We were on our way back to the hotel from the first night of Hampton (yes, '03). We decided to try to look for an alternate way to get to the parking lot from the highway for the next night, so, needless to say, we got very lost. We found many a exits off the highway, but none to get back on! We ended up driving back past the venue so my friend could get a good snapshot of the "Mother Ship" and so we could get on the highway.

We came to our exit and made sure not to miss it. We then, for some reason, in each of our silly states, logically deducted that we needed to go east on our road. We were sure of it -- we even kept reassuring ourselves that it was the correct way to go ("Yeah, that looks familiar," "I remember that restaurant").

We then end up at the last stoplight before a long, dark drive and finally decide to get out our map and switch on an interior light. I then notice a Virginia State Trooper stopped at the light in the left turn lane. We pull up ever so slowly to the intersection (of course we had to be in the left lane so we would end up adjacent) and all of us peel our eyes to the MAP ("Don't look at the cop... Don't look...").

After waiting too long for the light to change, we start to drive. The cop pulls into my lane and starts following. At this point, none of us had any intention of making any course changes any time soon ("It's better he thinks we're of sound mind and know what we're doing, right?"). After a half mile of some of the most stressful driving ever, he puts his lights on. Now, I hadn't done anything illegal, unless knowingly not acknowledging a State
Trooper while adjacent on the road is a serious offense. But we did have some things in the car the officer might have found questionable, including an inebriated minor.

I pulled in to the first driveway I saw (golf course?) instead of pulling to the side of the road because... hell if I knew. I tried to swallow my heart to keep if from escaping as the cop pulled closer. However, he didn't stop behind me -- he pulled to the side...?

I rolled down my window, expecting a soon end to this great trip. "Are you boys lost?"  Wow, not a hint of hostility in his voice. "Uh, yes!" I quickly responded.  He then asked where we were staying and told us we were about to embark on a
20 mile journey to nowhere had we continued on.

Nothing. No "Have you been drinking?" No "How old is everyone?" And no  "Phish? So that means you have drugs?" He even "escorted" us back to the exit to get back onto the highway and  flashed his lights telling us where to turn! What a guy! After all of us had about 3 heart attacks each, we went back to our hotel thinking how... lucky?... we were. We went on to have two more great shows and one hell of a
time!

-P Hoffer