![\"A](\"https:\/\/www.leaderdog.org\/app\/uploads\/2026\/08\/on-the-road_Donnacourthouse-169x300.jpg\")
<\/p>\nPhoto description: Donna uses her cane while walking down the sidewalk. She wears red top and denim skirt. In the background is an American flag and a bright blue sky.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n
Day 1<\/h2>\n
I don\u2019t know why, but I\u2019m surprised almost every time when I encounter human beings who seem to not ever have been outside their home, much less gone to the airport to travel abroad. You wouldn\u2019t believe what TSA pulls out of people\u2019s bags at security.<\/p>\n
Today, the helpful TSA agent was loudly announcing that the X-ray machine was very sensitive and that, even though you shouldn\u2019t have to, you should really take off your shoes and your belt. Plus all the normal stuff they tell you to take off BEFORE going through the scanner.<\/p>\n
Four adult men with perfect hearing in line in front of me\u2013four\u2013refused this advice and left their belts and shoes on. The scanner alerted on all four of them, EVERY TIME. One lady took off one bracelet at a time and tried her luck with the scanner. The very helpful TSA agent politely instructed her to take them all off after try number three.<\/p>\n
I usually am at the airport earlier than I should be, and mostly it\u2019s for these kinds of reasons. There are always folks there who have just been released into the wild. TSA should set up some stadium seating and sell popcorn to those of us there early enough to not be in a hurry. It can be comical.<\/p>\n
I was there early enough today for my originally scheduled flight, which did not occur. Nor did the two other alternately scheduled flights. I know how this goes. There\u2019s a domino effect across the country. And, unless you own a private plane, there\u2019s not one dadgummed thing you can do about it, either.<\/p>\n
By the time I got to Charlotte, North Carolina for my connection, of course, it was too late. I got put on standby for an 8 p.m. flight and had a guaranteed seat on an 11 p.m. flight. It\u2019s still raining in Charlotte, and apparently the entire planet, but as we board, one of the smallest airplanes on which I\u2019ve ever flown is filling up with a lot of worn-out travelers.<\/p>\n
I was supposed to get into Newport News at 12:30 p.m. It\u2019s past 11 p.m. when I get to my hotel. So much for getting here early and doing some route-scouting. Day 2 is gonna show up very quickly.<\/p>\n
![\"From](\"https:\/\/www.leaderdog.org\/app\/uploads\/2026\/08\/on-the-road_DockoftheBay-169x300.jpg\")
<\/p>\nPhoto description: From a dock by my hotel, multiple boats sit anchored along the James River.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n
Day 2<\/h2>\n
I was right. Day 2 is here WAY more quickly than I had hoped.<\/p>\n
I\u2019m here in Newport News, Virginia to visit Donna, who lives about 20 minutes away from the hotel, where my room has a lovely view of the James River. How blessed am I?<\/p>\n
Donna is totally blind in her left eye and has an acuity of 20\/200 in her right. 20\/200 means (in very layman\u2019s terms) that what the \u201cnormal\u201d eye can see at 200 feet, Donna would have to be at 20 feet to see\u00a0that same print or object.<\/p>\n
She\u2019s been to Leader for orientation and mobility (O&M) services and had O&M while at the Virginia School for the Deaf and Blind. So she\u2019s no stranger to this kind of stuff. She has some intersections on the familiar routes she takes that she\u2019d like to feel better about, and that\u2019s what we spend the morning doing.<\/p>\n
This afternoon, Donna showed me how good she is at navigating the bus system in town. We went to the mall so she could get some Chick-Fil-A (remember back when you could ONLY get Chick-Fil-A at the mall?) and I could get an\u2026wait for it\u2026Orange Julius!!! (remember back when you could get an Orange Julius, like, anywhere?)<\/p>\n
Yes, the Patrick Henry Mall in Newport News, Virginia, has an Orange Julius. It\u2019s actually at the Dairy Queen, who bought out Orange Julius (curse you, Dairy Queen) but kept Orange Julius on some of its menus (bless you, Dairy Queen).<\/p>\n
The mall in Green Bay, Wisconsin, also still has an Orange Julius connected to the pretzel place, Auntie Anne\u2019s, or something like that. Green Bay and Newport News are two of my favorite places on the planet.<\/p>\n
Oh, Donna did just fine, too. Whatever. I was basking in the glory of my Orange Julius a little too much to worry about Donna, who was doing quite well without me.<\/p>\n
Day 3<\/h2>\n
It\u2019s raining on the just and the unjust again.<\/p>\n
Donna had an appointment earlier today, but it would have taken an act of Congress to get her outside during a rainstorm. She doesn\u2019t like to get out while it\u2019s raining with a \u201clightning rod\u201d (cane) in her hand.<\/p>\n
I tried to dispel her fears a bit by telling her that her cane is made out of carbon fiber, which is not a conductive material, but I didn\u2019t even make a dent.<\/p>\n
So, I had a little time this morning, which I used to drive over to Virginia Beach through a tunnel that would have made my mother very nervous. And take a bridge to get to the tunnel underneath the James River. Mom never would have made it.<\/p>\n
Naval Base Norfolk is here, and there are some massive Navy vessels docked there. I needed Roger, my brother, to tell me what they all were. I mean, I can tell the difference between an aircraft carrier and a battleship. I played Battleship just like all well-adjusted kids my age. But there\u2019s a lot more out there in the harbor besides aircraft carriers and battleships.<\/p>\n
Roger would also be able to tell me WHICH battleship it was, where it was commissioned, and its battle history. There were also fighter jets flying over so often it seemed like an air show. He\u2019d be able to tell me which fighter planes, exactly.<\/p>\n
If you asked me, I\u2019d tell you they were fast and groovy looking. Roger would be able to tell you a lot more than that. If you like that sort of thing, it was fun to watch.<\/p>\n
I picked up Donna at the Hampton YMCA, where she works out twice a week, and we went right to work. She takes the bus just about everywhere she goes, and there\u2019s an intriguing intersection between the bus stop and the Y.<\/p>\n
We pushed the button and waited to see (and hear) what the traffic would teach us. Just a couple of cycles went by and we figured out that, if you push the pedestrian button, there is an all-stop situation. There isn\u2019t an audible crossing warning, but if you\u2019re paying attention, you can tell when all the traffic stops in all directions.<\/p>\n
There\u2019s plenty of time to cross if you start when all the traffic stops, but you have to be listening for it. Donna\u2019s nervous about it, and I think you\u2019d have to be a robot not to be, but if you can focus long enough, you can determine a safe crossing.<\/p>\n
Light-controlled intersections are like that. There is a pattern. Sometimes you have to listen and watch for longer than a couple of cycles, but if you are patient, a pattern will emerge. If you can figure out the pattern, you can get across safely.<\/p>\n
Day 4<\/h2>\n
My friend and colleague, Kate, who is a superior baker herself, recommended a local bakery to me, and it\u2019s right on the way to Donna\u2019s house. I am glad I didn\u2019t know about it until my last day here, or I would have blown my budget here every morning.<\/p>\n
I had loaded grits, which included (obviously) grits, bacon, cheese, potatoes, and something very mildly sweet. Odd, but it fit right in. My only complaint was that the bowl wasn\u2019t bigger.<\/p>\n
![\"A](\"https:\/\/www.leaderdog.org\/app\/uploads\/2026\/08\/on-the-road_LoadedGrits-225x300.jpg\")
<\/p>\nPhoto description: A bowl of grits topped with cheese, bacon, green onions, and potatoes sits on a white tablecloth<\/p>\n<\/div>\n
I also ordered a cinnamon scone for later in the day. We\u2019ll see how long that plan works.<\/p>\n
Donna has some very specific intersections on which she\u2019d like to work today. Ones she travels on a regular basis. Turns out, she\u2019s very capable of crossing these and has great ideas about when to go, but really wanted someone else to say so as well. It\u2019s always nice to have confirmation that you\u2019re doing it right.<\/p>\n
Very much like me knowing that my homemade salsa is better than anyone else\u2019s, but having everyone else say so, too. It is what it is. I said what I said, and I\u2019m prepared to back it up.<\/p>\n
We hit another hairy T-intersection for our last one of the day. Another intersection at which Donna needs to cross with traffic turning towards her in the crosswalk. She has the right of way, but that doesn\u2019t mean that people are going to obey the rules.<\/p>\n
We talked about that, too. In my humble opinion, the best way to not get spooked by oncoming cars is to expect it to happen. That way, you don\u2019t get surprised by it when it does. Like watching a scary movie (which I DO NOT DO, but the lesson still applies\u2026) and expecting to be scared.<\/p>\n
Is it still gonna scare you? Probably, but it\u2019ll scare you less if you were expecting to be scared.<\/p>\n
![\"A](\"https:\/\/www.leaderdog.org\/app\/uploads\/2026\/08\/on-the-road_CinnamonScone-225x300.jpg\")
<\/p>\nPhoto description: A lovely cinnamon scone sits atop it\u2019s brown paper wrapper. Just look at the cinnamon chunks in this beauty!<\/p>\n<\/div>\n
So, if you expect people to NOT yield to you in the crosswalk, when it happens, you won\u2019t freeze up. You\u2019ve got to let them go on and do whatever was SO important that they couldn\u2019t yield to a pedestrian. You\u2019re not gonna win that race, or that collision, so you gotta just let \u2019em roll on through, pick up your pace after that, and complete your crossing.<\/p>\n
This is not easy. Please don\u2019t get me wrong. Stepping outside of your home and traveling independently without vision is one of the bravest things you\u2019ll do, or see people do.<\/p>\n
Drivers are paying less and less attention every day. I swear, 9 out of 10 cars that go through every intersection are driven by someone with their phone in their hand. Don\u2019t get me started.<\/p>\n
Anyway, what Donna and all her blind brothers and sisters out there do every day is nothing short of an act of bravery. I get to watch people do that for a living, and I wouldn\u2019t want to do anything else.<\/p>\n
I DID want to be a cowboy or a fireman when I was younger, but I never pursued those. Moving on\u2026<\/p>\n
After saying \u201cgoodbye\u201d to Donna, I drove over to Yorktown, the site of the last major battle in the American Revolution. Unfortunately, I got there with about 15 minutes left in the museum, so it wasn\u2019t worth the cost of admission.<\/p>\n
I\u2019m one of those guys that reads every word on every display. I\u2019m here, The site of the favored British blowing a 13-colony lead to the underdog Rebels is gonna take more than 15 minutes for me to be satisfied.<\/p>\n
I did look around the grounds, as much as the U.S. Park Service road system would allow me to do, then I started a list of books I need to read about Yorktown. It\u2019s quite a list already.<\/p>\n
I\u2019m not gonna even write \u201cDay 5\u201d underneath here because I\u2019m willing the other, other airline to do what it promises me it will do.<\/p>\n
You\u2019re probably tired of hearing me complain about the airlines and the airport. I actually chose this profession, and this incarnation of the job itself requires a lot of travel. I knew that coming in.<\/p>\n
I was watching one of those survival shows the other day. You know the ones where people volunteer to isolate themselves in some Godforsaken wilderness to compete with others to see who can outlast others for some cash?<\/p>\n
Anyway, one of the contestants was complaining about how hard everything was, and he asked viewers at home to consider how easy it was to get up from the couch and get a snack from the fridge and then remember how hard it was for him.<\/p>\n
Nope. Nossir. I will not.<\/p>\n
I will get up and get my Fritos and bean dip from a can (so good) and not think a thing about your hardship because you volunteered to be here. You knew beforehand the South Island of New Zealand was not built for people to live alone without extensive training and luck, unless, of course, you\u2019re from the M\u0101ori tribe, who were born and raised there.<\/p>\n
And I will laugh, every time, at the self-proclaimed plant experts (there\u2019s always one on these shows) who get violently ill after ingesting some vine or berry or seaweed something or another that they swore they\u2019ve eaten before and clearly recognize as not only safe but also good for you.<\/p>\n
All that to say, I try not to complain about the travel. Just like I told Donna about the traffic not yielding. You gotta expect it to happen. Still stinks when it does happen, but maybe not so bad.<\/p>\n
Written by Barry Stafford, certified orientation and mobility (O&M) field representative.<\/em><\/p>\n<\/div>\n\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":" Photo description: Donna uses her cane while walking down the sidewalk. She wears red top and denim skirt. In the background is an American flag and a bright blue sky. Day 1 I don\u2019t know why, but I\u2019m surprised almost every time when I encounter human beings who seem to not ever have been outside […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":7048520,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[96742,143019],"tags":[2206,13432,1820,2683],"dealstore":[],"offerexpiration":[],"class_list":["post-7048519","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-blog","category-on-the-road-with-barry","tag-barry","tag-newport","tag-news","tag-road"],"yoast_head":"\n