PERSONAL NOTE:
6 years ago at the time this posts (10a US central) on this very day (Sunday) on this date (09/13), I was in Winslow AZ on my 2009 Route 66 road trip. During that journey, I met a couple from Australia, Bruce & Gail. Then, ~3 years later, they stopped in my home town for an overnight just to see me during their 2012 United States tour. I found out early Friday morning that Bruce died this past July. So, this article is dedicated to him & others.

SPARKS THAT TIE

It was a normal evening, whatever that meant for spring 2001. In those days, I wasn’t a member of too many message boards (yet), & I spent my “extra” time chatting with family & friends via AIM (AOL Instant Messenger). Remember that “social media” tool?

The late March Thursday evening wasn’t any different, except for the absence of a friend from 1 of my Email lists. His familiar ID was not on AIM that night. While I was curious as to why, it didn’t bother me all that much nor did I give it too much thought, partly because I was preparing for my then-annual trek to the Nashville/Jackson/Big Sandy TN corridor.

The next morning, I loaded my car & headed for Nashville. That Friday night, I received a call from another friend & list member. We chatted a while, but then he abruptly ended the call. A few minutes later, my phone rang again. This time, it was another list member, who told me Donnie had died in an automobile accident the morning before. I suddenly understood what my other friend had been trying to tell me, but couldn’t.

It’s interesting, & sometimes weird, how a song will get attached to an event. The next morning, as I was driving to my next destination, I heard, for the 1st time “in full”, the latest release by Vertical Horizon: “Best I Ever Had (Grey Sky Morning)”. The opening line (“So you sailed away, into a grey sky morning”) grabbed my attention immediately, given the circumstances of Donnie’s crash.

On the way home from his overnight work shift, Donnie guided his car onto the expressway in Little Rock AR. It was raining heavily, & as he accelerated, the car hit a patch of water, hydroplaned & skidded across the grassy median into oncoming traffic. His car was hit in the driver’s side door by an oncoming Jeep; he was killed instantly.

I still can’t explain why Donnie’s death got to me as much as it did then. My original best friend died of an asthma attack, 2 days after Christmas 1987, & I’d experienced more personal losses in the years since. Yet, at the time, I was beginning to realize that friendships with people you’d never actually met were real, even though interactions were either online or by phone.

The result was a further spark that led to my annual road trips to meet people, while I had time. After all, as I’ve often said, people is what it is all about, & the road is what takes us to people … people with whom we may believe we only have 1 or 2 things in common, but upon meeting, discover we have a lot more in common. In many cases, it seems we’ve known each other forever.

Those road trips (2002-2011) have led to many awesome meetings & some wonderful goose-bump inducing stories. My favorite of which occurred during my 2006 road trip. In Oklahoma City OK for an evening, I organized a dinner with members of several different message boards. During the conversation, I overheard 2 people discussing a small Oklahoma town, the type of which you would only know about if you had been there or knew people who lived there. As we were leaving, I asked 1 of the guys if he had lived there. When he confirmed he had, I mentioned my Mom’s family had lived there as well. When I told him my grandfather’s name, he froze & said: “Your grandfather taught me in High School.” We quickly discovered he knew my Uncles (both older than my Mom), as well. Since then, we’ve kept in touch, & I’ve visited him each time I’ve been in Oklahoma.

Whether an interstate or old 2-lane, the road is a ribbon that interconnects people from all parts of life. That’s the way it has been for a long time. America’s “love affair” with the automobile … & movement in general … has connected people & places, even before online technology existed. Today’s technology makes those connections easier, if we take the time to talk. But, it is still the road that truly brings people together … & irrevocably ties people to places & events. & that’s a good thing.