dkhodz, Darby, and Stryker Survive Dueling Banjos!

I am about a week behind on this one, but I just got the pictures today. On the weekend of July 20th, Darby, dkhodz, and I along with about 20 other guys from our men's group went on a canoe trip at Turkey Run State Park on Sugar Creek. It's about 1.5 hours west of Indy in Marshall, IN. Beauitul place to hike, canoe, and camp if you are into that thing. We arrived Friday night and had a great time around the camp fire before some late night euchre. Darby and DK pulled out the win over me and my pal Curt. God game fellas. Stryker and C-Mac lose 10-9.

So we hit the bunks (we had cabins) around midnight and woke up around 7:30 for some early morning breakfast and to get our lunch and gear packed. We headed up to the rental office which is also a gas station, super market, and cafe and got some descent eggs, sausage patties, and biscuits-n-gravy then headed over to the canoe rental which was next door. We loaded up on buses that had canoes on racks behind it that dropped us off at our drop in point a couple of miles east. Hot ride, we were cramped in there like sardines, but nothing terrible.

We arrived to the water at around 10 am and got our canoe paddles and canoes in the water. We had around 8 canoes and 6 kayaks in total. Darby and DK hopped in their canoe while Curt (my losing Euchre partner and is also my fellow 311 fan attending the concert next week ) hopped into ours. We paddled out and waited for everyone to get in the water. There was another 30-50 people launching as well.

Once everyone was on the water we headed downstream. Absolutely gorgeous. Rock cliffs, beautiful pines, and great weather. Felt like a different state. Most of Indy is flat as can be. So it's nice to see some terrain and something that resembles more of a big hill or mountain than a raised flower bed. We weren't in the water too long before someone found a baseball floating down stream. of course it was brought into a canoe and it wasn't long before it was being tossed back and forth. Of course that wasn't good enough, pretty soon keep-away ensued and then it was time to create teams! LOL Imagine 25 grown men in canoes playing keep-away drifting down a river/creek not looking where they are going. Let's just say hilarity ensued! Many a flipped canoe and kayak while people made desperate attempts to catch over-thrown balls. It was hilarious. We spent a good hour on that stupid game all the while running into rocks, logs, and each other!

Finally we broke for lunch, took a swim, and did a little fossil hunting. Weren't as many fossils this year as last. You can thank low water for that. Indy has been pretty dry this year. We did an 11.5 mile float and it was about perfect. Enough to not wear you out but still enjoy yourself. We later had all the guys sign the baseball and dated it so we have something to remember the trip by. This is our second annual trip and I have thoroughly enjoyed myself each time. I am sure next year will be just as great.

Other things to note: DK needed a haircut BAD! ;) He has since taken care of it. Curt and I want a rematch! DK and Darby scared the crap out of me on the way down when I put the iPod on random and they both knew immediately when Paula Abdul and Janet Jackson songs came on (they are on their for my wife. well ok, maybe Janet is on there for me. ) Thanks for coming guys. It was great to share the weekend with some of my OMM brethern.

P.S. Forgot to mention Darby's dominance of the ping pong table and DK's treating us to Monical's for some excellent pizza!  As well as the places home made delicious ice cream!

 

Getting some breakfast - C-Mac and Darby (Left), Stryker & Rich (Right)


Some of the other fellas getting some grub in the morning.




We're finally in the water.


Under the cliffs. (dk and Darby on the left, me in the white)




Darby and DK take a spill! They gave it all for the sake of winning! LOL


Fallen Tree - Group Pic. (dk and Darby on the left, me in the white)










Stopping for lunch.




Posted by Stryker927 @ 1:53 pm EDT | Permalink | 6 Comments

Surprise, Surprise!

Well in my last blog I was talk about how excited I was for the CHI LAN and how I still had one big event, the 311 concert, beforehand.  But lo and behold the weekend didn't pass without some new action!  Free tickets to the Brickyard 400!  I have never followed NASCAR other than watching an occasional race in HD now and then if I was bored and hearing the updates on the radio.  But living in the racing capitol of the world, Indianapolis, you are just overwhelmed with racing news of all kinds.  After a while I wanted to experience a race if only to know what its really about since it's such a big part of our city.  So I was very excited about it.

Ends up that we not only got to go to the race on Sunday, but we got to go have dinner with driver Kasey Khane at his racing headquarters here in Indy.  Even Better!   It was a very neat experience, a really cool facility, and Kasey was a very gracious host.  Very down to earth, looked you in the eye, and answered a lot of questions from the dinner guests. (See pics below)

Sunday we got down to the track early.  Neither my buddy or I had been to the Indy Motor Speedway before so we weren't sure where our tickets were or how best to get there.  After finding some $10 parking next to the High School, we walked about 3/4 mile to the track (it was $30 within a block so we were happy to have saved the money).  The cooler I packed with drinks felt like a ton by the time we got there.  Iniatially I was a little underwhelmed by the track.  No real outer facade, just high fences and then you can see the backs of all the grand stands.  With this being such a major venue, I figured it to be a little more elaborate.  I found out later they are getting ready to invest almost 50 million into it and surrounding developments, so I guess I am not the only one thinking that.

Once inside we found our seats with ease.  HOLY COW!  We were in the main straight away about row 16 from the starting line.  We could see all the cars as they were getting lined up, all the pits as they setup, and all of the straight away from turn 3 to 4 and then the main stretch.  What a view!!!  We were about 2 hours early despite sitting in traffic for an hour at the exit.  So we took a lot of pictures of what was in front of us and then took off down the track aways to get some more pit shots and pics of some of the drivers' cars that my buddy liked or he had friends that wanted a pic.  (see pics below)

The race was a good race, you may have watched it on tv.  Lots of cauitions early but then they got in a real groove.  Unfortunately one of those cautions was Kasey Khane, our gracious host from the night before.  He was out of the race at lap 42.  Other memorable moments were Jimmy Johnson's car bursting into flames, Ricky Rudd's Snickers car getting taped up like a mummy and pitting every other lap, and Jr's car just blowing a gasket and putting him out.  But most memorable was how Tony Stewart was driving.  Love him or hate him, that man can DRIVE!  From the get go, you could tell his car was running well and he was taking full advantage.  He was passing 1-2 cars every lap and would hold the lead until he had to pit or there was a caution.  And then he would just reclaim it again.  Very impressive.

All in all, it was a good time.  I wasn't "converted" or anything but I can see why so many people enjoy it.  250,000 people packed in that place was quite impressive and once inside I had a new respect for it.  It's just massive!  Not worth the $140 ticket face value but I am thankful for the opportunity nonetheless.  Here are some pics from the race.  Enjoy!!

 

At Kasey's Place











































I could get used to this!














Stryker likey!




My buddy Ron


Funny cars!





At the Race!















































































Posted by Stryker927 @ 8:54 am EDT | Permalink | 8 Comments

Super Excited!

Yes about the Chicago LAN now less than two weeks away...but before I enjoy that weekend I have another cool event to get to.  I will be catching 311 in concert on Monday August 6th.  WOOT!  311 is one of my favorite bands and has been for over 10 years.  Will be my first time to see them in concert.  And my first concert in about 8 years.  Yeah, don't get out much once the kids started showing up.

So expect to catch me in Chicago sporting my new 311 shirt, cuz I know I just won't be able to help myself.

Posted by Stryker927 @ 10:09 am EDT | Permalink | 6 Comments

Been a while...

Well it's been a while since I have done a sig update so I thought I would post up a batch of new ones I have done so far this summer. Enjoy and feel free to hit me up with a PM if you need a refresh!

 

Posted by Stryker927 @ 7:21 pm EDT | Permalink | 3 Comments

Trip Report: King's Island

This past Friday (6/15) I took the day off and drove the hour and fourty-five mins from Indy to Cincy with the family for a day at KI. I grew up in Cincy and have a lof of great memories. But since moving to Indy in 2002 from Detroit and being closer to KI, I have made some even better ones in taking my kids and enjoying it with them.   Thanks to Big0ne and Trinity for tagging along.  It was a blast!

This year my oldest son (almost broke the epic 48" line and made himself eligible for riding some of the big boy rides. He had done really well in the past with riding kiddy coasters and such so now it was time to see if he really had the coaster love. Another couple joined us on our trip so once we arrived we split up and the ladies took my two daughters (4 & 6) off to Nickelodeon land while me and Big0ne headed to the coasters with my son in tow. This was a big first step for him and I had to reassure him that we would make it back to the Nick area so he could ride some of his favorites too. Heck even I like to ride Avatar and Scooby Doo. And I knew my 6 year old was ready to start the kiddy coasters and dad would want to be there when she took her first hill.

I figured my son would get a kick out of the Italian Job and without a huge first hill it is less intimidating. So we headed straight back and got in line. Good news right away - only 10 people in front of us and the ride was running! WOO HOO! So we hopped on. His voice began to tremble a bit as they checked our belts and restraints but he showed great courage. The Italian Job has taken it's beating as well it should, it's short, some of the effects don't work anymore, and the que can be long, but for an 8 year old it was perfect and he had a blast. I even loved the dark part at the end in the tunnel. He did well and came off with a smile on his face. Thorughout the day he kept saying it was his favorite, but he eventually changed his mind. More on that later...

Second we decided to head to the Racers. One of the classics and older roller coasters in the United States. KI has done a great job of keeping this ride up as far as it being clean, well kept, painted, and such. So we head up the first hill and again the trembling voice returns. So I point to the people riding it backwards on the track next to us to which he laughed at and was a good distraction as we neared the top of the hill. I tried to laugh and scream as much as possible to show him how to hav a good time. He held his breath through the first two hills but on the third one he let it out and started to enjoy it. By the time we got back in the station he was all smiles again and was happy. Two coasters down, so far so good. Although Big took a shot to the back or ribs and was starting to experience a bit of discomfort.  ManWhile we were on the Racers, I had seen the line for Firehawk and it was HUGE. We had walked onto EVERYTHING so far but now I knew why. Everyone in the park was in line there. So we passed on it and headed for Top Gun.

Now I love Top Gun. It's short yes. But's it's so smooth and I love the perspective it gives you. And without a large hill and no inverts, I figured it was the next logical step in my son's coaster experience. However I underestimated the effect of seeing it go sideways would have on him and the tangled metal track weaving through the woods. After some serious discussion while we waited all of 5 mins to get on, he decided to pass on it and waited in the child que while Big0ne and I rode. I was dissappointed because I knew he would love it. But I told him he could think about it and we would come back to it later if he wanted.

Next we headed to the Vortex, now he is tall enough but I wasn't even going to try and talk him into this one. And he laughed at me when I even joked about it. "Dad, you're crazy if you think I'm going on that!" LOL So we waited maybe 10 mins, hopped on while he waited in the child que and enjoyed the Vortex. Not as smooth as it once was but still a great coaster.

I felt bad that he had waited twice so we wanted to find something he could ride. So we headed to White Water Canyon. IT was really starting to warm up and we all didn't mind a little cool down. Fortunately they had just opened the ride and there were only two boat fulls of people in line in front of us. The walk back to the ride was longer than our wait. And I thought Dueling Dragons was a long que. GOSH! So we soaked ourselves and had fun. My son and I had ridden the Popeye ride at IOA like three times last time we were there so this brought back fond memories.

We then headed to the Nick area to meet up with the girls and grab some lunch. But before we left the area, we jumped on Scooby's Haunted Castle and shot some ghost.  I scored 2130 points which means I worked them over pretty good. ;)  And now IT'S SKYLINE TIME! Now I know that for most people Cincinnati style chili is a love it of hate it thing and in my case it's a LOVE IT! I grew up on Skyline and Gold Star so it's a KI tradition for me. Big0ne and Trinity passed and picked up pizza instead.  Looked quite yummy when they brought it back.

After lunch, we headed to the Water Park. I love that KI includes this in the price and is a great value. There is a ton of new stuff in the last few years that make it great. The layout is a little strange and you walk alot but we always enjoy ourselves. The lazy river kicked off the experience allowing our food to settle. The water was quite brisk when we got in, but it didn't take long to get used to it.  Of course I had to take the oppurtunity to push Big0ne into one of the waterfall features.  Then my wife took the kids to one of the three kid's areas. All very nice and well done. While Big, Trin, and I headed to ride the FUNNEL style ride. I love this thing. It has different names at each park but basically you ride a 4 person raft down an enclosed dark tube and are dumped into a giant funnel on it's side where you rock back and forth all the way down. Great stuff. We did some other slides and then I took the kids to the wave pool while my wife took the youngest back to the Nick area to see the Dora show. My two oldest loved the wave pool. And I had fun getting tossed around in there with them. And the provided laife jackets were perfect for my 6 year old. That appears to be something new that Cedar Fair has provided as I don't remember them there last year when we went and it was still Paramount. Very nice touch.

A little while later we headed back to the Nick area and met up with my wife. It was time for my 6 year's old first coaster ride. So we got in line for the Scooby Doo/Beastie/Fairly Odd Coaster (so many names thorughout the years) and were greeted with a short wait. Only one train to go and we are on. My daughter showed no fear and my son treated it like old hat. After all he had already rode two "big" coasters. My daughter enjoyed and begged to ride it again. Looks like I might have two coaster kids! SWEET! It was really neat having kids old enough to ride with me on rides and enjoy it. New experience. And you have to love their enthusiasm.

Next my wife took my son on the Rugrats Reptar coaster while I took the girls to another ride. My wife hates coasters so this was pretty big of her to do that. Then my son and I rode the Avatar ride. I think this ride is the most original concept for using classic elements of rides. It's a blast and a ton of fun. Last year we rode it three times! Great for young and old!

My wife was ready to get out of the kids area by now so we all headed thorugh Rivertown and into the Coney Mall where they did a few of the fair type rides. I can't do these, makes me terribly dizzy. I can ride the biggest, tallest, fastest coasters, but please no spinning. As we left the Coney Mall area and headed into the Action Zone it was time for the big question. "Son, Top Gun is right here, you ready to give it a try?" "Yep, I'm gonna do it dad, let's go!" WOO HOO! Worked out well since my Trinity wanted to ride it as well.

While waiting in line (again, maybe 5 mins) there was some doubt but again he was determined and showed great courage. As we headed up the hill his eyes were closed, his hands clinched, and voice trembling..."Dad are we gonna go sideways?" GULP! Truth or lie? HAHAH! "Yep son, we sure are, but you're strapped in and dad is right here!" And then we are at the top, making the slow turn to the drop. "Son, it's about to go REALLY fast!" 2 minutes later in the station que..."Dad..." "Yeah son?" "CAN WE RIDE THAT AGAIN?!?!" YES! Of courese we can! So we ran through and took the short cut, got back in line and this time eyes were opened and and laughed and screamed the whole way! So in total he had ridden 4 coasters and 2 of the kids. He was living the coaster kid's dream!

All in all it was a great day. Beautiful weather. Park was spotless. Service was friendly. Waits weren't long (minus Firehawk). And they have the best Blueberry Ice Cream ever! Cedar Fair has at least kept with Kings Island's level of service and quality if not improved it. I am excited to see where they go with it. And they win the Best Kid's Area for theme parks every year for a reason. It's truly amazing. We headed out around 8, stopped at Big Boy for dinner (mmmm), then drove the 2 hours back to Indy. Wife and kids passed out and just my iPod and the hum of the highway to keep me company. Lots to reflect on. Another year of memories and enjoyment. And as always we'll be back next year!

P.S. Wife and I are going to Orlando in September for our 10 year anniversary with friends and no kids. Headed to IOA, USO, and WnW. This trip really got me excited to ride the Mummy, Hulk, Spiderman, and Dueling Dragons again. I love those rides!

Posted by Stryker927 @ 10:21 am EDT | Permalink | 7 Comments