Home James - KC to GB

I had originally planned to write this into the game day entry but it was kind of long as it was. It’s been an amazing weekend. I don’t think I thought about it at the time but with 3 full days road tripping, getting to know new friends and seeing another big win I find myself trying to figure out just what to write without going on and on.

First things first. I want to say that regardless of how good a time I had, sorry RV8, I missed my wife terribly. I love doing these new things and seeing these new places but without Kel I always feel like a little piece of me is missing. We’ve been together since we were teenagers so I do, as corny as it might sound, feel a little lost when she’s not around. We had decided that all of us going, thanks to the airfare, was going to cost way too much. The alternative, was the four of us all driving down together in a hire car but seriously, 10 hours there and 10 hours back in the space of 2 days is a tough ask for 2 little boys that enjoy their freedom as much as we do.

So onto Sunday night and a proper introduction to the gang I had spent the last day and a half with. As I’d said earlier, I was a little camera shy to begin with. You know, nobody wants to be the guy that steps onto a new bus and gets into everybody’s face so I saved my photography until today. So here they are, again, in no particular order:

Sam. Otherwise known as “Sam I am”, “Sam the driver” or “Single D” thanks to his SD initials and a striking resemblance to the real life “Double D”. Sam is most famous for his healthy eating habits, well cooked meat and not liking to relax with a drink until after the RV is clean and everything is in it’s place. Sam also likes to talk on the phone. He has the uncanny ability of being able to hold a conversation both on and off the phone at the same time despite how confusing that makes it for the other persons on either end.

Wally. Also goes by the name of “Professor Wally” or “The Prof”. Wally had an uncanny knack of winning “Close the Box” all the time. Perhaps it’s because of his academic background and the ability to work out complex mathematical equations, perhaps he was dirty cheat. Who knows? Wally was most famous for his ability to “rest his eyes” (not sleep) between goes of “Close the Box” and still come up a winner on Sunday night. Remarkable.

Mike. Mike will answer to “Haeges” or “Hagar the Horrible” thanks to the similarity of his surname. Some tried to tell me that it was his similarity to the actual cartoon character himself but i didn’t beleive it. Mike was responsible for ensuring for a safe drinking environment for all and that the consumption by each wasn’t too much by comparison to the relative size of each drinker. Mike did his utmost to provide a good example to all.....kind of.

Dan. Often referred to as “Danny Boy” or the “The Danimal”. Dan doesn’t like being called Danny by anybody but his big sister. I understand that. Being called Wayney does rate high on my list either. Dan was responsible for the late night beer run that nearly had him maimed by plastic bottle. He’s lucky I had my wits about me.....

Tommy.  AKA “T-Fry” again, courtesy of his surname and the parts of it that lend well to a nick name. Tommy, despite his taught frame and athletic lifestyle (he likes to jog) was able to down 2 massive sides of ribs on Saturday night. He quickly become somewhat of a hero for that exploit. Seriously, the ribs were massive and he treated them with no respect what-so-ever. That’s photo on the wall material if you ask me.

Duffy. Also goes by the name “Brian”. What sort of a nickname is Brian? Unless of course I’ve got those around the wrong way.....The “Duffman” and I, whom I might add could drink the real “Duffman” under the table, shared many a conversation this weekend. Most of all was his interest in Australian Rules Football. Perhaps it’s the tight pants they wear in that game? You can check it out here if you like.

Butch. Or Bruce to those who aren’t his friends. Let it be known that without Butch on this trip we may still be on our way there. Butch’s navigational skills need to be recognised here as incredible. If I was sailing solo around the world, I’d hide Butch in my cabin. If I was a rally driver, I’d want Butch by my side. Not a single wrong turn was had with Butch at the map. Easily rates as one of the top 10 most important people on this trip.

Brian. In many ways the leader of the pack. “Big Boy” as he liked to be called stood tall at 6’4, maybe 6’5 and beared an uncanny resemblance to Brett Favre I thought. Perhaps it was the Brett Favre jersey he was wearing? “Big-Boy” was also mistaken for Aaron Kampman on more than one occasion. As the designated trip organiser, hotel booker, dinner planner and Bloody Mary maker things would have been very different if this “man ‘o’ many” skills wasn’t there making our lives easier for us.

And finally for no reason what so ever is:

Paul. If Paul were a pet the name “Rusty” would be etched into his collar. Firstly, it’s thanks to Paul that I was even here this weekend so kudos must first go to his TV watching and email typing abilities. Secondly was the Rusty Nail he insisted I try. Get it, “Rusty”, Rusty Nail? He quiet likes this little beverage and wasn’t afraid to share it. With a splash of water Rust, I quiet liked it too.

As for the night, it went a little something like this (please excuse the lack of pictures by the way, the battery just couldn’t keep up with the weekend):

We got back from the game at around 6 and went straight into the bar to see the last few minutes of the Indy vs New England game. The RV8 had been successfully downing different types of liquor for 30 of the last 34 or so hours. The missing 4 provided what little sleep was needed to keep on keeping on.

I must admit, to the contrary of most Australian men, I am not a big drinker. I can’t remember the last time I had more than 1 drink in a week let alone the same night. That being said I hung out with the boys ‘cause it was a big win, it was a great day and they were way too much fun to separate myself from again. After the previous nights stories I knew that I had to come out and experience a boy’s night with 8 Wisconsin men while I could.

The night didn’t disappoint. There were no shenanigans, or cause for concern. Just a mild night chewing the fat and getting to know a really great group of guys. Didn’t we stick out like sore thumbs though. 9 guys, 10 when Sam chose to join us every now and then, all sitting at the bar dressed in Green Bay get up from head to toe. We attracted those who wanted to know the score, those who were also Packers fans and those who just wanted to join us ‘cause we were having a great time. Plus every time the highlights or score showed up the TV we all kicked it up another notch aswell.

My experience was an interesting one. Happy to drink a beer to start I was thrust into the world of mixed drinks like a teenager at his first party. (I say teenager ‘cause 18 is the legal age back home.) First off was Kahlua and Coke. I was very happy to take this one. As girly as it might sound to some I quite enjoy these and it was by choice that I ordered it. Then came the Rusty Nail, the Black Russian and the White Russian. I can’t tell you what’s in them or whether any of them were any good or not. I tried them all but that was it for me. I was lucky that there was always someone ready to take them from me once I had taken my sample sip so I didn’t at all feel bad about not finish any more than 1% of each.

We cracked “Close the box” again which I feared would be the end of the night. Surely the staff didn’t want us hooting and hollering all night long. Apparently, they did cause they were very happy for us to play it. I think their way of thinking was very clever. Let them play, let them get louder, let them buy more and more drinks.

I suspect it worked a treat ‘cause at one point you could barely see the table for the glasses. At this point, as the vail of what had been a massive weekend began to slow the Wisconsin Warriors down we began parting ways. It was off to get some well deserved sleep for all. After all, there’s 8 hours to fill in on the bus and plenty of Amber Ales in the waiting.

The Drive Home

Finally the weekend had got the better of my friends and I. I was exhausted and very much looking forward to seeing Kelly and the boys. The RV8 were out on their feet, or livers, you be the judge. What could have been the last hurrah turned into a very relaxing, soda only, drive home.

We watched movies, told stories and most had a sleep at one point or another.

I was a little concerned with what lay ahead once we got to Milwaukee though. Most of the guys lived locally but I had to get back to Green Bay and the weather was getting worse as the day wore on. At one point there was talk of a foot of snow in Green Bay over night. Whilst excited at the prospect of seeing snow for the first time, I didn’t fancy having to drive 100 miles in it. In fact, I was kind of hoping my first snow driving experience would have been in the car park of a shopping centre somewhere close to home. You know, a more forgiving environment for a first timer.

Apart from the heavy winds (pictured here at a peculiarly named gas staion) the weather held out. I was home by about 10pm and one of the best weekends I could have experienced on this trip so far was over.

To Paul and Brian, thank you for allowing me the chance to spend the weekend with you guys. To have it all planned without having met each other only 3 days before was something else. To Sam, you “are” the man. 20 hours worth of driving in 3 days? I couldn’t have done it in a million years. And to Mike, Tommy, Wally, Butch, Duf and the Danimal, thank you for taking me in like we had known each other for 10 years, not 10 minutes. You’re all great guys and this is without doubt an adventure I will never forget.