What's going on here?

So, what's going on here?

The IU Rugby Club is celebrating its 50th anniversary on September 8. The Mayan calendar "runs out of time" a couple months later, and some believe that this may portend the end of the World. Whether that's the case or not, we intend to make this a celebration for the ages, and have branded this event as the EOTW Celebration.

Being rugby guys, we've got some crazy plans for the weekend. Like a golf tournament, a parade, an "old boys" match against our arch-rival Purdue alumni, and a banquet at the IU Memorial Union, from which the rugby club was once banned. Just a guess, but I think that a couple of our favorite college bars might also see a spike in business.

I've always wanted to do another cross-country ride on my Harley, and just in case the World really does end, I figure I can kill two birds with one rock by riding my bike to the EOTW Celebration from Newport Beach, CA. The round-trip distance of my intended route looks to be just over 5,000 miles, and I'll be travelling through 13 states. So I'll give myself +/- 3 weeks to get'er done.

I plan on making some fun stops along the way, including 6 national parks, and will try and invoke my usual biker travel-habits as much as I can; like taking smaller roads when possible, staying away from chain restaurants, and starting a conversation with a local at each stop. I always learn some interesting stuff this way.

A lot of friends like to follow my travels when I do something crazy like this, and I've found these blogs to be a pretty fun way of sharing a story. If you follow this one, I hope that you enjoy the ride! If you'd like to read about some of my other adventures, just click on one of the links at the bottom right.

Saturday, September 8, 2012

Game Day!!

A hard Friday night leads to a bit of a rough start on Saturday morning.  Well, it's not like we haven't done this before (which reminds me of how much I miss Fridays at The Hopp).  We were lucky that the parade started just across the street from the Union.


What a motley group of old men.  The marching rugby Z-band proceeded to the pitch in an unorganized fashion, but everyone that we met along the way seemed to smile and laugh at us.


Even our effigy of John Errington seems impressed with Joes' saxophone skills.


I was wondering if Dike brought this tuba all the way from Seattle?

I really enjoyed playing in the match – and it’s always nice to score a try!  (the equivalent of a touchdown in football)  When I realized that I was actually going to cross the try-line, I couldn’t remember or think of graceful way to touch the ball down, so I just sort of rolled to the ground.  Did anyone get a picture of that?

The banquet at the Union was a very nice touch, and a great way to start the evening.  Just as we started to eat, though, I got drilled square in the forehead by a dinner roll.  Didn't even see it coming. I mean, it was like Dickey was throwing a fastball at me from 15 feet away. At least we had the good sense not to let it escalate into a full-fledged food fight. 


Of course, rugby players like to sing.  Here's just one of the guys "serenading" the night's newly elected Rugby Queen. Yep, real picture. And you gotta love the Elks Lodge – or even better, drinking ALL of the beer at the Elks Lodge.


The chicks just seem to dig you when you've scored a try.


Partying like a rock star, the view from the VIP section with Mark.   


Again, the chicks just seem to dig you when you've scored a try!

A group of 15 or 20 of us kind of made another parade walking back to Union at 3:30 am.  Got re-settled, then went out to the Waffle House again for breakfast - same table, same waitress.  And she did not seem all that happy to see us again.  About the time we were finishing, I heard this beeping sound - the alarm on my watch going off at my usual 6:30 am wake-up time.

Good times!!



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