It was Nov. 1977.  I had just returned from a trip to Key West, FL in my '66 VW camper. I went out to Jamie Hamilton's house where a friend of his helped me put an oil cooler on the engine. Since VW's had air cooled engines in the rear of the vehicle, this helped extend their lifespans quite a bit.  It was quite a job, but with Bob's help, we got it done in one afternoon.  I heard that the CSN&Y band had gotten back together and were touring again. They were one of my favorite bands at the time. I bought tickets for myself and my girlfriend Karen in Cameron Village at a music store.  We were supposed to meet 4  ECU student friends of ours from Winston-Salem in the parking lot at Greensboro Coliseum.  I still had 1/2 of my belongings in the camper after making the long trip to Florida and back stopping along the way to visit relatives in GA & north Florida. I picked up Karen at her home and we left for the concert.  Somewhere between Durham and Burlington people passing me on the interstate started honking and pointing to the back of my van.  I looked behind the van and saw smoke.  I realized there was a problem and pulled over on the shoulder.  I got out and found that gasoline from the gas tank line to the carburetor was supplying the fire with fuel.  The gas tank was located forward of the engine and above it.  I had removed the gas line while I was installing the oil cooler and I am guessing that the line should have been replaced as it must have had a crack that caused the gas to leak out and catch fire. I had a small fire extinguisher, but it was not enough to put out the fire.  A truck driver that had stopped gave me another extinguisher, but it only put the fire about half way out.  Karen was screaming and really losing control telling me to get away that it might explode. But I knew gas tanks only explode in the movies (they put explosives in the cars to make them look like the gas tanks explode).  I couldn't believe how fast the van burned up. It had wood paneling, carpet, mattress, bedding material, oil paintings that my best friend's brother had painted, clothes, and even a bottle of rum in the refrigerator which later exploded.  My guitar was the only thing I got out.  When I realized my wallet with the tickets in it was on the shelf under the dash, I opened the driver's side door and a ball of flame came out.  It was too late to save it.  Meanwhile hundreds of people slowed down and stopped on the interstate to look at the burning vehicle. I was a nervous wreck and Karen was worse. That van burned completely in 15 minutes. All the tires and glass melted.  It was a total loss.  It cost me $75 to have a wrecker tow it to the junkyard in Burlington.  A couple of nurses gave us a ride to Raleigh from Burlington.  I was determined to go to the concert no matter what.  I tried to cheer up Karen, but she was devastated.  I borrowed my dad's car, drove to Cameron Village and bought another ticket. I had no driver's license since it had burned up with my wallet, but I didn't care.  I drove to Greensboro all the while thinking about my terrible experience and telling myself that it was all behind me now and I was going to enjoy the concert come hell or high water.  I thought about how in the world I was going to meet up with my friends and how I would probably be late.  God's angels had to have been protecting me I thought. I will make it.  I entered the coliseum and walked around looking for my friends.  There were thousands and thousands of people milling around waiting for the show to begin.  I began to lose hope that I would find them.  There were no cell phones in those days.  I was waiting at the counter to buy a drink and I heard a familiar voice nearby. It was my buddy Russ Womble. I couldn't believe my ears!  I was so happy to see him. He told me the rest of the group was inside waiting. He was amazed to hear my story as we walked inside. The concert was fantastic with pyrotechnics.  They caused a lot of flashbacks to the burning vehicle that day, but I got over it. I was so upset that Karen didn't come with me. It was the best cure for the blues I was singing. I wasn't a very devout Christian in those days.  Over the years my faith has grown, and I have realized that God has done amazing things in my life and He will continue to do so in the future.  If you have something in your past that is still causing you pain, let it go and look toward a bright future. Give your pain and suffering to the Lord. Don't keep carrying it with you. Amen!  Hope you enjoyed my story.  I thank God it had a happy ending!