it took 18 hours. That entailed getting up at 2 in the morning and driving all day. This day I left Durango just before 1100 and got home in just under 15 hours, arriving before 0300. Really not sure how I did that except that it's safe to say I may have violated all speed limits known to man.

My boss and coworkers thought I was crazy. But, I missed my boy! Michele, too.