Mike's Epic Road Trip

Nashville Tennessee

I rolled into Nashville around 4PM on Thursday the 20th after a rather grueling 10 hour drive from Morgantown.

The first two hours on 1-79 South made me question my decision to leave at 6:00AM when it was pitch black. The previous nights freezing rain made me very nervous about driving and the cinders and salt on the roadway kicked up by every passing car and big rig made the visibility practically zero.

By the time I got to I-64 at Charleston the roads were a little drier and the sky was starting to brighten. For the rest of the trip road conditions improved.

When I stopped to fuel up a survey of the car saw it totally encrusted in salt and cinders and it took a while to clean the slimy salt film off all the windows.

When I finally rolled in to the driveway I was greeted by buddy Bob (now "Robert") Doherty whom I first met when he was a camper at Oglebay Institute's Junior Nature Camp.(JNC) I am foggy as to what year this would have been, but I belive it was in the mid 70's. Back then we called him "Boobie", a camp nickname which I still use as a term of endearment for him. Bob's older brother Bill and younger sister Donna also attended JNC. Their parents were active in the adult camping program at the Institute's Mountain Camp on lake Terra Alta in Preston county. I was on staff as a Camp Counselor back then and had my own nickname: "Sarge". The label came about as a result of my Drill Sargent like attitude when it came to camper and staff discipline and strict adherence to the rules and regs of the camp. So much for a permissive upbringing...

Bob's wife, Ann got home from work around five and after a coupla brews and a tour of the house we headed to a local steak house where we met up with Bob's dad, Bill and his finacee Jackie as well as sister Donna and husband Jim.

After much yakking, drinking and eating we all gathered together for the obligatory group shot. Bob and I had both neglected to bring our cameras. Luckily Jackie came to the rescue with a disposable point and shoot.

We all parted company and it was not long before my head hit the pillow in anticipation of a busy first day touring Nashville with Bob and Ann.

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