That ranks up there as one of the coolest things I've ever done. I rode in a van in the motorcade following the leader of the free world from event to event, standing just feet from him in some instances to capture the moments on video.
On Monday I was assigned again to cover the President. This time President Obama was arriving at PTI to visit Forsyth Technical Community College in Winston-Salem.
My duties this day were soley to provide LIVE video to my staion of Air Force One's arrival and departure and if possible shoot a story for the evening news. The logistics of the day and security mandates by the secret service made the latter an impossibility.
Our day started at 6AM. I picked up the Live truck and Intern Carolyn at the station and we parked at PTI and gave our morning show several LIVE pictures as the hue of the skyline went from dawn to day.
By 8 we were in full security clearance mode, being told where we would stand and when by the plain clothed officers responsible for keeping the President on-time and alive.
Logistical silliness aside it was the Frigid Temperatures that posed the biggest obsitcle. Never rising above freezing and accompanied by a winter wind for the ages, there were times when my thigh muscle felt like a human vibrator as it tried to keep my core temperature at sustainable levels.
Live through Obama's arrival and the motorcade departed, we were allowed to take a breather in the warm confines of the ComAir break room. The fun started all over again when the President was on approach for departure.
Live for the departure was much quicker. Obama jumped on the plane and the 747 rolled out. Personally I think the pilot of that jumbo jet would make a great truck driver after seeing that wide right turn he made to get that thing off the tarmac and onto the runway.
And just like that we had to pack up our equipment and we were done.
Except I had another shoot lined up in just a few hours and my day was still 4 hours from done.
Other than the excitement of seeing that 747 and the President, it was just another day.
