Trip Report

Preparations for our trip from DC to Minneapolis began lastnight. Gabbie got the spa treatment with an apple shampoo bath so she would smell fruity on the plane. Then I packed my bag and we called it a night.

I called Red Top Cab in advance for a ride to the airport, and the driver showed up on time at 12:50 p.m. as promised, and we took the short ten-minute route down George Washington Parkway to National Airport (also known as "DCA"). Skycaps are always a good idea at National. Within a few short minutes after being dropped off, we were on our way toward Security, already having checked in my luggage with the skycap. I tipped him three bucks.

We made it through security in just a few minutes and on to our gate with plenty of time to spare before boarding. The airport was not packed at all and so I decided that mid-afternoon might be a good time to fly in the future.

We departed on time at 2:25 p.m. EST. I was in 8-F, a window seat above the right side wing. The flight itself was fine, but we did hit some choppy air coming across Wisconsin, but thankfully the turbulence lasted only a few minutes. On descent, we had more turbulence due to the high winds around Minneapolis, but it wasn't as bad as the turbulence at the higher altitudes over Wisconsin. Our landing was a little jarring due to the winds though. I think the winds made it hard for the pilot to land with the wings level, because it felt like the left wheels touched down first, then a second later, the right wheels touched down. It could have been my imagination, but that's how it felt. Scary.

Needless to say, we were happy to get off the plane and make our way to baggage claim. By the time we arrived to the claim gate, our luggage was waiting for us. Since we landed early, we had to wait 20 minutes or so for Mave to pick us up, since she was just getting out of school, but it was not a big deal. Gabbie and I were content watching the travelers go about their business, meeting family or rushing off to wherever they were going. We pre-arranged to meet at door 6 and that plan worked out nicely.

We arrived here at Mave's house at 4:50 p.m. CST. So the entire trip door to door was about five hours.