Big Bird

Today I drove from Philadelphia, PA to my brother's home in Richmond, VA and the trip was fairly uneventful. Traffic was sticky in spots, my cat puked and pooed all over her carrying case (in fact, she puked before the truck even started moving), and I didn't have any air conditioning. But really, this is all nit-picky stuff. My cat and I made it safely to Richmond and I'm very happy to be hanging with my brother, my niece, and my nephew.

However, the most impressive event today happened just as I was passing by Andrews Air Force Base, just east of Washington D.C. I'm cruising along on I-95 when the shadow of an enormous plane swooped across the interstate. I mean, it had to be as wide as the entire highway (I think it was six lanes by now). It crossed the southbound lanes first, then the northbound ones heading east towards Andrews. I looked out of my window to see what kind of plane it was and saw this:

I was dumbfounded. I just figured it was going to be some standard issue military cargo plane, not Air Force One! I immediately called my dad and told him what happened (since I knew he'd be especially interested in my aeronautic experience). I mean, did the President just fly over me!?

It turns out that at the same time I saw Air Force One, President Obama was in the Oval Office meeting with Crown Prince Mohammed bin Zayed Al Nahyan of the United Arab Emirates, so he couldn't have been on that plane. Therefore I didn't actually see Air Force One, since the plane only carries that designation when the President is aboard. Nevertheless, it was a bit awe-inspiring to be buzzed by the President's plane. It made my day.

peace.