Summer Vacation Trip - Day 16

We got up very early and left Nellis by 0615.  Traffic wasn’t too bad and we made it to the car rental return facility (after getting gas) a little before 0700.  We dropped off the rental car and then had to get on the shuttle bus to get to the airport but this went quickly.  At the terminal, we checked on the weight of our bag (not a bad job packing!) and then Mollie got TSA Pre-Check.  We took the tram to D Gates and then found a good seat at the gate (0730).  We had about two hours until boarding time and were able to relax a bit.  I got Mollie a sandwich from Starbucks (0740) which she said was “the best sandwich I ever had” and I picked up a huge burrito from Baja Fresh (0750).  Mollie called her mother and played Pokémon at the airport.  While were waiting, Mollie figured out the way for us to use our Apple Wallet to board the airplane and we both set up our electronic boarding passes (they worked like a charm).  After we were on the airplane (0930), the pilot said we were delayed weather in Houston.  We pushed back on time but then had to wait on the tarmac for about an hour.  The end result was that we got free DirectTV.  During the flight, we got to see some of the places we’d visited during our trip (NV, AZ).  We talked a lot about how great our vacation had been (almost 5000 miles of driving, 31 NPS Passport stamps, 50 license plates, 16 days of excitement and fun, horseback ride).  Mollie told me she’d had a great time and, when I pointed out it was our last mandated Summer Vacation, she reminded me that I’d said I would take her on an Alaskan Cruise after she graduated from High School (I told her I’d keep my word).  After the delay for the first leg, I was a little worried we’d miss our second one.  However, we arrived in Houston (around 1600) to find that the next flight was delayed too, meaning that our bag made the transfer OK.  There was just enough time (just over an hour) during our layover for Mollie to buy herself some food; I spent a lot of time texting with Brenna to coordinate our pickup.  We boarded another packed flight (around 1715) and discovered we got DirectTV again.  On the last flight, we enjoyed movies and TV shows and looked at scenery out our windows.  We arrived at Reagan National only about 20 minutes later than our scheduled time (2115).  Brenna was waiting for us but it took lots of coordination to connect with her because the “cell phone waiting lot” was closed for construction.  It was also very hot and humid and Brenna was uncomfortable (no AC in "Bessie").  Brenna took Mollie and me back to my apartment (we arrived by about 2230) and then stayed for a little while so Mollie could give her souvenirs she bought.  Mollie and I went to bed soon afterwards - very tired but jazzed up after our amazing trip!