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07/06/2004 Archived Entry: "Bristol, Rhode Island"

I had my longest one-day trip yesterday since I began driving two years ago -- 698 miles. Well, that's a bit misleading; it was done with two drivers, each of us with about 7 hours driving time and half of that mileage. We took a Philadelphia area string band to Bristol, Rhode Island, to march in the oldest, continuously held July 4th celebration in United States. Unfortunately, it rained off and on all day, and the participants were drenching wet by the end of the parade, making a real mess of the coach when they returned. I stayed in the coach for most of the day since the weather was so unpleasant. About the only thing I saw of the parade, other than a few bands getting prepped in the staging area where we dropped off, was the Clydesdale horse team (photo at right) when they returned to the parking lot after the parade, right in front of where the motorcoach was parked. The Clydesdales represented the Hallamore Corporation from Massachusettes -- that's one of the companies who has those many-axled wide load trailers we occasionally pass on the highway (check the Hallamore Web site for some interesting photos and information on what they can haul).

Unfortunately, too, was that this group (who shall remain nameless) was one of the least pleasant groups to drive for. Several of the passengers were verbally abusive of both of us drivers before we even pulled out of the parking lot at the pickup point, and it continued most of the day. In the group's defense, this was their fifth parade in three days, and I think most of them were just tired and hung over from the previous days' parading and partying. Nevertheless, the alcohol continued to flow freely and the partying went on until they were too tired to party any longer on the way home and most fell asleep.