Oct. 27 — WILKES-BARRE — This weekend, we’ll turn our clocks back another hour, signaling the end of daylight saving time.

Let’s get back to the daily routine of waking up in the dark, going to work, and returning home after work in the dark.

Gaining an hour of sleep is always a pleasure, but it’s a terrible price to pay when darkness surrounds our days.

So, as people turn their clocks back this weekend due to the end of daylight saving time, the American Red Cross will once again encourage us to test our smoke alarms as well. House fires are the most common disaster in the country and tragically claim seven lives every day in this country.

While we enjoy an extra hour of sleep, AAA Mid-Atlantic will also remind drivers to be prepared for potential challenges such as changes in sleep patterns that can increase the likelihood of drowsy driving and shorter days that mean driving home in the dark.

AAA Mid-Atlantic reports that sleep-deprived drivers cause more than 6,400 deaths and 50,000 debilitating injuries on American roadways each year, according to the National Sleep Foundation (NSF).

This idea of ​​turning back the clock got me thinking: Wouldn’t it be great if we could turn back the years instead of a fleeting hour?

I would fire up the Comeback Machine and take it on a few trips; The first, of course, would be to go back to Reynolds Street in Plymouth and see Mum and Dad again. This would definitely be a great trip.

Another trip would be to go to Plymouth High School and walk those halls again, stopping to see Coach John “Snoggy” Mergo for a few laughs and life lessons.

Then I would pick up my friends and head to Coal Street, Blair Street, and Turner Street to head to the Jersey Shore.

We would leave early, go straight to the Premiere Motel, check in, then head across the street to Uncle Lou’s for breakfast. In the evenings we would go to Shamrock Bar for fun and drinks.

We’d spend our days on the beach or at Premier’s rooftop pool and walk the Boardwalk—the shops, the games, the rides. Saltwater taffy and taffy will make the return trip.

This is where my friends and I started exploring life with almost no experience, but we did it and had fun.

It was 1969-70-71 when we were young lions, or at least we thought we were.

These were times when we were much less aware of where we were and where we would end up.

My friends and I found our slice of paradise in Wildwood at the family-owned Premiere Motel and its rooftop pool. It’s still there and evolving.

Uncle Lou’s was demolished and the Shamrock Bar was gone, too.

In those glorious days and nights of the 60s and 70s, we would look out from the small balcony of our room at Wildwood Boulevard between Pacific Boulevard and Atlantic Boulevard.

I think there’s this emotional gene that pushes me to go back to those days when life was so much simpler and so much fun.

Our friends from our high school and university years were in our lives for a short time, but we seem to want to remember those early years as much as possible. We all went on different paths, to very different places, on different paths.

But back then we were pretty much all the same; We had a common goal and that was to enjoy life as much as we could before the realities of life came calling.

And they definitely came to our door. There have been good times in the decades since. And it wasn’t the best of times. We love getting together and talking about where we’ve traveled in life, but the stories aren’t exciting and fun enough to tell.

It’s hard to believe it was so long ago. I can still see places. I could taste Uncle Lou’s pancakes. I can see the crowd at The Shamrock. I can see the lights of the Boardwalk and I can hear the trolley driver on the Boardwalk saying, “Watch out for the trolley, please.”

We would drive through Avalon, Stone Harbor, Wildwood Crest, and Cape May all the time just to drive around and check them out.

Yes, it would definitely be great to turn back time by year and not by hour. But unfortunately we cannot do this; At least not yet. Maybe a really smart tech company could create a computer or device that would take us back in time, at least in our minds. You know, a virtual reality tour.

It always seemed so easy for Captain Kirk to say “Beam me up, Scotty” in Star Trek.

Sign me up when that technology arrives. There are so many virtual trips I want to do; seeing my family, friends, events, hometowns, small schools, sports rivalries, Sandy Beach dances, classic cars and so much more.

It’s much more than an hour’s sleep.

Reach Bill O’Boyle at 570-991-6118 or on Twitter @TLBillOBoyle.