Arrival II

When we left our intrepid traveller last night (well, this morning, really) he was standing at the check-in desk for his hotel in Mendota Heights, Minnesota. The trip from the airport to the hotel, just under five miles, took me almost half an hour. It was a mess out there and the roads were not worth driving fast on.

The receptionist was busily turning away potential guests, there was no room at the inn. They were full-up for the night, and she was harried at the prospect that the snowstorm was to shunt even more weary travellers into her lobby only to be turned out into the storm in search of other accommodation. (Doesn't it sound like a cross between the nativity story and an adventure film!)

I reached the front of the line and handed my credit card, driver's license, and Marriott club card to her. She took them, held-up one finger and grabbed a phone that was shrilly alerting her to the fact that someone was trying to get her attention. After a bit of a wait while she listened, the part of the conversation I could hear went something like this.

"Yes, sir. We do have a shuttle, but it stopped running at eleven."

(Pause while she listened.)

"Yes, I'm sorry to say, sir, that the driver has already left for the evening. We will not have a drive until six in the morning."

(Pauses while she listened.)

"No, sir. We have no shuttle drive to pick you up, I'm sorry."

(The person on the other end of the phone apparently was shouting, not because I could almost make-out his words.)

"Sir, I am sorry. But we have no shuttle at this hour."

(The shouting is almost but not quite distinct now.)

"Sir, we have a shuttle service from six a.m. until eleven p.m. I am sorry that you have missed it. "

(More shouting.)

"Yes, sir, I know you plane must have been late. We're in the middle of a blizzard. -- Then I suppose you had better rent a car or flag a cab!" she concluded with only a burst of shouting coming from the phone to interrupt her.

Turning to me, she pasted a smile on her face, apparently ready for me to shout at her for keeping her waiting. I simply smiled at her warmly, pushed my cards across the desk toward her, and said "Busy night, eh? Is there a storm or something." I smiled my most infectious smile and spoke with a slight chuckle in my voice.

He looked at my cards and got a horrified look on her face. "I'm sorry, Mr. Bergquist, but the room you have reserved is not available. We've been a bit busy this evening. If it is alright with you, may I put you into our standard king suite."

I agreed that the type of room didn't really matter to me, as long as there was a bed and it was warm. I really hadn't paid close attention, once she had confirmed there was a room, whatever it was would be better than sleeping in the car.

It is a really nice room. It is only steps from the pool, it truly is a suite, it has huge flat panel televisions in each room and a comfortable writing desk and office chair. It even has a free Internet connection - not that at the moment I have a computer. I am writing this using a digital writing system (that is to say I am using my digits). This is being composed on paper with a pen, I will have to transcribe it into a computer once I own a working one!

My laptop gave up the ghost last night. This morning I have taken a swim and had breakfast, so and even lounged in the hot tub for a while waiting for the snow to clear a bit off the roads, so I suppose that it is about time to pack up, get in the car and head west. The reports are that the roads are mostly open, so I guess I am headed out!

Wherever you are today, I hope that you are enjoying your morning.

Don Bergquist - December 04, 2010 - Mendota Heights, Minnesota, USA