Today was a very fun day in Ohio…is is island day!  Got up early with Justus and went to the Acuity office.  There I did some software upgrades for Jimmy at work for a few hours.  Then…of to Put-in-Bay with Randy.  I had no idea what I was in for.  You get to the island by a ferry and it is about an hour West of Cleveland.  We park and get our ferry tickets.  This is my first time ever on a ferry and it was really fun.  Cars drive on and then the boat ride is about 20 minutes.  Lake Erie was nice, even a nuclear reactor tower far in the distance!

Arrived at the island and I am still in shock that Ohio has islands.  I had no idea what I was in for at all.  We walk up this hill and rent a golf cart!  Yes, a golf cart!!!  Most visitors rent theses golf carts…there are hundreds of them on the island.  Once we get our golf cart, we start driving around.  Did a basic tour and make a stop at “The Boardwalk” where I enjoyed some of Lake Erie’s local fish and had a Great Lakes beer.  Then cruised to the other side of the island and had a bottle of wine…was very tasty.  There are also a few monuments to look at.

After sight seeing, headed back down to the party zone of the island where I visited the longest bar in the world.  This place has a bar top that zig zags everywhere…pretty fun.  Had a margarita nad a margarita jello shot in a syringe there.  I really cannot make this stuff up.  Put-in-Bay during the day is an older crowd, but at night it becomes a total party zone with younger people and more of a mardi gras feel.  Lots of stores with beads.  I think next year I have to stay overnight here.

After the drinks, had some lobster bisque back at The Boardwalk and then drove back to the ferry area to drive home.  Drove back to Cleveland and had dinner with Randy and his wife.  I was so full, but the food was soooo good.  It was an itallian restaurant and had a chicken dish with calamari.  The best calamari I have ever had.

After dinner, returned to my house at Lazuta Lakes and now time for bed.  Tomorrow is going to be a relaxing day, nothing huge planned except for lunch with Steve.

Today was a fun day in Ohio.  Got up and had some breakfast and then caught up on some work stuff.  The highlight of the day was the indian’s game at Progressive Field.  Before the game I visited downtown Cleveland and took in the sights.  Had some beers at a fish place and then met up with Justus, Tina, and Jaclyn before the game for dinner and more drinks.  Off to the game we went where the Rangers kicked the Indians ass, 5 to zip. Afterwards watched some trashy TV at Justus’ house…More to Love, Dating in the Dark, and a show that follows human gene code (not trashy TV).

Tomorrow I am visiting an island!

Today was ROLLER COASTER DAY at Cedar Point!  Got up super early and rented a car at 7:30 in the morning.  Had some breakfast (Jaclyn really does like fiber…everything has fiber in it) and off we went to Sandusky to visit Amercia’s Roller Coast (er) park!  Got there a few minutes after opening and wow, those roller coasters are HUGE!!!  I think my heart skipped a beat as I saw them from the road.  Fear of Heights will definitely need to be pushed aside for this.  Paid admission and in the park we go, no going back now.  I am in for it.

Walked all the way to the back of the park for my first one called Gemini...a wooden coaster.  Wholly crap!  The feeling of when you peek at the top and go down is pretty instense.  I left that one shaking a bit.  Next up the The Mean Streak and that one was larger than Gemini.  Much longer and definitely bumps you around a bunch.  It is quite a trip when you feel like you are falling.  I think I closed my eyes a bunch.  Next was The Cedar Creek Mine ride and that one was easy compared to the others.  After that was the weirdest and the most enjoyable roller coast, The Mantis.  You actually stand up on this one and there are a few loops along with a figure 8!  Then all of a sudden a thunderstorm came in out of no where and they shut the rides down.  At least I got four huge coasters in.  Did want to do this tower thing that shoots you in the air.  Maybe next year

After Cedar Point, grabbed some lunch and then fell alseep at Justus’ house awaiting my next set of marching orders.  Later that night, got dropped off at the best chinese food place in Parma where Dan picked me up and showed me his old stomping grounds.  I love Ohio houses, lots of land around.  Had some dinner and hung out with Dan and Deb awaiting the meteor shower.  Unfortunately the skies did not clear up so off to bed I go.

Tomorrow night I am going to downtown Cleveland to catch the game between the Indians and Rangers!

Today was another fun day in Ohio!  Day started with sleeping in as I was exhausted and then had some breakfast and got caught up with work stuff.  Went to a gun range for the first time in my life.  I have never fired a weapon before and no better place to do it then in Ohio.  My friend Justus has a Springfield XD 9 mm and Dan has a .22 rifle and a .22 handgun.  I was a bit nervous in the range but figured it out pretty quickly.  The .22 was fun, the 9 mm was bad ass.  Lots of power.  Roaming through the gun range store was an exeprience as well…lot of weapons, would hate to try to rob that place.

After the gun range, Justus took me out to his neighborhood.  We went to a place called Fat Heads for dinner and then across the street to Pepper Joe’s for some drinks.  Man drinks are cheap out here.  I bought a round for $12, could not believe it.  Two mixed drinks and two beers.  At Pepper Joes, Justus’ fiance Tina’s sister Jaclyn (aka Fiber Girl) had an idea of going to Cedar Point tomorrow.  Sounds good to me, just one problem…no rental car.  In my amazing abilities while being under the influence I secured a rental car.  I think everyone was surprised I did this, but what the heck..I am on vacation.  I love being random and doing fun things.

After drinks, hung out at Justus’ and listened to music while shooting nerf guns.  Tomorrow should be fun at Cedar Point…glad I have a tour guide.  I have never been on a roller coaster in my life…this will be an experience!

Today was a relaxing day in the land of Ohio.  Woke up in the camper at Mosquito Lake, was pretty amazing.  Lots of birds, nice cool breeze, and great scenery.  Hung out on the deck and watched the birds along with a chipmunk that was running around.  Took a small walk around the campground and took it all in, very nice!

For breakfast, Ken took us to a very special place called Monty’s.  This place is very hard to describe.  On one side is a bait/tackle/deer tagging spot and then the cafe.  The cafe has maybe six tables and lots of signs…one sign says “NO PUBLIC RESTROOMS”.  The waitress had three teeth and each went in their own direction.  She did not say much, I was afraid to ask for things…but finally had my special Ohio breakfast.  Included two eggs, sausage, home fries, wheat toast, and hash.  I did get an official Monty’s t-shirt..it is very unique as it has a cartoon style mosquito.  Listening in on some of the conversations was funny too…very true rednecks live out by Monty’s…you could easily film a movie at this place.

After breakfast, we took a drive and got some nice shots of mosquito lake, very beautiufl.  Then hung out some more at the campground for a bit and said our goodbyes to Ken.  Back to Dan’s Lazuta Lakes we go!  By this time Dan and I both need a much needed rest.  Got back to the house around noon and just hung out.  It was very nice to hang out by the lake in the late afternoon with the slight breeze.  It is pretty amazing as Dan and Deb even have a beach with  about 3 feet of sand!  It took two dump trucks full to get the sand there.  Had some beers and just relaxed near the water.  Did see this crazy looking wasp that was HUGE.  It was digging for something.  I am learning to live with the insects out here in Ohio.

Had some leftovers for dinner and then went to bed early as I was exhausted!

Where am I???  That is the question I thought of this morning when I woke up.  I drank way too many beers last night…wholly cow.  I have no tattoos or piercings….so that is good.  Wake up, shower and head downstairs.  Yep, everyone else drank too much too…Dan is walking in circles and Deb is looking for a special coffee cup. Today is going to be a good day!

I finally got my luggage…I called United and they said it was at Cleveland airport and would be dropped off…I don’t believe them so off I went to go pick it up.  I also drop my rental car off there too and feel good about not having that anymore!!!  Off to baggage claim I go and the United office is CLOSED!!! I am so pissed…but I find this really old adorable lady that is a volunteer and she gets shit done!  I followed her and she found somebody to help me.  The guy told me he hated his job, I told him I was sorry but really needed my bag.  Yes, I now have my luggage!!!!

My friend Steve picked me up (he calls me “The Joe”) and off we go to Youngstown to the Butler Art Institute to look at a cabling job and to meet up with Ken.  Half way there we stop and get some soda and Mc Donalds and Steve tell me he will buy me half of Mc Donald’s…whatever I want… i decline and just take a sprite and a cookie :-)  Meet up with Ken and Dan at the Butler and what a beautiful museum they have there.  They were also setting up for a wedding and it looked fantastic.

Ahhh..time for beer…we all go to this place called Rotelli’s and drink a few large glasses (large is LARGE here) and eat til we burst.  Great food and beer…does not get much better.  Had artichoke dip with cheese pizza, buffalo wings, crab, shrimp, soup, and garlic bread.  Definitely off the healthy food kick this week.  After Rotelli’s - Dan, Ken, and I go to some “clubs” in Youngstown and finally end up at Ken’s campsite at Mosquito Lake.

Now, don’t let the name fool you…Mosquito lake is a slice of heaven on earth.  It is BEAUTIFUL.  We sat by the fire and roasted marshmallows while drinking more beer of course.  I wonder how much beer one man can drink in two days?    Looking forward to more daylight so I can really get a sense of Lazuta Lake.  I am sleeping in the trailer and Dan is sleeping in the van, fun times!!!

More to come tomorrow…

I am now in the great land of Ohio, staying with with friends Dan and Deb.  It has been quite a day, a lot to process to say.  The day started well, left Santa Barbara to Denver at 6 AM and landed.  Ahh…almost 1/2 the way there!  I get off the plane, look at the gate screen and as I am scanning the board I see once “cancelled” flight…I think that sucks..then I realize it is mine.  Hmmmm…I say…wonder what will happen now.  I go to the gate agent and they tell me I can’t get to Cleveland until tomorrow..this will not work as I have a very important party to attend at Lazuta Lakes.  Next best option is Columbus, OH..a short 2 hour drive.  I take it..what else am I to do?  The lady assures me that my luggage will be transferred, I have doubts.

So off to the Columbus gate I go…it is delayed.  Hmmm…I think this sucks!  Ohio is a very difficult place to get to, everybod must want to come here.  Finally the plane arrives and we take off, only one hour behind schedule.  Ahhhh…I am on my way now!!!  A short few hours later, I land and go happily to the baggage claim area…and wait.  I wait with such optimism that finally leaves as I learn my luggage is missing.  Sigh, off to fill out some forms.  After that, go to Budget to rent a one way car for one day and I get a lovely PT Cruiser…now I am styling hardcore.

I leave Columbus and make it out of traffic very quickly (it was getting backed up pretty fast) and arrive at Lazuta Lakes.  Now they have outdone themselves on their property here, it is VERY nice.  Two ponds, a waterfall, a beach, backyard swing…all good stuff.  The party is going on full swing with Ken grilling and many familiar and fun faces.  Mmmm..time to drink some beer.  Had some special beer that Ken picked out and I was off and running.  Ate some food and mingled…then all of a sudden the party got wild…

Dan presented some video from Nights at SBMA of the interpretive dancing of String Theory and then Ken came down to do his own version fully decked out in a dress.  Was quite a scene…have not witnessed anything like that before in my life.  That really started to fun.  Next up was Justus, Tina, and I doing Like a Prayer by Madonna…Tina being the singer; Justus and I being backup dancers.  I followed Justus’ lead and had a good handle on the moves.  It only gets better from here…next came a karaoke duet of American Pie by Dan and Jim.  Then we went into disco mode with a little YMCA action to which I was the “A” and in the distance a congo line formed…now that is really something.  There was also some line dancing with something called the cha cha cha i believe and you put a fun wherever the song tell you too.

The night ended with a great FIREWORKS display put on by Dan and crew.  I love fireworks…so this was heaven.  Looking forward to shooting some off myself during the week.  Hopefully my luggage will be found tomorrow…

More updates to come…I have a feeling this is going to be a very memorable trip

Now that was quite a road trip! I will continue where we left off (Phoenix, AZ) and only do the highlights so this will not be too long of a post. We skipped the Grand Canyon as the weather was forecasted in the 40’s and windy. We did not bring any cold weather clothes, oooopppss! The drive from Phoenix, AZ to Las Vegas, NV was quite easy. Took us through a bunch of towns…but was fun to see something different! Spots of road construction and lots of bikers.

Hoover Dam was the most interesting part of the driving experience as I am amazed at this new road project. They are basically building a new highway that will bypass Hoover Dam and lots of the twist/turns all together. I heard the new highway will save about 20 - 30 minutes. Kind of sad though as visitors will not drive over Hoover Dam anymore. The project is an engineering marvel as they have to build this huge bridge accross the river. Concrete is poured and has to be cured. Looks like it is going to be an arch bridge…I am just amazed at how this process is done. OK, enough of that…onwards to Vegas.

We got to the Flamingo Casino at 3 PM and checkin line was loooong. I don’t see the downturn in the economy going on here honestly. I gave the lady a $20 tip and got upgraded to a nice larger room on the top floor. Was cool as it had a seating area and fridge. Gambling sucked as always in Vegas. The highlight was hanging out with my buddy Chuck and friends from Ohio.

I metup with Dan and Randy on the first night at the Riviera. Dan had his parents come in and they were super nice. It was an early night as Dan and Randy had to go to the security tradeshow the next day.

The next day and night was the go big in Vegas. Earlier in the afternoon, Chuck arrived and we just sat out in the pool area (nice and warm) and drank lots of beer. We went big the only way we know how that evening, Margaritaville Balloon Hats. Yes, we are a wild bunch. It was pretty funny overall. We were the only table that everyone had balloon hats, haha!

The next day we (Dad, Chuck, and I) visited the Atomic Testing Museum. This was an amazing museum parntered with the Smithsonian. Exhibits were top notch and sometimes scary. There was this one area called the bunker theater that you went into. The lights dimmed, and basically you experienced a blast…shaking and air hitting you. Then it went into the movie about the tests and soldiers. Pretty powerful museum over all.

After the museum visit, we got gas; which was when this crazy homeless dude came up towards us roaring and asking if we were scared of him. I honestly just wanted to leave, but Dad and Chuck had a mission of cleaning the windows on the car. Scary homeless man finally went away. Rest of the day was mellow and we all saw a show at the Stratosphere called American Superstars that night. It was Dan’s first Las Vegas show, we all had a great time.

Today was the drive back home…booooorrrriiinnnng! I did have a tire pressure sensor on the rental Benz complain about low tire pressure…but they were all in range. Luckily we made it back with no probs and I returned the car earlier today. Was weird getting in my older Caribou, but was comforting at the same time.

Overall, had an excellent time on the road trip. Definitely one of the longer trips I have taken in some time. Now, back to the grind and enabling technology everywhere.

Dan, I, and Randy Outside of the Riviera Casino,
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Me, Dan, Randy, Dad, Other Lady, Jean, and Chuck @ Margaritaville,
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Hoover Dam New Bridge Project,
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Day 3 (Tuesday) was nice and mellow. Got up, had breakfast and then visited another Indian Casino (Dad loves slot machines). Money went fast as usual and we left in about 30 minutes. Then we had lunch at the Phoenix Art Museum where my friend Tammy works as their Membership and Visitor Services Manager. Staff was very nice and somehow they all seem to know me (code name The Wizard), but I don’t know them. Some highlights were meeting the creator of the hamster wizard (super nice person) and the IT Director. Got to preview the server room and viewing other server rooms always makes me feel proud of ours at SBMA!

Later that night, went to Peoria Sports Complex to catch one of the last spring training games (Brewers vs. Padres). Game was fun and there was this crazy vendor that was very loud but hilarious. He reminded me of the Chef from South Park. One of his rhymes was “Fresh cold lemonade, just like grandma made. mmmmm…. baby!”. I got a video of it, will post later on you tube.

Tomorrow is Viva Las Vegas!!! My friend Chuck is driving up and I am also going to hang out with some friends from Acuity-VCT that are in town for the security tradeshow (may even check that out too, I am sure they got some neat gadgets).

Next post will be from sin city!

Wow, driving a Mercedes sure is nice. Not sure how I am going to feel going back to the caribou. Left early Sunday (6:40 AM) and arrived at our hotel around 2:30 PM. Made lots of restroom stops along the way. The most interesting stop was by the summit where there was a General Patton tank museum. Took lots of photos of tanks and then continued on. Traffic was a breeze and had very little on the whole trip. The new thing I noticed are camera enforcement zones, which are basically cameras on the highway that will snap your photo and send you a ticket via email. They use to only have those on the 101/202 loop out here, but now they are on the 10 coming into Phoenix. Somebody told me Arizona wants to put them all the way to the border!

After arriving, we all (Dad, Tammy, and I) went to Rawhide for some old west bbq food. Was damn good. Also tried their pale ale that they brew there and that had a nice taste to it. Inside of the restaurant there was a country band playing some shit kicking music that all of a sudden went to Simon and Garfunkel songs, go figure. Unfortunatley it was around 9 PM, so we did not see any gunfights, oh well…maybe next time.

On Monday, Dad and I explored. Went to a military airplane museum out in Mesa, AZ. Was pretty cool. The museum is ran by mostly volunteers and is an actual working musuem where they restore old war plane. They had everything there from bombers to jets and the volunteers were awesome. They knew tons about the planes and had a passion. Most were in the air force themselves. After that, we visited Fountain Hills to see their Veteran’s Memorial and then headed over to Fort. McDowell Casino. The memorial was beautiful right on the lake. The casino sucked…smokey and money went way too fast. Later in the afternoon I went to Ikea to by some more forks (only have 2 at home, kind of getting annoying) and then took Dad to Rock Bottoms for a burger and I had their pale ale…very nice.

Later that night I met up with one of of my vendors that use to work at Insight and is now at MicroAge. We went to Dos Gringos, was great. Outside patio bar and they have a great happy hour for $2 Pacificos. Thanks Shawn for the beers!

Tomorrow, Dad and I will be visiting another casino (Lone Butte) and then visiting my friend Tammy at the Phoenix Art Museum for lunch. Then the spring training ball game tomorrow night (Padres vs Brewers), woo hoo!