Friday 16 March 2007

The State of Hockey...





Finally, a home team gets a win. The Wild managed to hold off the Coyotes to give them a franchise record 43 games wins for a season. It was a pretty good game of hockey but not enough aggression for my liking! I thought I jinxed them as the Coyotes scored 2 goals after I had just finished telling the lady I was sitting beside how I hadn't seen a home team win in 5 games.



It was by far the best rink I have been in - I can't really explain what set it apart. Maybe because is was so easy to get in and out of? Maybe it was all the standing room on both levels that gave it a nice open feel? Maybe it was because this was the first team that had an anthem of it's own? Maybe it was free puck everyone got after the game? The only way this rink will be topped is if I get free beer at one of the remaining games!

Here was an interesting sign I passed in St. Paul (sorry about the reflections):


Well, I suppose you are sitting there, anxious to know what I had been doing up to the game tonight. Did a lot of driving, that's what, so get the maps out! The first day was pretty uneventful, I left London and drove all the way across Michigan to Muskegon...did nothing but drive...that's it!

The most patriotic moose I have come across so far:


From there I drove all the way up the coast of Lake Michigan through Northport, back down to Traverse City and then back up to Petoskey...I passed the through the 45th Parallel (halfway between the Equator and the North Pole) 3 times in one day.

I spent a couple of nights in Petoskey and went skiing for a day at Nub's Nob - where I enjoyed 2 minute lifts to the top and 15sec trips to the bottom...I reckon I got 40-50 runs in.

Nub's Nob:


The Mackinac (pronounced Mackinaw) Bridge (5 mile suspension bridge) linking Michigan's two peninsulas:




I then drove up through the Upper Peninsula (the U.P.) along Lake Michigan and then up to follow the Lake Superior (listened to the Wreck of the Edmund Fitzgerald a few times) coastline to Duluth and then down to St Paul. Told you I did a lot of driving. I did manage to indulge on some $.25 beer one night along the way so I can honestly tell you one leg of the drive hurt more than any others!

Final deer count after 3 days - 17! I was pretty happy that I didn't have to do any night driving. Next game is Chicago where some company is flying in for a couple of days...oh boy!

3 comments:

bbakerman said...

Sure its 25c for a beer but whats the alcohol content? .25%?

Anonymous said...

Hey dude, I'm still here following your adventure. Hey, I've been to Minn/St Paul. Did you go to camp Snoopy at Mall of America???

Dougo!!

Unknown said...

Oh yeah...wouldn't go skiing at 7 springs but you go by yourself...I think the hill in my backyard looked bigger than that hill!!! Have fun in the Windy city with Dale!!!