REPORT: The 2004 Lake Winnepesakee Poker Run
This is a long one and I still haven't finished it, but I thought I'd get the ball rolling since it will be several parts. Alos, don't forget to check out the shots in the Photo Gallery
OK boys and girls, its story time, so lean back in your chairs, adjust your monitors, and settle in for a fanciful tale. Our saga begins in October of 2003 when, my then brand-new girlfriend Amanda (Aqua V) took off on a 3 week cross country road-trip for a variety of reasons. One of those reasons was to visit her Alma Mater, Bentley College in Boston, and look up old friends left behind. Of course, as all new relationships go, I could not stand to be without her for such a long time. So I took a day off, hopped a jet, and boggied to Boston’s infamous Logan Airport to spend a long weekend boin…um,….….getting reacquainted.
Since I was going to be in the neighborhood anyway, I checked the Donzi Boards to see if we could hook up with any Donzi Brother’s and Sister’s around the North Pole. I got response from Ken Lessard (Donzi) and Dave Wood (Woodsy). We had a great evening in Boston with Kenny & Martha, and accepted Woodsy’s invite to take a tour of Lake Winni. Once on the lake, I was so impressed, even through the frost bite, that when Dave mentioned the Poker Run in July, I knew we had to come back…..And of course it wouldn’t be me if I didn’t up the ante. So, I decided to drag Jefe’s Revenge with us and attend the run in my own boat. Over the next eight months, the story grew of this Crazy Texan who was planning to bring a 30 foot, fish-boat no less, to Winni for the Poker Run. We even got the moniker “Team Wacko”.
Never tell me I shouldn’t do something, cause I’ll do it just to show you I can. Sure enough on the evening of 28-Jul-2004, Me, Aqua V and the HabaMasta, tied Jefe’s Revenge to the Team Jefe F-350, pointed her East and took off for Winni. The initial part of the trip was very exciting as AV & HM presented me with my B-day present of an XM radio, all set up to be used on the trip….and it was a God send (at least for me, more on that later). We traveled into Louisiana and made our first pit stop. Scot took over driving and I was put in charge of the XM. Since this is my story, Scot will be the one who caused the XM antenna cable to be torn apart. Never mind that I actually opened the door when the cable snapped…it is still all Scot’s fault.
I was not really bothered since I promptly fell asleep as we traveled through LA, Ole’ Miss and into Alabama by the early morning. I took over driving again, and noticed that the XM was working…sort of. So, we fiddled with the antenna again and got it going. Great, XM radio to keep me awake in Georgia onward,…what, so he didn’t have XM through the long night….he broke the antenna.
We traveled the rest of the day NE through Georgia, Tennessee, Virginia, West Virginia Maryland and into Pennsylvania. We stopped at an Arby’s outside Philly for supper and then Scot again took over and traveled through the night (yes with XM) into Jersey, New York and Connecticut. In Hartford I was awaken by some…..heated discussions on lane choice and similar driving skill issues. The discussion ended very suddenly with the statement “can it Amanda” (not spoken by me). So, since we had been on the road for over 30 straight hours and I couldn’t sleep with all this fighting, we decided to get a room and crash for a few hours. Everything looked better Friday morning and we saddled up for the short run to Winni. Just south of the Mass. state line, we passed the John Kerry motorcade and joked about them sending the cops back to check out the rig from Texas…..that was when I noticed the Hell’s Angels in Blue coming up behind us. There must have been 40 Mass State & Boston Motor cops traveling back from escort service. Of course they could have been there to ensure we kept moving north as Senator Kerry moved south.
We finally made it to Laconia and pulled up to Woodsy’s house to a raucous welcoming party. Woodsy and Sweet Princess, Bertram Boy and Donzi Di, Tom Davis and the lovely Miss Kim, Pete and his way better half Momodahomo; Princess’s friends Miss Lori and Miss Julie…and a bunch of other Donzifiles were there to welcome Team Wacko from Texas; it was all very overwhelming.
Stay tuned