The mile long walk

If there was one thing I didn’t expect to learn from traveling around the country for thirty days, it was the fact that things can change quickly and can often cause a domino effect affecting future plans. When this happens, being able to adapt and make the most of it is a interesting process.

After oversleeping and missing my flight to Seattle, I found myself on a plane to Washington D.C. a day early. My plan originally was to fly to Seattle for the day and fly east on a redeye to visit the Maryland and Delaware state capitols the next day. Instead, I spent the afternoon at Washington Dulles International Airport trying to find a hotel that wasn’t expensive.

By the end of the rainy and humid day, and after a couple of false leads to a hotels “near the airport”, I grabbed some dinner and enjoyed the sunset in the parking lot of a convenience store.

To further mix things up, while I was hopelessly searching for a hotel, I was reminded that the Bureau of Engraving and Printingwas located in Washington. A few years ago I visited Washington during the cherry blossoms festival. Unfortunately, I didn’t get to tour the facility as it was closed on the weekend. My travel companion back then gave me advice I won’t forget. She said that that wouldn’t be the last time I would visit and there would be another opportunity to see it.

It would be simple to say that I drove to the mint, saw the process of making lots of paper money, and then went on my way to Maryland. Again, it didn’t happen that way. I got turned around and mistook another building for the mint. I was proud I got a really close parking spot to said building. Except, it was about a mile away from the mint. To be fair, many of the government buildings have the same exterior features. Between already having paid a meter and thinking it wasn’t all that far (thanks to Google Maps), I walked the distance not knowing it was a mile. Not knowing it was going to be a nice sunny warm day, I also had a jacket on for good measure.

The good news, the mint had no line and was air conditioned. So in the end, things worked out.

I do want to acknowledge that a number of things could have gone much better with a little more planning. But looking back, I smile at what took place and have no regrets. Not everything can be planned and executed perfectly. The memories are what count.