July 25, 2025 - Return to Fresno

 

Title: July 25, 2025 - Return to Fresno

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Hike Info : Description 

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Type:Plane

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Of course the text message I got this morning said the flight to Dulles from Dublin would be delayed. That seems par for the course on any of the flights this Summer. It looks like the delay is long enough that we will miss our flight to Denver. We will need to deal with that when we get to the airport.

Last night I did not sleep very well. Took awhile to get to sleep and then when I did I would wake up every couple of hours. Five o’clock came soon enough and we got up and got ready to go. Steven, Sherri and I were the first of our group downstairs. But Andrea and Rachel came soon enough to board the hotel shuttle to the airport. Besides being full, it was uneventful.

 At the airport, we got word we would need to re-book. When we tried, all of the options we tried looked hopeful until I got a message which said they could not book it. Then there is this long line at the United desk-I guess we are not the only ones who need assistance.

Andrea, Last to Leave Ireland

Rachel got situated pretty quickly for her Paris flight. Andrea came over and joined us after checking her bag to Minneapolis and Portland. When we got to the United agent, Ingrida, she looked pretty intense trying to sort out what to do, enough so that she got her supervisor involved who was able to book us on a flight to Newark, NJ then on to Los Angeles and finally to Fresno. We should get in about 8:15 tonight. This still seems a bit of a miracle being in Europe in the morning and then on the West Coast that evening. I wonder how tired I will be at the end of it.

I was nervous about going through customs. We got in lots of steps, then went through an empty maze to get to the customs agent. How much of a problem was there? Not much, she looked over our documents-passport-and then let us through without questioning what are we bringing back. I guess it is better this way, even though it seems a bit of a let down.

Even the Newark plane is a bit late. Evidently there was a fire or some emergency event in Chicago which affected flights throughout United’s network. We board-both Steven and I have exit seats with a lot of leg room-really nice. Interesting that there was a 20-25 minute taxi before take off.

Where did the Titanic go down?

I am working on completing some of my blogs. As I glance up at the map of where we are at, I think someplace below us right now, is the Titanic, laying deep down in the ocean. Sort of eerie us flying so high over the approximate area.

We landed in Newark pretty much on time. Now we have until 2pm to go get our next flight to LAX. But as mentioned before on this blog, this has not been the Summer to fly for us. About 50 minutes before departure, the flight got delayed. The issue? Our jet made a hard landing and needs to be checked out. So the flight gets moved to 3:30, then 3:50 and then 4;25. That is 9:25pm Dublin time. We have been up for a long while. This also means we will miss our flight to Fresno. We are not seeing any more flights tonight but United there. I also checked Alaska and SouthWest-nada. To add insult to injury, here in Newark a thunderstorm starts at 3:40.

Not to be totally negative. If I am going to be stuck in an airport anyplace, I think Newark would rank at the top. At least in the United area, these are most comfortable seats which I think I have ever experienced. I guess the more of the story is if you are going to make your customers wait, at least have them wait in comfort.

Waiting in Newark

We boarded the plane in Newark about 4:50. The captain noted there were 30+ planes waiting for take off after the airport was closed down due to the thunderstorm. We did not leave until after 6pm. The flight information says we will arrive around 8:33 for our 9:16 flight to Fresno. That will be awfully tight. There is not much which I can do, except sit back and make sure I am ready to go when we land.

As it turns out, the plane’s wheels do not leave the ground until around 6:00. We definitely are not going to make that Fresno plane. Guess we will be sleeping in LA tonight. The flight itself is uneventful. I am not sure if I should try sleeping or try getting it out. I think if I can, then I will make the transition from Ireland time to California a lot easier.

When we land, about 8:30, there is a text which relieves some anxiety. Our Fresno plane has been delayed. This works in our favor-it will now depart at 9:50. This will allow us to get a quick meal. Panda Express has a long line, so we all go to Carl’s Jr and pick up a Western Cheese burger. We are happily munching away when another text says a new time: 10:40. This is beginning to sound like our trip last month from Seattle to Fresno which eventually got canceled.

Turns out we have a few more delays. First to 11:10 then to 11:35. But the good news is that the flight crew starts to arrive. To back up a bit. We were not the only ones who were nervous about our flight coming into LA. There are others who are thinking about the Fresno flight. We talk to one female who is going to go to San Francisco, but seeing friends in Fresno. We become temporary friends as she picks our brain about what to do in Fresno. We also talk to one of the attendants and she provides some background on flight. It comes from Denver to Aspen to LA to Fresno. Fresno is a United maintenance stop, so we are likely to make it to Fresno tonight. The only question is when. She also adds that it is not unusual to have this flight late.

We actually lift off around the time we are to leave. It is a bit more than an hour to Fresno, so we arrive about 1am, Saturday. Surprisingly, our checked luggage actually makes it to Fresno on our plane. Our friend Peter has been staying up to take us home. He comes along and takes us home. We have been up with very little or no sleep for 28 hours. Once Peter leaves, I am asleep before 2am. I sleep very soundly until 7:30.