It was so easy to rent our vehicle in Spokane and so hard to return it in Boise. By the time we finally returned the vehicle, we were tired and hungry. It had been a long drive from West Yellowstone to Boise. At this point, we were tired of long drives.
The airline counter clerk was delightful. We checked our luggage and headed to lunch. After a quick lunch -- during which we all charged our devices -- we headed towards the gate.
It was chaos at the gate. A flight to Denver had mechanical problems. It was cancelled. The customer service staff had long lines of annoyed people. Many people would have to spend the night in Boise. Many people were going to miss their connecting flights. And then there were the unaccompanied minors.
There were five or six teens talking to airline staff at the gate. They were traveling from camp together to Denver where some would stay and others would catch connecting flights. The staff was trying to figure out what to do with these kids. They couldn't stay in hotels by themselves overnight. They couldn't get them all on the next flight to Denver.
I was thinking about what we would do if the girls were in that situation when I walked back to the Boise Public Library outpost. The girls were there charging their devices and talking with friends. As I walked into the space, the blond twin looked at me with tears in her eyes. A friend's father had died suddenly. He was only 44 years old. The brunette twin looked shocked.
We spent some time talking about what happened and how to comfort their friend. We boarded the plane knowing that there were certain to be some hard days ahead. It was certainly not the ending we planned for our wonderful vacation.