On the morning of June 11, 2000, I got out of bed and prepared for one of the most ambitious road trips I would ever take........with one goal in mind.
Meeting my favorite figure skater in person again: 1984 Olympic silver medalist Rosalynn Sumners.
It was in late March of this year that I found out via Joelle Colville-Hanson's website also dedicated to Roz that she would be one of many skating stars involved in a new concept to entertainment......an indoor theatre transformed into a skating rink.
In previous weeks, the Andy Williams Moon River Theatre had been host to guest skaters Tai Babilonia and Randy Gardner, Nancy Kerrigan and Tara Lipinski.
And it was posted on Joelle's site that Roz would be skating in Branson June 5-17. Also on hand was the pairs team of Jenni Meno and Todd Sand, three-time U.S. skating champions and World silver medalists.
Little did I dream that this trip would start out with a "minor problem" that might have led to cancellation of the drive to Branson......and that's where I will start.
In the weeks leading up to the trip from Mineola, Texas, to Branson, I had calculated everything that I would need in terms of money....but what I didn't calculate was a "minor problem".
The "minor problem" was with my gas tank....and it happened in Mount Vernon, Texas, an hour into my trip. Needing fuel because the tank was only a 1/4 full, I went about to pump the gas normally.....except that it didn't pump normally.
I nearly panicked......BUT, I was resolved to figure a way to fix the problem and not have it stop me from the trip. So after coaxing at least four gallons of gas into the tank (getting the tank up to half full), I decided to continue the drive and hope for no other gremlins.
As it turned out, that was the only "scare" I had en route up thru Arkansas and into the Ozarks. Other than "patiently" getting the gas pumped into the tank (took about 20-30 minutes JUST to get the tank nearly full), the drive wasn't as bad as it might have been.
Click here to continue Scott's Excellent Adventure to Branson.
My Favorite Web sites
A Salute To Rosalynn Sumners: Remember Me This Way
Scott's Shack: My HomePage Site
FigureSkating.About.Com Website
