High up in the hills

Hello fair readers, I know it's been a while. The usual excuses apply -- hectic work schedule and frenetic life (nothing exciting, but no complaints either).

I have just returned from a few days of much needed rest and relaxation at home in W.Va. I wanted to share a wonderful driving moment. The trip up I-79 from Charleston is a truly beautiful one -- the highway winds through the tree-covered mountains, providing gorgeous scenery throughout the trip. Sometimes the road snakes through the hollows of the mountains, and other times it rises to nearly the mountain peaks. As I reached what is probably the highest point of elevation of the trip today, with a view of breathtaking valleys on either side of the highway, a very apropros song came on the radio. As I scaled the mountain summit in my car, Josh Groban sang "You raise me up, so I can stand on mountains..." It was so perfectly timed, I felt that I was living momentarily in a movie. A very cheesy movie no doubt, but one with a dramatic pan of the unforgettable landscape.

Since I don't have any other source of music in my car, which is quite old, I am at the mercy of what is played on the radio. (I've been too lazy to investigate portable music options.) For in-town driving in Pittsburgh this is not a problem, since there are a few stations that I like. Road trips, however, are another matter entirely. In central West Viriginia, there is lots of gospel and country/western on the airwaves, but not too much of the "adult contemporary/pop" that I prefer. Fortunately, in recent trips I've managed to find a couple of stations that get me through the 4-hour trip. Even in the center of the mountain state, one can still tune into Kelly Clarkson and Mariah Carey. And, since today was the Fourth of July, I got to hear the Lee Greenwood song about being "Proud to be an American" and Neil Diamond's song about America. It was enough to make me a little bit misty-eyed.

Happy Indepedence Day to all!