"Road Rage!"

 Thursday, Aug 19th started out like most other days over the past few weeks.  I'd been on the road for nearly 3 weeks spending some time in Sturgis with friends and from there spending time with family in Iowa, Minnesota, and Kansas.

Part of me is inclined to tell this story putting me in the best light possible...and leaving out the part where I flipped off the idiot that tried to take me out, however I won't do that.  I'll tell it like it actually happened.

I had left Kansas City on the morning of the 18th hoping to get home on the 19th.  About 45 miles on the road, I realized that I'd left my 'injector' in Kansas.  It's what I use to give myself a shot when I get a bad headache.  I had carried it religiously over the past 3 weeks because it's a life saver when I actually need it.  I decided to not turn around and hope for the best.  It would spend a lot of hours over the next  2 days on the bike, but it was not an unreasonable goal at all to arrive home on the 19th.  

My plans got upended just a bit when exiting the freeway in a small town in KS only to realize that I had no shifter!  It had rattled loose somewhere on the freeway completely unnoticed by me.  I quickly resorted to reaching down to the mechanism and shifting by hand to get me to a gas station so I could assess the situation.

I saw a few bikers and asked them if they knew of any motorcycle shops in the area.  They didn't know of any...  I then saw a couple of state troopers and asked them the same question.  They pointed me to a Honda and Polaris dealer down the road a bit, so I limped over to both of them to find out if they might have anything that would suffice.  I wasn't confident at all and the effort did in fact prove to be futile.

Knowing that any local guy with a couple of Harley's would probably have the part I needed, I continued to try to resolve my problem locally.  I stopped at a NAPA and got a good lead about a local guy who worked on Harley's... just down the road a few miles.  This also turned out to be unproductive and I made the decision to backtrack 40 miles to Wichita, KS to a Harley dealership.  (all the while using the not 100% safe method of shifting by hand)  I arrived safely at the dealership, purchased the parts I needed, and installed them in their parking lot using my emergency set of tools that has gotten me through more than 1 small mechanical problem over the years.

I was back on the road finally, but the whole incident cost me at least 3 hours. I became resigned to probably not making it home the next day.

I slept pretty good the 18th in Liberal, KS.  It had taken me an entire day to get through the state and I found myself 4 miles from the Oklahoma border.  I was a little dejected but resolved to get as far as I could the following day.

I woke up early and felt pretty darn good.  I had resolve to really push myself and I did.  The only stops I made for the first few hundred miles were for gas.  I was putting at least 150 miles on between stops and making really good time.  

I stopped East of Albuquerque and filled up with fuel again, spent just a few minutes giving my rear end a bit of a break, and took off.  I was feeling really good about my progress and it occurred to me that if I kept pushing myself I still may get home before the day was over.

I cruised on through Albuquerque with no issues at all.  My timing was good and I beat rush hour by an hour or so...only to come to a complete stop on I-40 about 30 miles down the road.  It wasn't stop-and-go...  It wasn't stopping for 5 minutes and then moving a few hundred yards.  It was a complete stop.  I knew that probably didn't bode well for someone up the road but I kept my good attitude and visited with my new 'neighbors' on the freeway.  

Finally...after about 90 minutes, I heard vehicles firing up...and we did end up moving a few hundred yards before we came to a complete stop again.  By this time, I saw a couple of police officers 50 yards away so I got off the bike and walked up to them to see if I could get any info.  They informed me that my fears were correct and there was indeed a very bad fatality accident up ahead with the freeway completely blocked.  Nothing had even been moved off the scene yet and it wouldn't be for hours.  If you've ever came up on a fatality accident, they shut things down completely! (as they should)  The officers kindly informed me that they were starting to turn traffic around a couple miles ahead (which is why we'd been able to move a bit earlier)  If I liked, I could cruise up on the shoulder to where they were on the bike... and turn around by going through the 'emergency vehicle' turn around.

I did that in anticipation of going through Albuquerque for my 2nd time in one day.  My plan was to go South on I-25 and take Hiway 60 back home.  It would be a little longer route but there really wasn't any other options.  There was a way that a guy could've gotten around the wreck by taking a 50 mile detour or so, but... it went through a reservation, and due to 'covid' concerns, they were not allowing any traffic that wasn't local, to access that road.

I'm once again off and cruising!  Traffic was a bit crazy due to the wreck and many frustrated people probably.  I actually still felt pretty good and was in good spirits.  At least I wasn't one of the people they were probably scraping off the freeway on I-40.

I made a quick stop at the first exit and had a bottle of water, used the bathroom, and hit the road determined to get as far as I could.  I once again had become resigned to not making it home that night.

The whole incident I'm about to describe only took seconds probably but I ended up thinking about it for hours and even ended up having nightmares about it later in the evening.

I was cruising along at 70-75 mph as was everyone else.  I was in the 2nd lane from the left and ended up getting behind slower moving traffic.  The fast lane was cruising right along so that's the one I was heading for!  I put on my blinker and started to make my move.  I heard/saw a pickup truck moving faster than most vehicles in that lane, far enough back, that it didn't sway my decision to make the move into the fast lane.  I made my move and immediately sped up to normal driving speed.

I no more than did that and the guy behind me roars his engine, lays on his horn for an extended period of time and gets right on my ass!  I'm talking 2-3 feet behind my bike.  He was so close I could barely see him in my mirrors.  This is where I gave him a quite adamant middle finger.  Might not have been the smartest thing to do with someone behind me... and me on a bike, but there's not a lot of time to assess the situation when something like this happens.  Hindsight...  I'd have just exited the lane and opened it up for the idiot.

At any rate, my middle finger probably didn't help the situation.  His engine roared again and he whipped into the lane next to me...and immediately whipped back into the fast lane before he had even gotten around me...  Thankfully, being in the fast lane, I had a 'shoulder' to my left.  There was no time to think.  I immediately swerved onto that shoulder.  I could've literally reached out and touched him... or punched him... if I wouldn't have been trying to save my own life.  

You've probably seen the type.  He was driving some punked out little pickup truck.  The kind that remind you of some stupid gang-bangin' boneheads that think the world revolves around them.

I avoided contact with him, and avoided contact with the guard rail...and immediately slowed way down and worked my way into another lane.  I slowed down enough (and traffic was thick enough) that I ensured I would have no further contact with the guy.  

I was pretty shaken up...  More so than I've ever been on the bike...and I've seen and been through quite a bit on that bike.  One time while riding to Sturgis, I was on a 2-lane Hiway.  I was meeting a semi on the hiway when a car whipped around him in a no passing zone.  I literally ended up going between oncoming traffic (the truck and the car passing him) with only a couple feet on each side.  Many times, I've had people pull out in front of me from a stop sign when it's not anywhere near safe for them to do so but thankfully I've lived through all of that.  I was less shaken up by any of these incidents than I was by this one.

I made my way to I-25 only to find myself in stopped traffic again once I was 5 miles out of town.  I couldn't believe my luck.  Part of me was thankful I was alive (I swear my heart was still beating quite fast) but part of me was cussing my bad luck that apparently I may never get home!  That's how it seemed anyways...  lol  I spent the next hour stopping...and going... until finally traffic opened up.

I stopped in Socorro, NM where Hiway 60 and I-25 meet.  Again, I stopped for some water, used the bathroom, got fuel, and decided to keep going.  I still was worked up enough that I was quite certain I couldn't sleep anyway.  I was replaying the incident from Albuquerque over and over in my head.

The next 50 miles or so was quite surreal.  It was cooling down, the sun was going down and it was a gorgeous sunset!  I had mountains in every direction.  It was perfect!  For a short period of time, I actually wondered if I had been killed and was in heaven!  (just kidding) lol

I did start to settle down anyways and went through a small town called Magdalena.  There looked to be a delightful little motel along the South side of the road and I decided to stop.  I ended up getting a room and had a wonderful visit with another biker and the lodge owner.  

She informed me that there was a little saloon just a block away and if I needed a bite to eat, I might be able to find something there.  I unpacked my bike, made a few phone calls to reassure people I was ok (after my facebook post) and went to the saloon.  I thought after the day I'd been through a cold beer might be just the ticket!  It was!  Once again, I made a new friend and had a wonderful visit with the little saloon owner.  After 1 beer headed back to my room.

My friend Nancy and I exchanged a few messages, said goodnight, and I thought I was going to take a much-anticipated shower.  I got undressed and immediately felt like I better lay down.  My left eyeball was starting to hurt...and that's all I need for me to know that I may be getting a bad headache.  I did get a bad headache!  I got a bad headache fast!  Within minutes I was laying on the bed moaning and groaning in pain.  I felt nauseous.  I had enough where-with-all to grab a can in case I needed to vomit.

The nauseousness kind of went away but the headache didn't!  I was in excruciating pain for quite some time.  I looked at the clock once the pain had ended and it said 12:45 PM.  I'm thinking the headache lasted 2 to 2-1/2 hours.  As you may recall, I had left my injector in KC so I had no way to give myself a shot.  I had my medicine but no way to administer it.  I just had to suffer through the headache.

I finally did end up throwing up and as best I can recall within 1/2 hour after that, the pain was gone.  I was of course exhausted after fighting the headache but I'd survived it.  I was freezing cold for at least a couple of hours but didn't have enough energy to do anything about it.  I actually wondered at this point if someone may find me dead in the morning.  I didn't care much at the moment...  :)  

At some point, I was able to get up and get my heavy wool blanket situated on the bed.  It did warm me up.  The entire night though, I went from being freezing cold... to at one point having to get a towel to wipe the sweat off my body.  I was wringing wet! I had the weirdest nightmares and dreams that I'd had in a very long time...

I never did get a shower in that night...so the one in the morning was much needed.

I know this has been a long story!  I apologize for that...  Hopefully it's not too boring...  To sum it up, I'm writing it from my computer at home.  I made it home on the 20th late in the afternoon.  I felt weak and poorly the entire day on the 20th due to that headache.  I took lots of breaks on the 6 hour ride home, but I made it...and I don't know that I've ever been more happy to be home.

I still have a lot of unpacking to do, laundry to do, business stuff to take care of, etc... but I got all the time in the world to do it!

I'm taking the next few days and simply relaxing and recovering...

Life's a Bitch

Life's a bitch and then you die...
Lots of changes in my life since my last post 6+ years ago...
I may start blogging again... more for the purpose of  keeping my sanity... than for the readers entertainment...

"Just Another Day in the Life"

So....another week of poker comes to an end....
It was a really good week with 2 very nice wins and 2 small wins....along with 1 small loss.
If every week on this trip goes like this one, I'd go home very pleased.
The highlight of the poker week was dragging a $1320 pot with a pair of sixes.
When you can win a decent pot like that, with a marginal hand like 6's, things are going good....

As some of you may know, I don't stay in the 'high rent' district while I'm in AZ.
This sometimes leads to having some interesting neighbors.
I've met a couple of them since arriving.

The first guy just happened to see me outside my room enjoying the evening air and he wandered/staggered right over.
He asked me if I wanted a beer... to which I kindly accepted.  He did make clear to me though that if I had a 'problem' with alcohol, he didn't want to 'talk me into' having one.
I let him know that I was only interested in having a single beer and that more than likely wouldn't put me over the edge.
He went back to his room and grabbed a Coors Light for me.... and then asked me if I happened to have any pot....  lol
I hated to be the bearer of bad news....but I had to tell him that I did not in fact have any pot....

We visit for a bit and he asks me what I do....
Now when people ask me that, I have a number of things I can honestly say, so I judge each situation and the person doing the asking, before I reply.  By the time our conversation was over, I had pretty much used up all my answers for that question.... with this particular gentleman.

I started out by telling him that I was an artist/sculptor.  He asked what I was doing here in AZ and I told him I was on a business trip and playing a little poker in my spare time.
His eyes lit up when I told him that, and he proceeded to tell me about the games he liked to play.

I then asked him what he did.... and he said, "I'm an RN."
I said, "Really???"  What type of nursing do you do?
I went on to tell him that I was an EMT.
I was genuinely surprised by this RN thing coming up, because this guy did not strike me as a professional anything.
He was hammered...and could hardly stand up, even with the help of the rail along the sidewalk out front.
He then clarified that he used to be an RN, but now he's just doing some home health care.
I asked him if he worked for a local company.... and he kind of in a round-about-way told me that he really wasn't working anymore, but he would when the opportunity presented itself.
He went on to tell me that he had lost his job at the hospital because of his alcohol problem.
It really is/was kind of sad, because we did talk some about health care and it was obvious that he had a great deal of knowledge and could easily make something of his life if he could give up the booze.

After talking for awhile, he summed it all up by saying, "I'm a drunk."
"If it weren't for me being a drunk, I'd still be working in the hospital."

My beer was nearly gone....and our conversation had pretty much run its course, so I told him to "Take care of himself"....and "I'll see ya later."  "Thanks for the beer!"

I went back to my room thinking how sad it was that a 40 year old guy like this, who had so much knowledge, was in all reality, probably living off from a disability check, paying rent that was being subsidized by the gov't, and getting his food & beer off from his EBT card.  Health care was probably being taken care of by Medicaid.
What a life.....

I meet this next character on the very next day after I get back from playing poker for the day.

I was walking to my room, and this guy was literally walking faster than I was, to try and catch up to me.  That's a situation that will usually make me very nervous and edgy...  I'll either make sure that I get into the safety of my room...or if I can't do that, I'll simply stop and be ready for a confrontation.

With this guy, I didn't make it to the room....  I ended up stopping outside the room and turning to meet the guy.
It didn't take long at all to see that I was dealing with someone who either needed to be on meds and wasn't... or was indeed being prescribed meds...but wasn't taking them.
It didn't take me long to figure out that he had some mental issues, so you can probably imagine... we ended up having quite a conversation.

After I turned around, he basically stopped...and asked me what my name was.
I politely told him my first name....however I didn't bother to ask him his name.
At the time, I still wasn't sure what to make of this situation.
I wasn't really scared, because this was someone I could easily handle, unless if he had a gun....

I wasn't going to open the door to my room yet, because there was NO way, this cat was getting in there.
I sat and leaned over the rail.... and he proceeded to follow my lead....
It really was kind of awkward, because I wasn't looking for any conversation with this guy.
I did notice that he kept pulling a single cigarette out of his pocket....and within a minute or two, it would go back in his pocket, protected by his hand.  I suppose he wanted to make sure he didn't break it.

He then pulls out a lighter... and turns to me and says, "Do you like my zippo?"
I'm like....  "yeah... looks like a nice zippo"
He says, "Do you have a zippo?"
I say, "I think I might have one or two back home"....

He then puts his lighter back in the pocket, pulls out his cigarette for the 5th or 6th time....and actually lights it, using a book of matches from his other pocket.
Then he kind of talks to himself for a bit...and finally turns toward me and says in a matter of fact way, "Well,......  That's the end of that."
I didn't say anything....and a few seconds later....   "Well,....  That's the end of that," he says again....
He obviously is looking for a reaction from me, so I say....  "That's the end of what?"

He says, "That's the end of those matches....but at least I still have my zippo."

The empty book of matches must have held some value to him, because he had put it back into his pocket.

A little more awkward silence, and he pulls out his zippo again.... and says, "Do you like zippo lighters?   lol
For those of you who know me, you probably can imagine by now that I've about had enough.
My eyes are probably rolling back into my head every time the guy opens his mouth.
I'm certain the guy doesn't have a gun by now, and I'm about to put an end to this visit.
I respond to his question by saying, "Yeah... zippo's are nice lighters."
He says to me, "They're kind of like little brothers, aren't they?"

Now how the heck is a sane man supposed to respond to a question like that?
I don't respond....and he says, "Do you know what I mean?"
I say...  "Noooo... not really...."
He then goes on to say, "They like to start fires."    lol
Then he looks me in the eye.... and says to me,    "Get It?"..... just like a 6 year old kid might say to you after telling you a knock-knock joke.....   lol
I just laughed and said... yeah, I guess that does make some sense...."  as my fricken eyes must've been completely rolled back into my head by now....

You just can't make this kind of stuff up.....
It gave me just a glimpse into the thought process of someone who's not mentally stable....

I'm sure this guy is also probably a guy whose well being depends on the gov't.... He is more than likely being taken care of financially by the rest of the taxpayers....and in all likelihood will be taken care of by them/us....until the day he dies....

I proceeded to end the conversation by telling the guy, "Have a good one..." as I took the key out to enter my room....

I guess you might call it.....  just another day in the life..... of yours' truly....





 

Summer Road Trip Summary

I find myself back in sunny Arizona, and thought maybe I would give you all kind of a trip 'summary' of the last trip.... since I haven't blogged since I left for home in August.

On the way home, I ended up going to California and Montana to visit a couple of the best friends I had in high school.  I had an absolutely wonderful time in both places.  In CA, my friend, Rick & I went out for lunch and then just relaxed for the rest of the day, had a couple of beers and pizza in the afternoon, played a couple games of cards with his youngest daughter and wife in the evening....and I headed out the next morning for Las Vegas.

I did get a parking ticket while at Rick's house, due to a little feud between him and his neighbor.  Upon arriving at Rick's house, I discovered that I needed a new battery in my bike, so we proceeded to find one, and while we were gone, his neighbor called the po-po and told them I was parked in the sidewalk.  His oldest daughter did a great job of trying to explain that I was from Iowa...or somewhere in the Midwest, and I probably didn't know that you couldn't park on the sidewalk.  It was to no avail though...  I found the ticket on my windshield when we got back.

I did end up getting a good laugh though, when Rick texted me a picture a week or two after I was home with the caption, "What comes around....Goes around" accompanied by a photo of his neighbor's truck partially parked in the sidewalk.  The inference was that the police had again been called, to issue this guy a ticket....

Upon leaving California, I headed for Las Vegas and spent app 3 or 4 days there.  I ended up staying on the strip in a place called "The Quads".  I wouldn't recommend it....and I wouldn't stay there again.  There's major remodeling going on, the rooms were not very clean, and it was just basically an old hotel.

To illustrate, I'll give you one little example of the condition of my room. 
Every morning, I would awaken to some gurgling in my bathroom sink....  This gurgling was the precursor to my sink being filled with some nasty, nasty, looking water....  It would eventually go back down the drain, but it would leave a totally disgusting black film over everything.....

Yeah..... I don't think I'll stay there again.....

I left Las Vegas and headed for Montana to visit my friend Tony and his wife, Rachel...
It took a couple of days to get there, but it was well worth the little detour.

Rachel & I went out for a steak dinner, with their oldest daughter the first night I arrived, because Tony wasn't going to be home from work until later in the evening.  That was an awesome meal, that was followed up by an equally great steak meal the next evening, in Tony & Rachel's backyard.
Between those 2 meals, Tony & I went canoeing down one of the many rivers in Montana.  That brought back some good memories, because we used to do that quite regularly on the Big Sioux river that borders Iowa and SD, when we were kids.

The trip was a 100% success.  I not only had a ball, but I was fortunate enough that the poker part of it went great also.

I left Tony & Rachel's house and made really good time all the way to (and almost through) Wyoming.  However, I was unfortunate enough to get caught in a bad storm with 70 mph winds, hard rain, and hail.  This is not a fun experience on a motorcycle.
Once it started hailing pretty good, I was forced to pull over along the interstate, get off the bike, and just try to protect myself as much as I could.  I basically felt like the cows I could see out in a pasture...just getting pounded by the rain and hail.

Another biker and his female companion also pulled up behind me....  There were also cars and other vehicles pulling over.  After about 5-10 minutes, I heard a car horn that beeped a few times, and turned around to see a woman motioning me to join her in her vehicle.  It didn't take me long to oblige...  I got in there to find the biker and his girl already in there.

The woman says to me, "I felt sorry for you out there, but there wasn't a chance in hell of you getting in my vehicle, until I saw this woman with the other biker."
I could understand her position....'cuz I probably did look pretty rugged....after being on the road for a few days....
I was very appreciative that she did end up letting me in the vehicle....and getting me out of the weather. 
I'm sure by the time she got home, she probably needed a shop vacuum to get all of the water off from her floor....
It was a pretty darn nice vehicle too....

By the time this experience was done with, I felt like I'd been beat up....
My lip was swollen, my face hurt, and my body was achy from being pounded by the hail.

I rode in and out of rain for several hours after that.  I was wet, sore, and ready to get home....
I was so ready to get home, that I just kept on riding until I got there.
I arrived home around 5:00 AM after putting more than 900 miles on the bike that last day....

So....just a few statistics and other notable things about the trip....
I ended up playing 29 sessions of poker and winning in 25 of them.
I had only 4 losses for the trip...so I was very pleased with the way that all turned out.

I put between 8000 and 9000 miles on the bike...with no major problems.
As already noted, I did have to put a new battery in....and the only other thing that happened was that the spring for my kickstand broke.  Not that big of a deal....

I saw a couple of things while on the road that I thought were notable.
In Kansas, there was 2 "scenic" areas where you could pull off from the highway.
That's not that peculiar in and of itself, but that fact that the scenic view was of 100's of wind towers did seem a little bit strange to me.
I don't know about you all.... but to me a wind tower or 100's of them, isn't really that scenic.  I think it looks more like a 'stain' on the horizon than anything.
When I think of a great scenic view, it consists of pure nature at it's best....with no signs of human life... such as electric poles, cell phone towers, wind towers, etc....

Another weird experience happened while I was coming into Las Vegas. 
I actually had to swerve and switch lanes on my motorcycle in order to avoid a wheel and a tire rolling down the interstate....with no vehicle attached.
It didn't take long to see the vehicle that wheel & tire belonged to.....(in my rearview mirror) sitting kind of funny.... along the right side of the interstate.

There was definitely a point in time that I remember as being the most 'scared' at any time on the trip.
This was a day when I had left my room to go play poker at the Bellagio.  I took only the money I thought I'd need with me, and left the rest in my room.  That did amount to quite a little stack of $100 bills.... that was left in the room.
When I left for the day, I happened to see the cleaning lady, and I made a point of telling her that I did NOT need any room service.  She asked if I had the 'Do Not Disturb' sign out on my door and I assured her that I had.
I proceeded to go play poker for the day and was gone app 7 -8 hours.

After getting back to the hotel and arriving on the 5th floor, my heart started racing, after I exited the elevator and thought I saw.... way, way, down at the end of the hall....the door to my room wide open.
I started moving a little faster and my heart was really racing as I could see for a fact, that my room door was indeed, open for anyone and/or everyone to come and go freely.

I  made it to the door, went in, and closed the door behind me.
Nothing looked out of place.
First thing I did was go the place where I had left all the money.  I was SO relieved to see that it was all still there.

After thinking about this experience, I have come to the conclusion that I must've left the room to talk to the cleaning lady, and not shut the door behind me.  I must've planned on going back in the room for something.  I didn't....and instead just went to the elevator....

I suppose when people saw a wide open door, they just assumed that someone was in the room....
and therefore didn't go in.....

So anyways.... it was a big relief to see that all of my hard work over the prior 6 weeks hadn't gone to waste and ended up in somebody else's pocket!

One of the things I had planned on doing if I did end up meeting my lofty poker goals that I'd set for myself before leaving, was to get my niece Jade tickets to see Taylor Swift in ST Paul, for her birthday.  I was able to ultimately do that and she was overjoyed to find them in her birthday card on August 10th.
She & I enjoyed a very nice day together on Sept 7th when we went to see the show together.  I told her, she could invite anyone, if she wanted too...so it was nice of her to want to go with me....  And I must say.... It was a pretty darn good show....

To try and bring this pretty long blog post to an end....I'll quickly fill you on the last week or so....

My daughter Kala and her husband Scott, had their new baby boy (Maverick Davis) on Oct 17th (I ~think~) in Kansas City, so I left on the bike on the 18th, while my wife Christine, drove the truck down with Jade.  We had a couple of nice days in KC visiting the family and holding the new baby, etc.... before I left for AZ.

My plan is to fly back to MN in Nov and then Christine and I will drive the truck back here after Christmas.  There's a guy here in AZ that's nice enough to store the bike for me until I get back.  This will be really nice to have the bike out here during the winter....

Since arriving in town, I've played poker twice and won both times.
The first day was a bigger win than any of the wins that I had during the entire trip this past summer.
It was a really good way to start the trip.

Now that I've got a little extra time on my hands....since I don't play poker ALL the time.... I may be able to blog again in the very near future....
Until then....

 

Poker and Friends

Well, it's been 2 weeks since I've posted an update, so I figured it was about time....

After my last blog post, I started out the week with my biggest poker win since leaving home.  It was a nice little welcome boost to the bankroll!
I followed that up with an average size loss (first one of the trip) which was followed by another nice win....
I then suffered my 2nd loss of the trip, however it wasn't that hard to take because it was a very small loss.
The following day I had a very nice win which more than covered the 2 losses of the trip..... and that brings us to Saturday.....

If you read my last blog post, you will remember that the previous Saturday, I had put in my longest session of the year, made a huge comeback, and ended up with my smallest win of the year.
This Saturday was almost a ditto of the Saturday before.
I ended up getting stuck around $2000, playing for 13 hours and ending up with an $83.00 win....
A tough day to end the week, but it ended up being a very good week overall.

I have become good friend with many of the guys I play poker with, but one in particular.  He has had me over for breakfast once, and Sunday he invited me over for dinner.  I never play cards on Sunday, for the simple fact that it's the Sabbath....and I really just enjoy a day off every now and then....  I spend most Sunday's on this trip relaxing, watching a little TV, and maybe spending an hour or two at the pool. 
A great homemade meal was a welcome addition to my typical Sunday.
Chris (my poker friend) is an excellent cook!  We started out with some homemade tortilla chips and salsa, followed by what I would call a "Cajun" turkey.  It felt like Thanksgiving!  He had mashed potatoes with some of the best gravy I've ever tasted.  We enjoyed a sweet pea and corn combination that was also simply outstanding!  We ate most of a 9 LB turkey between 4 people (A neighbor friend of Chris also stopped in for chow) with all the fixings!  I especially appreciate a home-cooked meal after I've been on the road for over a month and after eating what seemed like way more than would be considered polite, I was stuffed!

We then enjoyed a couple of cold beers and relaxed in/by the pool for a couple of hours.
He was also nice enough to let me do a load of laundry while I was at his place.

Monday and Tuesday were both decent days at the poker room that ended with average sized wins.

Wednesday I helped my friend, Chris, and his girlfriend who had just recently moved from New York, empty a "pod" that was filled with all of her belongings, into her new house that she had purchased in Anthem.  It was a very nice house with a eloquently shaped pool in the back yard that we made good use of after we were done with the work.

Chris had made some turkey salad sandwiches with leftover from the weekend before and they also tasted great.

I was pretty beat after the workout of emptying the pod in the Arizona heat, so I took the rest of the day off and didn't play any poker.

I did go to bed very early that night and ended up at the poker room by 5:00 Am on Thursday morning.

Thursday, Friday, and Saturday, were all very good days at the poker room.  I had $1000+ wins every single day, which equated to the best week since leaving home..... and it also was a short week, since I'd only played 5 times....so it don't get much better than that!

I also have a good friend that lives in the room next to me.  He received some bad news on Thursday night.  One of his best friends had been murdered in a fight at a party....over a few bucks....  It was just a sad situation and I didn't really know what to say to the guy, but I did make myself available just to listen....  I wanted to help him get through the situation if I could....

This young kids name is Jai and he's a super outgoing guy who's got a lot going for him.  He's in town for restaurant management training and he'll go a long ways if he can stay focused.  We have some similar interests like cooking, barbecuing, guitar playing, etc... so we kind of hit it off as soon as we met.  We've enjoyed a few meals together, and usually a beer or two every night before we head to our rooms....  I've helped him study a couple of times for tests and he really appreciates that.  I'm sure Jai is someone that I'll keep in touch with for years to come....

Today at the pool, I met a nice older gentleman that was originally from the Midwest.  He had recently got out of the hospital after an extended stay, defying everyone's expectations.  There was apparently no one who expected him to ever enjoy the outside air again.
We had a great 1-2 hour visit and I found out he did not have a vehicle or any means of transportation out here.  He used to be an avid motorcycle rider and he had some great stories.  He was an artist, and a professional photographer in many different areas.  He worked in fashion, family photography, commercial photography, and many other areas.... and I'm sure has a wealth of knowledge.  I enjoyed the visit and before leaving assured him, that I would try to arrange for me to borrow one of my friend's vehicles so that I could take him to Walmart or Frys this coming week.

He's all excited about that, so I'm going to try and make sure it happens.  He's a regular eater at the local "Sonic" restaurant and told me has nothing in his refrigerator besides water right now.  I can see why he's excited about the prospect of going to the grocery store!

I received a text about an hour ago from poker buddy Chris inviting me over to dinner again tonight and a swim....  Another great ending to my typical Sunday!

I've had an extremely enjoyable trip so far and as you've read now, you can see that I've made some great friends.  That's probably the part of a trip like this that I enjoy the most.  I'm always reassured by the fact that there's still a lot of "good" people out there.
It's a bonus that poker has also ended up being quite lucrative....

I DO now know that I will be leaving the Phoenix area on July 22nd.  I am hoping that it'll work for me to visit an old high school friend in Long Beach upon my departure. 
From there I'll be heading to Las Vegas for a week max.... and then starting heading North and East towards home.
If it works for me to get together with a couple of other high school friends (my best friend in high school and his wife who was also a good friend of mine) who live in Manhattan, MT I will spend a day on the road in Idaho, which is the one state out West that I've never been to.  I haven't talked to them yet, so it will depend on their schedule whether or not they can accommodate me for a day or two....

I've been gone long enough now that I start relishing the idea of getting back home and seeing my niece Jade, Christine, the kids, and all the grandkids... along with my parents and siblings....and other family and friends....
I was talking on the phone with Jade the other night and upon saying our goodbyes she started to cry, so I know that she's missing me....  It kind of left a funny feeling in my tummy....  :)  I'm looking forward to spending a day or two....or three on the river canoeing with her.  We had a blast doing that a couple of years ago and I'm going to do my best to make sure we do it again this year...

Until next time.....




 

All About Poker...

So....it was kind of a strange 2 days of playing poker Friday and Saturday.

Friday, I ended up getting ahead $600 to $700 pretty fast.  Then....I couldn't get a hand for quite awhile....and found myself only ahead $100 to $200.  I then was involved in a small pot where something happened that hasn't happened for at least 15 years....

I was in the pot with one other person after the flop and I bet the pot the entire way.  When the hand was over I had 3 eights and was about 100% sure that I had the best hand.  I placed my bet after the last card had come out....and here's what I ~thought~ happened....

I saw my opponent flip his hand face-up and toss it towards the dealer.  Since I had not seen my opponent put his money in the pot to call, I assumed he was conceding...and flipped his cards face up, so that people could see he was making a great laydown....  I threw my cards to the dealer face down and waited for the dealer to push me the $320.00 pot.

As he started to push the chips to the other person.... I said....  "Wait...wait...  What are you doing?"
The dealer said "I'm pushing him the pot...  you threw your cards in."  I
I said, "He didn't call the bet though, did he?"
He said, "Yes.... He did call the bet."

I knew there was nothing I could do about it at that point so I watched dejectedly as he stacked up the chips that should've been mine.

I had thrown away a winning hand after the hand was over.  Things like that happen and I've seen it happen personally probably at least 25 times over the years.  The last time I had done it, was at least 15 years ago....and I swore to myself, I'd never let it happen again.

So....after that pot, instead of getting my win back up to a few hundred, I found myself behind $100 or so....  I was still mad at myself for allowing it to happen.  I just never saw him put his chips in the pot and there wasn't anything I could do about it...  It was a done deal....

I decided to take a break for 1/2 hour or so to make sure I'd go back into the game without being so disgusted that I'd start throwing money away....
I sat outside until I felt I was ready to go back in and play my best poker again....

**On a side note....  One of the things that kind of helped me get over this fast, was a phone call from a guy, right after I had went outside to take my break, that resulted in him placing an order for a $325.00 pipe.  I just told myself that I'd gotten my $320 back....but I'd just have to put some time in making a nice pipe for the gentleman.  :)

I went back in the poker room, bought another $500 in chips and sat back down....and ended up putting a pretty long 9-1/2 hour session in.  I tried to play my best and I did end up winning over $1000 bucks by the time I left.... but in the back of my head, I was still saying to myself:  "It should've been about $1400 instead of $1000.

I equate a mistake like this to be pretty much the exact same as taking $320 out of my pocket and lighting it on fire.... and watching it burn.  There's simply no way you can ever get that same money back...

By the next day, I had put it completely to rest.  I was over it and was determined to play some great poker and hopefully make a couple thousand.  I was rested and ready to put in a nice long session.

This was Saturday and the game always starts early.  I was up bright and early and ready to go by 8:00 AM or so.  I got to the card room and we ended up starting the game 3-handed at about 9:00
I had a great omelet and felt really good.

Saturday pretty much started out horribly....  :)
I just could not win a pot and I took some horrible beats where my opponent could only hit 1 or 2 cards to beat me.... and it seemed like they all hit them just like clockwork.
After less than 3 hours, I found myself stuck $1700
Now my loss limit typically in the game I was playing is $1600 so I already was over that limit.

Again....I took a short break and tried to decide if I wanted to keep playing and invest another $1000 or so to see if I could get something going...  I told myself that I had to play really lock-down poker and not try to get all my money back right away....  I would just have to chip away at it and hope the cards (and other players) cooperated.

One of the things that influenced my decision is that I was well rested, I had just ate, and it was nearly 120 degrees outside, so I really didn't want to get back on the motorcycle in that heat.

So, I went back in, bought some more chips and felt determined to play the best poker I could play.
I ended up losing a couple of more pots and found myself stuck almost $2200
I had already decided I was NOT going to put anymore than $2500 in the game, so I knew it would have to turn around very soon, or I'd be on my way back to the apartment.
I was/am still playing on my wins from when I first got into town....but I still hate getting stuck that much.
If I lost 2 more pots without winning any, it would go in the books as a very bad day!

I told myself that I just needed to get $500 in front of me again....  which would only take winning a small pot without losing one.  I managed to do that....and then I won another small pot...and I found myself $1800 stuck and starting to feel a little better about my prospects.

I then told myself to just try and keep playing good so I'd have $1000 in front of me....
I managed to do that, after winning a few pots.... and losing 1 or 2.

By this time, I'd probably already been playing 8-9 hours, but I did still feel good.  The game was good and the pots were getting bigger.  I knew it could still go either way, pretty easily.

I ended up winning a nice pot about this time and found myself with $1500 in front of me....
About this time, I was starting to feel like it was possible that I could get all of my money back if I was willing to put in a nice long session.

Once I got to the $1500 point, I had a hard time getting any more than that.  I'd lose $400, win $200, lose $300, win $400 and a few hours later, I found myself exactly at this same point with $1500 in front of me.

I'd probably been playing 11 to 12 hours and took a dinner break and enjoyed some great fried shrimp.  I decided to go back and play for an hour or so to see what would happen.  Even if I didn't win any more money back, it would still be a 'not-so-bad' day, when it could've been a terrible day financially.

An hour later, I found myself with $2000 in front of me and feeling 100% confident that I could get the rest of my money back.  I was playing great and I was in a game where 7 of the other 8 people were playing horribly.  I just had that feeling that it was all going to work out.

To shorten up the story.... it did all work out..
At 11:29 that evening, I won a pot that put me over the $2500 mark.
At 11:30 the new dealer came in and it was time for all the players to pay their $7.00 for the next 1/2 hour.  It also happened to be my big blind, so it looked like the perfect time to quit.

I stacked my chips and cashed out exactly $2519 which equated to a $19.00 win.
It was my smallest win of the year, but it felt like one of the biggest wins of the year!
I'd put 14-1/2 hours in (which equated to a little less than $1.50 per hour) and I felt like a huge winner.  :)

I believe it was also the longest session of the year.  I rarely put in long sessions like that anymore....and I was glad it all worked out for me on Saturday.

I went back to my apartment and realized how tired I was.  I was up until about 2:00 AM, just unwinding and trying to relax....and I did end up sleeping like a log....

I had a nice relaxing day on Sunday.....so I think I'll be ready to hit it again tomorrow....
I'm looking forward to a great week ahead!


 

Patience....Patience....Patience.....

This past Sunday, I went and visited a church in Mesa, AZ where Kurt Ploeger is now a pastor. Kurt used to be a pastor in Pipestone, MN where Christine & I got to know him and his wife a little bit.

They were both very surprised to see me walk into church and we had a very nice visit.  We talked about getting together at some point for lunch...or just to visit more...  The service was very nice and all the people I had a chance to visit with went out of their way to be friendly.  I was fortunate enough to go to a church that just happened to have a 'pot-luck' after this particular service.  For those of you who don't know what a pot-luck is....I'll describe it for you....
It's a thing of beauty....  (especially when all that's expected from you is to show up)  :)

It basically consists of everyone who is going to attend, bringing one of their favorite dishes to share with everyone else.  Some people bring great salads, some will bring delicious casseroles, others will bring homemade soups... and still others will bring some of the most scrumptious desserts you can imagine.  There's usually a few single guys...or older folks who don't enjoy baking and cooking who will bring some deli chicken or other type of food they can simply pay for...and pick up.....
It was an awesome meal with some of all the above mentioned items.

There was a nice lady there who after hearing that for the first time ever, when traveling, I had managed to find a place that did NOT have a Bible in the top drawer....was more than happy to give me her little pocket size Gideon's Bible....  She was a nice older lady who just loved talking about motorcycling and Sturgis, etc....  (She still wants to go check it out for herself someday!)  :)

It was a very nice Sunday morning/afternoon and I made it back to my apartment feeling very stuffed.... but yet very refreshed....

On Wednesday, I went for a little Motorcycle ride to visit one of my cousins in Tuscon.  Her husband is currently deployed in the Middle East and her son and daughter-in-law will be deployed soon.  We had a very nice visit and she also treated me to some great food.  All of my clothes DO still fit, but I probably should start going for some early morning walks, just to make sure that they continue to fit me the way they're supposed to.

Between the time I wrote my last blog post and now, I've also managed to get some poker playing in...  (Pretty much every day that I haven't already accounted for)  :)
The games have been even better than I anticipated.  I KNEW they were good in the winter time with all the snow birds playing.... but I've found out they're good in the summer time as well. There's plenty of people around here who have more than a little gamble in them....

There's one guy I play with that sells classic cars....who was nice enough to bring me a nice new "O'Reilly's Auto Parts" hat to replace my "EMT Flight Care" hat....which has seen it's better days...  It doesn't help any when those hats are stored in the saddle bags of the motorcycle.  This guy's a piece of work....and I really like him....  He feels pretty comfortable with me as well....'cuz every once in awhile, I have to warn him that he's a pretty old man....to be givin' me shit like he does...  He shouldn't just assume that I really am the nice guy I seem to be....  lol

Although the poker games have been good, I've had to do what they call "grinding" in the poker world.  They money hasn't been coming easy.  I've had to work hard for every dollar I've made.  My last session, I was stuck the entire session until the very last hand I played, where I won a nice big pot that took me from being a $800 loser or so....and made me a $219 winner.
I've still managed to win every single session but the big wins have been elusive.
It does however add up, even it's only $100, 200, or $300 at a time...
It sometimes is hard to exercise the great patience that is needed when the cards run like they have for me lately.  You just wanna kind of get in there and get involved in those big pots, even if you don't have the type of hand that warrants it.
I just keep telling myself, "Patience....Patience....Patience...."
I KNOW the correct/most effective way to play the game, but even for a seasoned pro, it can be difficult sometimes....

I actually am very pleased with my performance....and my results....so far.  I know that those big wins will come if I just can keep playing good.  Friday and Saturday are usually pretty big days at the poker table, so I'm looking forward to hitting it again tomorrow....

On the home front... I've done laundry now for the 2nd time...  Not my favorite thing to do...but I must say... I'm pretty good at folding clothes so that they look nice....  :)
I'm reaping the rewards of when I had to occasionally do that chore as a child.... so thanks mom... for that...  :)

It's supposed to get 115 degrees or warmer for the next week or so...  I'll make sure I leave the room on time in the morning to try to stay out of that heat as much as I can....  That's just plain HOT....  I know.... It's a dry heat.... but I don't care what anybody says....  That's hot whether there's humidity or not... 

I drink a ton of water out here...  I think that also contributes to me feeling good....

On the other home front... in Jasper, MN...  Christine and JD have been doing an awesome job of getting orders filled and getting them shipped.....so thanks to both of them for making my job a lot easier when I do get back home.  That really has been a blessing.  JD's been making some pipes for me....and I think as of right now, I only have 2 that I have to get done for people when I get home...  (that he isn't comfortable doing....or the people just want me to do it) In the winter time when we've been gone, and no-one has been there to make pipes for us, I come home to many, many, pipes and orders that have to be taken care of.

Now that you all are up to date again on my little trip....I think I'll go spend a little time sitting outside and enjoying the desert air before 'retiring' for the evening...  That kind of rolls off my tongue in a similar way as to when I call my shop at home a 'studio'....    :)