My Travel to Martinsburg

Ah, today must have been a lucky day...I got to make my bi-weekly trip to the great city of Martinsburg where one of our smaller offices is located. We currently have 28 employees in this office...and, well, they require support just like anyone I guess. They don't have full time IT support, so they save up all their complaints for a visit from whoever the lucky person to visit is...and it has become increasingly obvious that I have become their contact for whatever reason.

Anyway, so traveling to Martinsburg takes a good 2 1/2 to 3 hours...2 1/2 if you speed and don't have any traffic...3 hours if you need to stop for anything (like gas, food, rest area). Basically, it's a long trip. I try to leave home around 6:30 so I can be there by 9:30 or so...and I like to try to leave by 2:00 - 2:30 so I can get home by around 5:30.

So, I left home on my journey to Martinsburg. I stopped at Sheetz in Morgantown for gas and a quick breakfast sandwich...and, from that point, non-stop to Martinsburg. The trip is boring...the biggest city you go through is Cumberland...where I-68 runs through the middle of and the speed limit dips to 40 MPH. Maryland speed limit is 65 and it is enforced. The police literally stand on the side of the road, radar gun in hand, and point at people to pull over. It is not unusual for them to have a line of cars pulled over. So, you have to be careful traveling through Maryland...which is the bulk of the trip.

After several hours on the road, I finally reach my destination...the little office in Martinsburg. The building looks more like a house than one of our normal buildings. It is a historic site as well...a wierd place for an office. They have been lobbying for years to move but they aren't big enough (and don't bring in enough $$$) to put them in a nice building. So, I make my way into the building and I am absolutely bombarded. I won't go into detail...but the problems were numerous and no one had warned me ahead of time.

So, in order to stay on schedule, I decided to skip lunch and continue addressing issues. Finally, at 2:30, I wrapped up the final issue. I was going to escape...I lunged for the doorway and was just about out when I heard "Is Mike still here?". A more unscrupulous person would have continued to run...but I stopped and came back. The problem: "My computer is making a noise". So, I went to see the computer...after 15 minutes of listening to this computer, the noise never reappeared...what a shock! Finally, at 3:00, I said noises are normal and left. I was gone...for the drive home.

I'm happy...heading home...behind schedule but still going home. The sky darkens ahead...I heard there could be storms. Black clouds roll in...I could see there would be some rain. Then, lightening appears in the sky...multiple strikes in what appears to be the same location. The classic rock radio station of which I had been listening suddenly goes quiet. More lightening...but no rain yet. If you haven't seen War of the Worlds, you won't understand...but I thought I was living the opening sequence of the movie. If my car would have died, it would have been all over. But, it was just some weird coincidence.

After 30-45 minutes of some really, really bad weather, I had made it through the storm. I saw a lot of wrecked vehicles who think it's cool to speed in torrential downpours. Luckily, I had made it unscathed. Finally, 3 hours after leaving the office located in Martinsburg, I arrived home. And, while traveling home, I received an e-mail asking me if I could come back next week. Needless to say, I hate Martinsburg.