Excerpt from a My Old RV letter discussing a Texas road trip
http://myoldrv.com/?p=2801
Readers Write - Stevie Nicks - True West Texas Tales
By andyj, on September 14th, 2011
I topped a small rise in the road and saw that we were driving into a big old Texas thunderstorm! Time to change gears ladies. I popped a new cassette into the Pioneer quadraphonic. It was Fleetwood Mac, “Rumours”. I skipped ahead to the track “Dreams” was on. I thought it would enhance the herbal essence we were currently under and it did! The lyrics, ” Thunder only happens when it’s raining” ,ringing out of that three part harmony , Stevie’s voice like a beacon in the storm had us in a trance like state.
As the sky turned leaden and the rain and thunder began to build so did the music. We were just floating along in this big old car, mesmerized by our high and the thunder and lightening show all around us. Soooo cool!
As if on cue, as the song ended and the boys in the car in front of us began to spin out on the rain soaked highway. They did one, two, three complete 360′s and wound up facing us in our lane. You could see there eyes big as saucers inside the car! I was doing all I could to stop and control the freight train I was driving as we veered into various lanes and finally came to rest within 6 feet, nose, to nose of the boy’s vehicle. Whoa! What a rush! We all piled out of our cars right there in the middle of the highway to inspect ourselves, and the cars. We all still had all of our limbs and no one was bleeding. The only casualty was a hub cap off the boy’s car.
We drove on in silence, and stopped at the next roadside store and got coffee, LOTS of coffee. We never did see those boys again. We never did go into Austin that weekend either. We stayed at the condo and used the boat, and skied, but the mood was somber. I guess we figured we pushed the envelope far enough.
Isn’t it strange how a certain song, a certain artist, or a certain band can freeze a moment of time in your life forever? Every time I have heard Stevie Nick’s voice since that day, I am transported back to that highway in the late spring of my youth. The memory is as alive and vivid as if I were watching it on a movie screen.
Stevie,I have always loved you. You are haunting, ethereal, and eternally lovely. I saw you perform on “The Talk” today and you gave me chill bumps! Thanks for the memories and thanks for supporting our young men and women in service to our country! You are a true legend!