Every year, without fail for the past 18 years or so, a group of roughly the same people have made the annual trek to West Virginia for the annual Bridge Day festival that marks the completion of the New River Gorge Bridge.
Usually, just a handful of people actually camped, while others stayed in a motel room. But now, only a handful of people stay in motel rooms or cabins. The rest actually camp out in West Virginia's Wild and Wonderful wilderness.
The weather can be a little unpredictable. We've had all kinds of weather, usually the weather is good one year and bad the next. This year's weather wasn't the best to say the least, but if the company is good, which it always is, the weather is obsolete.
The company is precisely the reason that we come back every year. We don't come back to see the base jumpers, or the vendors, or the weather, or even the beautiful nature that surrounds us.
The people that come back every year genuinely enjoy each others' company, and for some, it's like a reunion. This past year, I got to see some old friends in which I hadn't seen in a couple years.
We laugh, eat, drink, hike, sit around a warm fire, sleep in tents and did I mention that we eat? Yeah we eat way too good to be in the woods.
I've had people ask me several times, why do ya'll keep going back year after year, and the answer is simply the company. I couldn't ask for a better group of people to go with and I can't wait till next mid-October.
Zoomie....Zoomie 1 1
Tuesday, October 20, 2009
Monday, September 7, 2009
Oh so close
After falling behind East Carolina 17-0 and trailing 27-7 at the half, Appalachian State's football team could have rolled over like a helpless dog and took the severe beating that many ECU and ASU fans thought might happen after that forgetful first quarter.
ASU had other plans, that included almost coming back to win the game behind freshman quarterback Travaris Cadet. With star QB Armanti Edwards sidelined after a lawnmower accident this summer, Cadet did his best Edward's impersonation nearly leading his Mountaineers to a unbelievable comeback win.
With ASU trailing 29-21, Cortez Gilbert intercepted a Patrick Pinkney pass at the 33 yard line and returned it to the 49 yard line. Cadet led the black and gold to the ECU 22, but had to settle for a Jason Vitaris 43-yard fieldgoal that cut ECU's lead to 29-24 with 3:24 left to go.
ASU got the ball back after a huge three-and-out and moved the ball to midfield, but a sack on first-and-10 forced Cadet to spike the ball on the next down. After an eight yard strike to Blake Elder, ASU faced a fourth-and-10 and Cadet's pass to CoCo Hillary was just out of reach ending what looked like to be a miraculous comeback by the Apps.
ASU showed their worth Saturday to many who didn't believe the Mountaineers could hold their own with the so called 'big boys' of college football. ASU is poised to have another great season which could enventually lead to a 4th national championship title in five years for the school.
ASU had other plans, that included almost coming back to win the game behind freshman quarterback Travaris Cadet. With star QB Armanti Edwards sidelined after a lawnmower accident this summer, Cadet did his best Edward's impersonation nearly leading his Mountaineers to a unbelievable comeback win.
With ASU trailing 29-21, Cortez Gilbert intercepted a Patrick Pinkney pass at the 33 yard line and returned it to the 49 yard line. Cadet led the black and gold to the ECU 22, but had to settle for a Jason Vitaris 43-yard fieldgoal that cut ECU's lead to 29-24 with 3:24 left to go.
ASU got the ball back after a huge three-and-out and moved the ball to midfield, but a sack on first-and-10 forced Cadet to spike the ball on the next down. After an eight yard strike to Blake Elder, ASU faced a fourth-and-10 and Cadet's pass to CoCo Hillary was just out of reach ending what looked like to be a miraculous comeback by the Apps.
ASU showed their worth Saturday to many who didn't believe the Mountaineers could hold their own with the so called 'big boys' of college football. ASU is poised to have another great season which could enventually lead to a 4th national championship title in five years for the school.
Monday, August 24, 2009
Thanks for the memories guys
Well, that’s it. After falling behind 12-0 to Midland (Mich), most of Rowan Legion’s fans had given up on their team, heads pointed toward the ground, already thinking about heading home tomorrow and reminiscing on a magical season. I mean could you really blame us for thinking this was the end of the road for our guys?
Turns out in the end, it essentially was, but after an eight run inning, those heads started to turn upwards and Rowan fans began to think, can they really do this?
Unfortunately for our guys, they came up one run short, stranding the tying run at second base, ending a season that no one who was a part of this cardiac bunch, will not soon forget.
This T-E-A-M brought passion, desire and a will to win that cannot be matched.
Other Rowan teams may have had more talent than this year’s bunch, but that desire and want-to is something that you have to have in order to make it this far.
The 2009 American Legion World Series will have to be completed without those Rowan boys, disappointing to say the least. I know all of Rowan County seemed to latch on to what was going on in Fargo, ND the past couple of days and I know the team appreciates the support.
So it’s back to Salisbury now, for us and for the team. I know a big crowd will be waiting on the Rowan team when they get off that bus at Catawba College.
It’s always sad when the season ends. You’re around the same people for two months and you form friendships and share your life with those same people, and then it has to come to an end. People have to go back to school, parents go back to work, and people go back to their non-American Legion baseball lives, in which they have come accustomed to.
You get used to it after a while, and then one day, maybe in the dead of winter, you think of those people, and those awesome players, and you’ll remember that awesome ride they took you on in that summer of 2009.
I’d say that’s a nice memory to live on.
Turns out in the end, it essentially was, but after an eight run inning, those heads started to turn upwards and Rowan fans began to think, can they really do this?
Unfortunately for our guys, they came up one run short, stranding the tying run at second base, ending a season that no one who was a part of this cardiac bunch, will not soon forget.
This T-E-A-M brought passion, desire and a will to win that cannot be matched.
Other Rowan teams may have had more talent than this year’s bunch, but that desire and want-to is something that you have to have in order to make it this far.
The 2009 American Legion World Series will have to be completed without those Rowan boys, disappointing to say the least. I know all of Rowan County seemed to latch on to what was going on in Fargo, ND the past couple of days and I know the team appreciates the support.
So it’s back to Salisbury now, for us and for the team. I know a big crowd will be waiting on the Rowan team when they get off that bus at Catawba College.
It’s always sad when the season ends. You’re around the same people for two months and you form friendships and share your life with those same people, and then it has to come to an end. People have to go back to school, parents go back to work, and people go back to their non-American Legion baseball lives, in which they have come accustomed to.
You get used to it after a while, and then one day, maybe in the dead of winter, you think of those people, and those awesome players, and you’ll remember that awesome ride they took you on in that summer of 2009.
I’d say that’s a nice memory to live on.
Drew Sechler column: Legion team just finds a way
These boys just keep finding a way to blow your mind. Of course I'm speaking of Rowan Legion's recent big win against the defending champions from Las Vegas. This Rowan County team just keeps finding a way to do it.
With the bases loaded and no one out in the bottom of the seventh for Las Vegas, things looked pretty grim for Rowan's chances. But somehow, Alex Litaker got out of it and gave his teammates a chance to score some runs, which they did, and somehow got three outs to secure a huge win in the Legion World Series.
Many fans, like me, said afterwards that they couldn't take too much more of this (referring to the closeness and intensity of the games), but we're all just so happy that our hometown boys are still in it.
It really is hard to fathom how momentous an occasion this is. The fact that Rowan is guaranteed at least a fourth- place finish in the entire nation is mind-blowing.
Before the game I said to someone, "Rowan County vs. Las Vegas, that just sounds funny, doesn't it?" She replied that it was just a name, and she was right.
So folks, stay tuned, stay excited, and keep on pulling hard for your Rowan County boys. They might just find a way to surprise you.
With the bases loaded and no one out in the bottom of the seventh for Las Vegas, things looked pretty grim for Rowan's chances. But somehow, Alex Litaker got out of it and gave his teammates a chance to score some runs, which they did, and somehow got three outs to secure a huge win in the Legion World Series.
Many fans, like me, said afterwards that they couldn't take too much more of this (referring to the closeness and intensity of the games), but we're all just so happy that our hometown boys are still in it.
It really is hard to fathom how momentous an occasion this is. The fact that Rowan is guaranteed at least a fourth- place finish in the entire nation is mind-blowing.
Before the game I said to someone, "Rowan County vs. Las Vegas, that just sounds funny, doesn't it?" She replied that it was just a name, and she was right.
So folks, stay tuned, stay excited, and keep on pulling hard for your Rowan County boys. They might just find a way to surprise you.
Sechler column: Rowan rises above rain delays, hard loss
After the rain ruined the first night of Rowan Legion's stay in Fargo and forced postponement of the team's first game, we finally got to play some baseball after a long wait. Many, like me, were thinking: Are we going to get to see our team play after coming all this way?
But Rowan finally did get to play on Saturday and nearly found a way to win its first game, despite not playing particularly well the majority of the game.
Many Rowan fans from Fargo to Salisbury held their breath as Rowan looked as though the team might escape a bases-loaded, no-outs jam while leading Festus, Mo., in the bottom of the ninth. Unfortunately, destiny and luck weren't on the side of Rowan that game. A fly ball fell softly on the right field grass after three Rowan players tried their best to make the catch, and Rowan fell 6-5 to Festus.
I'm sure many who haven't followed the team closely this year wondered how Rowan would respond after such a gut-wrenching defeat. The answer to that is: very well. The team hasn't had many back-to-back defeats this year, and the Rowan boys have always responded well after a loss.
That was the case once more as they took the field Saturday against Mount Airy (Md.). It didn't look good early on for the Rowan boys, trailing 2-0, but they rallied big time for a staying-alive 8-3 victory.
I've had many people ask me what we do to pass the time in Fargo when Rowan is not playing. The answer to that is: whatever we can find to do. We always find time to eat, and even on Sunday we found some time to visit the local WalMart. The rest of the time we spent just hanging out in the motel room or on the phone with numerous people who want to know what is going on and when would Rowan play next. It can be frustrating because we have no idea what to tell them because we don't know ourselves.
With the weather being uncooperative the past couple of days and games being pushed back, we just have to sit and wait until we hear some news.
The waiting game can get old, but for now we just have to relax and enjoy this monumental moment.
But Rowan finally did get to play on Saturday and nearly found a way to win its first game, despite not playing particularly well the majority of the game.
Many Rowan fans from Fargo to Salisbury held their breath as Rowan looked as though the team might escape a bases-loaded, no-outs jam while leading Festus, Mo., in the bottom of the ninth. Unfortunately, destiny and luck weren't on the side of Rowan that game. A fly ball fell softly on the right field grass after three Rowan players tried their best to make the catch, and Rowan fell 6-5 to Festus.
I'm sure many who haven't followed the team closely this year wondered how Rowan would respond after such a gut-wrenching defeat. The answer to that is: very well. The team hasn't had many back-to-back defeats this year, and the Rowan boys have always responded well after a loss.
That was the case once more as they took the field Saturday against Mount Airy (Md.). It didn't look good early on for the Rowan boys, trailing 2-0, but they rallied big time for a staying-alive 8-3 victory.
I've had many people ask me what we do to pass the time in Fargo when Rowan is not playing. The answer to that is: whatever we can find to do. We always find time to eat, and even on Sunday we found some time to visit the local WalMart. The rest of the time we spent just hanging out in the motel room or on the phone with numerous people who want to know what is going on and when would Rowan play next. It can be frustrating because we have no idea what to tell them because we don't know ourselves.
With the weather being uncooperative the past couple of days and games being pushed back, we just have to sit and wait until we hear some news.
The waiting game can get old, but for now we just have to relax and enjoy this monumental moment.
Saturday, August 15, 2009
Sometimes it rains
“Sometimes you win, sometimes you lose and sometimes it rains.” If you recognize that quote, than you know it’s from the movie Bull Durham. I thought about that as we watched the rain come down on Newman Field Friday night.
After finally arriving to our destination in Fargo, ND for the American Legion World Series at 11 am Friday, Mother Nature decided she would interfere with the festivities. Rowan really didn’t have a scheduled time, so there’s always a little waiting around to do.
As the game between Medford, Oregon and Midland, Michigan was winding to an end, the clouds began to move in. Not wanting to think the worse, I said to everyone around me, “It’s not going to rain.” Sometimes optimism and positive thinking can blind the reality. That was the case this time.
As I looked over at Leigh Michalec’s blackberry cell phone, I saw the blob of green heading our way. The rain began to fall very gently for a short while and we thought positively again that we might get to play. Well that was a bad thought, a gust of strong wind and rain blew in moving all the fans and even players to the concourse. Shortly after, we all realized we weren’t playing this game tonight.
One of the locals said to us with just a hint of sarcasm, “Don’t you just love North Dakota weather?”
So the first day of games in Fargo results in no home runs or three up and three down innings for the Rowan County boys, but the best thing about baseball is even when you don’t play well one night, or at all in this case, there is always a game tomorrow, we hope.
After finally arriving to our destination in Fargo, ND for the American Legion World Series at 11 am Friday, Mother Nature decided she would interfere with the festivities. Rowan really didn’t have a scheduled time, so there’s always a little waiting around to do.
As the game between Medford, Oregon and Midland, Michigan was winding to an end, the clouds began to move in. Not wanting to think the worse, I said to everyone around me, “It’s not going to rain.” Sometimes optimism and positive thinking can blind the reality. That was the case this time.
As I looked over at Leigh Michalec’s blackberry cell phone, I saw the blob of green heading our way. The rain began to fall very gently for a short while and we thought positively again that we might get to play. Well that was a bad thought, a gust of strong wind and rain blew in moving all the fans and even players to the concourse. Shortly after, we all realized we weren’t playing this game tonight.
One of the locals said to us with just a hint of sarcasm, “Don’t you just love North Dakota weather?”
So the first day of games in Fargo results in no home runs or three up and three down innings for the Rowan County boys, but the best thing about baseball is even when you don’t play well one night, or at all in this case, there is always a game tomorrow, we hope.
Road cones and corn
As my journey to Fargo for the Legion World Series continues, I found myself taking in country that I had never before seen and some of it that I don’t care to see again. I did enjoy our ride through Chicago, as we tried our best to take snap shots of the Sears Tower and other surrounding buildings of the “windy city” skyline.
That however, besides the lively conversation between us, was the highlight of our Thursday ride from Sellersburg, Indiana to St. Cloud, Minnesota. You know how in the movie “The Wizard of Oz” in the beginning when you see nothing but corn fields before the tornado takes Dorothy’s house away, well imagine that for several hundred miles in Indiana, Illinois, Wisconsin and Minnesota. Besides the seemingly endless corn fields, there was plenty of road construction to really get under your skin.
Each time we saw a sign for road construction, our driver Jenny Fox could only give a small growl to show her begrudge for the familiar orange road cones that became an all too familiar sight for us.
We’re still about two and a half hours or so from our destination on the border of North Dakota. We decided to get some rest and finish our journey in the morning when we will pick up Leigh Michalec (Russell Michalec’s mom) at the Fargo airport.
Rowan plays the last game of the day on Friday, so there really is no telling when Rowan County’s boys and the boys from Festus, Missouri will toss that ball around.
So I leave you again, signing off from St. Cloud, as we will finally make it to Fargo, North Dakota for the Legion World Series Friday.
That however, besides the lively conversation between us, was the highlight of our Thursday ride from Sellersburg, Indiana to St. Cloud, Minnesota. You know how in the movie “The Wizard of Oz” in the beginning when you see nothing but corn fields before the tornado takes Dorothy’s house away, well imagine that for several hundred miles in Indiana, Illinois, Wisconsin and Minnesota. Besides the seemingly endless corn fields, there was plenty of road construction to really get under your skin.
Each time we saw a sign for road construction, our driver Jenny Fox could only give a small growl to show her begrudge for the familiar orange road cones that became an all too familiar sight for us.
We’re still about two and a half hours or so from our destination on the border of North Dakota. We decided to get some rest and finish our journey in the morning when we will pick up Leigh Michalec (Russell Michalec’s mom) at the Fargo airport.
Rowan plays the last game of the day on Friday, so there really is no telling when Rowan County’s boys and the boys from Festus, Missouri will toss that ball around.
So I leave you again, signing off from St. Cloud, as we will finally make it to Fargo, North Dakota for the Legion World Series Friday.
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