Tuesday, May 14, 2013

The Dog

During 4 years of college in western New York, I think I flew back and forth just two times. Most of the rest of my time was spend on buses, mostly 'the dog' (Greyhound). Don't tell anyone, but I kind of enjoyed it. Every trip was an adventure. As I remember, it left the Rochester station about 2 PM and would pull into Boston about 4AM the next morning. I always thought I caught a good cross-section of the world that I could study on those log trips through the night. Through blizzards, surviving buses with faulty heaters, seat 'neighbors' who wanted to yak through the darkness and even some shenanigans that I'm not about to divulge here, I survived to write about it.
Crazy college coeds, sour milk cartons, bus breakdowns, minor accidents, unruly passengers, it was always nice to get home.
And everytime Bob Segers' "Night Moves" comes on the radio, I turn it loud and remember.
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15 comments:

  1. Sketchbook WanderingMay 14, 2013 at 6:41 AM

    What great memories of a special time...Something about your experience makes me think of Studs Terkel. I wonder if he rode buses & had great conversations...

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  2. Stefan JanssonMay 14, 2013 at 6:56 AM

    Those were the days!

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  3. RandyMay 14, 2013 at 9:29 AM

    I remember those trips. Turn it up!

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  4. SharonMay 14, 2013 at 9:46 AM

    You've had an adventurous youth!

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  5. TexWisGirlMay 14, 2013 at 10:30 AM

    glad you lived through it all - and now can enjoy the memories. :)

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  6. MalyssMay 14, 2013 at 11:34 AM

    One of my dreams would be to cross USA on a GreyHound bus.Just like in a movie !

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  7. RedPatMay 14, 2013 at 12:15 PM

    I still enjoy a bus ride!

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  8. Taken For GrantedMay 14, 2013 at 1:07 PM

    Sounds like you had a high tolerance for bus travel and a taste for adventure. Oh, to be young again.

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  9. Lori SkoogMay 14, 2013 at 1:12 PM

    Where did you go to school? I live in Brockport....25 minutes from Rochester.

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  10. Sharon CreechMay 14, 2013 at 8:02 PM

    You sure logged a lot of miles and hours on the 'dog.'

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  11. KateMay 14, 2013 at 8:52 PM

    a V.I.P. bus?

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  12. Chattahoochee Valley DailyMay 14, 2013 at 8:59 PM

    Nostalgia...

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  13. JackMay 14, 2013 at 9:33 PM

    I didn't ride buses very often. Most often I hitchhiked.

    "Night moves!" Even today I pause to listen when that comes on the radio.

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  14. LynetteMay 14, 2013 at 11:15 PM

    You know your life is some kinda interesting, don't you?

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  15. Library JewelMay 15, 2013 at 5:56 PM

    The bus station was in a shady locale, so I preferred to find a fellow student lucky enough to have a vehicle.

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