Take Me Home, Country Roads

I enjoy rewriting lyrics, often to insert them, rather timely, into my own life. The results have been known to drastically alter the artist's original meaning. If songs are actually intended to have meaning--The Great Debate. John Denver's "Take Me Home, Country Roads" was--quite predictably--the theme song for the venture to West Virginia this past weekend. And while there are lovely parts in WV, Morgantown is not one of these places. In all fairness, it is possible I caught Morgantown on an off weekend as the life of the town--West Virginia University--was on Spring Break.  

As we traveled the country roads of West Virginia, I couldn't help but think that John Denver might have had it all wrong.

"Country Roads, take me home;
To the place I belong;
West Virginia, mountain momma;
Take me home, country roads"

The chorus' third line might have be more appropriately stated: Far from West Virginia.

Plain and simple, I foresee no reason to revisit to Morgantown. Aside from Spring Break, Morgantown never had a fair shot; this trip was planned to see Kansas University bring home a guaranteed win. And that did not happen. Though the final score was close and Andrew Wiggins, KU's stand-out freshman, scored 41 points, the game was only riveting for the final five minutes--no more. There was also MUCH chatter about Wiggins receiving his secondary education training in WV; the crowd seemed to find that worth repeating ad nauseam. I have not followed through as to the truth behind this chatter; I am far too disappointed to care.

After the 12:00 pm basketball game, we dined at Mountain State Brewing Co, which was excellent--drinks and food alike. The restaurant is in a huge warehouse-esque building right on the Monogahela River, both accounting for additional perks to a place I would revisit. Note: They apparently have three locations, only one of them being in Morgantown.

The trip highlight--agreed upon by all--came next: drinking Full Throttle peach moonshine (i.e., not local) crammed in our hotel room as we solved the problems of the world. This being a college town, the night ended doing as [college children] do--paying two dollars for drinks and staying out until 2:00 am. And that sat with us superbly as the clocks sprang forward before our weary eyes... and we realized we had somewhere to be--out of our hotel room--on Sunday morning.

So--looking back--even with these odds against us, we managed to have some fun.