Hershey 2008- Part 2

Here's the second installment of my recollection of the Music In The Parks trip to Hershey:

Part 2: The Road Went Ever On And On
We had just left the mall where we had taken our lunch break and were now continuing on our journey. The day had warmed up considerably and my friend Stephenie moved to the seat ahead of me so she could take a nap. Soon enough, I found myself stretching out on my seat, resting my head against the window and dozing in the warm May sunshine.

After my nap, which may have been as long as an hour, the ride seemed to last forever. We passed some familiar landmarks, things we had seen last year. A tower built entirely of cars, as well as a prison which I had once thought to be a college. Then there were things I had never noticed before. I saw a large billboard for "Adult World". I asked Stephenie if it was what I thought it was. It was indeed, an advertisement for a large sex store. I briefly entertained the thought of demanding that we take a detour to this place, whose name sounded like an erotic amusement park. It was a good thing that I did not, because such a naughty request would have been ill-received by Ms. Westbrook and Mr. Burke, even if it were made in jest.

We entered the State of New York. It was the fourth state I'd been in one day! I knew that the next state would be Pennsylvania, where our destination lay. I began to feel antsy; when would we get there? How much longer would be on the road? I found myself constantly asking Mr. Burke where we were, and how much farther we had to go. I constantly checked the clock at the front of the bus. In an effort to pass the time, I counted cemeteries, took pictures and chatted with Ms. Westbrook.

The road went ever on and on, to quote Bilbo Baggins. Eventually, we passed the border into PA, but we still had a long way to go. Then, we got stuck in traffic; it was agony. The bus was still, enveloped in a cloud of exhaust, its engine rumbling like a great beast. I looked out the window and noticed that the soil of Pennsylvania was a glittering black. Stephenie explained that the glitter was coal dust, leftover from the mines. The land was utterly stripped and depressing in this part of the state. I also noticed at least eight deer carcasses lying by the side of the road, adding to the pitiful landscape. This was the worst part of the trip. The misery of the traffic jam only increased, because the traffic would start to progress and the bus would start to move, only for traffic to freeze again, making the bus stop suddenly. These abrupt, jerky movements would thrust my CD player out of my hands and onto the floor, where it would land with a clatter. This abuse would prove to be the end of my CD player. After the trip, it would never work again. Being dropped so many times and sliding around on the floor of a moving bus was the Cause of Death.

Next to our bus, was a large blue bus that belonged to a juvenile detention facility. We could see the youths aboard. They stared at us and we stared at them. The boys talked of starting a bus war, much to my amusement.
Eventually, we got out of the traffic jam and barreled on down the interstate. The sun was shining and I was looking forward to the hotel and the comforts it had to offer. I was still bored, so every once in awhile I would get out of my seat and talk to some of the guys sitting in the back, or use the bathroom. Whenever I'm on a bus or a train with a bathroom, I take full advantage of this and use it as frequently as possible. This usually tends to annoy someone, because during both Hershey 2007 and 2008, I had two separate people complain about my multiple bathroom trips. In 2007, I actually lied to the girl haranguing me, and told her that I'd been puking. Personally, I don't see why it's their problem in the first place. It's nobody's business how many times I go to the bathroom. Anyway, no one else on the bus seemed annoyed by my bathroom visits, and if they were they were polite enough to be quiet about it.

We left Coal Country and soon found our surroundings to be lush, green and lovely. We were getting closer to our destination. When we stopped at a rest area, we all rushed off the bus, eager to stretch our legs and use a bathroom that didn't shake and rattle. Some of the girls pored over brochures and pamphlets, while the boys tried to climb a tree. I ignored the pamphlets and decided to watch the boys climb the tree, which was covered in strange little bugs. One of the climbing boys, Brent, had purchased a green kilt in Hot Topic and was now wearing it with panache.
We returned to the bus, but were not allowed to get back on it, why I do not know. So we waited a few feet away from it, waiting for the permission to board. Some of us were running around, but I was pacing back and forth, trying not to step in the various dried dog turds littering the lawn of the rest stop. I was eager to get back on the road, tired of standing in the sun and goose-stepping over shit jerky. Soon enough, my wish was granted and we piled back onto the bus. I longed to get there soon, anticipating a dip in the hotel's pool, a soak in their hot tub. The confines of the bus was beginning to drive me mad. When would we get there?

As much as I had enjoyed the scenery of the drive, and conversing with my beloved choir teacher, we eventually arrived at our hotel, which was in Harrisburg this year, much to my surprise. Last year we had stayed right in Hershey. I can't remember the name of the hotel we stayed at, I think it was the Hampton Suites or something like that. I was terribly excited, ready to get off the bus and tired of the bus driver telling us every time he made an announcement, that he drove buses. I suppose it was some sort of routine of his.
We pulled up in front of the hotel, waited as Mr. Burke checked us in. Then we all exited the bus, gathered our luggage and entered the hotel.
I would be rooming with my friends Stephenie and Brandi. The three of us joined the other girls, all of us filled with glee as we boarded the elevator and made our way to our rooms. The girls would be on one floor and the boys and adults would on the floor below us. I did not mind this.

Our room had two beds, a plushy chair, a little bathroom and a TV. Just outside the bathroom was a closet, and a counter with a large mirror, a place for us to do our hair and makeup. It looked like a generic hotel room, with stiff coverlets and bland interior decoration. We quickly chose the beds we wanted. I took the one closest to the door, Brandi took the one near the window and Stephenie decided she wanted to sleep on the floor. Then, as soon as humanly possible, we all grabbed our swimsuits and changed into them. My swimsuit was a black one-piece with black and white decoration on the bodice. Unfortunately, my suit no longer fit me in the chest (I had gone up quite few cup sizes since I had purchased it the previous year.), so my bosoms spilled forth rather abundantly and my straps were tight. I worried about the possibility of a wardrobe malfunction, but did not have a t-shirt to put over it. At least not one I could spare.  I pulled blue shorts over my suit and put on my black flip-flops, then we meandered on down to the pool.

The pool was an indoor/outdoor set-up. One half of the pool was inside, along with a small hot tub, while the other half was outside, separated by large windows. The two halves were connected by a narrow passageway, you could duck beneath the window and swim underwater to get to the other side.
I stepped into the water, thankful that the pool wasn't very crowded, only the BF band and choir were swimming there. I thought of Hershey 2007, when I had nearly drowned in the crowded hotel pool. But we were not at that hotel, this pool was bigger, and not filled with rough, screaming middle schoolers. I was being extra careful and not going over five feet.

After such a long hot ride, the water was refreshingly cool and pleasant. Some of the girls and I splashed each other merrily, while Stephenie and the boys swam around in the deep end. Hannah and I pretended to be water benders from Avatar the Last Airbender for a little while. Then a few of my companion swam through the underwater pass. I did not, because I was too afraid, the water in the pass was at least six feet deep and I was terrified of drowning. Everyone tried to reassure me, telling me it would be fine, but I refused and preferred to get out of the pool and simply use the door leading to the outdoor pool deck.

The pool was even better outside; the sun was shining and we were all enjoying the cool water. Hannah, Scott and a few others played chicken, the lightest girls riding the shoulders of the boys. Personally, I don't like playing chicken, for several reasons. One, I don't like the idea of falling into water unexpectedly. Secondly, I'm really uncomfortable with the prospect of sitting on someone's shoulders, because I don't like the idea of my crotch being pressed up against someone's neck. Finally, I can't lift anyone on my shoulders, because I'm not very strong. So I was content to be a spectator, cheering on my friends and laughing. Every so often I would anxiously check to see if my pentacle, a tiny fingernail sized sterling silver pendant, still hung around my neck on it's leather cord. There were a few close calls when I thought it was gone, only to find it had slid around to the back of my neck.

Eventually I took a quick dip in the hot tub. No one joined me, so I had the thing to myself. I relished the warm water and the delightful bubbles. After eight hours on the road, it was a beautiful thing to experience. What great fun it was to submerge myself neck deep into the water, feel the bubbles wrap themselves around me, and let the heat soothe me.
Eventually, Lindsay came down to the pool to collect us, it was time to get ready for our performance.

Stay tuned for part three!