We signed up early to get our tickets with the other locals and planned on making it a heat little weekend getaway before my son's wedding. They initially planned a bus from our area but we decided to drive ourselves so we could control where and when we left. Not sure I could have taken a bus load of Okies anyway. Lol. We had planned to stay in the motel they secured a block of rooms in as well. That would be fun.
So the day arrived, Friday before the big game, and we headed out early for the eight hour drive. Well not so early. I decided to stop at the office for a few minutes and then those few minutes turned into a few hours......it always happens that way. I get stuck in the black hole and cannot get out. Finally just before noon we headed out. Before we make it out of town we get stopped......dead stop......on the bridge tunnel due to a car fire. Thankfully that was only about 20-30 minutes. However it always feels like hours......and sometimes it really is. Traffic cleared, we are on our way.
The next stop is the Star Express in New Kent County. We finished that project early this summer so it is a quick stop for gas, food and potty break. The older we get the more we need those. Back on the road in record time and of course get just outside of DC.......well the traffic in DC is just as stubborn as the politicians......bumper to bumper with little progress. I knew better than to go this way!
We decided to plug in the GPS to guide us to the motel, however something was wrong. It kept coming up in Maryland?! I thought somehow my wife misunderstood the reservations so we called the place thinking it must be the reservations area in the country being a Maryland number. After a short conversation we found out that indeed our reservations were there and the rest of our group was supposed to stay there as well but they only had 3 reservations. Also the motel was over an hour away from Morgantown. And yes of course there were no available rooms close by......the day before the game.
Bummer, being a little irritated at the whole thing I quickly looked up rooms in the area near the stadium on Yelp. I found a few but focused on the one that had four $$$$ behind it. I bet they would have a room. Gave the number to my wife and she called and made us a reservation for the one night. Honey, how much did the room cost? Oh I thought you knew? No, I just knew it was four $$$$. Oh, well it is $299 a night.......really?! Wow, better be a nice room.
We got there an it was a great place to stay. We were so tired from the long drive that we went ahead and enjoyed a fancy meal and drinks in the hotel restaurant. It was a great evening. And amazingly there's were so many people that welcomed us there....even though we were OK STATE fans. We felt great. People would come up and say please do beat us too bad. It was funny.
The next morning we got up and thought we could walk to the stadium. I thought it was like 2 miles away. I was wrong again. It was over six miles, but they had a hotel shuttle that could take us to the PRT....public rural transport. Great, we jumped in the van and off to the station.......oops! I left the tickets in the room. No worries back we go.
Funny side note: couple in the back of the van were WVU fans and they got a call from their son apparently also going to the game. The wife answered the phone and wished him a happy birthday. So funny it was our oldest son's birthday also. The wife quickly handed the phone to the husband and said, There is a problem. He said, What? A brief pause and then he said, How did the grill go through the back window? Oops.
So back to the hotel, up the elevator to the sixth floor while my wife waiting in the van. When I get back the van is full and of course it was all WVU fans except for us. It was very quiet for a brief second while I got in.......I had to break the silence and say, Ok, I will go ahead and say it.....He's from Oklahoma! Everyone laughed and chimed in at my expense. It was funny.
To the game, met people on the PRT that were OSU fans. It was going to be fun. Got the Alumni center and a bunch of people were there. Breakfast was served.....and beer! Pistol Pete and the cheer leaders were there as well as OSU president and his wife. It was a sea of orange. Pretty cool. After the little speech we ran over to the stadium and welcomed the football team and coaches off of the buses. I hadn't seen Gundy since the practice field some 25 years ago. It was fun. Again we walked past all the tailgaters and they were so very nice. Everyone welcomed us and told us good luck...but not too much luck.
Game time was here and we sat in a corner of the stadium all orange! We won't talk much about the game since we didn't play well and I imagine there were some sofas being burned that evening. Best part of the game: watching it in person. Worst part of the game: listening to the two women behind us incessantly complain about the game like a bad sports announcer who never played the game before. Geesh, please go away.
Back on the PRT to the hotel. We had to listen to a couple of rude drunk college guys sing, Country Road a hundred times. The rest of the WVU fans were embarrassed for them. No big deal. We got back and decided to go eat at a local brew pub and pizza place right down from the hotel. It was nice. And there were a few OK STATE fans there drowning their sorrows in some beer and pizza. It was a fun evening with my wife regardless of the game outcome.
We decided earlier to stay another day even though it was expensive. The next morning I got up and planned to run the trail next to the river that butted up to the hotel. I figured it couldn't be too much terrain changes since it used to be where the train track was. I was shooting for a new goal for myself......14 miles. And I did it! Boy was I tired.....and hungry! I burned 2180 calories. It was a nice run. I looked at my Runkeeper map later and saw that I was only a few miles from the Pennsylvania border. I could have ran across the state line and back. Maybe next time. As it was that was probably my max.
Back in the car for the 8 hour drive back. Amazing my legs didn't hurt. I felt good. All in all it was a great relaxing weekend. Go Pokes!
ET This I Believe
Eugene Thompson
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