Skiing On Fun

Ever shouted a little louder then you should have?

Ever got lost into a moment that you didn’t care of the disapproving stares?

Ok, alcohol was involved, but it’s refreshing to just go for an entire day and just burst out without social rule constraints. But, before making an ass out of myself (and of course this was not the first time, shocking to many I know) I took little ride through the heart of Minnesota.

Lake City, naming itself proudly on those “welcome to” city boards complete with Knights of Columbus plaque, as the birthplace of waterskiing! Considering the vast waters of Lake Pepin, I see a excellent chance to hit a nice sized wake for some embarrassing wipeouts while planted on two planks of fiberglass. The serene air about this small towns like Wabasha (think of a Walter Matthau and Jack Lemmon movie) and Winona is what Minnesota is about. There was a massive garage sale up and down the coast of Lake Pepin with bargain hunters out in droves, searching for that cute little Sunday outfit for their kids with a $.50 bright orange sticker attached. Massey-Ferguson tractors, picnic tables, and even roadside cheese curds stands lined up along highway 61 to attract people “from the Cities” into their homes for bargain and maybe a story behind it if you understood our accents.

Number of seniors spotted wearing a Minnesota Tuxedo consisting of: John Deere trucker hat, flannel shirt (temperature be damned), and Dickies/Wranglers overalls: 7

Number of times I shook my head at the site of this outfit despite living here my entire life: 7

Passing towns with a population less then an auditorium class at the U of M and checking out the $4.99 steak and eggs special at Flo’s Diner, really knocks your senses back to a time before PDAs, Wii’s, and internet poker.

I-90 was a quicker, more direct route to our destination of Winona, MN home of the USBA State Bowling tournament and future site of Drizz’s spaz-tastic hours of fun at my own expense. But, if you ever decide to hop up to this great state for a visit, do yourself a favor and take the little highway 61 route up the Wisconsin/Minnesota border. Stare out at the big, beautiful lake and let the cold mist hit your face while having a picnic lunch on the various patches of grass facing the big body of water.

As for the bowling tournament, I decided to hit up the bar to loosen up a little bit before tap dancing my way into dorkdom. The microbrew being offered by a local brewery had an excellent taste with little/no bitterness on the ends. Backwater Brewing Company offered some very tasty wares that I may, or may not have consumed at a rapid pace, I know Chris the diminutive waitress with a 1000 watt smile and body enjoyed my tips. My advice is to sample the RiverTown Nut Brown if you enjoy Newcastle, and definitely the Steamboat Stout for darker beer lovers out there. As customary while bowling for money I managed to get myself three sheets into wind and barely missed out the money for the singles event.

Then, the fourth sheet hit before me and my brother-in-law started the doubles competition. 236 – 236 – 192 not bad for someone who averages 166, and when the leaderboard gets updated, you’ll see my name in the top 20 out of over 1,000 entries. Worth a little bit of dignity? Like I had any to begin with, as with every strike there was a fist bump, a shout, and kissing my adorable niece for luck.

A purging I think they call it, as the daily grind goes away and you’re stripped of any schedule, any responsibilities, or any cares. Just you and a feeling of light-headedness that really doesn’t require any barley hops or Southern Comfort (but I still had a celebration shot afterward anyway).

Thanks for dropping by, now unless rain rain comes again at the softball fields, I’ll be missing out on the Hoy tonight and allowing Waffle’s to obtain more unspeakable points in the Bloggerpokerchallege. Good luck to all.