TRANSITION Sunday 1 October
Yesterday’s transition went according to plan,
with a final goodbye to my cycling buddies at the hotel breakfast table and a
first ride on the bike with panniers, through the quiet, misty streets of
Cumberland to the Amtrak station pick-up point.
The Bay runner shuttle turned up as scheduled
and three hours later dropped me on time and exactly as requested at the BWI
car rental facility. Discussion at the Enterprise counter centred on the
problems of renting to an alien who also wanted a GPS and the assurance that
the rear seats would fold down to make the vehicle accessible via the trunk for
my bike. Eventually I was offered an Audi Quattro, much grander than the
“compact” originally reserved.
To my consternation, I found the car in fact
did not have GPS. My plan B was to use my cell phone but that refused to pick
up satellites, in the garage, just outside or after hundred metres down the
road. Undaunted, I resorted to my trusty cue sheet and weaved my way among the
wem of fast-moving interstates around Baltimore and then Washington. None was
more relieved than I to see the turn for US15B and my destination for the day,
Warrenton,VA.
After settling in at my motel for the night I
went for a short exploratory drive of the town and found an ice cream kiosk
where I enjoyed a malted butterscotch shake at an outside table, surrounded by
families and young people, all enjoying the evening sunshine and warmth. Lastly
a quick recce of the car drop off location and gas stations nearby.
No comments:
Post a Comment