Ground Hog Day, 2008

On Friday, February, 1, 2008 I join two friends for a quick trip into classic Americana. Lar had been wanting to do this ever since he and his wife had driven through the tiny town of Punxsultawney, PA a couple years back on the return leg of a trip to visit family. He talked me into coming along and into bringing my brand new Sanyo Xacti HD1000 video camera with me.

The trip was a hoot. Drive five hours, arrive at a motel about 20 minutes outside of town late that night, catch a few Z's, crawl out of bed at 2:00AM and have a tasty good old American-style breakfast at 3:00AM, slowly find a place to park our car amongst the probably thousands of other vehicles sprinkled throughout park-n-ride lots in the area (we ended up at the high school), and then pile into school buses to ride to the famous Gobbler's Knob.

I have no trouble believing that there were 20,000 people or more present for the 122^nd Ground Hog Day forecast by Punsultawney Phil (the n^th, despite what some claim this ground being the self same one that started this all - sorry some things stretch the mind too much). It's why I never could see Phil himself, but we had a blast anyway. This really is a massive mid-winter party and though you no doubt have a better view sitting at home watching on TV that totally leaves you out in the cold as far as capturing the wonderful feel of this spectacular spectacle.