Category Archives: Hockey

One more day

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18

Still at the casino

Well 2 nights is going to turn into 3 at the Kla Mo Ya Casino.  Not because I love to gamble (I haven’t even been inside) but because the LA Kings face the Anaheim Ducks in their first game of the series tonight.  I am an avid LA Kings fan, although never get to any games.  I have been a fan for many years and hope they can beat the Ducks and continue in their quest for another Stanley Cup.

Perfect weather

The sun is shining and the temps will be 63 high 37 low.  It gets a bit chilly around 4:00am but nothing that requires heat, just warm blankets.  Great sleeping weather.  I turn on the Wave 3 in the morning to warm everything up including Chica.

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Slow down mode

Ever since I arrived here I have been in a slow down mode as opposed to my hurry up mode in getting here.  Between here and my destination at Panorama Point Campground in Northern Washington it is only about 600 miles.  So I have plenty of time to get their by May 10th.

My route north

I am trying to bypass all of the large cities on my way north.  I didn’t want to go through either Portland or Seattle if I don’t have to so I got out my atlas and I came up with the following route.  Since I am already on 97 I plan to just continue heading north on it until I reach 2 in Washington.  Then I will go west on 2 to Everett, WA where I will get on the 5 heading north.  Then I will go east on 20 which will put me right in Concrete, WA about 20 miles from my campground.  This route will take me thru all small towns until I get to Everett.  Has anyone ever taken any of these roads?  If so I would love to hear your comments on the roads and my route.

Elks Lodge in Bend

Tomorrow I plan to head to Bend.  I need to do some shopping at Walmart and they also have an Elks lodge with RV parking available.  Only about 115 miles so won’t be much driving.

 

Spring Training Weekend – Part 2

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5

Off to a Hockey Game

After seeing the Angels practice we stopped and got all the fixin’s so that we could have a barbeque.  We happened to be talking about hockey and Curt did some investigating on his IPad.  He found that the Phoenix Coyotes were playing the Calgary Flames in Phoenix that night.

He purchased the tickets and after a great steak dinner we were off to the game.  I haven’t been to a hockey game in years so it was a real treat for me.  The traffic wasn’t bad until we got near the off ramp where it seems that in another stadium they were holding a concert.  What a traffic jam.  However we were just a bit late for the game and just as we were climbing the stairs the noise level increased and we realized the Coyotes had just scored a goal.  What luck.  Fortunately the game didn’t end at 1-0.

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It was a good game and the Phoenix Coyotes won 3-2.  Here we are at the game.

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 We were busy all day with both baseball and hockey.  How good is that!!!

Busy Bees

Sunday we had tickets for the Angels vs the Mariners game.  We had a light breakfast and headed over to the ball park so we could get to see batting practice.  As we walked up to the front of Diablo Stadium the crowd was waiting at the top of the steps for the gates to open.  All of a sudden the police were forcing the crowd down to the lower steps.  What the heck is going on?

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It seems they located a bee hive that was in the stands.  The fire department had to come out and spray it down to get rid of the bees.  Then they let the crowd back up the steps but they didn’t open the turnstiles yet.  So there we were packed in like sardines with the hot sun drenching down on us and no where to go.

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We finally got into the park and all was well on the western front.  We had great seats just behind and to the left of home plate.

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It was a good ball game although the Angels lost to the Mariners 5-3.  Over the entire weekend the baseball teams we were rooting for both lost and the hockey team won.  I guess one out of three isn’t too bad, but it is Spring Training.

Then we went back to the rig where we had another barbeque and watched a movie.  Then at 11:30pm it was off to the Sky Harbor Airport.  Fortunately it was only a few miles away and there was no traffic at that time of the night.

Great weekend

It was really great getting together with my son Curt for the weekend.  We both love sports and seeing games and it was really a fantastic weekend.  I would like to make this a tradition and get together for Spring Training next year if possible.

Certainly Yes Stanley!!!!!

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8

Born and raised in a hockey town

I grew up in Detroit, MI and if anyone knows Detroit it is a real hockey town.  In the winter the fire department would flood a portion of our neighbor park to create a skating rink.  It was a big rink and the whole neighborhood would be skating.  We could even skate from the park to our home a block and a half away since the sidewalks were also frozen.  That is where I played hockey.  I was small for my age so never was a great player, but that is all I would think about.

Hockey was always on my mind

My father also flooded out back yard so we could have our own skating rink as well.  Me and my friend would spend hours back there trying to shoot a puck past each other into a goal.  We also had a goal in my garage that we used to shoot a tennis ball into.

Needless to say I grew up to be a real hockey fan.  One year I took three buses down to the Olympic Auditorium where the Detroit Red Wings once played to get standing room tickets only for my dad and our neighbor and myself.  We wound up sitting in the aisle of the upper deck to watch a Stanley Cup game.  They lost the game and also lost in their bid to win the Stanley Cup (hockey’s most coveted prize).   I was devastated.

I think I got my interest in hockey from my grandfather who was on an all star team somewhere in Saskatchewan.

Our family moved out to California after I graduated from high school.  I kind of lost interest in hockey as my interest seemed more about girls and goofing off at the time.

Always thrilled watching hockey

But I never ever lost the thrill I got when I saw a hockey game.  It was about the late 80’s that I first became interested in the LA Kings hockey team.  Then when they got Wayne Gretzkey I thought they were the greatest team ever.  In 1993 they went to the Stanley Cup Finals and lost and I was really devastated.

Then the playoffs this year really got me going.  While I was staying at the Oceanside Elks I invited my son over and we went to a sports bar and had a great time watching them win the game.  They kept getting stronger and stronger.  By this time I was out of local LA TV range and the best I could do was listen to the games on the radio.

Well to make a long story short, the LA Kings beat the New Jersey Devils tonight 6-1 to win the Stanley Cup.  It had taken their franchise 45 years to win a championship and I was there through about 25 of those years.

I know this has really nothing to do with RVing or places I have stayed, but it has a lot to do with where my mind has been.  I feel like I am right down on the ice skating rink with the players as they each take a turn hoisting the Stanley Cup over their heads.  They are the World Champions for sure.  I am high in the clouds I am so elated.