28 AUG 07: IT'S A 5:00 WORLD

Depending on when you read this, there could be time for you to watch a total lunar eclipse. The Challenger Space Science Center is opening at 4:30 a.m. for people to see it. If only Golden Donuts had a giant rolling truck, the way Country's Barbecue does....

Perhaps you're scoffing at the idea of people in Columbus getting up at 4:30 a.m. to watch something like a lunar eclipse. You must be one of those people who doesn't hit the after-Thanksgiving sales until 9:00 a.m., right?!

But more people may be arising at 4:30 a.m. in Columbus than we realize. I've marveled several times in recent months at how many drivers are on Interstate 185 in the 5:00 a.m. hour - and they were NOT all heading to WLTZ, to sing gospel songs on "Rise N Shine."

I was reminded of this early-morning rush one day last week, when a road trip had me on I-185 between 5:15 and 5:30. It wasn't "bumper-to-bumper" traffic, but the lanes were filled and drivers were moving quickly. If Columbus Police set up a "Hands Across the Border" checkpoint around Macon Road, the speeding fines could pay for another big public safety raise.

Several things struck me about the 5:15 rush down Interstate 185....

+ The action was all southbound, toward Fort Benning. Either the drivers were rushing to be first on the post racquetball courts at 5:30 -- or soldiers were out partying all night, and hurrying to make a 5:45 a.m. bunk check.

+ Most of the vehicles heading south were pickup trucks. But the big crowd didn't keep rolling all the way to Richland, to start working on farms.

+ The vast majority was zipping along at well above the 55-mile-per-hour speed limit. It's nice to feel legal on the road, and watch all the lawbreakers race by you - until you realize one half-asleep driver could leave your car at flat as a compact disc.

It was a jolt for a speed-limit driver like me to join this southbound crowd on I-185. And it didn't help that the right shoulder of the highway is barricaded off these days, between Buena Vista Road and Victory Drive. Either stay tight in your lane, on a not-well-lit interstate - or wind up being shoved into concrete more often than some NASCAR drivers face in a career.

I was thankful to get through this slot car-style tight situation on Interstate 185, and exit into Chattahoochee County. But it was strange to encounter so many cars so early in the morning in Columbus - then hear on an Atlanta radio station that the highways there were all clear at 5:30 a.m.

(Some Columbus radio stations tried to offer "Metro Traffic" reports a few years ago, but that experiment quickly ended. Maybe if the reporters hadn't been sitting 100 miles away in Atlanta, it might have worked.)

When I moved to Columbus ten years ago, several co-workers told me the city had NO rush hour. Nowadays, I'm not so sure that's true. The drive last week showed me parts of town have early-morning rushes which could rival major cities such as Atlanta. In fact, I think some drivers privately want them to rival the Atlanta Motor Speedway.

E-MAIL UPDATE: Here's a name which hasn't crossed our path in a while....

Richard, I didn't see this myself, however a friend called to tell me he saw Russ Hollenbeck (former producer and a former host of Talkline) on East Alabama Cable hosting an interview show today. I wasn't at home at the time so I couldn't tune in - so could you tell us inquiring minds if Russ is now employed with EACTV and does he have a regular show there? Thanks

"I don't know the name," said the woman who answered our call to East Alabama Cable Monday. Neither did a co-worker, when I brought up Hollenbeck's name Monday night. And then people wonder why Doug Kellett's comeback on WRCG radio didn't last very long.

Russ Hollenbeck's last known talk show stint was as host of "Wake Up Columbus" on the old WCGT-TV 16. Do you think he might have stooped to doing infomercials for cable TV? Or is this ponytailed man actually doing an audition for WLTZ's new newscast?

Now before we head for bed, let's send some Instant Messages....

+ To the managers of the new Burger King on Victory Drive: What do you mean, you're "taking applications at the old Burger King" down the street? Why aren't you taking the staff already there, and moving it to the new restaurant? Is a one-block move going to be that big a hardship?

+ To the owners of convenience stores around St. Francis Hospital: Yes, people are noticing. The people who drive downtown and see gas prices 23 cents lower than yours are really noticing -- and they're complaining.

+ To First Presbyterian Church: I missed your sermon last Sunday, "If God Had a Refrigerator...." Was it sponsored by Sears or HH Gregg?

+ To Alabama Governor Bob Riley: C'mon now. You didn't really need to declare Friday "College Colors Day" across the state. I think most residents already were planning that, without any encouragement from you.

+ To the city of Warner Robins: Huh - no Little League victory parade until Saturday?! You're making Columbus city officials look downright dynamic and forward-thinking.

+ To Michael Vick: I hope you really have "found Jesus" in the last few weeks. And you'd better hope those "All Dogs Go to Heaven" stories are fairy tales.

+ To the Atlanta Falcons: OK, here's my idea. Forget about this season. Go 2-14. Then choose Hawaii quarterback Colt Brennan with next year's top draft pick, and solve your big problem. Oh yes - and give Brennan all the fluffy cats he can handle.

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