Tomorrow!

Amidst nearly missed flights, traffic jams, and a near elevator gaffe, all three of us are now safely at the Lucarelli residence for the evening!

My journey started at around 4pm when I arrived in Drexel Hill to meet my ride to the airport.  Thanks to the Philadelphia traffic, a 15 mile trip took nearly 50 minutes to complete, putting me at the airport at approximately 4:50pm.  After waiting in line for my boarding pass, I started the process of checking in two of my bags.  I was then informed that my bags were checked in late, and that there was no guarantee that they would be on the same flight as me.  At this point, I had very little choice, so I continued on my way.  At the next stairwell, I realized that the brochure the lady had given me did not include my boarding pass, so I backtracked to retrieve that very important document!  After rushing through the long line at security, the clock said 5:15pm.  I had 10 minutes to find my gate and make my flight.  I grabbed my carry-on, took off my flip flops and sprinted barefoot to the terminal.  I arrived to find out the flight was slightly delayed - and so I made it in plenty of time.  While waiting to board the plane, I saw my bags being loaded on the plane, and finally I was at ease!  I pulled into Pittsburgh at approximately 6:40pm.

Brian was coming straight from work to pick me up at the airport.  A trip that would normally take him about 30 minutes was seemingly infinitely longer on this day in particular.  There was a Pittsburgh Steeler's preseason game in the city, and traffic was a nightmare because of it.  After taking about an hour to go just over a mile, Brian arrived at the airport in just over two hours of travel time.  We then headed on our way back to his apartment.

Jack was to meet us at the Lucarelli's at 8pm.  He arrived around that time, but opted to stay in his car and make phone calls until we got closer to returning.  In the meantime, Brian's wife left the apartment to go do laundry.  As she was going down on the elevator, the power went out, leaving her stranded!  During her brief call to 911, the power came on again for a long enough period of time for her to get off the elevator.  (She opted for the stairs on the way back up to the apartment...)  Had Jack decided to come in right away, he would have likely been the one stuck on the elevator.

All that said, we are now together for the first time in a long time.  We took a look at the route tomorrow, including places were we can stop off safely tomorrow as we rotate drivers.  Our run ideally starts early tomorrow around 8am - which means we leave here around 6am!  Jack's 93 year old grandmother will be at our starting point to see us off from her wheelchair - so we have incentive to be on time and ready to go. :)

Stay tuned!

Tim