Photo by Tim Dachtera

We’ll be down in the Ft. Myers/North Port area, so if you have any ideas of where to do, please let me know! I’m sure we’ll hit up a few places I went to last year such as Joe Cracker’s, but will most likely stay away from Snook Haven, unless we feel real adventurous.

Do you have a favorite place in the area to stop by? Also, we’ll be spending most of our last day in Orlando, so aside from Disney, ideas there would be great too! ]]> http://www.w00dz.com/florida-time/feed/ 0 http://www.w00dz.com/computer-hardware-reselldonations/ http://www.w00dz.com/computer-hardware-reselldonations/#comments Sat, 06 Feb 2010 15:50:24 +0000 Tim http://www.w00dz.com/?p=529

Photo by Tim Dachtera

Tim's Farm on Zynga's Farmville

While I do admit I have very high standards for my mobile device and what it can/cannot do, I don’t think I’ve wanted too much from a carrier. – Transmit calls, email and data in an efficient manner. Yay. So, I’ve got the Blackberry. As a device, it’s not too bad. Granted, I’m using a three year old set of hardware, I can admit I do a lot with it. On any given day, I’m using Google Maps, UberTwitter, EmpowerEmail, http://www.beejive.com/, FaceBook, SalesForce, as well as SMS/MMS, http://foursquare.com/ and my Alarm providers app for Blackberry along with SMS/MMS messaging. It’s taken quite some time to get the Curve setup just how I want it, and working well. However, now with that much crap on it, its slowing down. Also, during the summer I use the data tethering quite a bit, since I’m out of town on weekends, and need more efficient web access than the BB browser provides (or other browser on the device)

Poking around at the Verizon store a few weeks back, I looked at the new http://tinyurl.com/m27otd, and was impressed with the much better screen, browser rendering and overall speed of the device. I wasn’t as sold on the keyboard, as there was less definition between the keys, but with any change, it’s something you acclimate to. Also, I was impressed by the better camera quality. I was slightly turned off by the new UI on the device (as with all the new BB devices) it just didn’t do it for me, and seemed a little sluggish to respond (which is something I noted in the original release of the Storm) – Granted, it’s something to get used to, and mostly just appeared to be how the navigation worked vs. the speed of the device, but something to consider nonetheless.

I figured it would be a good upgrade, just based on the browsing and camera upgrade, so I kept poking thru the store killing time. Stopping at the Moto DROID, I thought I would just tinker with it. I had given no thought to the DROID up to this point, based on a few things;

1) I have lots of apps purchased for the CrackBerry
2) I need to be able to simply sync a device with my Mac
3) I need to tactile keyboard for the amount of typing I do
4) I need to tether the MacBookPro to the device in the summer

I decided to poke around at the Motorola version vs. the other Android phones, because the DROID does include a full slide out tactile keyboard. While not as nice as the CB or Sidekick in terms of button separation, it seemed like something I could get used to in a short amount of time.

The user interface seemed very responsive and quick, including full multitasking abilities. I looked at the Google Map app, and it was much quicker than the CrackBerry, as was basic web browsing. I think not having the BlackBerry network in the mix of data transmission really helps. There are a number of free apps out on Android to handle the apps I’ve already paid for on BlackBerry, so little duplicate purchasing will be needed. I’ll miss out on my Security app, but they provide a mobile interface for monitoring as well. My big question which I need to have answered, is “will it tether” I’ve found out, that syncing my Mac with the GoogleSync platform, I can handle the updating of my phone/address book/calendar without much need to plug it into my computer anymore, other than to backup. I’m currently using this now on the Curve, and seems to be working well.

Also, I liked that the DROID has WiFi in it, which would be great at home, or elsewhere I have access to WiFi vs. eating bandwidth/battery and having less lag than on the 3G network.

However, my Devils’ advocate to this is, I can do so much more on this browser than the CB, where I might not /need/ tethering (or just sign up for the mobile broadband USB dongle and return it in the trial period)

I will be returning this weekend for more in-depth, as the GF’s contract is up for renewal as well this summer.

Pricewise, – The DROID is a little more expensive up front than the new Tour, however, the monthly service on the DOID would be about $10 less than I pay now, so that would recoup itself shortly.

Also, I’ve heard rumor of the iPhone coming to Verizon this summer. That sounds like it would be a cut-and-dry answer for me to switch, HOWEVER. – The iPhone does not have a tactile keyboard, nor does it allow multi-tasking between apps. While I believe the iPhone would be the easiest to integrate and sync with my Mac at home, I don’t see it being a viable option for me on a daily basis, just based on how much I use the device during the day. Also, battery life, iPhone battery life sucks. I’d need to charge mine pretty much most of the day with the amount of activity it gets, vs. the CB for sure, possibly DROID have extra battery packs with higher capacity (also key when I go on weekend long bike rides, without access to power)

In short, I have a little more research to do, and just more face time with the device. I realize I have a month to return and get a different phone, however, it’s a hassle, and I’d like to get something and know it’s going to meet my needs.
If you have any comments, I’d love to hear them. That being said, – I’m not open to moving carriers due to phone availability, nor am I open to a phone without a QWERTY tactile keyboard on it.

Photo by Tim Dachtera

I was looking for a good pizza joint to go and meet up with Mike at, and dropped Aaron a quick line to get his suggestions. Based on our target area near North St. Paul, he said we needed to go to Randy’s Premier Pizza. He thought the idea sounded good, so he joined us as well. If you’ve never been to, or ordered from Randy’s, I can assure you that you’re missing some of the best pizza on the East side of the cities.

While primarily a take-out pie shop, they do have a few tables in the back if you care to dine in. They have a cooler with various non-alcoholic beverages in it, and Mike and I chose the classic Orange Crush in the glass bottle and placed an order while we waited for Aaron to show up. Mike ordered a pizza with spinach and artichoke on it, and I ordered a pepperoni pizza for Aaron and I to split. Soon after, an order of Italian Bread Sticks arrived, which is listed as an Italian crust with garlic. We dug into that, and made short work of it. Randy dropped in on us to see how we’re doing, and since Aaron is a regular there, they caught up on life for a few minutes, and then he returned to his post behind the counter making pies.

Shortly after we finished the bread, our pies came out and they both looked delicious. Not being a fan of the veggies like Mike, I didn’t try his, but just the presentation alone was enough to confirm that this was indeed a good pizza. His pizza was smothered in cheese, and fresh ingredients. Both pizzas were ordered with the hand tossed crust, and I could see that the edge of the crusts were proportional to the different size of the pizza, but both were plump and inviting.

The pepperoni pizza arrived and I noticed that it too was covered in cheese, which had a good amount of pepperoni tucked underneath. When we pulled out our slices, the cheese was plentiful and stringy between the slices. My impression after the first few bites was nothing less than stellar. The blend of the cheese and pepperoni and sauce was an excellent blend, and none of the ingredients over powered another. The sauce had a slight zing to it, and left me waiting for the next bite. The pepperoni was tasty, bold, but not to detract from the rest of the pizza. The crust was a bit limp towards the center, but not in a bad way, it was what I had expected. The closer you got towards the end the more flavorful the crust became. The crust is made fresh, not frozen like you might find at some other pizza shops, which I feel can make or break a pizza experience. If your crust is bland and soggy, overpowering or crackle thin, it will turn me off. If I want a thin crust, I’ll order it. The hand-tossed crust I ordered was right on the mark.

Photo by Tim Dachtera

Partway thru our meal, Randy brought out some Pizza Fries. Aaron wasted no time on digging into these tasty morsels. It’s the garlic crust, loaded with cheese and cut into strips with dipping sauce. The three of us made short work of these and went back to our pizzas. We were getting full, but I didn’t mind, I was able to stuff another slice of this great pizza in before calling defeat and boxing up about 1/2 the pizza to take home.

Randy dropped by again to ensure our meal was OK, and we assured him it was with full mouths! He noted that he was going to be adding a wood-fired oven in the spring, so I will sure come back to check that out. Randy’s also offers some larger pizzas, from 30″ up to 48″ and also a pizza challenge to eat the 30″ pizza in 30 minutes.

The bill for for pizzas and drinks came to 37.50 + tip, which split across the three of us, was certainly an excellent value for the meal. I’ll certainly return and check out more items on the menu in the near future.

Have you eaten at Randy’s? What was your experience? – Check out what my friends Aaron and Bill have to say about Randy’s from their prior visits.

Randy’s Premier Pizza
6030 50th St N
Oakdale, MN 55128
651-777-1400

Photo by Tim Dachtera

Photo by Tim Dachtera

Photo by Tim Dachtera

A few weeks back, Eileen and I met up with our friends Jeff and Pamela, (or Peff and Jamela if you prefer) to see the CP Rail Holiday train, catch some supper and check out Karaoke at the local bowling alley – Park Grove Bowl, as her sister’s significant other hosts the Karaoke show.

After checking out the Holiday Train (which I strongly suggest you plan to view next year if it comes anywhere near your home) we stopped past American Motorsports, because we didn’t want to give our money to the national chains. Having been to A/M a few times before, I was middle of the road with my impression of the food. I had first been there shortly after they opened, and my food came out on a hub cap, the fries weren’t anything to write home about, and the burger was nothing special.

The had gone thru a few rounds of expansions, remodels etc, and whatnot, and I thought I’d give them a try again, after-all, it has been a few years, and their parking lot now is pretty much always full. We walked in, to get a high top table in the bar, and ordered our drinks. They had a variety of beers on tap from frat-boy specials to local breweries, which I was happy to see, the local supporting the local.

The menu had a number of themed items revolving around nascar and auto-racing history, which set it apart from your run of the mill eatery.

I put in an order for chicken cordon bleu with fries, Jeff got a cheeseburger, Pam got the penne pasta in alfredo and Eileen got the buffalo chicken sammich. After about 15-20 minutes our food made it out, which was acceptable seeing as the place was about 70% full, and the bar area seemed to have a few Holiday parties in the mix, including what appeared to be a santa hat pub-crawl that head off. It appears they also have karaoke on the weekends as well.

The food came out as I said before I got sidetracked, and it looked great. Much better than my past experience. As we dug into our meals, everyone was impressed with the meals. Even the side ceasar that Pam had was above what I had expected, just on presentation alone. She commented that her pasta was right on, and tasted very good. Jeff’s burger was to his liking, and he made short work of scarfing that down. Eileen said her buffalo chicken was tasty. Not too much spice but enough to make it warm and enjoyable. My chicken was excellent, ham, chicken, cheese on a roll, it quickly disappeared.

The fries were also good. Far better than fast food, and actually most chain places that I’ve had fries at. Not quite huge wedge cut, but bigger than fast food, and FAR better. The service also was pretty good. Our waitress was attentive and friendly, and always was on top of our drinks and making sure we had everything we needed.

Photo by Tim Dachtera

Overall, I was impressed with American Motorsports. The food, service and overall experience was far better than my last visit, and I will certainly return again.

Have you been to American Motorsports? What are your thoughts?

American Motorsports Bar & Grill
7240 East Point Douglas Rd S
Cottage Grove, MN 55016
(651) 768-0303

Summer and Fall have run their course, and the calendar quickly filled up with weekend events, and projects to do, including some remodeling on the house, general up-keep and other activities that only left about 3 free weekends starting in June, and ending in October. Also, my freelance work, both web related and video work has spiked up sharply, some of the projects with deadlines that cannot be moved around. Also, with the start of a new job requiring a little farther commute and an earlier start time, my ability for an early AM workout is all but shot, unless I want to get up at 5:30am.

Getting home close to 5pm now, and wanting to eat at a decent hour is a little inhibitive of a workout right after work (however, that is what I am going to attempt to start doing) and be mindful of getting supper before 8pm. Also in this mix is the freelance work that is now requiring almost 150% of my free time.

I am lucky enough to have a weight system in the basement, and Wii Fit to utilize, so I think I have a good shot of finding a plan to stick to this winter if I get my schedule in order. My biggest issue is if I can see it, I’ll consume it, I’m a foodie.. Moving jobs has been good, as there are not a ton of treats around, and there is no on-site café or snack store to frequent (also helps to save money) If I can get in sync with both a feasible schedule, and forget that there are snacks in the house, I think I’ll be on a better path.

The other thought I’ve had, despite having the equipment, would I be more motivated to get to a local gym if I knew I was paying for a service, creating more of a reason to go. However, it’s hard to justify the cost when I have most of the tools at home. Possibly a bike trainer will be in order.

I really don’t want to seclude myself into a winter of working out, freelancing and shutting myself off from friends and food to avoid making bad choices, and I need to quit saying ‘next Monday’ will be the start. I’ve got a schedule, that maybe I need to resurrect and place at my desk again to hold me accountable for my time, that seemed to work before, albeit seemingly silly
My question is, what do you do in order to maintain a schedule or method for getting all of your things accomplished in a week, the balance between work, family and what needs to be done?

I can remember growing up as a kid, getting just a crapload of gifts from all sides of the family, and from Santa, which was truly awesome as a kid, lots of new toys to play with, and hopefully avoid that one ‘holiday sweater’ from someone in the family. I realize that as you grow up into adulthood, the shower of toys dwindles, which I am perfectly content with. These days, I am more excited to see my relatives, and maybe have a small exchange with my immediate family. A few years back, the family got into the ‘gift card exchange’. It was nice, because it was pretty much free money to stores, but it took an element of anticipation our of the recipient, and took the thrill of finding that ‘special’ gift for someone away, replacing it with a plastic card with a company brand on it. Useful, but boring.

The other side of my family has been doing the ‘White Elephant’ game for a number of years now, along with getting the Matriarch a gift. Now, the while elephant game it fun, for.. Maybe 10 minutes, then it becomes a game of thievery, mind games and plots to steal that one gift that you really want (or to end up with a bunch you can use next year to re-gift)

My problem with this game is this 1) you’re supposed to give something of yours, you don’t want anymore – 99% of the stuff I’d part with is computer related stuff, useless to anyone else. I don’t keep the cliché knick knacks around the house suitable for re-gifting. 2) I’m not a fan of going to the dollar store to buy crap that will end up in someone’s junk drawer. I think in the past, I’ve given home-brew, or some beer related item, mainly because that side of the family likes good beer.

Both sides of my family have parents and grandparents of the little kids that shower them with gifts, and the non-immediate family may purchase one gift vs. many for the kids (or we would spend hours opening gifts) which is great. I would much rather spend my Holiday spending time with family, talking, and seeing how everyone is doing, than watch everyone open 40 million gift wrapped trinkets. It’s been hard to get a gift list out of me the last few years, just because I’m more into seeing family I think, and the stuff I want, is expensive.

What does your family do for the holidays, whichever ones you might celebrate? Do you do the huge gift exchange, celebrate multiple days, or plat the family-melee and run yourself ragged over the holidays?

Current Weather

Photo by Tim Dachtera

I got a msg from my buddy Will a few nights ago, and he wanted to do something for supper, and suggested Smalley’s Caribbean BBQ in Stillwater. Having passed the place a number of times, and never been the right time to stop in, I said I was all in for checking it out. Smalley’s has been around a little over a year, located on the south end of Stillwater, on the east side of Main, right across from the old brewery caves. They’ve got a page on Facebook I’ve been following, and they appeared to have some pretty good parties there, (especially for their 1yr anniv) and also great food and drink.

I headed out in the GRAFFE in hopes of a good meal, and a chance to catch up with Will for a bit on a sunny evening on the St. Croix. I arrived, and Will had already gotten a table outside on the back patio. The interior seemed a little dark, however, I had just come in from outdoors and my eyes had yet to adjust, so I’m sure once inside, all was well. The venue used to be Esteban’s way back in the day, but aside from the general construction of the place, you didn’t know it. There were pirate themed decorations, including rum caskets for planters outdoors. They have a front patio area along Main, and also a patio out back, which a bar that opens up to the patio, in addition to a regular bar in the main area of Smalley’s. They had caribbean/island music playing in the background, enough to be heard, but not distracting over a conversation. Rumor has it, they really kick up the amps on weekends or evenings when they have live music playing.

Our server was quite prompt and cheery, and gladly took our drink orders, and Will also got an order of the chicken wings with Jerk sauce and ranch. One thing to note, if you are looking for rum, this is the place. Of the 11×17 menu, the back 1/2 was nothing but drinks, some with and without alcohol. Of that page, 1/2 was consumed by various types of rum varying in price from $3, up to over $40. You can have it on the rocks, straight or mixed in a drink. You have plenty of options. I opted for the Gosling Black Label rum with a splash of Diet Coke for $5.00. Will got an order of the Tortuga rum, also at $5.00 on the rocks. We both enjoyed our drinks, being a Captains fan, I was excited to taste my drink. The Gosling had a bit of sweetness to it, similar to what you might find in the Captains Jamaican Black Label (something unavailable in the states) – It was certainly a good drink to sip thru conversation and dinner.

The wings arrived and they looked awesome, they were a pound of wings for just under $10.00. I stole two from Will, and the jerk sauce was simply excellent. The wings we agreed must have been smoked and then and had the sauce applied towards the end, as they were moist, tender and full of flavor. Also, the dipping ranch was very good as well, and didn’t taste like your generic stuff from a gallon jug. It complimented the wings very well, and I could almost make a meal out the wings themselves. They also offer a BBQ twist as well, maybe something to try next time.

Photo by Tim Dachtera

Our food arrive without too much delay, but it was long enough to realize it wasn’t something that was thrown in the microwave, and the taste backed that up. Will ordered the pulled BBW sandwich with the beer battered plank fries, and I opted for the chicken sandwich. When we got our meals, the first thing we noticed was the branded bun, with the pirate logo charred into the top of the bun. We both thought this was a pretty neat added bonus to further set the meals at Smalley’s apart from other establishments. Will commented on the onion strings on his sandwich, and was impressed with his first bite. I was half expecting a hunk of chicken on a bun, like you find at most other places, but NO. This appeared to have been slow cooked/smoked chicken, same fashion as the pork, in true BBQ fashion, with the sauce actually soaked into the meal, not just globbed on at the last minute of prep. My sandwich had a large chunk of bacon across the top, covered with cheese and a shallot mayo sauce. We were both amazed at the food. The taste surpassed my expectations by far, and I savored every bite of that sandwich, no doubt about that. The only downfall was the shallot was a little soggy so I removed that, otherwise, I couldn’t have been more pleased.

The plank fries were also very good, beer battered and with a hint of some sweetness, almost like a brown sugar hint, but barely enough to really know what it was, which was great, a little mystery in what made the meal so great! The fries were done just right for me, medium cut ‘planks’ done up to be just firm and a bit crispy outside, and moist in middle, not carbonized and not dripping in grease, another win for Smalley’s.

Will ended up getting some pecan pie to go, and he later sent me a photo of the dessert. It was about a 5″ personal pecan pie, seeing as we didn’t look before we left the restaurant, it was a complete surprise and bonus for Will when he found that.

Photo by Tim Dachtera

My bill was just about $15.00 + tip for my meal and drink. Will’s was closer to $30, as he had the wings for an app, and the pie (which was $7.50, but looked worth every penny, and more than a single serving)

I will certainly return to Smalley’s to check out more of the rum selection, and something else on the menu. If you are in Stillwater for whatever reason and looking for some place to eat or catch a drink, I will hands down send you to Smalley’s. You can check out their Facebook page here.

Have you eaten at Smalley’s? If so, what are your comments? If not, what are you waiting for! I hope they stick around for quite awhile, because Stillwater has had a void since Trump’s changed hands and closed many years ago.

Smalley’s Caribbean Barbeque
423 Main St S #A
Stillwater, MN 55082-5180
(651) 439-5375 ]]> http://www.w00dz.com/smalleys-caribbean-bbq-stillwater-mn/feed/ 1 http://www.w00dz.com/bella-pizza-cottage-grove-mn/ http://www.w00dz.com/bella-pizza-cottage-grove-mn/#comments Fri, 10 Jul 2009 02:30:08 +0000 Tim http://www.w00dz.com/?p=422

Photo by Tim Dachtera

While I was out scouting for some prospects for Silicon Computers, my consulting buiness, I stumbled across Bella Pizza, tucked in an aging strip mall in Cottage Grove, right next to Pizza Hut take out location. Now there may be a time and a place to frequent your local PIzza Hut, but this was not one of them. I checked out the menu ahead of time, and planned to pick up a pie last Friday when Myrtle showed up.

Bella is a small space, and only offers take-out service. Behind the counter is a standard gas oven, large enough to have a dozen pizzas going at once, and friendly staff, welcoming staff. The kid that waited on me was quite cheery and said that my wait would be about 20 minutes for my pizza and cheese bread. After looking at the menu ahead of time, we decided to order the Chicken Alfredo pizza, with bacon and onions on it. Neither of us being huge fans of onions, I asked for them to go light on the onions, and this request was easily handled. In looking around the place, I noticed a huge dough hook in the back, so I assume they make their dough on site, so I was getting eager to get my hands on our supper.

When our pizza and breadsticks were finished, the guy asked me if I wanted party of triangle cut, I opted for the party cut. This was something I had not experienced before, and was happy to have a choice! I paid just under $20.00 for the 12″ pizza and the garlic cheese bread. I did add in a small tip, just because the guy was there at 10pm on a Friday night, was in a good mood and gave me options on my pizza. I snatched up the meal, thanked him and headed home to dive into what I hoped would be a great meal. Seeing how I was unable to find much for reviews, I was really looking forward to something to write positively about.

Photo by Tim Dachtera

I got home and opened up our supper, and saw that the cheese bread looked excellent and was waiting to dive in. 4 thick slices and marinara sauce is just about right for two people to enjoy. The cheese was amazing on the perfectly toasted bread with just the right amount of garlic dashed on. This didn’t taste like some cheap garlic salt or powder either, it was far better than I expected. We chowed thru the bread to get to the pizza that we had been waiting for.

The pizza itself, is in a plain old white box, like many other local take-out places, but that’s just fine, as it’s what is in side that matters. We opted for the 12″ pie, however they also have a 14″ and 16″ option if you have more people, or really want to stuff yourself.

Photo by Tim Dachtera

The pizza was loaded with cheese, and I think this is the only downfall to the pizza, the cheese was a tad too greasy for my taste, but having said that, it didn’t distract me from filling my face full of the pizza. We got the chicken alfredo pizza, which was said to be a favorite, along with the bacon cheeseburger pizza, so we have something to try for next time.

Our pie had large chunks of chicken on it, amongst all the cheese. We had asked for light on the onion since neither of us are huge fans, and what was on the pizza, was sparse, and appeared to be sweet videlia onions. The alfredo sauce was light and not overpowering which was a bit bonus. Some alfredo or what pizzas I’ve had had been smothered in sauce, detracting from the rest of the slice. What amazed us both, was the bacon. I was expecting little bacon bits or something similar. NO. These were big hunks of cooked bacon that had been cut up into sizable hunks and scattered about the pizza. No skimping on the ingredients here!

Overall, I would rate the meal an A+, with the only notable downfall being the [what seemed to be] overly greasy cheese in my opinion, however, I will certainly be checking out another menu favorite and will update my post.

If you are looking for pizza on short notice, or looking for a good meal, skip the national chain next door, and check out Bella Pizza. The staff was friendly and helpful, and the meal was awesome.

Bella Pizza
8118 Hadley Ave.
Cottage Grove, MN 55016
651-769-8355

Hours
Mon – Thu. 4:00 p.m. – 11:00 p.m.
Fri – Sat. 4:00 p.m. – 12:00 a.m.
Sun. *3:00 p.m. – 11:00 p.m.
*Open at 11:00 a.m. during football season!

Photo by Jim Scott

This year, the tour started in Nowthen, MN at the Nowthen Threshing Showgrounds so I was already a little excited to see some tractors, seeing as I’m pretty much obsessed with Rollag.

Back to the point – Hopping on the tour bus that takes all of us 3300 riders up to Proctor, I ended up sitting with a crew from Capella University (Capella Cruisers) They were a good crew to chat with on the way up, since the rest of my team was still a few hours behind me in getting out of town.

Our team, The Wheels of Fortune, was formed many years ago from friend of mine who had ridden, and a few of her friends, along with a few of my friends. Over the years, our team has dwindled down to 3 of us from about 10, due to the simple fact that ‘life happens’ – We are hoping to regroup for 2010, bring on more riders and get a good team back (and with support staff too)

Upon arriving in Proctor, I pitched my tent and called up Mike, to let him know that the year he doesn’t come, the weather is sunny and 75, which i think is a first for the ride. Typically it’s sunny, but in the 60’s and rather chilly on the return trip from Canal Park, and cool for camping out. You have the option to reserve a hotel room and reside in nice warm comfy beds, but I don’t have the extra cash laying around, and I also look at it this way, ~ I can spend two nights in a tent, and two days on a tiny bike seat and endure being uncomfortable, if it helps raising money to find a cure for something that causes many people pain and a lessened lifestyle each day of their life.

I had arranged to meet up with some friends from Comcast, who had chosen to ride UP on their bikes that day, and then back down for the regular ride, wow, that’s alot of biking, even for my standards in a few days. We met up at Grandma’s amidst a large number of other bikers, and ordered some supper and drinks. After that, we all trekked over to the sports bar for some more beer and Big Safari Hunter or whatever the crap it’s called. Either way, it was a few bucks for about 40 minutes of entertainment for 4 of us, something I have never seen from a video game.

We headed back up about 10 or so to Proctor to get a good nights sleep and be ready for the ride ahead of us. Waking up Saturday morning about 5:00am to other bikers breaking camp and getting ready, my crew got ready as well, and waited in line for breakfast. The breakfast process is really something. They funnel a few thousand riders thru a breakfast of pancakes, sausage, cereal, yogurt, fruit, coffee, juice, milk, whatever, in very short time. – You /never/ go hungry on this ride, that is for sure.

We hit the trail shortly before 7am and began the venture down the Munger trail to Grand Casino. After encountering a little rain on the first leg, the skies opened up and the sun poked out early into the ride, and made for a great day for riding. We kept a pace of 18-22mph on Saturday, which was great for me since I like going quick and getting out of the baking sun. Jim and his son have been riding since his son was in a trailer bike, and now he’s a young man and the stoker on a tandem, and wow, when those two put it down, I have to work to keep up with them! I’ve spend most of 2009 eating much better, working out and laying off the Captains, and I’m sure without that, I would have really struggled to keep pace with them for the ride.

We rolled thru our lunch stop, seeing familiar faces along the way, either from past rides, the ride up, or from the night before and exchanged greetings and picked up our lunch. Now, I understand it’s hard to feed 3000+ riders food, however, the Subway option is getting really old. The subs taste like they were made the night before, the bread is soggy and they just have a… not so good taste to them, however the watermelon is always a win! – While I’m quite thankful to have meals provided, maybe the MS Society can look at another option for Saturday lunch, such as Jimmy John’s, Quiznos, something not a day old and tasteless.

We carried on and made our way into Grand Casino in a total of 4.5 hours on the bike, not bad for just shy of 75 miles. Mike had decided to come up and visit since he was unable to make the ride this year. We are very glad he did, not only did he bring some cold beer and snacks, he brought a pop-up shelter that was a godsend when the skies unleashed a less than small amount of rain in the evening. We stayed dry under the shelter which was totally awesome, so THANKS MIKE! We scarfed down some BBQ pork sammiches for supper, which was a big hit over the pasta over previous years, it was pretty dang good after a long day on the trail, and warm and filling on a damp evening.

We all retired somewhat early again, as we had another day of biking ahead of us. Waking up again about 5:30 to the sounds of camp around us, and the rising sun peeking into my tent, we got up, and again headed off in search of the might Chris’ Cakes for breakfast. These guys are out of Iowa, and have been on the tour every year I can recall pretty much, and are just awesome! It’s always a treat to see these guys serving breakfast, as they’ll often flip a stack on your plate from 20′ away. Just beware, turn your back, and you might end up with a flap-jack on the back of your helmet!

Photo by Tim Dachtera

The event as a whole for me, and our team was pretty uneventful. The only real issue was the last leg, I popped a spoke, which I have yet to fix, so I babied the bike in the last few miles. We arrived back to Nowthen among fellow riders and spectators welcoming us all in.

I’ve already signed up for the 2010 ride, so if you want to join up, check out the MS Society website, and register for the 2010 Minnesota MS-150 tour, under the team of Wheels of Fortune!

See more photos from the ride

Photo by Tim Dachtera

After having been invited by Bill of lazylightning back in April, to a group lunch down at King’s, I had all intentions of writing about this right away, and then life just got in the way. Tucked away about 20 miles Southeast of the cities is King’s, an awesome joint for obscure burgers is about the most accurate description I can come up with. After all, where else can you get a burger with peanut butter on it? – That is what Eileen ordered, being a little adventurous. I stuck with the Bases Loaded Burger, which still had an assortment of stuff on it, bacon, cheddar, swiss and pepper cheeses, along with jalepenos (which I passed on) sour cream and salsa.

This burger was pretty dang tasty, more of a taco burger with bacon I guess you might say, but it was sure good, especially with some cheap beer. While the presentation wasn’t all that special and the bun was pretty basic, the taste sure was damn good. the burger was moist and flavorful, done just to my liking, and didn’t want to fall apart from being cooked to long.

Photo by Tim Dachtera

While we waited for our burgers (mind you, there were about 15 of us there) we ordered the seasoned fries with sour cream. These were your standard waffle cut fries with chive sour cream dip, which was also pretty darn tasty. The fries were well cooked, not mushy but not too crispy either, just right in my book, however the sour cream could have used a little more kick to it, just personal preference. Others ordered it at the table and didn’t put up a fuss, so it appears to be a well-liked item on the menu.

Overall, King’s was a pretty darn good place to go, and I’ll be back, hopefully when it’s not raining and have an opportunity to catch a ball game behind the place. Prices were dirt cheap, I think our bill for two burgers, app, and three rounds of beers was just about $20.00 before tip, possibly $25.00, but I recall walking out how cheap it was, which I guess is a good trade off for a no-frills plateful of damn tasty burger!

I was thinking to myself, how a place that delivers such good burgers at dirt cheap prices stay open, and I found my answer when we left the back dining area (which had been set aside for our group) – The main dining area as packed solid at 12:30 on a rainy Sunday morning. If you are out for a drive, or just want to kill a few hours and get a good meal in the process, I strongly suggest checking out King’s. You can read Bill’s post about the place here, for a second opinion

King’s Place
14460 240th St E
Miesville, MN 55033