MD to MN Road trip with a new friend, 1,100 miles, 16 hours
Had to add this recent endeavor to the blog. Ended up making a new friend and doing a over night road trip from Baltimore, MD to back home in Minnesota.
Was in Delaware for a week, Wednesdays storms had already crippled Delta’s operations in Atlanta and many other east coast airports. Here is a log of the interesting events that took place.
Friday morning
My journey began in Delaware, weather was great. Assuming some travel delays, I left for the airport early in the morning. Reached the Baltimore, MD airport 2 hours before departure. The challenge became evident as met a lot of individuals that were unhappy with the “airport arrest” due to flight cancellations that had ran through Thursday. I was feeling optimistic at this point…..
Friday afternoon-Endeavor begins
2 PM – Our flight got delayed multiple times and then was cancelled. We were given HOPE and were put on stand by for the 4.54 PM flight. This is where I met a few new friends Andy & Noah. Delta crew had to deplane after the crew realized that they did not have any pilots …. Lol.
5.00 PM – Delta customer service informed us that we could fly out on Monday afternoon as all other flights were already sold out …. Wow. no prizes for guessing that we were not looking forward to spending 2+ additional days away from families.
6.00 PM – We made attempts to find flights, trains, buses and rental cars to get back to MN with no luck. Andy and I decided to drive to MN if rental cars were available.
6.15 PM – Travel gods gave us a break, Budget had cars available and gave me a deal on a one way rental. Rental options were a Prius or Mustang, no prizes for guessing which one we went with.
6.30 PM – Andy and I looked at each other and said “are we really doing this”. We called home to let them know about our ambitious plan and got some comments like “really ? and are you nuts to ok but get some rest”, thanks for letting us proceed with it
Friday 10 PM-Good bye Baltimore, Philadelphia & Pittsburgh
Making great progress, light traffic helped a lot. Subway was on the menu for dinner
Saturday 4 AM-Good bye Ohio, Indiana & hello Chicago
Still going strong, determined progress, chats about family, business, recent events is helping. Passing through OH we saw some snow on the ground, road were clear but the storm must have dropped some snow. Stop for rest ….. not just yet …..
Saturday 6 AM-Hello Wisconsin
We are greeted by a awesome sun rise. One more state is behind us, we are tired but every mile get’s us closer to home !
Saturday 9.50 AM-MN on the horizon
About to cross the Saint Croix River, we are so close
Saturday 9.57 AM-Almost there
Can you believe it, we made it from MD to MN in 16.5 hours including stops. All we have to do is to return the car and go home.
Saturday 5.30 PM-Easter Egg Hunt in the neighborhood
This is one of the reasons why I did it.
Andy, could not have made it without your help, thanks for a great road trip and let’s stay in touch ….. may be a east coast to west coast trip next ….. jk
Delta has promised to reimburse the ticket and the rental expenses but not sure how they will proceed in the end, all I can say is that I am glad to be home !
#deltaairlines #roadtrip #ketandeshpandemn
The author, KetanDeshpande, lives in Minnesota and writes about a variety of topics in his blog such as global economy, market and industry trends, successful strategies for businesses, and others. Leveraging his global strategic leadership experience from the manufacturing industry to offer insights in to how businesses can meet the sustainable growth and profitability goals.
Ketan Deshpande is also passionate about sustainability and renewable energy; he curates and shares latest updates in his blog posts. Recently the Southern Minnesota Municipal Power Agency(SMMPA) of Litchfield, Minnesota, endorsed Ketan Deshpande for an energy conservation project.
This blog also features memorable events, travel experiences and his favorite places to visit in the great state of Minnesota.
Eventful, indeed! ☺
Eventful, indeed 😁