In August I traveled to Banff National Park in Canada. I had originally planned it for summer 2020, but Covid messed that up, not only for that year, but also for 2021 and 2022 due to travel restrictions. Finally, in 2023, things returned to normal and I could travel to Canada without concern about being quarantined.

Monday August 7. My friend John drove me to BWI Airport for my 3-leg flight to Calgary International. The kiosk wouldn't let me do self check-in so I had to go to the Delta counter and have a person do it. Turns out that my birthdate had somehow gotten messed up in the system and I was registered as an "unaccompanied minor". I had packed most of my gear (tent, sleeping bag, air mattress, pump, etc) in a large suitcase. I checked it and hoped that it would arrive when and where it was supposed to.

On my first leg (to Minneapolis) the seats had screens on which passengers could watch free movies. This was a first for me. I watched part of Pink's The Truth About Love Tour: Live from Melbourne. I'd already liked her voice but I didn't know she was such a great dancer and piano player. Plus she's beautiful and built like an Olympic athlete. I also watched part of Tom Petty: Somewhere You Feel Free. There was free wifi too.

My second leg (to Edmonton) went off without a hitch. My third leg (to Calgary) was delayed an hour. But I made it safely to Calgary. Unfortunately my checked bag didn't. It never left Edmonton. So, after waiting a half hour for a bag that never came, I went over to the baggage assistance counter. They told me that it would be sent on another flight, which was itself delayed 2 hours, so it would arrive 4½ hours after it should have. It's a good thing I'd reserved a hotel room 15 minutes away instead of a campsite at Banff 1½ hours away.

Since I had a few hours to kill, I got my rental car (a Hyundai Venue) from Enterprise (which was quick and easy), checked into Holiday Inn Calgary Airport (which was also quick and easy), drove back to Enterprise in the rain, and left the car there while I returned to the luggage carousel to wait for my bag.

Now, I could have told the baggage assistance folks to hold my bag when it arrived so I could pick it up on my way to Banff the next morning, but for some reason I didn't trust them. They also told me that they could deliver it to me the next day, but they couldn't give me a definite time, and since I would be at a campground, there's no way I would depend on them to get there before nightfall. And if they arrived before I did, I couldn't be sure that the folks who ran the campground would hold my bag until I arrived.

Finally my bag appeared on the carousel and I got out of the airport around 11:30. It was still raining and lightning as I drove back to the hotel. I got to bed around midnight (2:00 AM EST). It had been a 16-hour travel day.

Tuesday August 8. Slept 3-4 hours. This is quite common for me. In fact, for the previous several nights I hadn't slept more than 4 hours. Usually a number of nights of limited sleep will be followed by a night of good sleep.

At 6:45 I got the complimentary buffet breakfast. The eggs, ham, hash browns, bananas, and pancakes were most welcome because I'd eaten nothing but bread the previous day and I'd be eating mostly tuna sandwiches, peanut butter sandwiches, and fake crab for the following week. I wouldn't be hiking today so I didn't need the buffet, but hey, free.

I checked out at 8:15. They use the metric system in Canada so temperature, speed, and distance are all in metric. They have Esso stations. I recalled when Esso changed its name to Exxon in the U.S. about 50 years earlier. The traffic lights in Canada are horizontal, with red, yellow, and green being left, middle, and right, respectively.

I arrived in Banff National Park by 10:00. Before you get to the hiking trails there is a touristy mountain town (called, oddly enough, Banff) that has many shops, restaurants, grocery stores, etc. There was haze due to wildfires that had been burning throughout Canada for much of the summer.

I picked up food and water at Nesters Food Market and IGA, and bear spray at the visitors center (it was a little cheaper there than at the outfitter stores). Interestingly, while the metric system is used for most measurements, food is sold by the pound, not kilogram.

There were two fairly low-rated breweries in town, and I stopped at one called Three Bears. I had samples of a couple of IPAs, and they were expectedly pedestrian. The place opened in November 2020 and had to shut down a week later due to Covid.

I drove further into the park. It wasn't as pretty as usual due to clouds and smoke.

At 1:30 it started to rain. Around 2:00 I arrived at Lake Louise Campground, where I would be staying my first 3 mights. I was fortunate to be able to reserve sites at this popular campground for 3 nights in a row, but no individual site was available for 3 or even 2 nights in a row, so I would be switching sites each night. I made sandwiches, then checked out the visitors center and hung out at Lake Louise Inn to use their wifi. The weather forecast called for more rain and smoke the next few days. I came back to the campsite and hung out in the vehicle. I decided to sleep in it so I wouldn't have to stuff a wet tent into it the next morning. I fell asleep around 10:00ish.

Wednesday August 9. Slept fairly well, on and off, until 6:00. I'd planned on hiking around the Lake Louise area, but with rain and clouds in the forecast, I did a shorter hike at Johnston Canyon (which I'd planned for Saturday), and saved Lake Louise for a sunny day. This would mean more driving, as I'd selected campgrounds nearest my planned hikes, but sometimes you have to be flexible.

It was cool and cloudy when I left at 6:30. I arrived at Johnston Canyon at 7:00 and got on trail a few minutes later. At 7:30 it started to rain, so I put on my poncho. There were lots of nice little rapids and waterfalls.

Also I thought that the tree on the left was interesting.

This is a popular hike. When I arrived at the Lower Falls at 7:30ish there were already a fair number of people there. The falls can be viewed while approaching...

...or by going through a short tunnel.

I continued past more picturesque streams and falls...

...to the Upper Falls.

I thought that this bit of foam caused by the falls looked like an animal.

There was some more nice scenery after that.

At 9:30 I made it to the Ink Pots.

The Ink Pots are surrounded by mountain views.

Panoramic shot.

On my way back down a lot of people were coming up. When I passed the Lower Falls a little after 11:00 there were about 50 people lined up outside the tunnel because the viewing area beyond it is a dead end, and only about 10 people can fit in there. When I returned to the vehicle, the parking lot was full. It pays to be an early bird. Anyway, I made a good decision doing this hike today, because for the most part the sun is blocked by the canyon and trees, so sunlight doesn't make much difference.

I went to Lake Louise Inn to email myself photos and post some of them to Facebook via the wifi, then checked into the campground. The shower building was being cleaned, so I waited. My timing was good because people track mud in, so usually the floor is filthy. It was clean when I went in. Now, I didn't need a shower because I didn't sweat much on the hike, but you know how we Semites love free showers. Afterward I went over to where the visitor center is because next to it are a whole bunch of shops. I naturally gravitated toward the liquor store, which, as expected, had shitty beer. I perused the other types of booze - many of which were also shitty - and bought a bottle of moscato. Then I returned to the Inn at 5:00 because otherwise I'd be hanging out in the vehicle (it was raining and there was rain in the overnight forecast and I wasn't going to set up my tent only to get rained on). Before walking in I drank just enough of the wine (it was shitty) to take the edge off. After a couple of hours I returned to the campsite and fell asleep around 8:00ish.

Thursday August 10. It rained overnight, as expected. Slept well, even though the backseat was a bit cramped. Woke up several times but was able to get back to sleep. Woke up for good at 4:45. It was supposed to be cloudy and rainy all morning, so I planned to start my hike late. I checked Facebook, and in response to one of my posts a friend suggested I visit the Burgess Shale. Coincidentally I would be driving right by it, but unfortunately it's restricted by law and you have to reserve a guided hike to get to it. I drove in rain and fog...

...to Emerald Lake, which is located in Yoho National Park.

I hung out at Emerald Lake Lodge to use their wifi (no cell service), ate some sandwiches, and started hiking at 9:30. The lake trail is flat, but there are lots of exposed roots, and they were slippery and dangerous due to the rain.

At the north end of the trail I took a fairly steep out-and-back trail up to Emerald Basin, arriving shortly before noon. It's surrounded by mountains and there is a rushing stream caused by snow melt.

Panoramic shot.

I returned to the loop trail. The scenery improved as the weather cleared up a bit.

I arrived at the parking lot at 1:30. The lot was full and an additional hundred or so vehicles were parked along the road. I used the wifi in the lodge for a while, then drove back to Lake Louise Campground to check in for my final night there. I showered, then went to the Inn at 4:00 to write and use the wifi. It was still cloudy with intermittent rain, but I did get one fairly good photo there.

I stayed until almost 9:00, then went to the campsite and slept in the vehicle again because even though there was no rain in the forecast, the temperature was supposed to drop into the low 40s overnight.

Friday August 11. Woke up in the middle of the night and couldn't get back to sleep, which was expected since I'd slept well the night before. Got up at 5:30. When I left a little after 6:00 it was 41°. Tried to buy gas in town but the pumps didn't operate until 8:00. Drove along Route 93 - a lonesome road with no cell service - to Bow Lake Lodge (where the summer room rate is more than $600/night). It was 35° there. Got some great photos of Bow Lake.

Panoramic shot (the waterline is warped due to my unsteady hands).

From there it was only a few miles to Peyto Lake, which is very popular but, like most attractions, doesn't get crowded until late morning. I spent an hour there and when I left a little after 8:00 there were only 15 vehicles in the parking lot. Note how the color of the lake changes depending on how much light the clouds let through.

I drove back to Bow Lake Lodge and snapped a few photos from the east side of the lake...

Panoramic shot.

...before hiking westward to Bow Glacier Falls. At the other side of the lake the trail went up a steep mountain. It was not at all marked or maintained, and it was so narrow that I kept getting scraped by trees and bushes (this is why I hike in long pants no matter how warm the weather is). There were parts where I could hardly tell where the trail was. A couple coming down said that they lost the trail so they headed back. Eventually I lost the trail as well. So I turned back, got lost for a bit, and found my way to the stream that feeds Bow Lake.

What happened was that going up the mountain was a mistake. Apparently a number of people have made the same mistake (though not enough to beat a very noticeable path). I should have just followed the edge of the lake all the way to the stream. Anyway, I went toward Bow Glacier Falls, getting some nice views along the way.

Panoramic shot.

I reached the falls at 11:00.

When I returned to the parking lot it was packed, and many more vehicles were parked along the road. I stopped at Bow Lake Viewpoint and took a few photos.

Then I returned to Lake Louise Campground, not that I'd be staying there, but to get a shower. Well, for the second time the shower house was being cleaned when I arrived. So I went to the Inn to use the wifi in case there was none at my next campground. Photographed this little guy, which I believe is a marmot.

Then I showered and drove down to Johnston Canyon Campground just before 6:00. Decided not to set up my tent because I just didn't feel like it, then drove across the highway to Johnston Canyon Market Café to use their wifi. Only customers were allowed to sit inside, so I sat in the vehicle. I checked the weather forecast and the next day was supposed to be cloudy, so once again I rearranged my hikes, which would mean even more driving because campground proximity to trailheads would be even worse. There were some huuuge crows...

...that made very annoying squawks.

At 8:00 I returned to the campsite, finished off the wine, and at 9:00ish went to sleep in the vehicle for the fourth night in a row.

Saturday August 12. Woke up at 2:00 AM and couldn't get back to sleep. Finally I got up at 6:00, left at 7:00, drove to the Sulphur Mountain trailhead, and started my hike at 7:45. It was uphill the entire way. There were countless switchbacks and it was a real leg burner. The thing is, there was little scenery because it was obscured by trees. In fact, this is the only decent photo I took on the way up.

There was a gondola to ride up, and if I'd known that this hike was so grueling and unscenic, I would have ridden it. I made the approximately 3-mile schlep to where the gondola stops in an hour and a half. There were lots of people up there, few of who'd hiked. I saw what appeared to be a mountain goat below the balcony.

I walked about a half mile to the cosmic ray station...

...and took some photos.

Walked back to the gondola station and paid $33 to take it to the bottom because I didn't feel like expending yet more energy on such a blah hike.

When I got to the bottom I couldn't see where to walk out of the parking lot (the road was obscured by a hill), so I used Google Maps to navigate my way to where I'd parked at the Tunnel Mountain trailhead. It was 5 miles away! I could've sworn I'd parked near the gondola. I flagged down a taxi but he was picking up a customer; he said I needed to call the company. I looked up the phone number and called but got a recording telling me the call could not be completed. (Was it an old number?) Not wanting to waste time and energy walking 5 miles, I asked a family that was leaving if they'd drop me off. They graciously agreed. During the ride we got to know each other a little bit. They were from Nigeria but had moved to Canada. I told them about my travels and my website. They asked me for the URL in case they were inclined to read about my travels. Anyway, some of you (as though more than 4 people will ever read this) might have picked up on my error: I was navigating to Tunnel Mountain, but I was parked at Sulphur Mountain (I was planning on hiking Tunnel Mountain next, which is why it was on my mind). I realized this all too late, then navigated us back to Sulphur Mountain, and of course I had parked just a few hundred meters from the gondola building. I apologized profusely and offered to pay them for their trouble. They wouldn't take my money. So, if you nice people who I inadvertently led on a wild goose chase are reading this, I'm sorry and thank you. I hope the enjoyment you get from reading this triplog compensates you for your inconvenience.

I left the parking lot just after noon, and saw several elk on the side of the road. One of them had a collar and what looked like a tracking device.

I arrived at the Tunnel Mountain trailhead just after 12:30 and walked up. It was a bit steep but since it was less than a mile and a half a lot of people were doing it. At the top there were some nice views of Banff on one side and Fairmont Banff Springs Golf Course on the other, with mountains in the distance on both sides.

Got back to the vehicle a little after 2:00 and drove to Tunnel Mountain Village I Campground, where I would be spending my final two nights in the park (my campsite was the only one of the trip that I had for two nights in a row). Since there was no rain in the forecast and I hadn't used my camping equyipment yet, I set up my tent even though it was supposed to drop to 43° overnight. Then I showered (all the campgrounds I stayed at had showers). A little after 4:00 I drove to nearby Buffalo Mountain Lodge to charge my phone and write. At 6:00 I went to downtown Banff to explore.

Stopped at a dispensary called Canna Cabana and learned that weed is recreationally legal in Canada. Went to Banff Ave Brewing, which opened in 2010. It's a fairly big place with 3 rooms: The Lodge, which serves pizza; The Brewpub, which is a restaurant; and The Taproom. All their beers are available in all rooms. I sat at the bar in The Brewpub because I liked the atmosphere the most. Their beers had such low Untappd ratings that I didn't bother to get a sampler. Instead I ordered a "sleeve" (12 ounces) of Mike's Bike for Cancer Pale Ale, which was one of their "community" beers that they do periodically where a portion of the sales goes to help someone in need. It was light and fairly good. My bartender gave me tastes of Head Smashed IPA and Wild Warden Raspberry Rhubarb Sour, which were rather pedestrian so I ordered another sleeve of Mike's.

Then I walked around town some more.

Got back to the campsite at 9:30 and hit the hay around 10:00ish.

Sunday August 13. Slept okay. Left the tent at 4:50. When I departed an hour later it was 43° out, as predicted. The forecast was sunny. When I arrived at Lake Louise at 6:45 it was crowded. I'd never seen a national park attraction or trailhead that mobbed so early (at 7:00 and even 8:00 hardly anyone shows up at most points of interest). Parking cost $15.50 for the day. It was 39° as I walked down to the lake. I saw why folks arrived early: the morning sun illuminates the lake, and as it moves behind a mountain, a shadow is cast, obscuring the beauty (see the shadow on the left).

At 7:10 I walked a mile to Fairview Lookout on the southeast side of the lake, which was a steep hike up.

Came back down to the northeastern corner of the lake...

...and then started a series of difficult hikes, all of which were steep, and most of which were worth it. I followed the trail on the north side of the lake, then hiked up to Mirror Lake, arriving at 8:50. It's small but beautiful and appropriately named. It sits below Big Beehive (which I would hike up later).

Semi-panoramic shot.

After that I took a detour up to Little Beehive, which had some fairly nice views along the way.

Semi-panoramic shot.

Then I hiked back down and arrived at the northeast bank of Lake Agnes at 10:00. I loved the amphitheater it sits in. The Lake Agnes Tea House was busy.

After hiking to the other side of the lake...

...I followed a series of steep switchbacks to the top of Big Beehive, arriving at 11:00.

There is an unofficial trail that leads up to Devil's Thumb. There are no signs for it, but I'd found out about it during my research. There wasn't much of a description, but I decided to do it. A little while into this hike there is an almost vertical rock formation 20-30 feet tall that must be free climbed. I was hesitant, but after seeing a few other people do it, I did it too.

After that I experienced quite possibly the steepest hike of my entire life. Now, I've had sections of hikes that were so steep that ropes or chains had been installed to help people climb, but this hike had not a single man-made aid (remember, it's not an official trail so it's not maintained). Parts were so steep that I was crawling on all fours. It was probably "only" a mile, maybe longer, but it was a grueling sweatfest that took about an hour. I reached the peak at 12:15 and was rewarded with a beautiful, grand view in all directions, with Lake Agnes, Big Beehive, and Lake Louise below.

Semi-panoramic shot.

To me, the pleasure of seeing grand views, whether they be of mountains, valleys, amphitheaters, lakes, beaches, oceans, or whatever, isn't just the beauty - it's also the fullness of being immersed in something much bigger than oneself. Perhaps this immersive feeling is what people seek in their idea of God.

After descending from Devil's Thumb, I did yet another steep hike up to the Plain of Six Glaciers Teahouse, arriving at 2:30. There isn't a view but there is a glacial stream, and you can buy tea or water. Of course, they gouge you, but I'd be surprised if they didn't. A half-liter bottle of water was $5 Canadian, which would be $3.70 U.S., but they only did a 1-1 exchange rate, so it was $5 U.S. too. Oh, and they slapped on a $4 fee if you used a credit card. I was considering buying a bottle because I was running low and I had 3 miles to go in the afternoon sun, but a girl working there told me that the stream water was safe to drink, so I filled some of my empty bottles and also drank a few bottles worth. It was cold and so refreshing!

The walk down was beautiful, with wildflowers, mountains, Lake Louise in view, and the afternoon sun at my back.

I arrived back at the northeastern corner of Lake Louise at 4:10, and this is what it looked like (compare it to the morning view you saw earlier):

I estimate that I hiked 17 miles, most of it uphill and downhill, and it took 9 hours. It was my longest and toughest hike since the 20-mile loop I did during my 2018 Grand Teton trip. I'm glad I stayed on top of the weather and changed my schedule so I could do this wonderful hike on a sunny day. It was 77° when I drove back to the campsite for a much-needed shower. At 6:15 I drove to Buffalo Mountain Lodge for writing and phone charging. I left at 9:45 and returned to the campsite. Hit the hay at 10:15.

Monday August 14. Woke up around 2 or 3 AM and couldn't get back to sleep. Got up a bit after 5:30. Wasn't at all sore from the previous day's hike - my training had paid off. Left shortly before 7:00 and took these photos along the road.

Arrived at the Sunshine Village parking lot more than a half hour before the gondola started running at 8:00.

The hike starts 3-4 miles up, and doing the steep walk to and from the start point would have added 3-4 hours of unscenic hiking, so it was worth $51 to ride up and back. The 20-minute gondola ride got me to Sunshine Village and the Sunshine Mountain Lodge. There weren't many people because Sunshine Village is mainly a ski resort, so it's crowded in winter, not summer.

I was supposed to take the Standish Chairlift to Sunshine Meadows (where the hiking begins). It was having mechanical problems and wouldn't start running until 9:00, so I went to the interpretive center and learned that Sunshine Village was established in the 1980s and that there was a shuttle bus that went from the parking lot to Sunshine Village but it had been discontinued several years earlier.

At 9:00 I got on the chairlift and after 7 minutes was at Sunshine Meadows. There were views of lots of mountains and three lakes named Grizzly, Larix, and Rock Isle, the latter of which is the highest lake in Canada at 7480 feet. This lake is also where Sunshine Village gets its water.

Semi-panoramic shot.

I set out hiking at 9:30.

First I walked around the three lakes. In addition to mountain and lake views there were also flowers, grasses, trees, and streams.

I reached Rock Isle Viewpoint a little after 11:00.

Then I walked to Howard Douglas Lake. The first half of this section was a flat plain with mountains in the distance, reminiscent of the U.S. midwest. In June and July there are lots of flowers but they were gone by now.

Eventually I reached a mountain, requiring that I ascend for the first time that day. The views at the top were nice, with mountains in the distance and Howard Douglas Lake below.

I reached the lake a little before 12:30.

Walking back up from the lake there was some nice vegetation even though the flowers were gone.

Then I descended the mountain, walked across the plain,...

...took a trail down to the gondola (you don't have to ride the chairlift),...

...and rode the gondola back to the parking lot, where it was 86° - the hottest weather I experienced in Banff Park. It had been a nice day of hiking, with lots of views and sunny weather. It wasn't my favorite hike, and the $51 ticket price makes it unlikely that I will return, although maybe I will some July when the flowers are in bloom. Before leaving I took one last photo.

I drove almost two hours to Calgary, where it was 90°, and checked into the Riviera Plaza and Conference Centre. A little after 6:00 I went out to fill the vehicle with gas and visit some breweries in Calgary's Manchester Industrial District, aka the Barley Belt. The first was Annex Ales, which opened in 2017. I tried the Force Majeure (hazy IPA) and Conservation Brew #3 (farmhouse ale), both of which were fairly good. Enjoyed the former a bit more so I got a sleeve of it.

The highest rated brewery in Canada, called The Establishment, is a stone's throw away, but unfortunately it was closed on Mondays.

Next I visited a marginally rated brewery called Banded Peak Brewing only because it was down the street from the one that I really wanted to visit and I had plenty of time. Banded Peak opened in 2016 and was the first brewery in the Barley Belt. All the beers were so low-rated that all I got was a sleeve of their "highest"rated beer, called Tail Wave Hazy IPA. It was truly marginal. The server gave me a sample of Mount Castleguard Cold IPA, which was no better.

My final stop was Cabin Brewing. Its most highly rated beer by far was Big Puffy Clouds, a good hazy IPA that was the only beer I truly enjoyed in Canada.

Returned to the room at 8:45, and slept in a bed for the first time in a week.

Thus concludes the enjoyment portion of this triplog. The rest is about the trials and tribulations I went through to get home.

Tuesday August 15. Slept fairly well. Left a little before 9:00, returned the rental vehicle, and went through security. Did you know that they don't make you take your shoes off when you fly domestically in Canada? The first leg (to Toronto) was delayed but it didn't matter because it wouldn't make me miss the second leg to BWI. On the way to Toronto I watched Guardians of the Galaxy Volume 3, which was excellent. After the plane landed I had to go through security again, this time removing my shoes because I'd be flying to the U.S. Well, actually, I wouldn't be, because they found a tear in one of the wings and canceled the flight. They kicked us all off the plane, then told us to retrieve our luggage, which meant exiting the secure area, which of course meant that everyone would have to go through security again for their rescheduled flights.

Air Canada had the nerve to reschedule me to land at Reagan National instead of BWI the next morning. I wanted to change it, but for some reason the folks at the service counter couldn't do that - I had to walk down to the courtesy phones and dial an agent. I changed my flight to get me to BWI (via Delta), then went back to the service counter to see about Air Canada putting me up in a hotel. No rooms were available, so I would be spending the night in the airport, which was just as well because I had a 6:15 AM flight, which would mean having to be back at the airport at 4:15, and maybe I'd oversleep or there wouldn't be a shuttle or there'd be some other problem. I tried checking in for my flight on the Delta app but it wanted to charge me $22 for my checked bag, and I had already paid Air Canada the same fee. The agent helping me didn't know whether Delta would waive the fee, so she gave me $22 in airport food vouchers.

I took the airport train to the Delta service counter (at Terminal 3) to see whether they's waive the baggage fee, but it was closed and wouldn't reopen until 3:00 AM. There was no comfortable furniture to spend the night on, but I remembered seeing some recliners in Terminal 1 (where I had come from), so I rode the train back and reclined in one. Except I couldn't because it wasn't cushioned; it was hard-as-rock plastic. Fortunately I had my air mattress and pump with me, so I made a "bed" space for myself next to a wall with an outlet so I could charge my phone.

I couldn't sleep because I was worried about someone walking off with my bags, but at least I had a soft place to lie down and write and surf the Internet and wonder what calamities awaited me the next day. It was after 11:30 PM at this point so I really didn't have too long to wait.

Wednesday August 16. As I perused my flight itinerary I saw that my layover in Atlanta would be only 35 minutes. They close the gate 15 minutes before departure, giving me only 20 minutes to change planes, and some quick research showed that it would take 20 minutes to walk from my arrival gate to my departure gate. If the first leg were delayed only a little, I would miss the second, so I got back on a courtesy phone and had them change my flight back to the original one to Reagan (on United) because the layover in Newark was an hour, giving more room for error. Then I downloaded the United app to my phone, entered my passport and other information, and checked in for my flight. The good news is that checking my bag would be free. The not-so-good news is that the second leg was delayed an hour and a quarter, but this wasn't all bad because it created a big cushion to make the connection.

At 3:30 AM I checked my bag, then waited in a long line to go through security. The line wasn't moving because Section F, where my gate was, didn't open until 4:00. After going through security I waited in another long line, which also wasn't moving because Global Entry didn't open until 4:30. Once I got to my gate I used the food vouchers to buy several sandwiches at Tim Horton's. My first leg (to Newark) was the only one in my trip home that went on schedule. As I walked through Newark Liberty International Airport, I sensed a theme. See if you can guess what it was.

I arrived at Reagan around midday and went to the baggage carousel. After a lot of bags (not mine) came out, the carousel stopped. After a while luggage started coming out on another carousel, which also stopped without producing my bag. Those of us who were still waiting didn't know what to do. Then I saw an elderly airport employee pushing a luggage cart, and my bag was on it. I grabbed it and went outside, where my friend John picked me up and drove me home.

The airline unpleasantries aside, it had been a great trip.