Panic, and the Open Road: Kicking Off Shenandoah (with a Facepalm)

Friday, May 1st, 2026

Finally—it’s here. “S” Day, aka Shenandoah Day.

After what felt like an eternity of planning, packing, and counting down, Echo and I officially clocked out at noon and launched into the long-awaited Shenandoah adventure. Well… almost. Technically the park is tomorrow, but let’s be real, PTO begins the second the laptop closes.

Four hours of work, one deep exhale, and suddenly we were on the road to Hazleton, PA. Freedom in the form of highway miles, roadside stops, and yes…. of course…. a “quick” mini hike because apparently, I cannot resist turning any stretch opportunity into a full-blown outing.

And honestly? The drive was smooth. No chaos. No stress. I give credit to Jimmy Bob (our bobblehead good luck charm) for our good luck on the road. We rolled into the hotel around 8:00 PM feeling like we had nailed Day 1.

Which then unraveled and got…. complicated.

Picture this: I’m checking in, half proud of my careful preparation, the copies of IDs & Echo’s vaccination records neatly tucked into every possible bag. I had thought of everything.

Except one tiny detail. My actual driver’s license?
Yeah. That was still sitting… on the copy machine.

Cue the internal meltdown.

Not just a “whoops” moment. A full-on, how did I manage to outsmart myself like this? situation. I had literally made multiple backups of everything… while somehow leaving the one thing that matters behind. Genius.

At this point, I’m mentally preparing for disaster: no check-in, no trip, no Shenandoah. And one very long drive home.

But then, plot twist! The front desk attendant turned out to be an absolute hero. Between the copies I’d brought, the photos Marcelo texted of my forgotten license sitting on the copy machine, and what I can only assume was a convincing mix of panic and sincerity, she let it slide.

Crisis averted… for now. Because looming over everything is tomorrow’s real challenge:
getting into Shenandoah National Park with no physical photo ID. You know, just a small detail attached to the whole America the Beautiful pass thing. No big deal. (Huge deal!)

Here’s the part where I must own it. I pride myself on being organized. Overprepared, even. Yet somehow, I managed to turn preparation into overconfidence. If there were awards for “Most Ironically Avoidable Travel Mistake,” I’d be accepting that trophy right now.

Still, the adventure is on.

Despite the hiccup (okay, near-disaster), the excitement hasn’t faded. Tomorrow, we’re meeting Allie for breakfast (my much younger coworker and, if I’m being honest, one of my all-time favorites) before continuing onward into Shenandoah.

There’s still that sense of excitement! A full week all to myself!! The feeling that this is really happening and not even my forgetfulness can ruin it. And honestly? Maybe this is how all good adventures start. Not perfectly, but memorably.

If this is just Day 1, I can only imagine what the rest of the trip has in store—and I’m equal parts excited and mildly concerned to find out.

Stay tuned.