Leaving Houston, or How Krispy Kreme Saved Our Vacation

After 50 inches of rain and four days of telling us the port would open Monday, Carnival finally admits that our cruise is canceled. They will give our money back plus a $192.20 cruise credit if we schedule with them in the next 60 days. For the record, that amount is not enough to reimburse me for the hotel wait, let alone entice me to undergo this ordeal again. We had trip insurance, but they are reluctant to pay anything because Carnival gave a refund.

We had 90 minutes after finishing breakfast to check out, and a very brief window without rain. While waiting for the luggage cart, I chatted with people being rescued from their homes by volunteers in boats. They all showed me cell phone pix of their submerged homes. I mentioned to the front desk that we were considering New Orleans or Florida for our replacement vacation. The woman shook her head violently. "What we got, they're getting now."

The moment we were packed, the rain started again. They were expecting another 15 inches before the President's arrival, and people were worried the levees might break. If it weren't for the heavy rain, I would have gone 80. As it was, I could only manage 55 in the dry lane. As we traveled north, I used language I shouldn't have in front of my kids. We were stunned to see the access roads deep underwater. You can just make out the top to the "construction zone" signs.

Thank God we had plenty of gas already because I wasn't slowing down for anything. Another 12 inches of rain, and there would be no escape. When we finally did pull over for lunch, the Jack in the Box had countless leaks in the ceiling, with drips hitting half of us. Three-quarters of the sky was still black. 

My daughter had been naming the Pokemon she caught things like "mysuckyvacay". As a thirteen-year-old, she is on the dangerous verge of teenhood angst. When we asked her what she wanted to do before going home to make this a better vacation, she replied, "Krispy Kreme." We don't have them in Minneapolis anymore. So we made one last stop in Texas to make a little girl's dreams come true... or at least make the 20-hour drive home more tolerable.