Road Tripping!

Hi again everybody! I am back in the friendly confines of Kent, Ohio following a great road trip to the Heartland.

I first covered the NCAA Division I Wrestling Championships in 2007 from the Palace of Auburn Hills in Detroit. I had always heard it was quite a spectacle, but never expected it to be as big as it was. With thousands of fans traveling thousands of miles to cheer on their respective teams, it really is a special three-day event.

With that said, here's a small recap of my travel throughout the Midwest last week!

DAY ONE - Tuesday

After a routine oil change and tire rotation to prepare for the 2,000-mile round trip journey, I hit the pavement around 3 ET. I headed south on I-71 to Columbus and made my first pit stop - the Mall at Tuttle Crossing, located just off I-270. There's a Cleveland-based cookie company called Cheryl's which makes a wide assortment of treats including their famous buttercream frosted cookies. I scored a dozen for $12.99 for use as road rations and was on my way along I-70 West.

Great, inexpensive lodging

Passing several Tom Raper RV signs in southern Indiana, I passed through the Circle City, Indianapolis. The big landmark there is the enormous Lucas Oil Stadium which rises up like a majestic barn on the prairie. It has hosted the Super Bowl and Final Four in recent years. Most of I-70 in Indiana and Illinois looks the same - especially at night.

Around midnight I turned the corner and caught a glimpse of the iconic Gateway Arch. At over 600-feet tall, it is the tallest man-made monument in the United States. The NCAA Wrestling Tournament was in St. Louis in 2008, 2009 and 2012. It will return there next year. When I crossed over the Mississippi River, I couldn't help but quote this Clark Griswold line from the 1984 film "Vacation."

With St. Louis serving as the symbolic halfway point, I drove another 100 miles before finally pulling over for the night in Rolla, Missouri. I found a Sunset Inn for just $37! Since it was situated next to a Waffle House, it was an easy choice.

DAY TWO - Wednesday

Color TV!

It was early to rise on a crisp Show-Me State morning. With the start of the tournament just 24 hours away, I needed to get moving. After a Waffle House breakfast where the cooks and waiters wanted to hear some Antonio Gates stories, I was on the move again, this time on I-44.

I stopped in Springfield, Mo. to pick up a couple items at Best Buy - a new memory card for my camera and a car charger for my phone. Near Springfield was the Glenstone Court - a roadside motel which featured rooms for just $23! Their big selling point was - wait for it - color tv! I'll look into staying there on my next trip through!

Joplin Tornado Memorial

My next stop was a somber one. In 2011, the city of Joplin, Mo. was devastated by an EF-5 tornado that took the lives of 162 and caused widespread catastrophic damage estimated at $2.8 billion. One of the things about me that many don't know is that I'm a licensed storm spotter for the National Weather Service. So events like the one in Joplin hit home for me.

Joplin Tornado Memorial mosaic

I stopped at Cunningham Park in Joplin which was the epicenter of the tornado's path. The mile-wide twister just leveled homes, the St. John Medical Center, scoured pavement and debarked trees along its route. Now nearly three years later, there were still eerie sights and sounds as I looked around. Everything was brand new. Homes, businesses, concrete, trees - you name it. It was as if someone rolled out a wide carpet and houses and trees popped up. Construction was going on all around me as I took photos of the memorials. There were a few mosaic statues which included random household items found in the debris. The stop was a reminder of two things: the power of Mother Nature and more impressively, the power of the human spirit.

As I left Joplin, I entered the northeast corner of Oklahoma. Before long, I passed through Tulsa along the Will Rogers Turnpike. The speed limit there is 75 mph which enabled me to make pretty good time on the sunny 65-degree day.

Finally, the skyline of Oklahoma City opened up on the Plains and I arrived at the Residence Inn. I have been lucky enough to stay at some pretty cool hotels while working for Kent State, but head coach Jim Andrassy deserves props for this place. It was nicer than my first apartment! A full kitchen and living room, separate bedroom and full bathroom were just some of the amenities.

DAY THREE, FOUR, FIVE - Thursday-Saturday

This year's NCAA Tournament served as the 84th renewal of the "Greatest Spectacle in Collegiate Wrestling." And for three days it was as wild as any I can remember. On Friday in the national quarterfinals, two No. 1 seeds went down in a three-weight class span!

Eight-ring Circus Comes to Oklahoma City

The KSU wrestlers faired well. With four representatives, two stayed alive deep into the event. Sophomore Ian Miller reached the national semi-finals with three hard-nosed wins against some of the best 157-pound wrestlers in the country. And newcomer Michael DePalma scored an upset of his own, knocking off the seven seed at 149.

KSU's Ian Miller

Miller took fourth for the Golden Flashes, earning him All-American status. It gave KSU an AA for the sixth straight year after a two decade drought without one! Coaches Andrassy, Moore and Hill have done a phenomenal job for the program. It was truly special to see Miller toss around defending champion Derek St. John of Iowa. With almost 16,000 fans focused on him, he scored five takedowns from five different moves to wow the fans and win the respect of 2,000 knowledgeable Hawkeye fans in the process.

The finals on Saturday were a blast, as always. The NCAA DI Wrestling Committee does a great job of turning the title matches into a real show. They elevate one single mat and introduce each wrestler individually with music and pyrotechnics. The fans love it and it's great for the sport.

 After losing to legend Kyle Dake of Cornell in a once-in-a-lifetime title bout last year, Penn State's David Taylor returned to the top of the podium with a dominating performance. His win helped keep the national title in Happy Valley for a fourth straight year. Taylor is one of the most technically sound grapplers I have ever seen. He stayed in the arena - as he did last year following a loss - until every kid who wanted an autograph or photo got one. There are still good guys left in sports!

National Anthem prior to the championship matches. The 80 All-Americans are on the mat.

DAY SIX - Sunday

The day after the championships is always such a letdown. But those feelings quickly subsided as I toured arguably the best memorial ever constructed - the Oklahoma City Federal Building Memorial. It is hard to believe next spring will be the 20th anniversary of the bombing.

Oklahoma City Memorial looking East. Field of chairs on left and Survivor Tree on right.

One of the memorial chairs.

The memorial is on the site of the former Alfred P. Murrah Federal Building which was bombed April 19, 1995. The area is framed by two majestic gates which read 9:01 (minute before the bomb) and 9:03 (minute after the bomb). Between the two gates is a long reflecting pool with a very thin layer of water which runs over a small ledge, providing a serene sound. There is also a field of empty chairs - 168 to be precise - which represent those lost in the tragedy. Small chairs represent children killed at the building's day care center. Also featured is an old elm known as the "Survivor Tree." Only its gruff and impenetrable exterior saved it from the blast. It was originally burnt to a crisp and thought lost but bloomed again the following spring.

The chairs are inscribed with loved ones' names and have the ability to light up at night. They are arranged according to the floor that person worked on.

Memorial looking South. The third pine tree from the left (center of this picture) was the location of the van.

I was in middle school when the bombing took place and remember it vividly. This was my second visit to the memorial and it still tugs at the heartstrings. Everyone should pay it a visit at some point.

After departing OKC, I zoomed back up the turnpike into Missouri. I stopped for a late lunch at Dottie's Family Restaurant in Cuba, Mo. and headed toward St. Louis. The Scottrade Center was hosting NCAA Basketball tourney games that day but traffic wasn't an issue as I pushed through the Gateway City into Illinois. 

It was a long day of driving so I coasted into Terra Haute, Indiana and shacked up at a Days Inn which advertised a pretty cheap nightly rate. I think I inherited my hotel instincts from my father who would always find the Linder Clan the best deal on the road.

DAY SEVEN - Monday

A cold snap (hasn't this whole winter been one!?) hit southern Indiana during the overnight so my travel outfit of shorts and a KSU wrestling t-shirt kind of left me a little chilled as I began the final stretch. I only needed to make one more fuel stop so I pulled over in Huber Heights, Ohio. After some chicken and mashed potatoes I broke out some car karaoke! It was at this point I am grateful to have been traveling alone. My Peter Cetera could use some work but it's close!

I finally reached Kent just after 5 ET. It was great to see the sun still shining and all the familiar landmarks of home. There's nothing like being away for a week to make you appreciate home!

All in all it was a phenomenal trip. I love road tripping. I have a small fear of flying anyways so I prefer driving. Besides, if you fly, you miss out on all of the little stops along the way. I think SID Aaron Chimenti is still looking for his luggage!

The NCAA Wrestling Championships are my favorite event to cover every year. It's like a family reunion with people you only see once a year but they are always there. The countdown to St. Louis 2015 is already on and hopefully the KSU wrestlers can make even more noise next year!

I'll be back on the baseball mic tomorrow at Wright State! Tune in for first pitch at 3 ET with Golden Flashes Warm-Up at 2:45.

So Long Everybody!

TL