Vegas or Bust

JAM

JAM

I am the storm
Silver Member
Well, here I am in Altoona, Iowa, in the middle of the United States, en route to Vegas. I had wanted to drive a little bit further last night, but we got hit with the worst storm I have ever experienced, smack in the middle of the corn fields. Even the big 18-wheelers pulled over to the side. Nobody could drive, and the ground was shaking. The water went left to right instead of falling from the sky, the winds were so strong. I truly thought a tornado was coming, it was that bad. After 20 minutes of a nightmare, though, the sun appeared, and we saw a beautiful rainbow.

I am amazed at all the corn we grow here in the States. Ohio was full of corn and cows, all on flat land, but here in Iowa, the farmers have made corn-growing an art form. There are little hills and valleys, and they grow the corn in swirls and circles, creating a beautiful landscape. Keith and I were both wondering why it stays light until 10:00 p.m. in Iowa, and then we soon realized we hadn't changed our clocks to the appropriate time for this area, Central Time I think as opposed to Eastern Standard Time.

I had thought driving would be a piece of cake, but I must admit that Vegas is a little further than I had figured, all 2,400-plus miles of it. So far, we have driven about 1,000 miles in 2 days. Whew.

Tonight, we are hoping to stay near a good/nice pool room, so that Keith can hit some balls. I'm not sure how far Denver is, but that's the target stopping point where we intend to hang for a day or two.

We stopped here in Altoona, after the rain storm, because there's a place here called Prairie Meadows, complete with a horse track and casino. People sure are nice here in the heartland of the country. I'm glad I had the experience to see the countryside and meet the good folks.

I'm killing a little time here with my dial-up laptop in the lobby of a hotel called the Settle Inn here in Iowa and thought I'd just drop a line to AzBilliards Land.

Again, I'm still amazed at the amount of corn we grow here in the States. I'd have never thunk it unless I saw it with my own eyes. Corn everywhere from Ohio to Iowa. Next stop, Nebraska, and hopefully Denver by tonight for a little POOL action.

JAM
 
Hello JAM,

That is one long drive you have to make. Sounds like your having a good time doing it though. I wish I knew Keith and you were driving through Ohio I would of had you guys stop by so Corey and I could practice with Keith a little. If possible try to find a table with the new cloth on it. Corey and I just put it on and it plays a bit different than the Mali. Well I wish you a fun and safe drive and I will be looking forward to seeing you guys in Vegas. Hopefully sometime in the week I can try a little craps with Keith. Talk with you later. AMC

JAM said:
Well, here I am in Altoona, Iowa, in the middle of the United States, en route to Vegas. I had wanted to drive a little bit further last night, but we got hit with the worst storm I have ever experienced, smack in the middle of the corn fields. Even the big 18-wheelers pulled over to the side. Nobody could drive, and the ground was shaking. The water went left to right instead of falling from the sky, the winds were so strong. I truly thought a tornado was coming, it was that bad. After 20 minutes of a nightmare, though, the sun appeared, and we saw a beautiful rainbow.

I am amazed at all the corn we grow here in the States. Ohio was full of corn and cows, all on flat land, but here in Iowa, the farmers have made corn-growing an art form. There are little hills and valleys, and they grow the corn in swirls and circles, creating a beautiful landscape. Keith and I were both wondering why it stays light until 10:00 p.m. in Iowa, and then we soon realized we hadn't changed our clocks to the appropriate time for this area, Central Time I think as opposed to Eastern Standard Time.

I had thought driving would be a piece of cake, but I must admit that Vegas is a little further than I had figured, all 2,400-plus miles of it. So far, we have driven about 1,000 miles in 2 days. Whew.

Tonight, we are hoping to stay near a good/nice pool room, so that Keith can hit some balls. I'm not sure how far Denver is, but that's the target stopping point where we intend to hang for a day or two.

We stopped here in Altoona, after the rain storm, because there's a place here called Prairie Meadows, complete with a horse track and casino. People sure are nice here in the heartland of the country. I'm glad I had the experience to see the countryside and meet the good folks.

I'm killing a little time here with my dial-up laptop in the lobby of a hotel called the Settle Inn here in Iowa and thought I'd just drop a line to AzBilliards Land.

Again, I'm still amazed at the amount of corn we grow here in the States. I'd have never thunk it unless I saw it with my own eyes. Corn everywhere from Ohio to Iowa. Next stop, Nebraska, and hopefully Denver by tonight for a little POOL action.

JAM
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well if you are still there you are about 10 min. from iowa's greatest pool hall. of course it doesnt open till 1pm. hope the rest of the trip goes well for you and good luck in vegas
 
Go Keith and JAM! Drive safely! See you in a couple days. Buy gas now, it's going up! ;)
 
I sure enjoy your posts JAM. What are you guys driving? Wishing you both the best. Curt
 
I sure enjoy your posts JAM. What are you guys driving? Wishing you both the best. Curt
 
JAM said:
Well, here I am in Altoona, Iowa, in the middle of the United States, en route to Vegas. I had wanted to drive a little bit further last night, but we got hit with the worst storm I have ever experienced, smack in the middle of the corn fields. Even the big 18-wheelers pulled over to the side. Nobody could drive, and the ground was shaking. The water went left to right instead of falling from the sky, the winds were so strong. I truly thought a tornado was coming, it was that bad.

JAM
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You Two did the Right thing getting off the Road, as there ARE OLD DRIVER, and Bold Drivers, but NO Old Bold Drivers.:)

Good luck in Sin City...;)
 
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You may see another of those brief lightning storms again today, they are a pretty regular occurance on the plains. And don't worry about all that corn, a lot of it goes to feed pigs and cows ;)

Drive safely JAM, and all the best rolls to Keith in Vegas, he'll have a lot of AZers cheering him on from around the world.

Dave
 
Never could ...

Why they wanted to drive instead of flying. Checked on Cheap Tickets and they could have flown on 22nd, and returned the 30th, and stayed at the Circus Circus for $765 a person, or $1,530 total.

Figured they would drive a total of abuot 5,600 miles total, including side ventures aroud towns, driving in Vegas, etc. or about 15 tanks of gas, and including oil, about $50+ a tank, or $750 total plus. Then they have the room expense, 9-10 nights max.

I know Keith is hoping to pick up a few games along the way, but he could have probably done that in Vegas too before the tournament.

That is a hell of a lot of driving - and if I did not too good in the tournament itself, I would not look forward to the long drive home.
 
Thanks for the report JAM, it is truly appreciated. All this driving must bring back some memories for Keith from when he was on the road, I won't even guess at the last time he was playing pool out west? Please keep us updated if possible and best of luck to the two of you in Vegas, drive safe and have fun!
 
Snapshot9 said:
Why they wanted to drive instead of flying. Checked on Cheap Tickets and they could have flown on 22nd, and returned the 30th, and stayed at the Circus Circus for $765 a person, or $1,530 total.

Figured they would drive a total of abuot 5,600 miles total, including side ventures aroud towns, driving in Vegas, etc. or about 15 tanks of gas, and including oil, about $50+ a tank, or $750 total plus. Then they have the room expense, 9-10 nights max.

I know Keith is hoping to pick up a few games along the way, but he could have probably done that in Vegas too before the tournament.

That is a hell of a lot of driving - and if I did not too good in the tournament itself, I would not look forward to the long drive home.
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I don't think the money had anything to do with it. I think JAM said that she doesn't like to fly since 9/11(something about inside info from living and working in the beltway).
 
Jennie
If you take lots of breaks - get out of the car and run around it, the ride is much easier. My vacations for 30 years started with a drive - I worked Friday (construction in Phx 110+ degress), got home in afternoon, got in the truck and drove 1200 miles 'til I got to Montana and then stopped for the night (Saturday night). On your ride home, if you are doing a northern route stop by and spend the night - have a/c, regulation pool table, and a few (probably more) cold ones. And check out the website - Keith's cue is on it.
Do take care - drive safe.
Jack
www.johnmaddencues.com
 
Good to hear you are enjoying the countryside on that very long drive. We (me & gabestepdad) are leaving Wichita Friday morning for the drive, plan to arrive in boomtown Saturday night. (gotta see that first round on Sunday) We have 1300 miles to Vegas, 2600 round trip, but still quite a drive.
This will be my first time to a pro event that Gabe's playing in for a few years. But with my best friend living there and stepson en route, we're making the most of this trip, to see everyone.
Hopefully I'll get a chance to meet you there. Good luck to Keith! And here's wishing everyone - all the players and watchers - a great time in Vegas!
 
JAM, Glad to see a progress report. And traveling vicariously a little, too. I've made nearly a dozen cross-country road trips, but none in the past 10 years, so I envy you guys, no matter what kind of airfare you could get!

Nebraska's a mighty long haul, and there's plenty of ultra-flat land between the Colorado border and Denver, too. You might enjoy getting off the interstate about now, since you're past the big cities and everything starts spreading out. Not so many cops on the two-lanes (but watch out near towns!). Riding on the back roads, compared with the interstate, is almost as big a difference in what you can see as riding on a motorcycle vs. a car.

Route 2 across Nebraska was one of my favorites, but out of your way. But I'd be tempted to take U.S. Route 6 ... an old classic route that Kerouac hitched on back in the day. Had a bleak Trailways rest-stop breakfast myself there years ago in McCook. When you're out there you're definitely out there.
 
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Put keith behind the wheel

Is Keithly helping you with the driving? I didn't think so.
I know he knows how to drive (since he was 12 or so), but I'm not sure he's ever had a driver's license. Long drive for you Jen. Take your time and don't rush.
 
JAM said:
Well, here I am in Altoona, Iowa, in the middle of the United States, en route to Vegas. I had wanted to drive a little bit further last night, but we got hit with the worst storm I have ever experienced, smack in the middle of the corn fields. Even the big 18-wheelers pulled over to the side. Nobody could drive, and the ground was shaking. The water went left to right instead of falling from the sky, the winds were so strong. I truly thought a tornado was coming, it was that bad. After 20 minutes of a nightmare, though, the sun appeared, and we saw a beautiful rainbow.

I am amazed at all the corn we grow here in the States. Ohio was full of corn and cows, all on flat land, but here in Iowa, the farmers have made corn-growing an art form. There are little hills and valleys, and they grow the corn in swirls and circles, creating a beautiful landscape. Keith and I were both wondering why it stays light until 10:00 p.m. in Iowa, and then we soon realized we hadn't changed our clocks to the appropriate time for this area, Central Time I think as opposed to Eastern Standard Time.

I had thought driving would be a piece of cake, but I must admit that Vegas is a little further than I had figured, all 2,400-plus miles of it. So far, we have driven about 1,000 miles in 2 days. Whew.

Tonight, we are hoping to stay near a good/nice pool room, so that Keith can hit some balls. I'm not sure how far Denver is, but that's the target stopping point where we intend to hang for a day or two.

We stopped here in Altoona, after the rain storm, because there's a place here called Prairie Meadows, complete with a horse track and casino. People sure are nice here in the heartland of the country. I'm glad I had the experience to see the countryside and meet the good folks.

I'm killing a little time here with my dial-up laptop in the lobby of a hotel called the Settle Inn here in Iowa and thought I'd just drop a line to AzBilliards Land.

Again, I'm still amazed at the amount of corn we grow here in the States. I'd have never thunk it unless I saw it with my own eyes. Corn everywhere from Ohio to Iowa. Next stop, Nebraska, and hopefully Denver by tonight for a little POOL action.

JAM
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You are making a monumental mistake. You'll should have driven or flown into town about a week in advance, got a place and let Keith relax and practice everyday. Get rested and prepare for the tournament. This is business not a vacation and you need a laid out plan on just how you are going to go about winning these things. Bouncing around in a car, mind all over the place for 4 or 5 days, then trying to play is not the way to do it.
 
macguy said:
You are making a monumental mistake. You'll should have driven or flown into town about a week in advance, got a place and let Keith relax and practice everyday. Get rested and prepare for the tournament. This is business not a vacation and you need a laid out plan on just how you are going to go about winning these things. Bouncing around in a car, mind all over the place for 4 or 5 days, then trying to play is not the way to do it.
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That is one hell of a thing to tell them at this point.
If you can't be supportive, why say anything.
 
ironman said:
That is one hell of a thing to tell them at this point.
If you can't be supportive, why say anything.
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Because this is only the first tournament and if this it the game plan they are taking way the worst of it. They need to realize this is a business not fun and games. This is no different then doing a big business presentation, the guy who shows up prepared will get the deal.

Pool players are going to have to start thinking about it as a business, you can bet Mizerak did and so does Jeanette Lee. That was no accident she had that TV gig the other night. You know one of the differences between successful people and failures? It's not so much the successful people had more opportunities, just they recognize them when they come along.
 
Al-fahl Amir said:
Hello JAM,

That is one long drive you have to make. Sounds like your having a good time doing it though. I wish I knew Keith and you were driving through Ohio I would of had you guys stop by so Corey and I could practice with Keith a little. If possible try to find a table with the new cloth on it. Corey and I just put it on and it plays a bit different than the Mali. Well I wish you a fun and safe drive and I will be looking forward to seeing you guys in Vegas. Hopefully sometime in the week I can try a little craps with Keith. Talk with you later. AMC
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Aaron, looking forward to seeing you for sure! :) We're in Denver, Colorado, today, after driving 700 miles yesterday from Altoona, Iowa. Coming here, I could not get over the countryside, the variety, and the differences from State to State. BTW, tell Corey that there is a county in Nebraska named after him: Deuel County.

We are 700 miles from Vegas and hope to get there by tonight, and then I am hoping that Keith practices 24/7 on a Diamond table. Last night, he did hit some balls, but we were both really tired from the long drive, and then there's that 2-hour difference in time. We left D.C. Sunday night at 5:00 p.m. and drove 1,700 miles in 3 days. WHEW!

Aaron, I want you and Keith to think about nothing but HITTING BALLS from here on in. The dice table can wait. One thing for sure, it will always be there when the dust settles, calling Keith's name! :D

Good luck to you and Corey. Looking forward to seeing you very soon, Aaron.

JAM
 
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