Utah State University
Delta Omega Chapter

This academic year our Regional Conference was held in Durango, Colorado, which we traveled to by bus. We chose to charter a bus, along with the ΒΑΨ chapters at Weber State University and University of Utah, because of the length of the trip. Everyone piled into the Louis Brothers Stages bus and prepared for the long trip by getting comfortable with pillows and blankets. At the beginning of the trip, I would consider this a normal bus trip. Some people crowded into groups, talking and laughing; others listened to music or read books. Eventually almost everyone was sleeping.

This trip was not to remain normal in any way. Instead of waking when the bus arrived at its destination, we were jolted from sleep as the bus left the road and slid to a halt approximately 40-50 feet later on the shoulder of the road. Many of the passengers had no idea what had just happened. Others sat in disbelief. I personally was not surprised. I thought this might happen, since I was jolted from sleep on occasion each time the bus driver would hit the warning rivets on the side of the road. I also noticed he was swerving somewhat, and thought he might be falling asleep. Still I was surprised; this was a professional bus driver. It was his job to stay awake! I found it ironic that we had chartered a bus to avoid this type of situation, yet it still happened.

For over an hour we waited on the tilting bus for a tow truck to come to our rescue. Finally, as it started to become light outside, some passengers ventured out to see the damage. By the time the wrecker arrived, over half of the passengers were off the bus. The arrival of the wrecker was not the end of the event, however. It took a few more hours for the wrecker to pull us out of the deep mud on the shoulder of the road, in which we were stuck.

The damage caused by the accident was minimal. No one on the bus was injured, thank goodness; the windshield was shattered, caused by hitting a reflector along side the road; and the bus was now caked in mud. However, more than this, we all had a story to tell, an experience to laugh about for years to come. Needless to say, we had a new bus and a new driver for the return trip!

ΒΑΨ members in photo with RAH members are:
Jeff Buckwalter
Stephanie Romney
Levi Cress
Randal Banagas
ΒΑΨ members are helping Rah members climb a part of the "Giant Maze"