Gutted. That’s where I am right now.
I’ve spent the last two days packing, including learning how to use my new bike case. I uploaded old riding files from when I was in the Pyrenees in 2010 so I could torture myself with bad time comparisons.
Flying on Royal Air Marco, their online check-in did not work, so I arrived at Dulles four hours early. I handed the agent my passport, and she took longer than usual getting my boarding pass. And then she didn’t.
First, she and then a supervisor explained that I could not fly to France because the E.U. has a rule that your passport has to be valid for at least 90 days (and it may be six months). Mine expires in August.
I had looked at renewing it before I went but was warned that once I applied my current passport became null and void. I did not want to risk not getting my new one back in time, and besides, it is good until August.
At first, it seemed that a few people needed to talk. The one agent said she was going to call to get permission to send me. There was hope, but after about 20 minutes, the hope died out. I could not fly.
I called my wife, who was almost home, and said, “Turn around, come back to Dulles.”
I am so disappointed. Not pissed but very sad. Very. But I feel like I let so many people down. Yet I know that everyone who sponsored me did so for the cause – to fight MS. And that is still getting done. What is not getting done is me riding in France.
Is there still time? The answer is no. I have looked at the expedited passport application, but the Washington, D.C., Philadelphia, and New York offices are not taking walk-ins. And none have appointments available.
I looked at leaving later in the week, flying into Toulouse, and renting a car to drive to the Pyrenees. But that was only when I was still hoping for an expedited passport on Monday, which isn’t happening.
I notified George at MSIF. I am sick over this. I’m not the only one who has been caught up in this. My niece, Emily, flew to Zurich, and when she arrived, they told her she could not leave the airport. She spent 24 hours or so in a pod until she caught a flight home.
I planned for this to be my last mountain climbing adventure. I can’t do fundraising again. But we talked about the possibility of rolling this over to next year. I don’t know how I will be then. There are so many emotions that I can express but don’t want to in a public forum. I am numb right now.
