The journey started in Washington... the flights to Seattle and to Minneapolis were fine. I get to the gate in Minneapolis, MN. Shit was already a long ass walk from 1 side of the airport to the other. I had a great time, saw my father at the cemetery and we talked for a few. I grabbed some rubbings and we had a smoke together...I left him one. Anyways. So I get to the gate and see this....
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So the gate agent says...."I need 2 volenteers as we are over booked for all that checked in. Free hotel tonight and $400.00, first flight out in the morning". Nope I want to get there and go to sleep, so I can get up and work. 2 people went up and then I hear this..."Due to storms and weight, I need 2 more people , first flight in the morning and $800.00 voucher". Shit I should have taken that, but I was thinking the same. So 2 people get up, they all get $800.00 and have a good night. We all board the plane and we hear this...." This is the pilot, we are going to be heading to Williston and it will be bumpy due to the storm coming in, but we should be on the ground before it happens."....SHIT I should have taken the voucher.
So we take off and all is good, my ass is sleeping...I noticed that we are getting close as I could see the flares on the ground from the oil patch. In the distance I see that there is low hanging clouds, barely see the town and notice that its a lightning storm from hell....Great... Lets do this....Well. we are 5 miles from the airport, I notice that the pilot is low, I assume that he is trying to get under the storm. We pass over the bypass and I hear the flaps come down but no wheels....I know that you have the 5 minutes lasted like forever....But seriously. Up down, left right, roll this way roll that way, xyz axis.....Kids in front of me are sleeping, I am gripping the seat and arm rest. The lady behind me is screaming and crying about not wanting to die...Older kids behind me are losing their shit. Everyone is " OH SHIT, Shit Shit....Then I hear the engine ROAR as a winding up from take off....I look out the window, as I could not see anything and we are past the airport and in the hail and lightning....Lightning just outside the window. Like the power of GOD is going to touch the plane...We realize that we are getting higher and higher...
Pilot comes over the radio..." Well the micro burst that we just went through is too rough and we are diverting to Bismark." Fine. Everyone around me says that they are taking a rental car. We land in Bismark...The Pilot comes out of the cockpit. You know it was rough when he is sweating balls...." Sorry about that folks....What a rough ride. In the 15 years that I have been flying, that is the worst that I have ever had to fly into. So we are going to refuel and head back up there to try again." Everyone at this time checks the radar on their phones and request to get off the plane. Not due to the lack of the pilots knowledge, but due to the fact that there was a counter clockwise rotation right around the time that this crazy fucker wants give it another try.
So I let people on this plane know that I am going to drive my ass in a rental car up to Williston. Fuck the plane ride to see if he can do it. I notice that about 20 people get off and we go to the rental car place....So here is where the tags come into play. I offer to pay, we all split the cost and Ill drive as everyone else is sleepy. This anesthesiologist says that he will pay for the car, for all of us, gas too, if someone else drives as he cannot in the dark. SO I got #ophumanangel d as I said that I would get it, but he did and all I would have to do is drive for 3 hours. WE do some small chatting, 5 people in this car driving, just to not go through that shit again. We stop a few times, to have a smoke and drinks to stay awake.
So we get into town, now I am a taxi, Hey drop me here, drop me here....I get the dr home and thank him. He asked that I take the car back in the morning and that is all that he asked of me. So I get myself back to the house at 4am. I wake up at noon and go drop the keys off, as the rental place was closed when we arrived. When I was speaking with the rental car lady, she said that 35 of the 48 people that were on that flight, rented cars and dropped them off today. I was dumb founded. She stated that they saw the landing lights on the plane come down, then were all over the place and the aircraft was waved off, due to the rough turbulence and micro burst. Not from the tower, as there is no tower at this airport, but from the ground crew witnessing the plane up down, left right and what she said as an almost 70 degree banks.
