The last three weeks have been an absolute whirlwind of wrestling. It started with the CAA, EIWA and EWL championships, then off to La Crosse for the Division III championships, then to Philly for the Division I Championships.

There were some great matches, great friends and great times. There were also some not-so-great moments.

Let's start with renting cars.

I've had about every bad rental car in the world. I've had PT Cruisers, HHR's, Neons ... but when I was out in PA and Jersey for the trio of qualifiers, I was met with the absolute worst car I've ever encountered.

A hybrid Honda Insight. Now, picture me, a 255-pound individual cramming into a hybrid. Sure, it got 40 miles a gallon when on economy mode, but when you're driving across the Pennsylvania turnpike and navigating the New Jersey roads, being in a tiny car with horrible blind spots and negative 12 accelleration, you're in for some trouble.

It wasn't too problematic initially, with the exception there's no cruise control. I like to have cruise control in rentals because the last thing I want to get is a speeding ticket. Being out of state, it's just so easy for them not to let you off ... "them" ... yes "THEM."

Anyway, I dealt with it (parking was actually easy, the thing was slightly bigger than one of those Smart cars) until I got to Bucknell.

After crashing with Willie Saylor of The Open Mat on Saturday night after some wrestling chatter at Damon's in Lewisburg, I set out to Bloomsburg after the finals were over. I went into Sojka Pavilion under the chill of a cold Pennsylvania rain. After watching the F&M van back into a pole, then realize they weren't supposed to park in that lot, I walked in.

Then there was some wrestling.

Then as I left Bucknell, I walked out to a nice, cold, wet snowstorm. This one wasn't even expected. Now, the Insight isn't built for ... well, much of anything, and it especially couldn't handle snow too well. What's about a 25-mile drive from Bucknell to Bloomsburg took 90 minutes. I got to Bloomsburg just as the EWL Finals were starting.

Saw some wrestling.

Talked with Mark Bader and Zeb Miller from Flo. They were going to try to traverse I-80 so Zeb could teach in the morning. Yeah, not a great idea.

I was at least going to try to get closer to Harrisburg and get a room for the night. I'd initially planned on driving back to Lancaster, near my old stomping grounds to sleep for the night (and perhaps grab a Lager), but about a mile into my journey, which included sliding out of the Bloomsburg parking lot, I was on the phone (Bluetooth, people) with my wife when she said, "Babe, just turn around."

That was a battle in itself.

Did I mention the Insight isn't equipped ... for anything?

Well, after the GPS took me up a big hill, where I was going no faster than SEVEN miles an hour, I had to turn around and go back down the hill.

I eventually settled on the Hampton Inn. I checked in and moments afterwards, so did the West Virginia team. Greg Jones said his brother Vertus was trying to make it back to Pittsburgh, but made it as far as Bellefonte, which is just outside of State College.

Talked to Greg for a bit on a variety of topics, then I set out for Harrisburg, normally a 90-minute drive, to catch my 10 a.m. flight. I left at 6 a.m.

Even if it took twice as long, I'd still have time, right?

Have I told you about the Insight?

Well the roads leading out of town were bad. I-80 wasn't too bad, but US 11/15 was just atrocious. It took me 4 1/2 hours to get to Harrisburg. I'd called United prior to change my flight and bellyached enough to get them to waive the change fee. I'd already paid for a room that I wasn't anticipating, so I'm trying to save some funds here.

Well, nature called just outside of Selinsgrove (home of Maryland's All-American Spencer Myers) and I stopped at a Denny's ... I didn't leave for 30 minutes. Not for what you might be thinking, but the power (or lack thereof) of the Insight struck. I had to get pulled out of the snow by a local with a tow line.

Anyway, with time to kill, I get some work done at the NWCA offices then set back out to Colorado Springs. I turn around and leave two days later to head to Minneapolis for a drive to La Crosse.

Renting a car in Minneapolis is the most expensive in the nation, and if it's not, it's right up there. This time, I get offered a Hyundai Accent -- NOT going to happen. I get the Kia Optima. Now, if you don't know, Kia apparently has upped its game and has a nice car. The guy in the McDonalds drive-thru even told me such as I was picking up my less than savory lunch.

I make it to La Crosse and check in at the Brookstone Inn, just in time to go on Takedown Radio's Bracket Buster Special.

Joe Miller and I do the webcast for all four sessions of the Division III tournament on NCAA.com. Shout out to Turner Sports' Katy Sullivan and Web Stream Productions' Adam Coppinger -- they were awesome to work with. Coppinger, though, went to Butler. I went to Old Dominion. Actually most of WSP's folk I've worked with (like John Fritz ... not THAT John Fritz) went to Butler. So last week in Philly, I had to see that tip-in replay over and over.

Anyway, La Crosse is an awesome place. Rich Bender told me to stay off Third Street ... Easier said than done. The tournament went great, Wartburg won, some great individual performances. Minga Batsukh from St. John's is a stud.

My wife joined me in La Crosse and we drove back to "The Cities" and then spent a day with the in-laws up in Princeton. We flew out Monday morning early. Abby flew to Memphis at 6 a.m., I went back on a direct flight -- a DIRECT flight to Colorado Springs.

My bag, on the other hand, had other ideas. It apparently booked a ticket to Minot ... like Minot in North Dakota.

After going through a few less than fun conversations with Delta (the broke a one-legged man's wheelchair, too), the bag would end up in Denver and I would have to get it. I flew out on Tuesday, so this being Monday evening and all my dress clothes were in the bag, I needed that bag.

I bought it two weeks earlier and already it's got more frequent flyer miles than I do. The last flight into Colorado was at 10:51. So I made the 75-minute drive to Denver. Then about the time I get on the E-470 tollway (which is the devil, by the way), I use FlightTracker on my iPhone (Great app, by the way) and check the status.

DELAYED.

So I sit at a Boston's and have a Diet Coke for about 90 minutes, then head to DIA. I wait, and wait. It's 1:15 a.m. and my bag FINALLY gets here. Then I drive BACK to Colorado Springs. Unpack, repack, wash clothes and get to bed around 4 a.m.

I'm supposed to meet Craig Sesker at the USA Wrestling office at 8 a.m.

We get that done, then head to Philly ....

I'll post a Philly follow-up soon.