The Barnes Report - from Nashville, Tn. - Epilogue

Whit Barnes

  
(Editor's note: Wake Forest played Mississippi State in the Franklin American Mortgage Company Music City Bowl Friday evening at Nashville's LP Field. Wake Forest fell to the Bulldogs 23-17 to fall to 6-7 for the season. 

Here is the final blog entry by Deacon offensive lineman and former RMHS Gryphon Whit Barnes.)

The weather in Nashville was awesome all week, but the loss to Mississippi State wasn't.

My overall experience this week was great. Having my family there to cheer on the Deacs meant a lot and I think my family, led by mom and dad Russ and Martha, had a wonderful experience in Nashville.

I stayed behind with my folks after the game and we got back to Rocky Mount Sunday evening. We woke up at 8:30 a.m. and started driving.

But we spent New Years' Eve in downtown Nashville. We went to the Grand Ole Opry (Ryman Auditorium). It was definitely a great experience and there is so much history in that building.

Bristol, Va./Bristol, Tn.; pop., 43,000

Then we got to listen to Lynyrd Skynyrd play live at a free outdoor concert. It was a great night. The streets were so packed that you could barely walk around. (Editor's note - I know that they had to have played the Gryphons' baseball victory song - "Sweet Home Alabama." But those might have been fighting words in the heart of Tennessee.)

On the way home, we stopped to have lunch in Bristol, Tn. with Coach B.W. Holt (my head coach at RMHS) and his wife Dr. Barbara. They showed us around Bristol (Interesting note - the city is split down its main street downtown into two states -  Virginia and Tennessee). 

The whole family then went to see my grandma's college where she hasn't visited since 1957. She was able to stand in front of the college and get some pictures and I know it must have brought back a lot of memories for her.

Got some down time now. Classes don't resume until the18th.