#griffinquest

[hjharding]

School days

Haven’t posted anything in a couple days because I’m busy with school, but my griffin is still making the rounds.

Last leg of the journey. (I’m actually really proud of this picture and the way the reflection came out.

My temporary home.

No idea why that’s there, but it’s by one of the dorms, and it fills my heart with glee. And the water with bugs.

Making friends.

More pictures to come!

[hjharding]

Took forever, but I’m not in Baltimore

Tried to update, but for some reason, no matter how I tried, I couldn’t post. My bus finally, finally got to Baltimore, at 4:30. It was projected to get to Pittsburgh at 9:35. Unfortunately, my next bus was supposed to leave Pittsburgh at 9:20. The driver did manage to make up time, and for a long time it looked like we’d be at Pittsburgh by 8:30. Didn’t quite work, and I spent a tense half hour before we got in, at about 9. I managed to grab my suitcase, and they told me my bus was loading. I never even saw the terminal, just ran.

Then I got to Greensburg. My final bus stop. My plan was to get a taxi from there, only to find that Greensburg doesn’t have taxis, and I don’t have Uber of Lyft. The bus station turned out to be only a few blocks from the school, but that’s seriously uphill.

The guy working the bus station suggested I call the school and see if they had anything for students. I talked to security who agreed to give me a ride. Thank you, nice campus police!

Then I crashed.

[hjharding]

Still, still in Baltimore!

So, the bus that was supposed to leave Washington D.C. about midnight to get to Baltimore at 1:05 is still in D.C. at 2:55. They say it’s at least an hour away, due to equipment problems. There is a downpour here. Beginning to get a little worried about my ability to catch my next bus. Have some pictures.

Because what else do you do when you’re stuck at a Baltimore bus terminal at two in the morning? Eat breakfast!

Griffin learned a new trick.

May or may not eventually leave Baltimore tonight.

[hjharding]

Baltimore delays

So, not only is my bus not here, it’s apparently still in Washington D.C. It’s expected to come at 3am. I’m sure that can’t possibly mess up my schedule any. I was supposed to be hanging out in Pittsburgh for a few hours, anyway.

[hjharding]

Still in Baltimore

Was running out of battery power sitting at the restaurant/cafe tables, so I moved over to the seating areas that have outlets. This would not have been a problem if I packed up all my stuff, but why do that? Instead, I’m trying to move seven things (jacket, suitcase, backpack, computer, griffin, full cup, and folder) with two hands. Not the most recommended. About halfway there, a tide of people come from one door to leave out the other across the building. As I wait, I realized something felt wrong. Doing quick inventory, I came up with, “Hey, where’s my griffin?”

A moment later, a man walks past me, “Hey, you dropped your teddy.”

I’ll forgive him for calling my griffin a teddy, he probably didn’t take a long look and it meant I knew where my griffin was. My response? “Oh, yes, I did. Sorry.” I’m not sure if I apologized to him or the stuffed animal. I did eventually think to thank him, but who knows if he heard.

Of course, then I had to pick up the griffin without dropping my laptop or spilling a full cup of soda over everything. I was mostly successful.

Still have my griffin.

[hjharding]

Washington and Baltimore

There was a brief stop in D.C. Like, I didn’t even get off the bus, quick. Some people got off, others got on. Griffin and I stayed put. I knew we were coming up to D.C. when I looked out the window and saw what I think is the capital building. A moment later I saw the Washington Monument. Tried to take a picture but each time by the time my camera focused, there were trees in my way. Oh, well. And didn’t even try to take a picture of the rainbow. Not often I see both sides of a rainbow, but I did this time.

My longest layover, this trip, I’m not sure about the return, is here in Baltimore. About three and a half hours. Which would probably be less of a big deal if it weren’t from 9:30 at night to 1 in the morning. Fortunately, the bus station has a 24/7 restaurant, and free WiFi. So far, trip really could be worse.

Griffin at the Restaurant. We said ‘Hi’ to a girl with a bear.

[hjharding]

First leg was to Richmond. My sister lives in Richmond. She was working, but I made sure to send her a few texts to annoy her say hi. Trip to Richmond convinced me Greyhound will not be my new favorite way to travel. Bus travel is kind of jerky, and at least twice we passed large trucks so closely that people on that side could reach out the window and touch the truck. Would not recommend it because those windows really aren’t meant to open except in emergencies, having your hands out while going 60+ miles an hour is pretty uncomfortable, and I imagine touching those bolts and rivets would hurt.

Bus was about three-quarters full, and window seats must be hot commodity, as every single one was taken. Asked a stranger if I could sit with him, was told yes, and preceded not to speak another word to each other for the rest of the trip. Actually, hardly anyone spoke. I could hear soft music from various people’s phones, but that was it.

Everyone got out at Richmond, and despite the fact that we were supposed to stay on the same bus, they switched busses because the a/c was out.

The terminal at Richmond.

The bus from Richmond to Baltimore was nicer. There was a/c, fewer people, and I got a row to myself. Still very quiet. And I was able to finish some school work.

[hjharding]

Journeys

I have to go to Pennsylvania for a week because of school. I live in Virginia. I can drive, but my car is lousy and I haven’t driven more than an hour, maybe two at one time. Ever.

Because of these reasons, I am taking Greyhound bus. Who wants to hear about my adventures on Greyhound?

Because no one wants to see a lot of pictures of me, including me, the part of me will be played by my lovely griffin, mascot of Seton Hill university, where I am going. All posts will be tagged as Griffin Quest, which honestly sounds like it should be a much cooler story.

The journey begins! P.S. Lovely griffin is still nameless. I am taking suggestions. Also, due to the whimsical nature of WiFi, not everything will be posted live. (I’m technically in Baltimore already.)