Washington, DC

[mvusse]

Yesterday I delivered some furniture to Herndon (?) and Alexandria, VA. Drove through OH, WV, PA, MD, DC and VA. The only other times I've been in that many states in 1 day was going to FL for vacation.

 

Anyway, what I was promised was a 300 mile trip taking 6 hours on the road and 1 hour to unload turned into a bit more. I left at 1:15am to be back before my daughter got out of school with extra time left just in case.

 

By 8:30 (more than 7 hours already) I was on I270 stuck in rush hour traffic. Called the store that sold the furniture and who's driver got snowed in on his attempt to pick it up (I work in the shop that built it) and get no answer. So I called the store owner at home. "Oh, we don't start until 10 and by the time I can get some people together we won't be at the customer's house until 10:30." (it takes 4 people to unload a monstrous 300 pound plus hutch). WFT, now I got to kill 90 minutes and I already know I won't make it home before 7:30 instead of the 2:30 I'd hoped.

 

So I spend 60 minutes getting lost to try to find a little park, Scotts Run Nature Preserve, and do some geocaching in the rain. I then head off to the customre's house right on time while getting a call from the store owner that he's about 20 minutes behind me. It seems that rush hour goes past 10:30 here as everything is still gridlocked. They finally arrive 45 minutes later, at 11:15.

 

Get most of the stuff unloaded (1 table goes to the store, which I didn't know about), and the home owner had a loaner table which also has to go back to the store. Guess who has the only box truck? So it's 12:15 and instead of heading home, I got to make another stop. Oh, and DC and surrounding area is STILL gridlocked.

 

Finally leave the store at 1 and find an alternate round that should have taken much longer (route 7 west (which has 100+ traffic light over a 30 mile stretch,) to 15 north to get back to I70 west), but actually saves me time because the area is STILL gridlocked. About 5 miles from Leesburg traffic finally starts to mover normally. Made it back to the truck rental place at 9:30pm with the trip meter at 801 miles and home at 9:45. Then picked my daughter up at the roller skating rink, picked up my pay check and dropped off receipts for the tripand made it to bed at midnight. In 43 hours I had slept 3. Feel much better now after a full night's sleep.

 

Thanks for letting me rant and Merry Christmas to all. Or Happy Holidays for the non-Christian crowd.

[mjeff87]

270, and I495 (inner and outer loop) around DC is a disaster, no two ways around it. I avoid them at all costs....sorry you found out the hard way.

 

If you ever have to travel that way again, hit me backchannel...there's a couple alternatives depending on where you're going.

 

Merry Christmas!

 

Jeff

[HKB3]

Welcome to the "Mixing Bowl" I worked in DC for 4 years, it sucked