Chicago, IL (USA)

Woke up early (barely an hour and a half of sleep!), I checked out of my room at the Residence Inn in Eagan and made it to the airport around 0415. I am glad I got there that early!!! After returning my rental car (Enterprise) before the counter was even open (they checked it in much later, at 0600), the walk through the terminal was long again.  Even worse, the lines for the airlines and TSA were the longest I've ever seen. And remember, we are talking about 0415!!! With all the delays, I made it through to the gate about 20 minutes before boarding. A nice lady moved my seat from the way back to the front (to help with the connection). My American Airlines flight departed Minneapolis in the dark (0600) and we arrived in Chicago (O'Hare) with clear skies and great views of the city (0715). It took another 20 minutes to taxi to the gate - across the interstate again (that has always been funny to me). I guess I actually haven't been at O'Hare in 20 years either... The big news today there was that the Sears Tower was renamed the Willis Tower. While digesting this news, I was working with only a short time between connections.  There was just enough time to grab breakfast (at McDonalds) and chat with some passengers. When I boarded another American Airlines aircraft, I was feeling very glad this is the last leg of the trip! After departing Chicago at 0850, I talked to some of my fellow passengers about life in Texas and about sights to see in Fort Worth, Oklahoma and along the Rio Grande.  It was a fun discussion! We landed at DFW at around 1130 - there was lots of rain and everything was grinding very slow... With the help of some nice people I asked, I found out how to get back to my car (Terminal Link). One of them even gave me a coupon for the parking, which made my daily rate go down five dollars! Ultimately, I'm very glad that I parked in a covered lot (Hyatt Regency) and I was pleased to get out of the complex easily (1215).  I even got another parking coupon from the nice toll-booth employee! Sadly, I encountered traffic jams all the way home.  Still, it was a relief to reach Fort Worth - I took a four hour nap when I got there!!! Woke up later to do laundry and get ready for the next trip - a family adventure in New Mexico!