It's 10:00pm Saturday night, and I'm just about to drive out of the BMI Event Center parking lot in Versailles, Ohio. ApologetiX had finished their outstanding performance at Immortal Fest II only 45 minutes prior. Within that short window I was able to speak to most of the band members and get signatures on my copy of the setlist. Instead of heading to a nearby hotel, I'm heading home to Columbia, Maryland over 500 miles away. This year I'm not just avoiding a lodging expense, I've got to get back in time for my 3-month old granddaughter's baptism, scheduled for 10:00am the next day. The iPhone GPS app says it will take 7.5 hours, and I've got 12 exactly. Plenty of time, right?
I made a similar all-night trip the previous year, and I was really hoping to avoid doing it again. Only last year I was leaving a few minutes before Midnight, Labor Day morning with the only time constraint being that I wanted to get home before encountering Holiday traffic. It took 10 hours and I stopped to rest for 2 hours along the way. It's a difficult drive. So I was very appreciative when my friend J. Jackson, prayed over me for safety on the trip home and even the music selections I would choose to help keep be alert.
In honor of ApologetiX bassist Keith Haynie, I put in Bachman-Turner Overdrive: The Definitive Collection (2008). I'm driving my son's Ford Focus station wagon, which has a CD player with an illegible Gameboy-type screen. And for the first time the entire weekend, I didn't need to use any GPS directions. This means I'm not looking at a running display of the time, distance, or estimated arrival. I won't know what time it is unless I stop and look at the phone tucked snuggly in the armrest compartment. I'll be running outside of time.
Sleep your sleep
I'm awake and alive
I keep late hours
You're nine to five
from "Blue Collar" - BTO [Track 2]
Less than a mile from the venue, I encounter a railroad crossing. Although, the barrier gates are up, I take a glance to the right down the track. And there is a train light in the distance. And sure enough, as I look in the rear view mirror, the lights start flashing and the gates start coming down. I've just missed being held up for who knows how long, which would've really derailed (no pun intended) the start of my journey. I thank God for sparing me the delay.
A half moon hangs in the sky, and the air is cool for late August (55 degrees). Despite a few curves for the beginning 8 miles, the country road feel of Ohio 47 is mostly comprised of straight sections, especially for the last 10 miles approaching the town of Sidney where I'll pick-up Interstate 75 South toward Dayton. Oncoming traffic is sparse and I can mostly use my high beams. I had wisely fueled up on my way in, so I shouldn't need to stop for gas for another 350 miles or so.
I reach I-70 roughly 35 miles down the road, just north of Dayton. I won't need to change routes again for the remaining trip. But I'm already getting tired and having difficulty keeping my speed up. I certainly can't travel at the speed limit, but generally hover about 5 mph under for comfort. Fortunately, this side of Ohio is flat and relatively straight, so the driving isn't too taxing. I make up my mind to rest early, despite not wanting to, planning to stop at the rest area east of I-670. Unfortunately, the South Vienna Rest Stop Eastbound is closed.
I need to sleep some, having been up since 6:45am. It had been a busy day, spending time at the Cleveland Air Show and traveling 3.5 hours to the concert, plus the concert itself, which had me on my feet the entire time, enjoying never-before-played tunes live. The night before I pulled into the hotel at 12:45am, following a fun evening with friends watching the Cleveland Indians Guardians win a come-from-behind, bottom-of-the-ninth victory against the Seattle Mariners (4-5). So I can't pull into a gas station or travel plaza to sleep, it just wouldn't be safe. I need to make it to the next rest area, which is past Columbus, an hour away.
I can't recall exactly what I was listening to in the preceding timeframe (I have 2 boxes and a case of CDs at my fingertips to switch out), but I pull into the Eastbound Rest Area in Hebron, Ohio at 12:30am, after 144 miles. I text my wife and mother that I'm stopping, not knowing that it won't be delivered. I push the seat back, put up my blanket to shield some of the brighter light poles, grab my pillow and immediately pass out. I turn once to the other side, before falling asleep again. Finally, I wake up, use the rest room, and check the vending machine for any type of caffeinated beverage. $3.00 for a Diet Dr. Pepper. Obviously, the State of Ohio doesn't want me to have any caffeine at those prices!
I get back to the car and check the time, 3:27am. "Two hours, not too bad". Then I think again, "No wait a second... 3 hours!" I drove 2.5 hours, slept for nearly 3, which would mean I have roughly 5 hours left, add a half-hour for a gas stop and other slowdowns, and I'm looking at only an hour window, maybe less, before the start of the church service! I really have no time for any further delays. I couldn't believe I slept for so long. I must have really needed it. I often sleep a similar amount before working, so I guess you can say I've been conditioning for this trip all year long. I pop in The Secret Life of Walter Mitty - Music from and Inspired by The Motion Picture (2013).
Immediately, I know I've made the perfect music selection with the opening notes of José González's "Step Out":
Step outside, time to step outside
Time to step out
Step outside, time to step outside
Time to step outside, time to step outside
from "Step Out" - José González [Track 1]
I will stay with you tonight
Hold you close 'til the morning light
In the morning watch a new day rise
We'll do whatever just to stay alive
We'll do whatever just to stay alive
Well, the way I feel is the way I write
Nothing like the thoughts of the man who lies
There is a truth and it's on our side
Dawn is coming, open your eyes
Look into the sun as the new days rise
from "Stay Alive" - José González [Track 3]
Pushing forward through the night
Aching chest and blurry sight
It's all far so far away
from "Far Away" - Junip [Track 4]
I end up listening to it through almost twice. The movie is about traveling and it paired well with my "quest".
The rest area was well placed. It sits about 25 miles west of Zanesville. More importantly, the terrain changes significantly eastward, with steeper inclines and curves as you enter the Allegheny Plateau. Given my state before I stopped, I know with certainty that I would have had trouble had I continued. The car I'm driving has rack-in-pinion steering, meaning any slight deviation and bobble will have consequences - where you turn the car goes...immediately. But with a "full" night's sleep under my belt, I'm sufficiently alert and ready to go. Eventually, my eyes' focus improves along the way too. I also encounter some construction, traveling on a single lane with large traffic barriers on either side and no shoulder. This always reminds me of Luke Skywalker flying his X-Wing in the Death Star trenches. I audibly quote the young Jedi, "It's just like Beggar's Canyon back home."
My next blind-bag selection is chosen, and I pop the CD in. I'm delighted with the outcome, John Mayer's Battle Studies (2009). His song, "Heartbreak Warfare" is one of my favorites in his catalogue.
Dawn is breaking as I approach the Pennsylvania Turnpike. I'm running on about a quarter of a tank of gas, and somehow miss the first travel plaza. I'm starting to get fatigued again, but figure I'll perk up when I stop for gas. Only where is the next travel plaza? I finally pull into the Somerset Plaza at 6:47am, after 203 miles (347 total). In less than 10 minutes I'm on the road again. I was hoping to pick up something to eat, specifically a Cherry Pop Tart, but they only had Blueberry, Strawberry, and the always off-putting Brown Sugar. I could've gotten a free Blueberry from my friend's house Saturday morning, so I'm not going to spend $1.79 for one now. I'd long since devoured my limited stores, consisting of a banana and blueberry pancake, except for the bag of cashews I've been nibbling on (for days!) with ever increasing disgust. My ETA is now 9:35am!
I embark on my final leg of the trip playing Sugar, Sugar 60s Pop (2007). The bright, sunny tunes go well with the bright morning. Even the cover girl is wearing shades, and so am I. I've got roughly 2.5 hours to go, passing through Breezewood, and traveling on my least favorite stretch of I-70 in Maryland. The part between Hancock and Hagerstown is so similar to the part between Hagerstown and Frederick that you're often tricked into thinking you're closer to home than you are. I think I played some of U2's How to Dismantle an Atomic Bomb (2004) for part of that stretch. Well, whatever I picked flowed well with the much increased speed of the traffic. People are just zooming down the that corridor.
As I pass Frederick, with less than 45 minutes to go, I (ironically) put in my first ApologetiX CD of the trip, Louder than Plaid (2025). The first two songs are real driving rockers:
1. Heaven's Metal - parody of "Heavy Metal" by Sammy Hagar
2. Love Removed All My Shame - parody of "Love Removal Machine" by The Cult
The whole album, which was released around a month ago, is excellent with a nice flow and consistency throughout. Several of the songs were played at the show, so I was enjoying them even more, having seen the lyrics displayed on the screen and sitting on the second row close enough to read J's lips. I'm repeating the opening tracks by the time I arrive home at 9:39am, after another 165 miles (512 total). My family hasn't left yet, and I have just enough time for a quick change before we leave for the service. My wife, lovingly made a protein shake for me to consume on the way.
The service was great with baby Sharon cooing to the music.
I thank God for keeping me safe and getting me to the church on time! And for all the people praying on my behalf for traveling mercies.
Psalm 31:3
"Since you are my rock and my fortress, for the sake of your name lead and guide me."
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