Angus King, Maine’s Independent senator, has proven you’re never too old to have a cool unexpected experience.
King chose to take an overnight road-trip with four strangers, something the 75 year old senator had not done for a lot of years.
King wrote on Instagram that his flight from D.C. to Portland, Maine was cancelled after sitting on the tarmac for an hour.
He made plans to rebook his flight when he met a group of people who were planning to “forget the airlines, rent a car and drive through the night to Maine.”
“You got to be spontaneous,” King said in an interview with USA Today. “You got to say ‘hey, let’s go for it.’
King wrote that he volunteered to take the last driving shift because he wanted to be behind the wheel when they entered Maine, reaching his home in Brunswick around 6 a.m.
“Takes me back — sharing the driving, trying to find music everyone likes, and chipping for gas,” he added.
King shared a photo of his crew shortly after passing Baltimore.
Next to the picture he posted on Instagram he wrote:
“Road Trip!! So, the flight from Washington to Maine was cancelled (after we sat on the runway for over an hour). I was going to try to make a later flight, which may or may not have made it out, when I ran into this crew who had decided to forget the airlines, rent a car, and drive through the night to Maine. I signed on on the spot, and here we are just north of Baltimore headed to an early-morning arrival in Portland. Two software engineers, a college professor, a lawyer, and a U.S. Senator—what could possibly go wrong? Left to right, Rebecca Gibbons, Ramon Krikken, his own self, Matt Dusoe, and Tim Schneider. Takes me back—sharing the driving, trying to find music everyone likes, and chipping for gas. Hey Maine, see you in the morning! #roadtrip #interstate95 #cancelledflight. UPDATE—11:55 and we’re on the George Washington Bridge; GPS says landfall in Maine should be about 4:00 AM. Like I said, see you in the morning! UPDATE 2—Portland! Made into Maine a little after 4:00 AM; home stretch (literally)! UPDATE 3 (Final) Home, Safe and sound. I took the last driving shift (wanted to be behind the wheel when we entered Maine), and hit Brunswick about 6:00. Thanks to our fun crew for including me and to all of you who wished us safe travels; now for a couple of hours sleep; g’night (or actually) g’day!”
He told the outlet that he spent a lot of time asking questions and getting to know his fellow travelers.
“I was just drinking it in,” King said. “Put me in a car with four strangers for 10 hours and I’m going to learn a lot.”
The 10 p.m. flight that the senator would have waited for was delayed out of D.C.’s Reagan Airport, eventually arriving at its destination at nearly 2:30 a.m.
“It beat us by two hours,” he said. “We figured we had a lot more fun than sitting at around the airport for eight hours waiting for the plane to take off.”