I'm FINALLY back--(My Eloy Experience)

[AggieDave 6]

Well, it took a total of 17hrs there and 18hrs of drive time back, but when I hit San Antonio at 1am this morning after driving for 15hrs, I had to pull over and sleep. Lucky for me I have friends with couches in SA...What a weekend, I'm so glad that I made the trip, it was well worth it! For everyone who was supposed to come but didn't, you missed out (yes, I know some of yall had important stuff come up, the rest of you have no excuses).
The group that was there, what a time, we were laughing, jumping and partying non stop, just what I needed to celebrate the end of the sememster with. Betsy: Thanks for the hospitality and it was great meeting you, I just wish we could have gotten a few more jumps together. Maybe give me a chance to redeem myself for that exit...
Val: (Thanks for the card Andy: What a time man, too bad it was so short. We had some wicked FF jumps and some good laughs.
Bill: It was great to finally meet you after many a long discussion on the boards here. I am very jealous of the gas milage you got, thats for sure, it was too bad I never got a chance to play your song for you, even though Bytch and Andy heard it...
Bytch: We finally met, what a time (even if you can't 2-step)! You will have to make the trip back out in December to hang with all of the crazed college people and the rest of the Aggies that are coming in for that.
Monk: So did you get that resume done?
To the lurkers that we met: POST! Though it was good meeting you.
Here's a story that sort of set the tone for the weekend for me:
Thursday night I pull into the DZ at about 9pm local time, get out of the truck and walk up to the Bent Prop, getting some weird looks, I guess not to many people pull up wearing cowboy hats...
Well, I get a beer then go into the cafe side for some food, don't know anyone, but some people are getting their tacos about the same time I am, so I ask if I can join them. After the introductions were made, here's how the conversation basically went:
Me: So is this your local DZ?
Them: Yeah, we jump here mainly, but we like to hit other DZs too.
Me: What sort of flying do you do, FF, RW, CReW or what?
Them: Well, mainly we do RW, but we play with some FF and stuff...
Me: Cool...
We then sort of bullshit around for a bit and go on our seperate ways after the meal. It dawns on me about an hour later, that was Arizona Airspeed! And it all went downhill from there...
Watching those big ways from the ground was something else, for sure! Some of the 20-ways the challenge threw together was absolutely amazing, very very hard. The last few they did with everyone involved was something to see, I think they were 96 ways or maybe a bit over 100. Either way, they were amazing.
Jumping with a field elevation of 1500ft was cool, very different from good ol' 368ft SD Aggieland. Had some cool swoops (for me) on my Sabre2 demo, with out having to try hooking or carving (which I don't do), so I was pumped to say the least.
The last jump of the weekend, it was a 9 person load in one of the Otters, we had a climb rate of 2300 ft per minute! That was amazing, that and Bill Von and Val's group were dirt diving their jump in the back of the plane, which was amusing for me. To top that off, I even got grabbed for a kiss by Bytch on that load...According to Val, she couldn't find anywhere to sleep in the bunkhouse because I was sleeping in the bunkhouse too and she says I snore, badly. That and since the next night I slept in the bed of my truck, apartenly I woke up some other guy sleeping in his car... Its not my fault that AZ gave me some crazy allergies that I don't have in Texas.
Well, I returned with no beer left, no money left and exhuasted, it was a great weekend. Everyone there was great, I had a ton of firsts (I brought beer with me to remedy those). Unfortunately, I didn't find anything along the way to burn in the fire pit, apartenly those crazy NM and AZ people don't have many trees...
I started the trip with 3 cases of beer, 1 case of Shiner Bock, 1 case of Ziegen Bock and 1 case of Lone Star. I came home with nothing and quite a few people wondering where they can buy Shiner and Ziegen... Atleast I like Lone Star.
There are many other stories, most of which are funny, I'm too tired to remember any more and I promised to keep all the good stories out of the forums, so I guess imaginations will just have to be used. Let that be a lesson to you, next time be there and be apart of the stories! "I am NOT a stripper!" --Val
Aerials
So up high
When you free your lives (the) eternal prize

[ChromeBoy 0]

Welcome back Dave. Sounds like you all had a hell of a time.

[freeflir29 0]

That's one hell of a drive. To think I wasn't enjoying the 6 hours to L.A. "Here I come to save the BOOBIES!"

[AndyMan 7]

Quote

"I am NOT a stripper!" --Val

No, you got it wrong. I think you meant:
"I LOVE DICK!" --Val.
Glad to hear you got home. Sounds like I missed a few good events monday night. bummer.
_Am
ICQ: 5578907
MSN Messenger: andrewdmetcalfe at hotmail dot com
AIM: andrewdmetcalfe
Yahoo IM: ametcalf_1999

[Slappie 9]

!#$P&#&(~@#*&~)@&#%
You know I didn't miss it because I wanted too. Things happen... Like some people drive their cars without oil and their wonderful boyfriends take vacation money and help them buy a new one...
Next time!!
Pippy and myself are talking and planning a BIG BIG Dropzone.com Gathering in the near future.. So stay tuned
My New Website with 24hr Chat

[Muenkel 0]

The post whore is back!
Welcome back dude, I was wondering where you were.
If you're not confused, you're not paying attention.
Chris

[AggieDave 6]

You know what's sad? I've been gone since Thursday and I'm still in the #2 spot! You people are slackers!
Aerials
So up high
When you free your lives (the) eternal prize

[Slappie 9]

[13:54] *** Joins: AggieDave (jirc@=7Dtcpbnfgdrxd.tca.net)
[13:54] *** Quits: AggieDave (jirc@=7Dtcpbnfgdrxd.tca.net) (QUIT: Leaving)
[13:54] <@Slappie> sup Dave
My New Website with 24hr Chat

[hobbes4star 0]

sounds like you guys had a great time. sorry i couldn't be their i really wanted to. i had a family emergency come up at the last minute. next time i will be their with beer. glad you had a safe trip back
why jump when you can fly

[AggieDave 6]

Yeah, I just popped in to see if a crowd was around...sorry I didn't stick around, I'll be there tonight for a while. Aerials
So up high
When you free your lives (the) eternal prize

[Vallerina 2]

Hey, Dave! Glad you made it back home okay, and it was great meeting you. I'm randomly remembering funny things that happened (besides my funny quotes which you all seemed to enjoy!)
Dave picking me up from the airport, handing me a beer, then driving off road
Kicking Bill's ass in
Andy giving me money all weekend
Lisa saying "Do that again; I want a picture"
Andy kicking my face in
Lisa giving me quarters to smack important people's asses
Bill's awesome shoulder massages
Betsy being all the woman she is and introducing herself to HOT men (I need to take notes)
The party Monday night (he he)
Seeing Evan and Lisa, friends from my home dz who moved to AZ
Challenging my previous "no more than 12" rule and going on an attempted 16-way (and I even made it in for a split second!)
Trading my old, sweaty t-shirts for nice, new clean ones
The 5-plane formation fly by
What a great weekend! At least it's warm here in the Midwest right now, otherwise I probably never would've left!
Special favors come in 31 flavors

[skybytch 273]

I'm also glad you made it home okay Dave! Thanks for the beers and the valiant attempt to teach me to two step. I did warn you that I'd suck at it though...
Val... I'd forgotten about the quarters for ass slapping. Now I know where all my money went! I really wish I would've gotten a picture of you smacking Craig Girard though... the look on his face was priceless!
pull & flare,
lisa
"Try not. Do or do not. There is no try." - Yoda sez

[bbarnhouse 0]

Aggie Dave ~ you are a true Texan, gentleman through and through. I enjoyed having y'all to my place, and hope that we have the opportunity in the future to do it agian.
Val and Bytch~ Ash says in his Austrailian accent:"Good Gawd Betsy she isn't really going to post that titty picture is she?"
And the Airspeed guys like ass slappin, but the face Craig made WAS truley priceless!
Blues and Hugs to each of you, thanks for such a great time.
But 4000 windmills CAN'T be wrong!

[ChromeBoy 0]

With all the pictures and the sharing of experiences it makes me realize that we are all human and not just funny quotes on a screen. I mean we saw what Betsy Barnhouse looks like. It's just not the same anymore. I always thought she was a older gray haired fairy sprinkling pixie dust all over the place and that is so not her!Can you hear me now? Good.

[skymedic 0]

I am all about Betsy now....she's my kinda of woman...a survivor...eh babe???....
3..2..1..C-YA
marc

[hobbes4star 0]

>that we are all human and not just funny quotes on a screen.
thats all we are to you just a bunch of funny quotes on your screen
why jump when you can fly

[skycat 0]

Hey guys sorry we didn't make it, but I know you understand about the move. So anyway Hook came and visited me this weekend here in Denver, so of course we had to jump. Field elevation at mile-hi was exactly 5000 ft higher than Skydive Houston. (Per my alti) Anyway cause I know you all are wondering....yes the landings were faster, and no neither one of us ate shit, actually other than putting my feet down to soon I had good landings. Derek on the other hand, well his quote of the weekend was "This is fucking awesome...I should have moved here sooner". So nope he didn't have a problem with the 60. Apparently we are now the talk of the DZ, Derek with his 60 and me the only chick at the DZ on an elliptical. Oh Derek also got to land his MR-109, something about a hung toggle on his first jump, I kind of liked the theory one of the guys had that he was scared to land the 60. That happened on load 6, he repacked and was on load 11 or 12, what a true addict.
We also spent one day hiking in the high country something like elevation 10,000 ft. Can you say sucking wind, besides the views being breath taking, the air was a little thin Other than that we explored Denver and biked the trails that run behind my complex, something like 20 miles of trails, we only did 10 though since I'm only about 90% acclimated.
So I wish we could have made it to Eloy especially since the whole thing was my idea, but we really needed to spend some time here getting to know the place.
Kelli

[airann 1]

Did Hook also move or is that soon?
Glad you guys are having fun!
AirAnn's Video Vault

[FallinWoman 1]

Dave,
I am glad you guys had a blast!!!! I am jealous! It was good talking to the lot of you.
In my continued attempt to explain skydiving to my family I told them the story of you hanging with Arizona Airspeed....my mom figured out the punchline before i got there and she totally got chills.....thanks for helping verbalize how great we skydivers all are!!!
Anne
Part of the job of being human is to consistently underestimate our effect on other people- Grealy

[skycat 0]

Hook was just up visiting, but he will be moving up in July. As a little added insureance I'm holding his spare rig for ransome.