AZO - 1st incident.

It feels somewhat suiting that my first post on this journey should involve the 3 things that irritate me about modern travel.

1. Lines. 2. Bored Authorities. 3. Dumb People.

Here's what happened in Kalamazoo.

After saying my goodbyes to Grandma Allen, my mom and dad, I entered the Kalamazoo Airport in Michigan with my two bags and camera. Check in took about 3 minutes, and since it was still an hour until my flight even arrived, the security line had yet to open.

1. No lines yet.

With nothing to do for an hour, I decided to roam the airport searching for anything that might spark my interest. On the wall across from the 'food court' ( a hole cut into a wall where a lonely man dished out cold egg salad sandwiches.) there was a "SHRINE OF FREEDOM".



This shrine held high quality prints of such important American historical documents like The Declaration of Independence, Lincoln's Gettysburg Address, and the land order for the Kalamazoo Airport. I started snapping a few pictures, and noticed that a bearded man donning TSA regalia had passed by me twice. If the man had been trying to be discreet in his observations of me, he had failed miserably, most notably when he peeked his head around the corner, looked at me, went back, and then walked around the corner ten seconds later.

Another minute went by and the same TSA man returned with the Airport Sheriff. By now I'd stowed my camera and had begun walking back to the terminal area.
Sheriff - "Excuse me!"
Me "Yes sir."
Sheriff - "What are you doing?"
Me. "Walking to my terminal."
Sheriff - "What are you doing here?"
Me. "I'm waiting to board an airplane sir."
He looked confused.

Sheriff - "Why are you taking film?"
Me. "I was taking pictures."
Sheriff - "Why are you taking pictures of the airport?"
Me. "I'm taking pictures of my travels, I'm a tourist."
Sheriff - "Come with me."
Me. "I'm sorry officer, is there a problem?"
Sheriff - "It looks suspicious."
Me. "I've never had a problem taking pictures in an airport before, but if there's a problem, I'll gladly show you the pictures."
Sheriff - "This way."

As we pass by the empty terminal, I ask him "Busy day for you guys huh?"
Sheriff - "Not particularly."

Exactly.

He takes me around the corner to his outpost, a one door room with a tall desk. On the desk lays a freshly opened bag of Pop Secret popcorn, still steaming and smelling delicious. He sits on a stool on the other side of the desk.

Sheriff - "Identification."

I hand him my Washington DC License and my boarding pass. He asks me a series of basic questions. Where I was going - Miami via Chicago - Where I was coming from and with whom - Charlevoix with my grandmother. As he writes all of this down on a yellow piece of paper, I look up at the wall, and see this picture.


I turn back to him and he's handing me back my ID and boarding pass. We share a brief but tense stare.

"Have a nice flight."
"Thank you, sir."



Off to Chicago!