It’s the shoes that are the problem…

Wednesday September 23, 6:35 AM

It’s 6:35 in the morning, the dog’s walked, I have the day’s first cup of tea in my hands, and it’s time to start getting ready for today’s travel.  Just to complicate things though, I have a full day’s work to get through first before heading for Reagan National Airport this afternoon…

I should have been heading out to the wilds of the Colorado Rockies this morning.  But as often seems the case, I have another meeting here in DC to deal with first.  After lunch, I’m chairing a very public panel on the future of nanotechnology regulation at the Wilson Center – I think people would notice if I sloped off early!  A consequence of my appallingly bad time management though is that I’m catching the first flight on a six and a half hour journey to Grand Junction Colorado at 5:35 this afternoon.

This is fine – after three weeks of traveling between Europe, DC and the West Coast, my body has no idea what the time is anyway, so it should be easy to fool it into thinking a long series of flights after a long day is nothing unusual.

The real downside is packing for the next few days, knowing that the “Washington Uniform” I’ll be wearing today would look slightly out of place at the glorified hunting lodge I’ll be arriving at tonight.  Actually, I think I can manage that – there’s enough time to change into casuals at work, and I can always retrieve the suit from my office when I get back.

It’s the shoes that are the problem!

Shoes, I’m sure, are the elephant in the room when it comes to modern day air travel.  I’m not talking about having to remove them when going through security at the airport, although that’s a pain in itself (and there’s a whole different blog to be written on the footwear passengers are forced to reveal during this process).  It’s the challenge of squeezing multiple pairs of shoes into a case small enough to pass as hand luggage.

I usually make the business person’s compromise of wearing dress shoes with everything.  But that doesn’t work if you are a runner, or walker, or – as is the case on this trip – are expected to participate in macho outdoor activities with your fellow workshop attendees.

So I have on my list my dress shoes, a pair of casual shoes so I don’t feel a complete dork on the “ranch,” a pair of walking boots, and my trusted sandals.

I have a horrible idea though that they are not all going to fit into my regular carry on bag.  Time for compromise – do I ditch some shoes, or do I go light on the underwear?

I think I may end up being the only person hiking the Rockies this week in a pair of black all-leather Ecco’s…

Follow the whole “On The Road” saga at http://2020science.org/category/on-the-road-again/

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