I’m off to see the President!

Of course he’s not President just yet, but he will be.

He will be…

As regular readers of my blog are well aware, every now and again I like to wax poetic about subjects that are non-travel and non-toilet/train/window-related. By a wide margin one of my favourite topics (that isn’t one of those other ones) is politics.

From my coverage of the 2013 the Boston City Council by-election run-off vote, to my predicting (incorrectly) the outcome of the 2016 US Presidential contest, I’m not afraid to tread into dangerous literary waters – waters that are often infested with sharks, poisonous jellyfish, and that parasite that swims up into your penis.

So continuing that trend I decided to drive down to Washington DC to report on what many of you have referred to as, “the beginning of the end”. And while I’m not convinced that the situation is that dire – it could be the end of the beginning or possibly, the middle of a tragicomedy – the past few months have seen some extraordinary political activity.

I am of course referring to the Presidential Inauguration of Donald Trump. Everyone wants to bear witness to history’s greatest events but usually they mean that in the complimentary sense. Me, I’m all about the pejorative.

So here’s the plan as of 07:00 Thursday morning (inauguration is on Friday)

Thursday

07:00 – Pick up rental car
07:15 – Load up the rental car
07:30 – Start driving
20:00 – Stop driving (arrive at destination)
20:15 – Visit with Tom and Katherine
23:00 – Sleep

Friday

06:30 – Wake up
07:00 – Bike down to the Inauguration
12:30 – Watch Donald Trump become President
13:30 – Cry in public

This itinerary is, of course, subject to change. I really don’t know what I’m doing.

And the clearest evidence of this is my decision to bring my bicycle with me and use it to get to wherever it is I have to go. This is either my greatest idea ever or my worst.

Greatest Idea

While everyone else is crammed into the subway cars like cattle in some kind of horrible, mobile high-density feedlot, I’m going to be cruising along the Potomac on my Norco ten-speed taking in the spectacular sunrise and wonderful scenery of the nation’s capital. When all the festivities have ended, I’ll jump back on my bike and head home, leaving everyone else in my wake.

(this is me)

Worst Idea

It’s going to rain and I’m going to sweat during the bike ride rendering my cold weather clothing useless and I’m going to freeze to death during the ceremony. Or I’m going to crash in the rain. Maybe my bike will get trashed or stolen. There are so many possibilities.

(this is also me)

Be sure to stay tuned to find out what happens!