In the summer of 1996, a group of us rented a van and followed the band along the East Coast. It was a memorable trip, that's for sure.

The Beginning

"You girls be careful. Don't talk to any strangers."

"You're not going to be doing that thing where you pass bodies through the crowd, are you?"

"No, you don't need to call every day. I'll just keep telling myself that no news is good news."

"You're doing WHAT???? Do you know these people? Can you trust these people????"

All of our moms naturally had last minute words of advice. We knew when to call, who not to speak to and C. knew not to run up and down the aisles at the concert. We knew they had nothing to worry about, though. We were off on the adventure of a lifetime.

We (L., V., C., L. and M.) all assembled ourselves at L's house outside of Pittsburgh. We chose Pittsburgh because of their airport's strict safety standards (they finally got their lights working at night), strong rumors that L. and airplanes don't get along and the fact that it was a pretty central location. We had rented a Dodge Grand Caravan, that surprisingly could fit all of our luggage (despite a prohibition from Dollar that we not haul anything on the roof). We set off early on Saturday morning fortified by donuts from L's mom and wet, sloppy kisses from Odie, the Dalmatian puppy.

Our first day's journey took us through scenic Pennsylvanian, West Virginian, Virginian, North and South Carolinian countryside. We passed through places with poetic names like Big Otter, decided that maybe we wouldn't be stopping at any more Hardees (despite their great kids meal toys), and gazed in wonder at THE BIG PEACH (a water tower that looks like a fuzzy peach from one angle and a part of the lower anatomy from another).

Finally, we made it to our first destination...Clemson, South Carolina, a sleepy college town ripe with anticipation for the big rock concert the next day. Checking into the Ramada, we hooked up with R. and S. and spent the evening laughing, talking, eating pizza, looking at pictures and getting ready for the show the next night. The next day, A. and L2 arrived and we also got to meet a new friend, T.. It was time for the first Eagles show of 1996.