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We went to the season opener of the UFL Las Vegas Locos last night, it was a lot of fun! We met a bunch of fun people that we look forward to seeing again at the next home game. I had always wondered what really goes on at the stadium during the football games. Sure, it is a lot of fun to hang out with your friends and watch games on TV. You all play armchair quarterback and listen to not-always-so-good-commentary. The UFL even takes the camera and a reporter in a suit (yuk, it was in the 90s yesterday) and interview players during the game. Reporter “you carried that ball over 10 yards, how do you feel?” Player ‘I feel like we are really having a good game.” Or Player “It was AWESOME!”
©320photography Canon G10 ISO 200 f/4.5 30mm 1/20th sec
So what exactly happens during commercial breaks on TV. Nothing, absolutely nothing. The players stand around, the water is run out to them. They joke around with the refs. And the fans, well – they spend their time doing what people do at home. Drink beer. Lots of it.
The guys sitting behind us we are blast! And the more they drank, the funnier they got. It started out as a simple wall of beer.
©320photography Canon G10 ISO 200 f/2.8 6mm 1/10th sec
Then, they made the first of many beer-amids.
©320photography Canon G10 ISO 200 f/2.8 6mm 1/8th sec
Towards the end of the night the group had consumed the contents of over 40 of these shiny cans.
©320photography Canon G10 ISO 400 f/2.8 6mm 1/8th sec
The last beer-amid they tried to build even included donations of shiny cans from others around them, but alas….not so steady hands…..
©320photography Canon G10 ISO 200 f/2.8 6mm 1/25th sec
Unfortunately, the Locos did not win their season opener – but there is always next time. Looking forward to the next game.
Day 8 and it is time to go home. We have really enjoyed our escape from Nevada and hope to come back another day (but not likely in the winter). My family and I did have the opportunity to check something off of our bucket list before leaving MN, we saw an eagle – just hanging out on the top of a tree.
©320photography Canon G10 ISO 80 f/4.5 30mm 1/1000th sec
Of course we really aren’t very close to it, but it still was a treat to see. Didn’t see a single one when we drove across the country and through Yellowstone, but we see one in Hoyt Lakes, MN….
And, as we are also heading out of town there is one sign that I have to laugh at every time we drive by it. If you have been following along on the blog, you understand that Hoyt Lakes, MN is a pretty small town. But at some point someone felt it was necessary for this sign.
©320photography Canon G10 ISO 80 f/4 21mm 1/250th sec
Funny. I have not once seen this area congested in the way city folk understand congested to mean.
Our time has been relaxing and full of adventure at the same time. I had truly been relaxing, and all was well ….until we got to the Duluth airport. This is the smallest airport I have ever seen in my life, it only has 4 gates and only recently went up to 4 gates because Allegiant Airlines expanded the gates by one. The TSA here take their job very seriously. Both of my kids and my carry ons were pulled out of the security line after x-ray for manual searches – which resulted in my camera equipment being pulled out and meticulously reviewed. I have a Pod ‘bean’ bag with a tripod mount on it (beans are small plastic pellets) which lost a lot of beans on the floor as it was being inspected. In the end, my stuff (and my son’s) was scanned by xray three times after the manual inspection. This caused a HUGE backup at security (because there are only three TSA folks working – one to xray and two to manually search items). Frustrating.
I don’t know that I can go through that again…when we come back I think we will just fly into Minneapolis and rent a car. Happy to be headed home from Gate 1.
©320photography Canon G10 ISO 80 f/4 6mm 1/400th sec
Our day started out with a trip to the shopping district at Canal Park, near the Aerial Lift Bridge in Duluth. Amazing display of architecture. The driving surface of the bridge lifts up to allow floating passage underneath, not your average every day type of bridge. It was originally built in 1905 as an aerial ferry, but updated in 1930 to include the lift for the transport of cars. The bridge spans about 390 feet, and rises and lowers up to 30 times a day during the busy shipping season. The lift is just right above the top of the buildings in the photo below.
©320photography Canon G10 ISO 80 f/4 18mm 1/1250th sec
After spending the morning shopping we had one last road trip, with a lunch stop on the way.
©320photography Canon G10 ISO 80 f/4 1/400th sec
And low and behold, a name familiar to just about anyone who has seen the pop culture film (as raunchy as it is).
©320photography Canon G10 ISO 80 f/4 6mm 1/640th sec
Nothing says adventure like a stop along a random highway for road food. Pretty good burger, great onion rings.
©320photography Canon G10 ISO80 f/4 6mm 1/500th sec
